Have you checked out the scoring leaders for your fantasy league this season? I'm certain you have. But just in case you haven't, go ahead and do it now. I'll wait.
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OK, you're back? I'm sure it didn't escape you that a preponderance of the guys at the top of the list were quarterbacks. In standard NFL.com leagues, the eight highest-scoring players are all passers. Which leads to one conclusion.
All hail the forward pass.
That's the spirit of the latest edition of A Football Life, which examines the innovation that not only helped make the NFL the league it is today, but revolutionized football and eventually assisted in the explosion of fantasy football.
Go back to that list of top scorers and imagine what it would look like without the invention of the forward pass. Peyton Manning? Too slow. Drew Brees and Russell Wilson? Too small. You'd probably still have Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers, but they wouldn't be quite as valuable as they are now. Although it could have done wonders for Alex Smith.
Calvin Johnson would likely be a defensive end whose main job was to swat passes and block kicks. Jimmy Graham's only real function would be opening holes for the running backs behind him.
Alas, that is a dream that need not be. The forward pass is here, it's glorious and it's not going away. Fantasy owners everywhere should rejoice.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. You can follow him on Twitter. Be sure to watch "A Football Life" tonight at 9 PM ET on NFL Network.
