Cause and Effect: Growing Trend of Passing in the NFL

It is no secret the NFL teams are starting to rely on the pass more frequently. In a league that used to pride itself on its hard-nosed power running backs, the quarterbacks and highly skilled receivers are starting to take center stage with incredible success. One of the most pass-happy teams in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints, defeated another team that isn’t afraid to throw the ball, the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl this year. Don’t get me wrong, there are some teams who still pride themselves in the rushing game, teams like Carolina Panthers or the Tennessee Titans, but neither of those teams made the playoffs this year.
I believe there are a number of reasons as to why the NFL is evolving into a pass first league. First being that the Quarterbacks are more skilled and are able to avoid pressure longer than they used to be able to, as well as there are more mediocre to better quarterbacks across the league. Of the top 10 leaders in passing yards, half of them are potential Hall of Famers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and Ben Roethlisberger. Off the field issues aside, I don’t think there is a team in the league that wouldn’t want one of these guys under center.
Secondly I believe that run defenses are getting stingier league wide due to growing athleticism across the defensive line, and among the linebacker core. Defensive ends are now running low 4’s in the 40 yard dash allowing them to turn the corner better and stop run plays before they start. Julius Peppers, one of the best Defensive End’s in the league recorded a 4.63 second 40. (Wikipedia) That’s blistering fast for a 290 pound defensive lineman. Linebackers also are becoming faster, allowing them to seal up holes and cover the flat a lot better. Patrick Willis a Linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers recorded 113 tackles in 2009, and ran a 4.37 second 40 yard dash, that used to be unheard of for even running backs. (Pro Football Reference)
Stats will also back up the fact that teams are starting to pass more often in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles passed the ball 538 times in 1989 compared to the 540 rushes that year. In 2009, it was 553-384 passing to rushing. This proves my point substantially.(Pro Football Reference PhiEagles) The 1989 New Orleans Saints were 9-7 and passed the ball 461 times and rushed it 502 times, while the 2009 Super Bowl Champion Saints were 544-468 passing to rushing. Now days you need to pass efficiently to have success. (NOSaints) Ben Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers with 506 attempts with 4328 yards passing in 2009 compared to Hall of Fame QB Terry Bradshaw’s 472 attempts and 3724 yards.(PitSteelers)
I’m not the only one that feels this way either, Steve Sailer said in his January 22nd, 2010 blog entitled “NFL 2009: The Year only Passing Mattered” “So, passing has been more correlated with winning than running for each of the last eight seasons, but 2009 was definitely the Year of the Quarterback. I found myself writing a lot about NFL quarterbacks in 2009, so at least I was responding to a real phenomenon.”(Sailer Para 5) He even included a table showing the correlation between passing and wins.
It’s a trend that is here to stay I am afraid. With all of the success of the pass in today’s game, I think we are going to start seeing more teams turn to the pass. Pass heavy teams have been in the Super Bowl the last 2 years, Saints versus Colts last year and Steelers versus Cardinals the year before. In order to succeed in this league, you need to have a competent passing game.

Earth Day Reaction

To me earth day isn't a very important day. To be honest, I didn't even know it was earth day until I read this article. To me there shouldn't have to be a special day to take of the earth or be "green". What I got from this article is exactly what I feel earth day is, a big front for companies to try and advertise their products. Leslie Kaufman said in her article 'At 40, Earth Day is Now Big Business' in the April 22nd, 2010 edition of the New York Times, that "While the momentum for the first Earth Day came from the grass roots, many corporations say that it is often the business community that now leads the way in environmental innovation — and they want to get their customers interested."(Para 14) It seems like this is becoming true, companies are trying to get eco-friendly just so more people will buy their products. It's kind of a bad reason to a somewhat good deed. I think the meaning of earth day has been lost to big business using it as a marketing tool. Shouldn't we care about pollution everyday? I don't see a need for a special day just to get a person to pick up one more piece of trash on their way to the store.

Growing Trend of Passing in the NFL

It's no secret that passing is becoming more prevelant in the NFL these days. Teams still run, but not nearly as much as they did in the past. The days of Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders single handedly winning football games are over, (with the exception of the Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson or Minnesota's Adrian Peterson if he doesn't fumble). I brainstormed some of the causes, and came up with a few. First, quarterbacks are far better athletes now days than they were in the past, they can escape pressure better, and throw the ball further with more accuracy. Secondly, defenses are a lot faster. Linebackers and Defensive Linemen are running 4.4 to 4.8 forty yard dashes, making it easier to jam up holes and seal up running backs in the flat. Thirdly Receivers are getting better, with some of the better passing teams, their number 4 receiver is just as good as a number 1 in the past. When you have that much talent across the field, it's easy to create mismatches against either a linebacker or nickelback. These are 3 of the main reasons I believe the passing game is taking over the NFL.

