The scoring is down, the running is up and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has had enough.
To help fuel the passing attack, Keeper wants to ban what's known as “cover two” or “two-high,” a strategy in which two safeties defend about 10 to 15 yards above the line of scrimmage while a cornerback matches up with a receiver.
“The NFL is ruined by these two high safeties.” Kiper says In “Get Up,” he says, “Think about a quarterback throwing the ball across the field. [Hall of Fame QB Terry] Bradshaw is [receiver John] Stallworth and [Lynn] Swan, Roger Staubach. Those are the guys I want to bring back.
“The five-yard rule for cornerbacks was right. It's the Mel Blount rule. You have to be a yard behind Hurts on the push. So don't tell me you can't move your safeties closer to the line of scrimmage than you are now.”
“That has to change. You can warn a safety, 'You're dropping back too much,' but the competition committee needs to know who knows what the depth is, but you're dropping back too much. The NFL is ruined by these two high safeties.”
Although cornerbacks are becoming increasingly better athletes, this defensive strategy is not new.
The old adage that if a cornerback can catch it, he can be a wide receiver is no longer true if you just look. Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt Last Sunday, he threw an incredible one-handed interception against Patrick Mahomes.
And yet, NFL games are filled with bubble screens and game managers under center who don't push the ball down the field.
NFL scoring peaked in 2019 with an astounding 49.6 points per game but has declined every year since, currently averaging 43 points per game, the lowest since the early 2000s.
An astounding 47.6% of 2024 run plays have occurred, up from 44.3% last year.
