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Ben Roethlisberger leads top 10 third-down QBs Published: Jan 06, 2017 at 11:46 AM Matt Harmon Trevor Daley Men Jersey Third down is widely regarded as the money down for quarterbacks. The time of the game where, when the ball is in their hands, they're expected to continue the drive for their team by pushing the ball down the field past the yard to gain. However, every Sunday it feels that we constantly bemoan the quarterbacks who are throwing short of the sticks. Next Gen Stats has developed a metric with their tracking data called "Average Air Yards to Sticks" to measure which quarterbacks are pushing the ball past the first down marker and those who consistently throw short of it. "Average Air Yards to Sticks" is defined as the difference between the air yards and the first down marker on a quarterback's completions. A positive number represents someone throwing past the first down marker, while a negative number represents throwing short of the sticks. Here we'll look at the top 10 performing quarterbacks at completing pa ses beyond the sticks on third down. 1) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (2.69 Air Yards to Sticks) If you've watched any football this season, you won't be surprised to find on this list. While Roethlisberger ranks just 18th in air yards on his total completions (40-plus attempts), he pushed the ball downfield on third down more than any other quarterback. Roethlisberger's third down completions traveled an average of 2.69 yards past the yard to gain. He led the NFL in this metric. When it's time to convert on third down, the ' pa ser isn't just looking to just get enough to continue the drive, he's looking to hit the big play to put an exclamation point on the series. Ben Roethlisberger's pa ser rating grid from the regular season Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) 2) Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2.1 Air Yards to Sticks) popped as the throwing into tight coverage, per Next Gen Stats. With that in mind, it's no surprise that the second-year quarterback consistently chucks the ball beyond the sticks on third down, with an average of 2.1 air yards past them. It wasn't a major leap for Winston from his first to second season, but he did show some slight progre s. His pa ser rating went from 84.2 to 86.1 and his completion percentage climbed up more than two points. However, Winston's interception rate did rise from 2.8 to 3.2 (fourth-highest) in 2016. By nature, Winston is a gambler. While that will result in him extending drives by consistently throwing beyond the sticks, it will also result in big plays for the defense. You take the good and the bad with the 2015 No. 1 overall pick and hope he learns to pick his spots better as he grows. 3) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (1.92 Air Yards to Sticks) Despite a slower start to the season as the offense settled into itself, finished the season on a tremendous tear that will likely get him a few MVP votes. One attribute that he showed all season was the ability to convert third downs by attacking the marker. Rodgers' third-down pa ses traveled an average of 1.92 yards past the sticks. Something that Rodgers does perhaps better than anyone else is improvise and hold onto the ball waiting Joseph Blandisi Kids Jersey for something to develop down the field. Rodgers' 2.87-second time to throw placed him fourth-highest among quarterbacks with 200 attempts this year. With a set of receivers that have their strengths but are not nece sarily elite man coverage beaters, the offense relies on Rodgers' ability to create. His ability to hold onto the ball behind the line and make defenders mi s helps him take the time needed for a receiver to break open on third downs. When they do, Rodgers consistently chucks the ball past the yard to gain marker. Aaron Rodgers's pa ser rating grid from the 2016 season Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) 4) Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers Matt Hunwick Kids Jersey (1.48 Air Yards to Sticks) threw into tight windows more than any other quarterback in the NFL this season and posted the worst completion percentage (52.9) of his career. Yet, when he did hit on his pa ses, more often than not they were big plays. Newton's 8.46 air yards per completion ranked second among quarterbacks with 200-plus attempts. The same reality held true on his third down pa ses, as his throws on the money down traveled an average of 1.48 air yards past the sticks. Both media members and the agreed of late that there need to be changes made within the structure of the offense. However, one item that doesn't need to change is Newton's willingne s to attack on third down. The route concepts and personnel could change to create more high-percentage pa sing options. Yet, there's no need to alter Newton's mindset. Cam Newton's pa ser rating grid from the 2016 season. Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) 5) Tom Brady, New England Patriots (1.36 Air Yards to Sticks) It was another remarkable season for the future quarterback. Despite only completing 24 pa ses to star tight end this season, Brady ran anything but a dink-and-dunk attack when his offense needed a first down. Brady's third-down pa ses traveled an average of 1.36 air yards past the first down marker this year. Brady rarely throws into tight windows with just 17.6 percent of his pa ses going to a wide receiver with le s than one yard of separation (24th). There are not many quarterbacks who are better at finding the open man. Clearly, it helps make him one of the NFL's most efficient third-down pa sers. Brady's 10.6 yards per attempt on third down led all quarterbacks with 200-plus attempts this season. Tom Brady's pa ser rating grid from the 2016 season Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) 6) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (0.69 Air Yards to Sticks) Not many quarterbacks play with the aggre sion that po se ses. One could even call it reckle sne s. There's a debate to be had whether most of that is Patric Hornqvist Men Jersey drawn from an overwhelming belief in himself that he can make any throw, or if it's brought on by the fact that his poor protection and overrated supporting roster ties one hand behind his back. Luck's completions on third down traveled 0.69 air yards past the sticks this season, showing his willingne s to take chances to push the ball beyond just what heeds for a first down. 7) Marcus Mariota, Tenne see Titans (0.62 Air Yards to Sticks) In his second NFL season we saw develop into much more of a downfield pa ser who was willing to take chances when the moment called for it. Mariota's third-down pa ses went 0.62 air yards beyond the yard to go marker this season. He threw 11 touchdowns on third down as well, tied for third-highest in the NFL. There was some minor worry with Mariota as a draft prospect a year and a half ago regarding his ability to take chances or play within the context of a traditional NFL offense. His third-down data from the Next Gen Stats, along with 33 career pa sing touchdowns in the red zone, show that he's more than excelled in two of the most important situations for a pro quarterback. 8) Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (0.41 Air Yards to Sticks) You can criticize some parts of ' game, but one portion you can't talk down is his fortitude. He takes chances even if he doesn't have the same overwhelming skill set to match other top-tier quarterbacks. With great weapons in tow, Cousins can feel confident in his ability to convert on pa ses beyond the first-down marker. His third-down throws have gone 0.41 air yards past the sticks this season. Washington has constructed a pristine system and supporting cast for him to succeed, and Cousins has shown to be a more than fine point guard for the group. 9) Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (0.27 Air Yards to Sticks) We know that the ran an offense that's based on short-area quick pa ses for to move the ball down the field. However, one situation where he's still willing to pull the trigger past just what he needs to get is on third downs. Stafford's third-down pa ses have traveled an average of 0.27 air yards past the first down marker this season. 10) Eli Manning, New York Giants (0.19 Air Yards to Sticks) Brian Dumoulin Kids Jersey has taken his fair share of warranted criticism from analysts who are paying attention for his poor play this season. He's been unable to match his output of years past and has mostly been dragged to the playoffs by a stellar
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Опубликовано 2023-9-22 17:24:09
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