Ken Robinson Video

Ken Robinson seemed like a pretty funny, down to earth man. He also had a lot of wise things to say about the current education system. I would have to agree that education today focuses too much on academics and not enough on being creative. I know where I went to high school, we were encouraged to not take any art classes until final semester of our senior year. My question was why? If you enjoy art, and could possibly make a career out of it, who is the administration to tell you what you should focus on. Another thing that was looked at as more of a joke were the wood working classes. Administration looked at them as a way to eat up credits needed to graduate. I thought wood working classes were some of the best classes I ever took in high school. It didn't matter how smart you were, or what you got on your ACT, if you weren't creative, you couldn't do it. I think schools need to start emphasizing creativity into their cirriculums more often or else creativity will be lost to meaningless trigonometry and calculus equations in the near future.

Looking Forward to Summer

It seems like it has been one of the longest winters in my lifetime. Right after duck season, which is my autumn right of passage, it began to snow. Duck season wrapped up December 6th and two days later we were covered in 17 inches of snow. I didn't even get a chance to put my gear away and winter had already reared it's ugly head. And so it began. The painfully slow moving, cold, short days of winter. Living in the midwest has it's perks, however, winter is definitely not one of them. I feel like winter is the cold equivalent to hell. You can't do hardly anything outside, unless you own a snowmobile or are intrigued by skiing, and snow removal is a constant thorn in the side. Everyone is always on edge and grumpy because they are consistently cooped up in their houses. Police have even stated that domestic abuse rises in the winter months, although crime analysts say statistics do not support this. I believe it, winter is frusterating for everyone.

Now with the better part of winter behind us, and milder temperatures recently we can look forward to spring and summer. I'll enjoy kicking off spring the right way by celebrating my 22nd birthday on March 2oth, the first official day of spring. Spring is definitely one of my favorite seasons. You get to dust off the golf clubs and hit the links, and the bass fishing can be absolutely phenomenal. The air smells so good this time of year when everything is melting. I always will put on shorts a little prematurely, just to get the blood pumping. (I am wearing shorts as I write this actually.) Spring turkey hunting season has the birds strutting and gobbling feverishly trying to entice a mate. Baseball also begins, and everyone has a fresh start, even my woeful Chicago Cubs. There are so many reasons to love spring, I'm glad it's almost here.

Spring brings us into summer, and no school! This is the part of the year I like the most. Between hanging out with friends all the time, to competing in the many different bass tournaments that go on all over the state, I love every minute of it. Every year during the 4th of July I host a huge pool party for all my friends at my parents house. Ever since we all graduated high school everyone has looked forward to the 4th. It has to be my favorite holiday by far. Toward the end of the summer starts NFL training camp, which really pumps me up for Packer football, and that brings me right into autumn, where I enjoy hunting ducks and deer.

There are a ton more reason why I am looking forward to summer, this is just a brief summary. So everyone sit back, relax, and it will come. We will be drinking beers and grilling out sooner than you think!

Why I Love the Wisconsin Badgers

Pride. Tradition. Prestige. Three words that come to mind when thinking about the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic programs. All of my life I have been a die-hard Wisconsin Badger fan, from the "Motion W" logo all the way to Camp Randall Stadium, I have always lived for Badgers athletics. Growing up I was never able to attend any games, but watched furiously on television as the Badgers won their first Rose Bowl in 1993. Also as Ron Dayne led "Bucky" to back-to-back Rose Bowl titles in '98-'99 over UCLA and Stanford respectively.

In 2006, I moved to Madison, WI. I was attending MATC-Madison in order to become closer to the Wisconsin Badgers. It was a pretty dumb reason, but at age 18 I thought it was the smartest thing I ever did. I was finally able to go out to yard parties for "Badger Saturday" in Madison. I was able to attend my first game at Camp Randall, a 34-10 beat down of Western Illinois. It was unreal, one of the most fun things I have ever been to. Getting to participate in the "Jump Around" after the 3rd quarter, watching the game, and then the parties afterward were all a blast.

Wisconsin football hasn't been as successful in the past 10 years however. Despite some really good seasons they haven't returned to a Rose Bowl, or even tied for a Big Ten Championship. I like watching successful seasons, but I want them to start contending for a Rose Bowl, or even a National Championship. However, this isn't going to be the case anytime soon. They need to start adding tougher non-conference opponents to their schedule, and they need to win the big game. Winning all of your games except the ones against Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State will never get them any credit nationally. I don't predict a Badger National Championship in my lifetime, sad but true.

Wisconsin Men's Basketball would have to be my second love. Although I was never that into it growing up, (I was a football kid.) I have fallen hard for it later in life. I think it might have started after their 2000 Final Four appearance, even though they suffered a 53-41 defeat at the hands of conference rival Michigan State.

My favorite basketball memory would have to be the game I attended against then-ranked #2 Pittsburgh in the 2006-07 season. My buddy and I scalped student section tickets for the game and it was worth it. The Kohl Center was rocking and Wisconsin came away with a huge win that would eventually lead them to their first ever #1 ranking.

Wisconsin athletics have been a part of some of the best and worst times in my life. Thrilling victories and agonizing defeats have had a huge impact on my day-to-day life. A lot of people say "It's just a game" but for die-hard Badgers fans, it's our life.

