Should QB ratings depend on incomplete passes that are dropped by receivers? Who is at fault?

Question

Look at it like this. A QB throws a pass right into the hands of a receiver and he drops it. That counts as an incomplete pass for the QB. Likewise a very poorly thrown pass is caught in an unbelieveable fashion. Should the QB get credit for that? What about rating the receivers on the catches they make or don't make instead of the catches and total yards only. Gives a more accurate picture of how a player is doing. Also the receiver should be rated on yards gained AFTER the catch. A pass that is thrown for a 3 yard gain and the receiver breaks a couple of tackles and runs for another 40 yards. Should that be added to the passing yards or the rushing yards.
What do you think?

Answer 1

This is a two part answer.

1. You are in a very gray area as to what a "catchable" ball is. Incomplete passes are give and take. Sometimes the back or receiver will drop a very easy catch, and other times, make a great catch on a poorly thrown ball. There would be no easy way to determine what is, or isn't, an easy catch. The QB passer rating is pretty much fine the way it is.

2. YAC = yards after catch/contact has recently become a recordable stat. Staticticians are giving props to backs and receivers who gain yards after the ball has been given to them. The yards on a completed pass should still be given to the QB, he was the one who got the ball to him. Any pass that is behind the QB is consider a rush anyway. That is the only way for a "pass" to be consider as a rush.

Answer 2

Every dropped pass is compensated elsewhere by a great catch, so it kind of balances it out.

But 9 times out of 10, its not the reciever who is responsible for the YAC, it's the blocking and the lead by the QB, and mostly the play calling. I mean, yes you see guys make great players and they get on ESPN and did all the work, like Peerless Price. But then should a WR get credit when a defender misses an open field tackle, or falls on the ground because the turf broke beneath his cleats?

For every great play there are 9 more regular ones that go as designed.

Things are done the way they are for a reason and they are fine the way they are.

Answer 3

Interesting topic...

I think it has to be an all-or-nothing prospect. A catch is a catch, and a drop is incomplete.

it does indeed unfairly penalize for drops, but as you alluded, a RB breaking a 50 yard gain on a dump off compensates for it.

It's merely a statistical index, so most things come out in the wash. it would be two hard to characterize each throw or incompletion and assign blame.

Answer 4

Interesting theory. But, as you know, the whole QB Rating system is F.U.B.A.R. I mean, how can 158.3 be considered "perfect?" It's such an odd number. I can't believe it today's world that we can't have a simple system that bases a QB's rating out of 100.

Answer 5

They shouldnt but they r