Poor Man's PTI Wednesday at 8PM ET
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By Wheeld1, Section NFL
In the NFL, there is a serious disease affecting every player and every team. The symptoms of the disease become apparent at the worst possible times, when the game is on the line. It affects everybody, even the game's best. The most terrifying thing is that no cure exists now or in the future. This disease affects a person's ability to catch a ball also known as, "the drop."
There is nothing more pervasive and ugly in the NFL than dropped passes. I believe that no controversy overshadows this problem; it dirties the very game itself. Not one team seems to be immune to this and every game seems to change based around a dropped pass of some sort. Key first downs are unconverted, interceptions are caused, and the confidence of many quarterbacks is shaken. You could look back at every single game and see that if a few drops become catches instead the outcome would change. As a fan of the Seahawks I have intimate knowledge of the devastation a dropped pass can incur. It affects every team at one time or another and generally at the worst possible time. Not only do drop passes affect entire teams teams, every single player, no matter how talented, dropped passes. Terrell Owens is a great receiver but as you've seen earlier is not immune to this disease. Long ago are the days of Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin, Steve Largent and Art Monk where 10 catch games were the norm; these receivers never dropped passes like we see today. What is to blame for this problem, you ask? Something I consider to be the biggest change in sports today; SportsCenter. Every single person wants to make a SportsCenter highlight and unfortunately the fundamentals have fallen by the wayside. Making a catch to convert a first down does not get airtime; instead a one-handed catch as you tiptoe down the sideline gets everyone's attention. Don't get me wrong, I love the great catches too but I hate to see the NFL suffer as a result. It seems as though all the little things are overlooked, but those teams that do those little things always seem to win. I would love to say that this is just a trend that will only last a little while, but the reality is that drops are just as prevalent in college football. As those players come into the NFL I fear that the highlight will get more and more important as simply catching the ball becomes less interesting. Players today get their yardage on half as many catches as those in the recent past meaning that the big play is what players and teams are counting on. So, I am sad to say that I will have to continue yelling at the TV, begging that player who just dropped an important pass to, "Catch the ball, you freaking moron." If you hear me, please don't call the cops, I am just losing my mind. Story writing contestLog in or create an account to vote for this story!
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