[QUOTE="limpbizkit818"]
[QUOTE="TaCoDuDe"]
By the end of his career, he'll have most of the major passing records, and multiple super bowls. It'll be hard to argue it.
Also, the whole "offensive era" thing is myth. Offensive numbers, and passing numbers specifically, are around the same as they were thirty years ago. In fact, in many cases, teams pass less in the modern era. I guess you can argue that the rules regarding hitting quarterbacks makes a difference, but I doubt that effects stats greatly.
TaCoDuDe
No, that's not true. Plus post some stats to back that up. Teams use the shotgun like it's going out of style in the league today where that formation was rarely used 30 years ago. Today teams like the Colts and Patriots will line up in 4 WR sets on 3rd and 1!
Check out this list of QB's in order of QB rating. Notice something about the top 20 players? 15 of them are active. Today's NFL is a passing league without question, and this greatly effects player stats.
NFL scoring has remained largely the same in the past 60 years. In 1947 it was 22 PPG (points per game). In 1967 it was 21.8 PPG. In 1987, it was 21.6. In 2007, it was 21.7. Note that this is league wide, teams such as the '07 Pats are outliers. The spread is simply one example in a long line of offenses designed to counter new defensive tactics. Single wing, run and shoot, I backfield, full house, no huddle, double tight, the spread. Tactics change, scoring remains about the same. In the first two games this season the Saints scored 93 points. Is scoring up? No, the 1968 Oakland Raiders put up 95 in the first two weeks.
It is also not true that passing is more prevalent. In 2008, teams averaged 1.3 passing TD's per game. In 1958, teams averaged 1.5. In fact, the top ten years for passing are, in this order: 1965, 1947, 1948, 1987, 1952, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1962, 1958.
Drew Brees passed for 6 TD's in a game. Evidence of an explosion of passing? 5 players have thrown for 7 in a game...in 1943, 1954, 1961, 1962, and 1969. And this was out of old-fashioned two-receiver/two-back sets. Season and career totals are up in the modern era, but this is largely due to more games in a season.
So no, we aren't experiencing a flurry of offense, or passing. That list of quarterback ratings indicate that modern qb's are simply better.
BTW, you can find all of the stats I posted athttp://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/NFL/scoring.htm
average number of td passes isn't the only stat that should be in play here. how about average attempts, completions, or passing yards? i would be surprised if all of those categories haven't increased.
edit: having just looked at average attempts for each year. there has been a steady, but moderate increase over the years.having said that, we're talking 3 more passes attempted on average now as opposed to 20 years ago. the growth was slightly faster in the 70s and similar in the 60s.
again though, the biggest era differences that people point to are rule changes. pass interference is so much more sensitive. it's just difficult to compare players of different eras.
manning is great though. at the end of his career he'll be in the conversation as much as anybody. and for the record, it's not like there's agreement on #1 now without manning it'll always be an argument.
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