SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. -- The American Century Championship Golf Classic is a wonderful event that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars and, for the fifth year in a row, is supporting Livestrong, the foundation established by cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Athletes and celebrities from all over the country are here to support this program. Among them are a number of NFL quarterbacks.
I sat down with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jim McMahon, Joe Theismann, Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien to get a good blend of what some active and retired players think about today's game. It was a very enlightening experience.
Rodgers, Ryan: Limited pass protection needed
The two active quarterbacks confirmed a notion I had that quarterbacks love five-man blocking schemes in the passing game, as opposed to more. For years, it was always believed that if the QB was being pressured then extra blockers were needed. These young passers both would rather see an additional receiver or two out in patterns than more blockers. Rodgers explained he feels better seeing the rush coming and getting the ball to an open receiver. As he said, "Just give me a chance to see it coming."
With Ryan, I pursued the idea of the shotgun vs. being under center. He felt there really wasn't much difference for him but brought up an interesting point that made a lot of sense. He said that by getting under center and in position to take a snap, the defense had to declare what they were doing. In the shotgun, he added, defenses tended to move around and disguise more.
We also talked about playing division opponents a second time and how much defensive coordinators changed schemes. Ryan pointed out a couple of exceptions. He said the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers stay true to who they are defensively from one game to the next and don't make radical scheme changes. On the other hand, the New Orleans Saints bring a whole new set of pressures and looks the second time around in an attempt to confuse the offense. Rodgers said the Bears threw some new wrinkles at him with coverages the second time and it required some adjustments during the game.
Rypien: Times are changing
Rypien and I got into a discussion about how much the passing game has changed and the system he used in the Joe Gibbs era as a Redskin. "We used a number system," he said, "usually with three numbers to declare the routes of the three primary receivers." What was interesting about that comment, and most revealing about the brand of football he played, was that three receivers out meant seven-man protection schemes most of the time. That's significantly different than the five-man protection Rodgers and Ryan prefer.
Rypien also thought the modern quarterbacks had to set up many more passing pockets because of the kind of rushers in today's game. He didn't think pure pocket passers were going to last long.
Dilfer: Rams need patience with Bradford
Dilfer is on his way to becoming an excellent NFL analyst and really works at his trade. He studies quarterbacks on video every day and has developed some strong opinions about a number of young signal-callers. He likes Sam Bradford a lot, but he worries about him in St. Louis because the rookie really hasn't played under the type of siege in college or high school that he'll experience in the pros, especially with the Rams.
Dilfer said he put a lot of pressure on himself as a rookie in Tampa Bay and worries Bradford might do the same. Dilfer thought Brett Favre mastered the idea of playing loose and relaxed, which Dilfer credits as the biggest reason Favre's still going.
I talked with Dilfer about a couple of other young QBs. He likes Matt Leinart but thinks Derek Anderson might win the starting job with the Arizona Cardinals because he can stick a ball in tight quarters down the field. As for Jay Cutler, Dilfer said there's little doubt he'll improve this season, but if the Bears' offensive line can't block there will be problems adjusting the play-calling in Mike Martz's system.
Theismann: Give Big Ben six games, suspend Young
Theismann always has an opinion. He believes Ben Roethlisberger should get the maximum six games in his suspension, and Vince Young should get some kind of suspension, even if it's for only one game.
Theismann had a number of good ideas about today's game, none better than one concerning the final two minutes of games. He said the 40-second clock should be shortened to 25, forcing teams to play the game and not take a knee to end it. He also pointed out how smart and efficient the Indianapolis Colts are on offense, especially in two-minute situations. Their receivers don't leave the ball on the ground after being tackled. Instead, they run to the official and hand him the ball so they can get the next play off quicker. As Theismann pointed out, in an eight-play drive, you could save about 20 seconds by doing what the Colts do and perhaps add three more plays.
McMahon: Cutler, Martz will need to adjust
McMahon said he doesn't watch his Chicago Bears much, but he did have some observations on Cutler and Martz. When I asked about Cutler, McMahon said "he has to learn to stop throwing the ball to the guys in the other jerseys." When I asked him about the deep passing attack Martz likes to employ, he had his doubts: "Not in the cold wind-blowing games in Chicago."
McMahon likes the idea of dropping two preseason games for two regular-season games because those preseason games are "a waste of time." Rodgers disagreed. He was quick to say he's opposed to an expanded schedule due to the pounding quarterbacks already take and to add 70 more throws, five more sacks and 10 hits on the QB would not be wise.