Bass Tournament Season 2009 Recap

2009 was a year of highs and lows for me in my bass tournaments. The season started off a little late for me as I was plagued with engine trouble most of the spring. However, on May 16th I got my long awaited start at the BFL Great Lakes Division in La Crosse, WI. The night before I found out that I'd be paired with Jim Tomsovic of La Crosse, and he was on fish. The only thing that worried me was the forecast called for 35-45 mph northwest winds and highs in the 50's... not exactly ideal weather. I was optimistic though, and we launched around 6:30 A.M. and headed up to Pool 7 and Lake Onalaska. We were greeted with 6 foot high swells on the lake which ruined his best spot. The high point of the day came when Jim boated a 5.5 pound largemouth and after I netted it for him I fell over the side into the river. That made for a long, cold day. Right after I dried off I caught my only keeper of the tournament a 4 pound 1 ounce largemouth, a good first fish, but only good enough for 72nd place.

June 7th found me on a fairly new body of water, the Madison Chain of Lakes in Madison, WI. This was a team tournament that I fished with my cousin Dan McCarthy. We had spent a week prior to the tournament practicing and figuring out the lake, and felt pretty confident going into it. We caught our limit of 5 bass pretty early and upgraded all the way to 13.78 pound bag good enough for 2nd place. It was a pretty good way to redeem myself.

Next up was the second stop of the BFL Great Lakes Division, on the Winnebago system in Oshkosh, WI. On June 20th we launched and my boater and I were headed for Lake Winnebago. I had been on this body of water before, but I wasn't very confident as it's a tough place to fish. I kept a positive outlook and tried my best make do with what my boater gave me. I caught 2 small keepers right away flipping a jig around docks, but it was getting hot out and the bite was shutting off. I almost cracked, but then I caught a 3 pound largemouth behind my boater to jumpstart my day again. I fished hard the rest of the day adding one more keeper to my bag and then my Winneconne bad luck bug bit me again. My boaters boat broke down at 2 P.M., 30 minutes before we had to be back to the ramp. We ended up getting back too late and zeroing all of my weight. I couldn't believe it, I was heartbroken as I felt I had enough weight to cash a check, and put me in the top 40 for regionals. Sometimes things just don't work out the way you envision them.

The very next Sunday I was back at it again. Putting the gutwrenching tournament from the weekend before behind me, I went back out that Friday and Saturday in order to practice for a team tournament in Harpers Ferry, IA. My usual partner Glenn Walker was with me for this one, and we knew we were going to place high. We were on fish. Tournament day rolled around a cold front had come in and the wind picked up, so we knew we had to adjust and slow down and thoroughly work our areas. We found a sand bar that was loaded with smallmouth and largemouth. We caught 5 bass for a total weight of 12.90. I wasn't sure this was enough, but as it turned out the cold front had dropped the weights considerably. We won the tournament, and it was my first ever win. It erased all the heartbreak from the week before, and I couldn't have been happier. It's funny how you can be the lowest of lows one day, and all it took was 7 hours the next weekend to experience the highest of highs.

July 18th was the next tournament, and the next stop for the BFL Great Lakes. It was being held on my home water of Prairie du Chien, WI. I was mad about the last BFL so I decided to fish on the boater side. Practice was ok, I had located several schools of fish, and decided that my best chance for the win, was 30 miles upriver near Lansing, IA. Once again tournament day came with a cold front blasting through, so I immediately knew it was going to be tough. My first 2 spots were dead as they were open water weedbeds that shifted when the wind switched to northwest. My 3rd spot proved to be the best as I caught 4 of my 5 on it. It was just a rock bank with a few weeds on it. I lost two 3 pound or better smallmouth on that bank, which really killed me. I had a spot back down on Pool 10 by Prairie du Chien, but unfortunately we were held up by a barge in the lock and dam at Lynxville. I fished around the dam for about 2 hours and ended up snagging my best fish! I knew I didn't have enough, and scrambled once we got through to get to my last spot. With 15 minutes left we fished the spot quickly and my Co-Angler boated 3 keepers which were his only fish of the day. I ended up with 9 pounds 13 ounces in 52nd place. Those 2 big smallies I lost proved to be the difference.

The last stop for the season was August 20th in Prairie du Chien. The Grant County Bass Club 4-Man Team Tournament. It's more of a fun tournament that we always end the year on, my usual partner Glenn Walker and his brother Greg fish in one boat and my cousin Dan McCarthy and me in another. Historically we always finish high in this tournament and 2009 was no different. We caught our limit of 12 bass for a total of 28 pounds. We led the tournament all the way until the last team weighed in. Fellow Prairie du Chien anglers Jeff and Sam Ritter's team edged us out for the win. We weren't too disappointed and we took home some cash as well.

Overall, 2009 was mediocre for me. I got my first win, but there were also a lot of things I could improve on in 2010. Hopefully the wins will come more frequently this year, I sure could use the cash!