Football has become a sport in which the passing game has become dominant. Many teams have traded their running game for a short passing game because it's easier to make long plays after catching a short pass than it is while running the ball. In order to make the short pass viable, an offense tries to stretch the defense by throwing long passes early in the game.
Long Plays
Professional football teams look for quarterbacks who have strong enough arms to throw over the top of the secondary and stretch the defense. The NFL takes note of any play over 20 yards as a long play. However, a player can catch a two-yard pass and then run 18 more yards. That will credit the quarterback with a long play even though he threw a short pass. The late Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh considered a pass over the middle that was 25 yards or more to be a long pass. He also considered a sideline pass that was 15 yards or more downfield to be a long pass since a quarterback needed significant arm strength to get the ball to the sidelines.
The Bomb
The longest deep passes travel 40 or more yards in the air. On a "bomb" a receiver stationed to the outside of the formation runs downfield and tries to sprint past the defensive back who is assigned coverage. He may make one move to lose the defender or he may rely on his speed to get past him. As soon as the quarterback sees the receiver hit full stride, he launches a pass that the receiver can run under and catch in full stride.
Strongest Arms
John Elway of the Denver Broncos and Dan Marino were considered two of the strongest throwing quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Both men had exceptionally quick releases that allowed their passes to get to their receivers quickly. Elway's hardest throws often left an imprint on his receiver's chest. The mark of the point of the football on the receiver's body was often called the Elway cross. Marino could get the ball 40 yards downfield with a flick of his wrist and could throw 60 yards with a quick step and follow through.
Importance of Arm Strength
Prior to the annual NFL draft, scouts go out of their way to point out that accuracy in passing and the ability to escape the rush are more important factors than arm strength. However, Marino points out that when a quarterback demonstrates his ability to throw the deep ball early in the game, it makes the defense respect his ability to throw the ball and opens things up for the quarterback and his receivers as the game progresses. "I have always found that the defense will give you more room to throw the ball when it knows you can hit the long pass at any time," Marino said. "No defensive back wants to get beat by the long pass, so he ends up giving you more room underneath. If you don't have the arm strength to throw the deep ball, the defense won't give you that cushion."
References
- "How to Play Football the NFL Way"; Tom Bass, 1991
- "Inside the Helmet"; Peter King; 1993
- Dan Marino; Hall of Fame Quarterback; Chicago
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