@JojoTheWhale Steve Palazzolo from PFF was just on Dan Patrick and he was really interesting. I don't know how reliable or credible he is, though. He was talking about how we are in a period where we have a lot of middle-class QBs who can have nice production if the situation around them is right, but unlike Mahomes, don't necessarily make much on their own. That's a terrible paraphrase, but it was interesting. He was also talking about defenses building from the back now.
Steve rules. He's absolutely right. Even 5 years ago, you would often struggle to find 20 QBs that give you any chance at all of making the playoffs. Now you've got guys like Bridgewater and Newton available essentially for free because almost every team has a guy already.
Part of the change is that NFL teams are using play and scheme designs that are run in college, part of it is that we've had a great stretch of QB talent, part of it is Brees/Brady type longevity, and part of it is aome very smart NFL teams being willing to tailor their schemes to unusual talent. The best example of that last factor is Lamar Jackson. What Greg Roman has done with that scheme is something most coordinators would be not just incapable of doing, but unwilling to even try. If he goes to Jacksonville, he's got zero shot at an MVP.
The Coverage vs Pass Rush debate is interesting. Joe Banner insists the Eagles have done multiple in-house studies that say Pass Rush matters more, but who knows how old those are. PFF says that Coverage is best, but it's also way more volatile from year to year. It's a really interesting question because even if you believe Coverage matters more, the Corners that are consistently excellent from year to year on one hand.