roysmallz

So this is my theory on why we have our first ever Black Friday game this year. So Amazon was all like "We're the Thursday broadcast, why don't we get a Thanksgiving game?" And the NFL said they already have contracts for the Thanksgiving games, tough shit, nothing they can do until it expires. Then Amazon being Amazon threw an absolute hissy fit, and airing the solo Black Friday game was the compromise.

TL:DR Amazon hissyfit over no Thanksgiving game

#Number of Interior linemen (IOL) pass blocking 75+

2018: 41

2019: 28

2020: 16

2021: 16

2022: 19

2023: 8

#Number of Tackles pass blocking 75+

2018: 37

2019: 30

2020: 35

2021: 30

2022: 33

2023: 22

#Number of Edge/DI pass rushing 75+

2018: 33

2019: 42

2020: 46

2021: 42

2022: 43

2023: 44

This is the first year there's more 75+ pass rushers than 75+ pass blockers.

So after looking into the rules changes before the 2019 season, I'm convinced the elimination of blindside blocks within the pocket was what spurred the large drop from 2018 to 2019. I think IOL still probably got away with it a bit in 2019, but by 2020, no one was doing it anymore, and the pass blocking of IOL dropped as a result. This also explains why pass blocking by tackles was stable and consistent from 2018 to 2019 as tackles rarely had the opportunity/need to execute blindside blocks. I am not sure what has caused the further deterioration of interior line pass blocking from 2022 to this season, but by percentage, it is the biggest single year drop in the years I looked at. I'm inclined to believe that the drop-off in tackle pass blocking this year is due to the severe drop off in IOL pass blocking.

Does anyone have any theories on what is behind the drop in IOL pass blocking this year? I don't think there were any significant changes in rules this off-season that would impact pass blocking, but maybe I missed something.

I included the amount of pass rushers with a rating of 75+ in pass rushing to show that there was a gap up in 2019 likely due to the blindside block rule, but besides that, it has remained stable and is not up this year despite offensive lines being lower rated this year.

TL:DR trying to figure out why offensive lines are so shitty nowadays and dug through PFF data and found out that it's specifically IOL pass blocking that's in the gutter and the decline started in 2019 due to the elimination of blindside blocks.

Football, as we know it will not exist at some point in the near future. It is simply too violent of a game. The likelihood of developing CTE is way too high and is essentially equivalent to getting dementia in your middle ages. Prior to very recent times, a player saying I'm not right coach, I'm not going back in....that was just simply not something a player could do. The team would pump them full of painkillers, slap them on the ass, and say go get em' champ. What we're seeing with Deshaun is perfectly normal and logical human behavior. He doesn't feel 100%, can't be blackballed with a fully guaranteed contract, and the generational wealth guaranteed by the end of his current contract, so no wonder he's choosing not to play.

Virtually everyone who reads this, if we took one NFL carry, it would be the hardest any of us have ever been hit, save for people that have been in significant car accidents. We wouldn't feel right for weeks, maybe even a few months. Human self-preservation coupled with massive contracts that can guarantee generational wealth for star players will result in an NFL where none of the top guys are willing to risk it for the biscuit. The inherent violence in the sport requires linemen to be proud that despite their socks being wet from the piss that ran down their leg, despite having a couple broken fingers, despite playing through a concussion and a bloody damn nose...they did their job, they proved how tough they were, sacrificing their body led to their team winning. Damn it to hell that at the age of 45, his brain will look like an 80 year old dementia patient, damn it to hell that his mobility will mirror that of an elderly person in his middle ages...he was a tough son of a bitch and sacrificing all that helped their team win.

Long story short the young guys making 20M a year don't need to have that mentality and will not have that mentality. They will make business decisions, and it will result in an NFL where guys aren't sacrificing their bodies. The football we know and love requires that sacrifice, and I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm not getting CTE and struggling to get out of bed for all the money in the world. Some things just cost too much.