Meister der Farbe » hen asked if he felt hes made his last sta

This story appears in ESPN The Magazines November 14 Pain Issue. Subscribe today!NFL ratings are down in 2016, and everybody is looking for an explanation. Plenty of theories have been cited: an exhausting election is drawing viewers; off-field incidents and the NFLs treatment of head injuries have sullied the leagues rep; and Thursday night games give us ill-prepared teams, adding to the idea that the NFL TV schedule in general is spread too thin.The other theory bandied about: ugly football. The quality of the game being played in the NFL right now simply isnt very good, the argument goes, and that starts with disappointing performances at quarterback. Is QB play in decline? Is the league getting sloppier because young guys like Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston and others are asked to play right away?Im skeptical.In fact, the evidence says quarterbacks are actually as good as theyve ever been. Really. And contrary to popular narrative, the position hasnt gotten easier to play.Quarterbacks are being asked to do more than ever before. Many are sent to the line with two plays and then kill one based on their pre-snap read. Others wait until after the snap to pick their play with a run-pass option. They also navigate far more complex defenses after the snap, with defensive backs disguising their coverages and pattern-matching instead of dropping into simple zones or man coverage. Theyre facing more complex blitzes too, from defenders who are bigger, faster and stronger than ever.On this alone, you would expect a decline in quarterback numbers, but the opposite is true. QBs -- and offenses as a whole -- are more productive and efficient than ever before.Take the Dolphins Ryan Tannehill. He might be the poster child for the disappointing quarterback of the modern era: a mobile QB with arm strength who struggles to turn those tools into consistent above-average play. Hes the guy who, after being drafted eighth in 2012, started too soon and never lived up to the hype -- but he still managed to get a four-year, $77 million extension from Miami in 2015. Even Dolphins fans would argue that hes frustrating, right?Heres the thing: In any other era, Tannehill would qualify as a superstar. In his 2015 season, widely regarded as a disappointment, Tannehill completed 61.9 percent of his passes with a 2.0 percent interception rate, ranking 21st and 15th in the league, respectively. Those same numbers in 1985? Theyd rank first and second.And keep in mind that Tannehill threw the ball 586 times last year-an impressive volume in any season. A quarterback with those statistics and that volume would have been a star in years past, and thats without getting into the value Tannehill contributes as a runner. Whats below average today would have been above average just 10 years ago and worthy of Pro Bowl consideration in the 1970s and 80s. If you think the 1985 Bears epitomized a golden age of NFL football, think again.Now, I hear you countering: But its obviously easier to pass in todays NFL than ever before. Its true that teams today are throwing shorter passes, which puts an increased amount of pressure on receivers to make plays after the catch. Thats fair. But while we dont have data on air yards (the distance a ball travels before being caught or falling incomplete) going back to the 20th century, ESPN Stats & Information did start tracking it as of 2006, and across the board, regardless of throw distance, quarterbacks completed passes more often and threw interceptions less frequently in 2015 than they did in 2006.And what about that sloppy play? We often hear about all the turnovers. Watch NFL RedZone on Sunday and its one after the other. We see footballs being thrown to a defender without a receiver in the vicinity. We see bad snaps and crippling red zone fumbles. But a declining level of play should mean more turnovers, and again, if you look at the league over time, turnovers of every sort decrease as you get closer to the modern game: A turnover rate of 3.9 percent in 1975 dropped to 3.0 in 1995 and was down to 2.3 percent last year.The anecdotal side of the argument says, Well, if its not bad QB play or more sloppy play, its about the talent coming in. These kids arent ready to play! Sorry, but the idea that colleges arent preparing players like they did in the past is absurd.If colleges were really unhelpful, how could rookie quarterbacks like Wentz and Prescott come into the NFL and excel almost immediately while looking like seasoned veterans? Prescott isnt just winning in Dallas; through Week 9, he ranks third overall in Total QBR at 81.3, behind two MVP candidates (Tom Brady and Matt Ryan). Wentz in Philly? Hes completing 66 percent of his passes -- and he came out of North Dakota State, which is further evidence that NFL quarterbacks can be found all over the place, not just at top schools. Thats not a new phenomenon, of course. Its just a reminder that theres no QB crisis at any level.The QBs arent the only rookies playing well: Cowboys halfback Ezekiel Elliott, Jaguars corner Jalen Ramsey and Titans right tackle Jack Conklin have been among the best players at their respective positions in 2016. Coaches around the league have argued that the schemes being run in college football dont fit their pro standards, but that ignores how teams like the