2x Super Bowl champ Ben Roethlisberger agrees with Tom Brady's take on modern NFL: "College game is hurting QBs":
Since the start of the 2024 NFL season, there has been constant criticism of the level of quarterback play in the league. The offenses around the league are struggling, which led to Mel Kiper floating the idea of not allowing defenses to play with two high safeties.
Star quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert, who are typically at the top in passing metrics, have also not played to their usual standards.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently talked about the quarterback play in the NFL, and he believes that college football has played a role in hurting the offenses in pro football. During his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Roethlisberger said:
"I think that the college game potentially is hurting quarterbacks, there's something to be said about getting in a huddle and looking your guys in the eye and saying 'Hey, it's 4th&1... I need one yard, give me everything you got on this play.'"
"When you don't get in the huddle in college, how are you looking at the guy and challenging them? You know, you're looking everyone looks to the sideline, coach gives a signal. Now, I guess with the headsets, I don't know how much that's changed now in college with the headsets."
"But you're looking over and they're holding up a poster, and y'all are reading the, you know, the poster to figure out what plays coming. I just think that hurts the the quarterback not getting under center, all those kinds of things."
Maybe college football does have an impact on the players entering the league. But the fact that veterans like Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, and even Aaron Rodgers are not throwing the ball deep like they used to is a direct testament to how well the defenses are preparing for their matchups.
Last year, Tom Brady also criticized the level of quarterback play in the league. He believed that there is a lot of 'mediocrity' in the current NFL and also took a dig at the level of coaching, which has hindered the development of young players.
Kirk Cousins leads the NFL in passing yards
In last night's 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He now leads the NFL in passing yards with 1,373 yards in five games.
Seattle Seahawks' Geno Smith currently leads the NFL in most passing yards per game with an average of 295.5 yards per game.
Patrick Mahomes is averaging just 226.0 passing yards per game and has thrown five interceptions in five games. Justin Hebert is averaging just 144.5 passing yards per game, while Josh Allen is averaging 203.5 passing yards per game.
Teams around the league have prioritized running the ball, due to which even the star quarterbacks are not throwing the ball as much. We will continue to see the trend until the defenses around the league change their gameplan.