24 / November 15, 2014 SPORTS The Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y. Sacks in NFL down 108 so far from last season NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sack dances have gotten more aggressive this year, with mock selfies from J.J. Watt, and two players getting so excited that they injured themselves celebrating taking down the quarterback. Maybe it’s because sacks are getting rarer. Teams are passing more than ever, but that hasn’t led to more sacks. Through Week 10, the league has 670 sacks, a drop of 108 from the same point last season, according to STATS. Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton says he’s sure every team is trying to figure out where the sacks have gone. “I don’t know what the reason is, but that’s a dramatic number of sacks to be down for the year,” Horton said. “You’ve got to find a way to get pressure on the “Because of the tightening of the defensive holding and illegal contacts, guys can break open faster,” Schwartz said. “And if you’re a quarterback and you’re trying to throw quick and you’re not waiting for a guy that’s getting tugged and pulled, then you’re not susceptible to sacks more often.” Teams still are piling up sacks in bunches, helping disguise this season’s sudden drop. Philadelphia got to Cam Newton nine times Monday night, and St. Louis sacked San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick eight times on Nov. 2 after the Rams had only six combined through seven games. Buffalo got six last week against Kansas City. Chiefs coach Andy Reid joked they didn’t help the sack totals, and he credits quarterbacks getting the ball out quicker. “And it’s tough, it’s tough,” Reid said. quarterback.” Blame offenses designed so quarterbacks get rid of the ball even faster. That certainly helps Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees avoid defenders who are faster than ever. The NFL also has cracked down on illegal contact and holding, freeing up receivers from grabby defensive backs away from the line of scrimmage. The drop caught Buffalo defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz by surprise. His Bills added five sacks to their NFL-best 34 in Thursday night’s loss at Miami with Marcell Dareus leading defensive linemen with a career-best 10 by himself. Schwartz sees quarterbacks getting better every year. The three-step drop allowing quarterbacks to quickly throw the ball cutting the time for defensive players to even touch the passer. DID YOU KNOW WE’RE NOT JUST OIL CHANGES? 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Call Our Customer Service Department To Start Your Subscription. Monday - Friday 9 am to 4 pm 518-843-1100 The Recorder, 1 Venner Road, Amsterdam, NY 12010 “If you can force a quarterback into hitches because of the coverage on the outside, it gives the defensive linemen a better chance of getting home. On three-step drops, guys are getting it out. You saw Kyle (Orton). If he didn’t have it, he was throwing it out of bounds. So he wasn’t going to hang onto the ball.” Throwing the ball away doesn’t always work. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was sacked five times in the season opener only to be sacked just twice over the next six games before breaking his collarbone. But the quarterback intercepted only twice all of 2013 already had been picked off 10 times this season. Only nine NFL teams had more sacks through the first eight games this season compared to the same point in 2013. Time to give dynamic wide receivers their due By BARRY WILNER The Associated Press In this quarterback-driven league, someone has to catch the ball. Dynamic receivers are making their mark this season — and not just for their creative (some might say over-the-top) celebrations. The passers get the pub much of the time, so here’s some love for the guys grabbing those throws. Most notable for the likes of Antonio Brown, Jordy Nelson, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin, Julian Edelman and the other eye-catching receivers is their breakaway skill. Jerry Rice, the greatest wideout in NFL history, was not known for his sheer speed as much as for his separation skills and acceleration in his routes. These players share that talent. Ask Mike Tomlin about Brown, who leads the league in receptions by a wide margin — 13 over Golden Tate of Detroit — and yards through the air, 1,070, 68 more than Denver’s Demaryius Thomas. “He’s one of the best in the world at what he does,” Tomlin says. “He’s physically and mentally on top of his game and when you have somebody that’s playing like that, when you step into a stadium he’s a known issue, but still he performs.” Brown has become a known issue since the beginning of last season. Same thing for New England’s Edelman, ostensibly the replacement in the slot for Wes Welker. Instead, Edelman has become as dangerous as any receiver anywhere — and, again like Brown, as good as any punt returner. He even has earned a nickname from Tom Brady. “Minitron, he can do all the different things,” Brady says. “He’s so quick, and what he did on the (84-yard) punt return (against Denver) was just incredible. And then he comes out there at receiver and makes a bunch of plays.” What also separates Brown, Edelman, Maclin and Bryant in particular is they don’t have a lot of established support at their position. The Steelers have an emerging target in rookie Martavis Bryant, who has six TD catches in his first four games, an NFL mark. So do the Eagles to help Maclin in rookie Jordan Matthews, and Bryant gets aid from second-year man Terrance Williams. And there are some standout tight ends such as the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski and the Cowboys’ Jason Witten to offer help. Most of them benefit from playing with outstanding QBs — Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger — or, in Maclin’s case, in a system where his skill set fits perfectly. Maclin is considered a prime contender for Comeback Player of the Year after missing 2013 with his second torn ACL. He’s really come on in recent weeks. “I was so disappointed for Jeremy a year ago when he got hurt because I thought in terms of what we do, what a real outstanding player he could be in this system, and we’re starting to continue to see that,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. “But I think he’s a difficult one-on-one matchup. He’s got good size, he’s got good speed. I think he can stretch it from a vertical standpoint, but he can also run after the catch.” As can Nelson, whose variety of TDs range from breaking away with short passes, often with diagonal cuts, to racing deep and snaring Rodgers’ passes. ORDER PHOTOS & MORE! Get reprints of favorite photos or add them to a variety of items! Visit reprints.recordernews.com and follow the simple instructions to order your photos!
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