Patriots and Seahawks have successfully integrated concepts into their offenses rather than relying on crafting offenses around their players strengths.Think about it: If teams around the NFL really believed that the quarterbacks coming into the league werent up to the rigors of the professional game, we would see these organizations prefer veteran options like Josh McCown and Chase Daniel in free agency and decline to take passers at the top of the draft. And yet, since the new CBA and rookie scale were enacted for the 2011 draft, eight of the 18 players taken in the top three have been quarterbacks, including each of the top two picks in the past two drafts.Theres scant evidence of a drop in the quality of quarterback play. So why are we having a debate about declining performance around the league?The reality is that we see more football now. Weve had access to Sunday Ticket for a while, but the addition of an oft-mediocre Thursday night game presents a disappointing product on national TV. The addition of RedZone doesnt just mean you see every touchdown, it means you see every turnover. Sometimes twice. Just 20 years ago wed get our game, then maybe Troy Aikman vs. Steve Young in the national broadcast. Of course the NFL looked better when networks picked out the best matchups and you couldnt just flip over to see Jacksonville.The league knows it too. As recently as 2011, the NFL was reticent to share the All-22 coaching film that goes out to teams and officials for analysis, with former Texans and Redskins general manager Charley Casserly worrying that it would be used to draw inaccurate conclusions. That tape was made available to the public the following year.The idea that modern athletes are somehow less schooled in the fundamentals is one we hear repeated in every sport, with no real evidence to back it up. But in the NFL, the complaints that quarterbacking is worse now than ever and that young QBs arent prepared dont just fall flat -- the numbers show the opposite to be true. There are plenty of reasons NFL ratings might be declining. Inferior quarterback play is not one of them. Authentic Custom Hawks Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Hawks Jerseys China . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. http://www.customhawksjersey.com/custom-dominique-wilkins-jersey-large-78b.html . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Custom Hawks T-shirts . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Custom Hawks Jersey China . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. ST. LOUIS -- Michael Wachas last appearance Monday night didnt exactly inspire a whole lot of confidence.But neither did Jaime Garcia or Luke Weaver, who were strafed before and after Wacha in the St. Louis Cardinals 15-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. So Wacha will draw the start Saturday in St. Louis must-win game with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium.The Cardinals are one game behind the San Francisco Giants for the second wild-card spot in the National League with two to play.It will be Wachas first start since Aug. 8, when he allowed four runs in five innings to Cincinnati. The next day, he went on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation and stayed there until mid-September.While Wacha (7-7, 4.93) appears to have rediscovered the mid-90s velocity on his fastball, his command still hadnt returned as of Monday night. Relieving Garcia in the second inning, Wacha allowed a homer on his second pitch.Things got no better as Wacha permitted six runs in the fourth inning before being relieved. Its unlikely hell be allowed to give up that many runs in this one as manager Mike Matheny will probably have a short leash.Making it easier for Matheny to employ his bullpen liberally in this game was the outing by Carlos Martinez in Friday nights 7-0 win over Pittsburgh. Martinezs seven shutout innings gave the Cardinals (84-76) a chance to rest most of their bullpen.Im confident it wont be, Martinez (16-9) said through an interpreter when asked if he felt hes made his last start of the season.dddddddddddd. I feel that the team will be in the postseason.Said Matheny: That was as good as you could ask of him. He had everything again. He had great breaking stuff.The Pirates (78-81) counter with rookie right-hander Chad Kuhl (5-4, 4.25), who was shelled in a 12-2 loss Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Kuhl only worked three-plus innings, allowing eight hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts.Kuhl faced St. Louis on Labor Day, lasting only two innings and giving up four hits and three runs in a 12-6 defeat. But hes experienced success on the road, going 3-1 with a 2.55 earned run average in seven starts and lasting at least six innings in six of those outings.Inconsistent pitching and injuries have led to Pittsburgh settling for a spoiler role in its final series of 2016, but it will at least get to see some youngsters playing in games larded with playoff implications.One of them, second baseman Alen Hanson, stole his first two big league bases Friday night, going 1-for-3 with a single.He has basestealing speed, no doubt, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Hanson. He also turned a couple of nice double plays for us.The loss cinched Pittsburghs first losing season since 2012, the last time it missed the playoffs. ' ' '