Since 2019, the fourth Sunday in October has been official National Tight Ends Day. The position of tight end is a hybrid position between offensive line and wide receiver: he must block the route in the running game and route in the passing game.
But what makes the tight ends so special that they get their own holiday? Let’s take a look at the statistics from yesterday’s game: Darren Waller (New York Giants) with seven receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown, Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens) with four receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns, Dallas Goedert (Philadelphia Eagles) with five receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown and Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) with twelve receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown.
Why are tight ends so difficult to defend? According to the NFL Draftbasic, the optimal dimensions of a tight end are between 1.93 and 2.01 meters tall and between 113 and 120 kilos. So they’re big, heavy, and yet very athletic, making it difficult for a linebacker who often has to defend them to keep up with the tight end’s speed and tackle them when they catch the ball.
The popularity of these special boys is probably not only due to their exceptional athleticism, but also to individual contemporaries who not only amuse the entire team, but also the spectators and social media: players like Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle and Travis Kelce, who is constantly making headlines not only because of the amusing podcast with his brother Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles, but also with his new date, none other than singer and global star Taylor Swift.
There are headlines of a different kind in Cleveland: In March 2022, the Cleveland Browns will announce that they will acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson via trade from the Houston Texans. Unlike football, in the NFL players are not exchanged for transfer fees, but for draft picks, i.e. the right to select a young player in the annual draft and sign him. The Browns are paying, among other things, a draft pick in the first round of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 drafts for their new quarterback – a horrendous price and yet not the sole trigger for a lot of bewildered shaking of the head: During the change, there is a case against the quarterback, who has numerous is said to have sexually harassed masseuses. Ultimately, a settlement was agreed upon: a five million dollar fine, an eleven-game suspension and mandatory therapy for the “innocent” verdict.
A morally dubious move, but from an economic point of view the Browns are also causing a stir: they are giving Watson a five-year contract worth $230 million. The spectacular thing about the working paper: the contract is “fully guaranteed”, so the quarterback is entitled to every dollar, regardless of whether he plays or how well he plays.
A look at the current season shows that the Browns may have made the worst change of all time: Watson has been out for the last few weeks with shoulder problems, and before that he only threw four touchdowns and three interceptions in three games with an underground passer rating of 80.9 – only 29th out of 39 in the league. For comparison: The league best is currently 111.9 – held by San Francisco’s Brock Purdy.
And in yesterday’s game, Watson also threw an interception before he had to leave the field injured after only 5 pass attempts. Backup quarterback PJ Walker then plays well enough to win 39-38 against the Indianapolis Colts with the support of a great defense. If Watson doesn’t return to form soon, it will take the Browns a long time to recover from the bad investments they made.
