Thursday, August 20, 2009

Why we need two 21st century tight ends

I've been trying to wrap my head around the use of a 2008 second round pick on a tight end for well over a year now, but Brian Burke at Advanced NFL Stats has made me feel a bit better about it. It's no secret that tight ends are featured more in the NFL passing game than in the past, but I never would have guessed that receiving yards by tight ends had increased by 40% since 2001.

Suddenly, investing in two playmakers at the same position doesn't seem quite as gratuitous.

2 comments:

  1. Let's see Davis catch the ball, first!

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  2. Fair enough, it would be nice if he could avoid fumbling twice on Saturday. Nonetheless, it is evident that tight end is no longer just a complimentary position in the 21st century passing game. As good as Cooley is, this article makes me more open to the argument that two tight ends who can make plays down the field are not a waste of resources. Of course it remains to be seen if Fred Davis can live up to Cooley's standard.

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