According to John Kryk's Passing Aptitude and Skill Rankings, Drew Brees and the Saints have the most productive passing game in the NFL. (SEAN GARDNER/Reuters file photo)
Defence, shmee-fence. Success in today's NFL hinges on how prolific your passing attack is.
Ergo, in this season preview we debut QMI Agency's first NFL Passing Aptitude and Skill Rankings.
PASR, for short.
Two factors are vital in the passing game, of course, regardless of what scheme you run. That is, how good is your quarterback, and how good are your receivers (wideouts, slots, tight ends and running backs)?
We've weighted these two factors accordingly, with quarterbacks rating out of five, and receivers rating out of four.
Two other factors must be included, each with the ability to slightly increase or decrease the above total. Hence, the Protection Adjustment (+1, 0 or -1) and rushing-threat adjustment (+1, 0 or 1).
If you can't properly protect your QB, your offence isn't as good, and the opposite is true too. Same thing with your rushing attack; if you have a good one, a defence cannot cheat as much against your passing attack, but if it's no threat they'll just worry about the pass.
A perfect score in PASR is 11. No surprise, the New Orleans Saints pull off the best grade, with a 10. The worst? Again no surprise -- the Miami Dolphins with a 2.
Let us know what you think of PASR, via e-mail or Twitter.
john.kryk@sunmedia.ca
@JohnKryk
AFC EAST
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
QB: Tom Brady (13th year)
QB RATING (1-5): 5
RECEIVERS RATING [WR/TE/RB] (1-4): 4
PROTECTION ADJUSTMENT (+1, 0 or -1): -1
RUSHING-THREAT ADJUSTMENT (+1, 0 or -1): 0
PASSING APTITUDE AND SKILL RANKING: 8
