Want to understand the game better, hunt for future break out players or try to spot trouble before it happens? “Beyond TDs and Tackles”  will be offering  a handful of players and situations that you should consider when you are watching the games or even just looking at the box score. Everyone knows which players blew up over the weekend but you can gain advantages by following the changes as they start and get better definition on how to value players. Have any questions? Just hit me on twitter @SteveGalloNFL or email me at gallo@thehuddle.com.

We Must Protect This House QB!

They say that games are won in the trenches, and just looking at how often an offensive line allows a QB pressure it sure seems that way. The OL for the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens have allowed 104 QB pressures – one of six teams to allow 100+ QB pressures. It’s no wonder that their record is sub-.500 and sits at 3-4.

Here’s a table that shows how the top and bottom five teams in QB pressures have done this year thru seven weeks.

If you are wondering, the 7-0 Chiefs have allowed 80 QB pressures which ties them for 14th fewest.

The Twilight Zone

At the beginning of the season if I asked you who you thought would have more 15+ yard runs, Reggie Bush or Alfred Morris, my guess is you would have gone with Bush. Season to date, Alfred Morris has 8 runs of 15+ yards, and Reggie Bush has 6. Those 8 runs for Morris account for 208 of his 472 (44.1%) rushing yards thus far. For Bush it’s 144 of his 426 (33.8%).

If you think Morris/Bush is off kilter, you haven’t seen anything yet. Take a look at these two sets of RBs.

Including Mendenhall might be a stretch, but seeing the highly drafted duo of Richardson and Rice with one combined run of more than 15 yards is shocking.

Opportunity Knocks

It’s one thing for a player to not have many opportunities to make a fantasy impact, but it’s another when they do, and still don’t perform. Here’s a look at how a couple of players have maximized their opportunities and another couple that haven’t.

*Week 1-7 totals.

To modify a saying from the NBA playoffs (Good Game, Good Effort), Get Open, Get Catches!
In case you were wondering, Greg Little leads the NFL in routes run with 297.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

We’re already at week 8 and with many leagues playing a 13 week regular season schedule I thought I’d give you a couple of good QBs (Alex Smith & Terrell Pryor) – that you can ride from weeks 9-13 if your “normal” QB has any tough matchups. If you own studs with a bad matchup (Kaepernick & Luck), or an ugly matchup (Tom Brady & Matt Ryan) you really should pay attention.

Something’s Gotta Give

For the record, I am not a Bengals homer or fan. I say that because they’re going to be a part of “Something’s Gotta Give” again. This week it’s the Bengals offense, specifically their short passing game to the right and their deep passing game to the right and left side of the field. The Jets surprisingly aren’t just 4-3, but if the season started today they’d be a Wild Card team. If they get to 5-3 it will likely be because they win the matchup I’m highlighting here.

2013 Regluar Season Play Direction Report for Chicago Bears: Passing Offense

2013 Regluar Season Play Direction Report for New York Jets: Passing Defense

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