Hi folks, first post here:
Watching Tua basically commit suicide last night reminded me of Daniel Jones trying to be the hero during that Dallas game and using his head as a battering ram to get into endzone. At least Jones had a shot at a TD. Not sure why Tua's situational awareness disallowed him from knowing that he had past the first down about 5 yards previous to him running straight into the secondary head down.
Was he trying to give Damar PTSD? Because he certainly lost.
I am not sure why there are certain QBs that have this hero complex, it never works out. What are QB coaching telling these guys?
I think we can see the results of Jone's concussion and multiple neck scares now-it appears his cognitive skills have slowed down a lot. A few of his ex-players say he looks confused.
I recall Eli had a clever way of going full "ragdoll" just before an anticipated hit. He would go limp and near collapse-the tackler never got a big direct hit on him and his years of service uninjured is a testimony to that.
Mahomes also sort of has this Dad-bod thing going too-not too braced up for impact and sliding when it's appropriate.
Which gets me to another point. I watch big blue VCR and the pads are enormous? Are pads smaller and better or is mobility more important than body protection. Nobody wears a cup either! Yoinks
Interesting video on the concussive state Tua was in linked:
Tua is cooked - (
New Window )
Someone on here yesterday I think said that there should be a portion of OTA's devoted to teaching qb's to slide feet first. May not be a bad suggestion.
Tua was unfortunate last night; he really needed to just get down earlier instead of throw himself into Hamlin
It can't be explained with a logical mind. It's all ego and a big chip on the shoulder nurtured by years of hyper-competitive environments. Some just can't make the smart choice, and it's not just football.
Eli's quick turn to take the shots on the back of his shoulder must have been inspired by Ali-Foreman, imho.
Another key to Eli's longevity - and his similarly immobile brother's - was that the risk/reward ratio for them straying from the pocket was so unfavorable that they were seldom tempted to make a play with their feet. They also learned from the example of their father, a mobile QB who was fortunate to get out of New Orleans alive after a decade+ of playing futile heroball for the hapless Saints.
Go back to the 1970's. Back then, you had QB's that for the most part handed off to their running backs. Bob Griese, a Super Bowl QB for the Dophins, average SEVENTEEN attempts (or less!) per game!!
Tua,in 2023 averaged THIRTY TWO attempts per game!! So, over the course of a season, QB's today get hit nearly twice as much as they used to get hit, because they are dropping back more.
The gradual change from a running based league, which started from the merger of the AFL teams, to rule changes in the 70's which took away a DB's ability to contact WR's all through their routes, to the changes made in the last 10 years or so where DB's can hardly sniff a WR without a flag, resulted in more scoring...but made the running game obsolete.
You can score faster with a high power passing attack. But the flip side is your QB gets hit more. QB's that are more mobile get hit more as well. Defenses have adjusted, and know they have to attack the QB to stop offenses, instead of attacking RB's.
So, QB's get hit more. If they are escape artists, or big physical specimens (Josh Allen), they can get away with it for a time. But if they aren't, they will get injured more often. In Tua's case, he's not a big guy, and he should not try to run the ball like he's Josh Allen.
When a Big guy hits a Small guy, the Big guy will win 100% of the time. The NFL is making bank because people love more scoring (see Fantasy)...but the resulting injuries to QB's are a result of the changes they made to get that scoring.
Also I have read that the overemphasis on muscle building creates a huge differential between muscle and joints and connective tissue. And there's no amount of weight lifting that's going to help that. Brady ended up working on his mobility over his last few years. So he was more pliable.
In comment 16607972 widmerseyebrow said:
Also I have read that the overemphasis on muscle building creates a huge differential between muscle and joints and connective tissue. And there's no amount of weight lifting that's going to help that. Brady ended up working on his mobility over his last few years. So he was more pliable.
pads are smaller for mobility. No one wants to wear huge pads that slow them down or make them less mobile. Barley anyone wears knee or thigh pads, they make no difference anyway.