I've been watching NFL football for over 30 years and I've noticed two things I've never seen before...

Question

In all my years of watching football as a die-hard fan, I have noticed two things I've never seen before. 1) I've never seen so many dropped passes like I've seen this season and 2) I've never seen so many missed, lax or poor tackles that allow extra yardage.

I've tried really hard to convince myself otherwise. I mean, nothing has changed, has it? Have they changed the waterproofing coating on the ball? Have teams switched to a slicker, harder to grab jersey? Its really strange, has anyone else noticed it?

Answer 1

*BINGO*

T.O., the biggest hack there is, actually leads the league in dropped passes.
And i have to admit, my Giants gave up the sack on Vince Young that wouldve been 4th down. And look what the Jags running game did to the Colts Defense!!

Too much money in salary/bonuses, too little incentive.

You can add one more thing, that is commensurate with the money issue: Too many players calling out their coaches !

Answer 2

I think I have to agree with CHILDofGod here, even though I'm not very religious! Maybe that is what everybody's problem is : they don't want to "work" in a marriage. As soon as something happens that's negative, people say get a divorce. So now I guess I see why the divorce rate is so high. That's your answer right there. My grandparents married in 1935, when Grandma was 14 & grandad was 19. They are still married today. When people here about a 73 yr. marriage, the first thing they do is clap. They don't know what kind of marriage it was. They don't know the work that went into such a long marriage. And I hear people complain that people aren't getting married anymore because the divorce rate is so high. In my opinion, they are lazy; they don't want to committ & they don't want to work; they just want to get out quickly if something happens. I've never been married so I speak from observation rather than personal experience. It's up to you. If you choose to work on this marriage than I don't think you should feel guilty about it. If you choose to walk then you shouldn't feel guilty about it. I think a professional could help him with his "problem", because I think it is some kind of psychological problem he has there.

Answer 3

These are two trends that have been growing in recent years and I believe can be attributed to the same thing. Ego. Wide recievers are becoming more and more selfish and not securing the football before trying to turn upfield and make a play. Same thing is happening with defenders. My friends and I call this the Deon Sanders Effect. Sanders was a great cover/return guy but if you look closely at his career, he never really tackled anyone. He would just lay a hit on them and hope they fell over. This led to defenders (especially safties) trying to make the "Jacked Up" highlight reel and good fundamental tackling falling by the wayside.

Answer 4

I agree with you and I don't have an explanation for it. I'll add one other item that seems rather odd in that a lot of teams are on a roller-coaster ride in that they play well for awhile and then fall apart. and then pick it up again. Consistency in the NFL is running at an all-time low. For example the Saints just ripped Dallas but a few weeks earlier the Bengals did the same thing to the Saints and it was at New Orleans.

Answer 5

Well i have been a Bengals fan all my life excepted for the last 3 yrs that's what they did for 10 yrs dropping passes and missing tackles but the last 3 have been good seasons but they still drop passes but not as many

Answer 6

It has changed. From hearing my grandfather and father talk about it, its changed a bit. I think its because players now days are more focused on making the big hit instead of just tackling the guy and as for recievers why would they care if they drop passes they get their money either way as when 30 years ago they were paid depending on how they played.

Answer 7

I have been watching football on TV longer than you have. I have not noticed any recent changes.
Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff of the Oakland Raiders forced a rules change, but that was many years ago. He used to cover his arms, chest and hands with pine tar resin, to aid in his pass catching.
There has been a slight rules change this year. In 2005 the NFL used new footballs. Players claimed they were too slick. This year, teams are using balls that have been roughed up a bit.

Answer 8

You are right. I thnk the overall fundamentals are seriously lacking. Tackling has been going downhill for years now, and now you are seeing more dropped balls and the offensive line blocking is also in decline. It is my opinion that as offenses and defenses become more complex in their playcalling and schemes, there is less practice time being spent on the basics of the game. You see the same in basketball, where no one can shoot a jump shot, lay up, or free throw anymore. It is a shame.

Answer 9

One the season starts, practice habits become different. Because of the salary cap, it becomes harder and harder to replace injured players, so teams don't go all out in weekly practice like they used to. Some teams start to take their players out of pads more and more during the week ... and that CAN'T be good for keeping an edge on tackling.

As for the dropped passes, don't know it all, but part of it is due to guys like our own Jeremy Shockey - who do not partake in offseason workouts with Eli and crew ...but rather go down to Miami with a good number of fellow Miami alumns and practice down there. Again, tough to work out rapport with QB and receivers when ONE of them isn't there for practice a lot of the time.

Answer 10

I completely agree with you. Seems like no one can hold onto a pass this year, and I was wondering if I was imagining it too. The lackadaisical tackling gets worse every year - I think they don't want to take a chance and get hurt, so they're not really trying. Kind of an odd year anyway though. At least it's been interesting.