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Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 2004 by Paul Attner

When the NFL told players and coaches it would consistently enforce this season's new emphasis on defensive holding in the secondary until the last play of the Super Bowl, they chuckled. No way, they said. Once into October, things will loosen up again and we'll be able to clutch and hold again and we'll keep all this passing at least somewhat under control.

Hasn't happened. And because the NFL has maintained the standard it established in preseason games, we're seeing unprecedented effectiveness by the game's best quarterbacks. The result is a statistical explosion that will make this one of the most memorable offensive seasons in history.

It has been 37 years since Joe Namath became the first pro passer to throw for 4,000 yards, and that barrier has remained a telling measure of a quarterback's production. The league record for most 4,000-yard passers in one season is five, set in 1999 by Steve Beuerlein, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Brad Johnson. This season, as many as nine are on pace to surpass 4,000, a simply startling example of how the new emphasis has altered the game. Manning also could surpass Dan Marino's record of 48 touchdowns, which has held up since 1984.

Likewise, it once was unusual for a quarterback to have 60 percent accuracy, particularly outside of a West Coast offense. But after the first nine games of this season, eight of the top nine passers as measured by yards were completing at least 62 percent of their passes and four were at 65 percent or better. And every one of the top 15 hit at least the 54 percent mark. Defenses simply no longer can consistently hinder accurate passers from throwing to quality receivers.

"There's just no question, you better be able to throw the ball well to win championships," says Texans general manager Charley Casserly. "Running the ball is fine, and you need to strive for some balance. But to score enough in this league today you have to throw. If you can't, you won't be playing for very long in January."

The problems of average quarterbacks are exposed even more amid this high-energy atmosphere. Before he was benched, Mark Brunell had thrown for just 1,194 yards and completed only 49.8 percent of his passes. It's remarkable he was able to keep his starting position with the Redskins so far into a season in which his peers made his lousy performance even more glaringly inept.

SCOUTS' VIEWS

Observations and opinions from two NFL pro scouts, one from each conference

There are a ton of receivers who are playing well. When the big-name guys are going down, you've got young kids stepping up. There are a bunch of guys people don't know about, like Clarence Moore of the Ravens, who are making plays. ... It's a big decision to go to a rookie quarterback when your team is still in the playoff hunt. I've got to assume Eli Manning has been spectacular in practice and has a lot of coaches' confidence for the Giants to have the fortitude to make the switch from Kurt Warner. ... Everybody is calling the Steelers "Blitzburgh" again. I don't know if Dick LeBeau is blitzing a heck of a lot more, but he's got that defense playing aggressively. Even when they play their base defenses and they're not bringing pressure, they're playing with aggressiveness. ... I don't know who the next best team in the NFC is after the Eagles. The Vikings were playing great when Randy Mess was in there, but I don't know if their defense is good enough to hold up. The Falcons have put themselves in the mix. If they can get a No. 1 or No. 2 (playoff) seed and a bye, they can beat anybody. ... I think the Colts are going to stumble because of their defense. Dwight Freeney is a game-changer, but he obviously can't make every tackle. They don't have any beef up front--they don't have the big, run-stuffing kind of guys--and they lack speed in the secondary. ... What Derrick Blaylock has done while Priest Holmes has been banged up is a great story. He has stepped into some big shoes and filled them pretty well. The tricky thing is he's going to be a free agent. I think there are going to be only six or seven teams looking for backs in free agency, but he certainly has built a case as a quality runner who can get you through games and be a great No. 2, if not a No. 1. ... The Lions' Eddie Drummond is a real instinctive runner with the ball. He's got good vision and instincts to find the open lane and hit the crease with speed, and that's the most important thing you can do as a returner--especially a kick returner. He's not afraid of getting tackled or hit, so he'll fight for every yard he can get. I don't think he's a one-year flash. He's a guy who's going to have a nice career as a returner and backup receiver.

Rod Coleman is to the Falcons what Warren Sapp was to the Bucs in that he can be a disruptive guy who can play the run on the way to the quarterback. He's probably not as athletic as Sapp, but he's got great power and great strength. And he's a good complement to Ed Jasper, one of the more underrated nose tackles in the league.