Throw the Ball to Bubba Franks

Jul/11/07 10:02 AM Filed in: Bubba Franks
How important is it for QB Brett Favre to throw to the tight end? It would seem very important for him to involve the Packers' tight ends in the passing game, especially in the red zone, but it isn't as important as you might think. There does not seem to be a relationship between TD passes thrown to the tight end and Favre's success over the course of an entire season.

Football Outsiders had a good post this week discussing the goal line pass to the tight end. The two plays described by Mike Tanier, the goal line rollout option and the gonzo corner, are both plays Favre has ran often in his career. Tanier might not be describing the exact same play from either Mike Holmgren or Mike Sherman's playbook, but Favre has usually thrown to the tight end at the back of the end zone, near the goal posts, and after some play action or a short rollout. What Mike McCarthy's preferred play call for the tight end is somewhat of a mystery because only two TD passes were thrown to tight ends in 2006, both to ex-Packer TE David Martin.

Favre has never used the tight end as a significant weapon to gain yardage. TE Mark Chmura only caught over 500 yards in two of his seven seasons. Since 2001, the leading tight end in receiving yards usually is the fifth leading receiver, far behind the top three WRs and slightly behind one of the running backs. Only in 2002 was TE Bubba Franks the team's 3rd leading receiver and he set his career high with 442 yards receiving.
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