The Evolution of the Tight End

 In January of 2004, Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts squared off against Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in one of the most memorable AFC Championship games in recent history.  In that game, the Patriots secondary bullied the Colts wide receivers off the line of scrimmage prompting the NFL to review the rules on contacting receivers.  The following season, referees cracked down on the ‘chuck’ rule, which limits defenders to contacting receivers only within the first five yards.  What effect did it have?  Well, in that same year, Peyton Manning broke a number of passing records including touchdowns in a season and the NFL began a full scale transition into the pass-happy league it is today.  The game has since turned into basketball on turf and no one has benefited more than tight ends.

Teams used to cover tight-ends with linebackers.  They would use their size and strength to stymie the tight-ends at the line of scrimmage.  Once the ‘chuck’ rule was enforced, linebackers couldn’t get away with such tactics anymore.  They were exposed in coverage as they lacked the athleticism to stay with the more gifted tight-ends.  The most prolific offences in the NFL right now feature tight-ends.  The Packers are the only team with 5 of them on the active roster and Jermichael Finley is one of the biggest matchup nightmares in the league.  The Patriots drafted Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez early in the 2010 draft who have become the focal point of Belichick’s offensive system.  The Saints Jimmy Graham is leading all tight-ends in catches and he played more basketball than football in university.

The question defenses must ask is - how do we stop them?  When Rob Gronkowski comes on to the football field, who do you put out there to cover him?  The vast majority of linebackers are not athletic enough to stay with him and even if they are, his wingspan and height make it almost impossible to cover him on jump balls.  Safeties have the speed but definitely not the size.  Gronk, Finley and Graham are the new generation whose path was carved out by guys like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, former basketball players who, given a clean release from the line of scrimmage, could use rebounding technique and body position to ‘box-out’ smaller defenders.  Even now NFL rules continue to change to protect receivers.  Flags for hits on ‘defenseless receivers’ are only making it easier for offensive passing systems as receivers no longer fear catching balls in traffic.

The rule changes in the passing game have made these guys almost impossible to stop.  Fear not, I have a solution.

Offensive scouts now spend a great deal of time and effort evaluating college basketball stars in hopes they find the next Jimmy Graham or Antonio Gates.  Since apparently no one can guard these guys on the field, maybe defensive coaches should head to the basketball gym as well.  Who better to cover Jimmy Graham than say, Jimmy Graham?  The obvious issue is that tall guys have difficulty tackling, though tackling itself has become a lost art.  Even if he isn’t a great tackler, having a ‘coverage specialist’ to play on 3^rd downs and certain situations could be the key to winning games. 

It would be an experiment for sure, but as the Packers, Patriots and Saints have proved, in the constantly changing NFL it’s better to be ahead of the curve than left behind.