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Deflecting praise Rash of batted passes a result of many factorsPosted: Thursday November 29, 2001 8:45 AM
There seems to be an increased number of passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage these days. It's not because there's a shortage of tall or mobile quarterbacks. It has more to do with the style of offense we are seeing across the NFL. On a third-and-4 situation in the third quarter, the Giants realized that the Raiders were going to look for a short pass to one of their Hall of Fame receivers. So they got into a "Bear" front and brought Michael Strahan down over the guard, closer to the pocket. Tim Brown ran a short stutter route and Strahan batted the ball. So, how did the Raiders salvage their short-passing attack without Strahan batting down balls all day long? Tackle Lincoln Kennedy cut blocked Strahan. Strahan needed to bring at least one hand down to protect his legs. As Kennedy got into Strahan, No. 92's left hand sank and the bat was eliminated. Tall quarterbacks aren't exempt from being blocked, especially on shallow crossing routes. Kerry Collins is 6-foot-5, but a pass intended for Ike Hilliard in the second quarter was an easy block for Darrell Russell because of the release point of the ball. Short inside passes usually come from a three-quarters motion by the quarterback. The ball is going to come out of a quarterback's hand lower on this kind of route than on a deep pass down the sideline. In the third quarter, Collins' release was so low on a third-down attempt, the ball hit Giants guard Ron Stone in the back. Daunte Culpepper is the biggest QB in the league, but in the second quarter he was stuffed even though Bears defensive end Phillip Daniels was late off the ball and had to fight off the fullback. Daniels did exactly what he was taught to do when he saw the QB's non-throwing hand come off the ball indicating he's ready to pass. He got both hands up and left his feet to close off the throwing lane. Mission accomplished on this play -- an incompletion for Culpepper. The truth is, deflected passes are much more deflating psychologically than other incompletions. It's like having a shot blocked in basketball; officially, it's a miss, but it's more than that. Batted balls may not be held in such high regard as a sack or a pass defended by a defensive back. But they are as important -- just ask any quarterback who's had a few passes smacked right back at him. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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