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What is an Interceptable Pass? Let Ryan Fitzpatrick Explain
What is an Interceptable Pass? Let Ryan Fitzpatrick Explain
Since writing the quarterback catalogue at the start of the year, I’ve often been asked what an interceptable pass is. I don’t have a simple, clear definition because, as the book says, the very nature of what I’m doing is based in subjectivity. It’s not something we try to hide or present in such a way that is misleading, it’s something we embraced.
After writing about Ryan Fitzpatrick’s touchdowns earlier this week, I wanted to show why that alone wasn’t the reason Fitzpatrick is a problem. Being effective in a simplistic offense is fine if you take care of the ball. Fitzpatrick doesn’t take care of the ball, it took Carson Palmer playing through an injury into the playoffs for Fitzpatrick to finish second in Interceptable Passes during the 2015 season.
As such, I decided to solve both problems with one article by going through all 31 of Fitzpatrick’s interceptable passes from last season.
During the second quarter of Week 1, Fitzpatrick threw one of the worst interceptions you will see. He had time and space in the pocket because the Jets kept multiple extra blockers in to protect him and the Browns only rushed four players after the quarterback. Despite having this time and space, Fitzpatrick forces a throw into triple coverage, trying to find Brandon Marshall.
Fitzpatrick likely never saw Tashaun Gipson, misreading the coverage completely and throwing the ball directly to the safety. Gipson fumbled the ball back to the Jets so this play actually gained yards for the offense, setting them up at the Browns’ 9-yard line.
A few minutes later in the same quarterback, Fitzpatrick threw just as bad a pass. He should have given the defense a chance at running back a touchdown but the linebacker couldn’t catch the ball. He should have caught the ball because Fitzpatrick stared down his tight end from the beginning of the play. The ball arrived in a spot where he could have comfortably caught it if he had used both hands, instead he just tipped it away with one.
Once again, there was no reason for Fitzpatrick to get rid of the ball so quickly. He predetermined this pass for no good reason, simply a terrible decision.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, Fitzpatrick is intercepted by Mike Adams midway through the second quarter. He makes two major mistakes on this play, both are mental errors. He has time and space in the pocket when he drops back once again. He stares down Brandon Marshall running down the left sideline from the beginning of the play. Fitzpatrick predetermined that he was throwing the ball to Marshall even though Vontae Davis is on top of the route from the beginning of the play.
This ball should never be thrown to Marshall unless it’s going to be thrown to his backshoulder with velocity. Fitzpatrick tries to lead his receiver downfield, through Davis, with a slow, lofted pass.
Davis doesn’t intercept the pass, he can only tip it into the air as he reaches out for it. Marshall is nowhere near where the ball lands. Instead, it’s safety Mike Adams who is in the right spot at the right time. Adams tends to be in the right spot at the right time, but he was on this occasion because of Fitzpatrick. At the beginning of the play, Adams drops deep on the same hashmark as Fitzpatrick drop backs on. That is the hashmark to the shorter side of the field, Adams is slow, but he can cover the narrower side of the field to get under a slow pass from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick never understood the coverage on this play, forcing a pass into Vontae Davis and leading Mike Adams to the football.
When charting Interceptable Passes, I also chart interceptions that aren’t the quarterback’s fault. The obvious example of this play is when the quarterback throws an accurate pass that hits the receiver’s hands and is then caught by a defender. Those plays only qualify when the pass is an accurate one though, if the quarterback’s throw is off target and the receiver adjusts to tip it into the air, it can still qualify as interceptable. This throw against the Colts is a good example.
Fitzpatrick should have a simple completion by throwing the ball in front of his running back underneath. Instead, his pass is high and too far behind. If this was just a slight adjustment, for example if the back only had to cradle the ball against his hip, it would still be considered accurate for the purposes of this measurement. But it’s not.
Instead, the pass is way behind its intended receiver and bounces into the hands of the linebacker who proceeds to drop the ball.
Smart quarterbacks make mistakes, but they learn from them. Fitzpatrick has been repeating his mistakes for the best part of the last decade. Despite still being in the same quarter as his interception to Mike Adams, Fitzpatrick made almost the exact same mistake with 50 seconds left in the half. He predetermined his throw to Brandon Marshall, throwing a duck into coverage for the safety to break on.
Once again, the defender couldn’t maintain control of the ball.
A week later, Fitzpatrick repeated another mistake to throw two intereceptable passes. On both plays, Fitzpatrick attempts to find Devin Smith down the left sideline. He needs to put the ball in front of Smith and preferably on his outside shoulder. Smith has gotten past Rowe on both occasions but is forced to adjust to passes that are underthrown and arrive too far infield. Smith prevents the first interception because cornerback Eric Rowe is slow to turn and find the football.
What is an Interceptable Pass? Let Ryan Fitzpatrick Explain
Since writing the quarterback catalogue at the start of the year, I’ve often been asked what an interceptable pass is. I don’t have a simple, clear definition because, as the book says, the very nature of what I’m doing is based in subjectivity. It’s not something we try to hide or present in such a way that is misleading, it’s something we embraced.
After writing about Ryan Fitzpatrick’s touchdowns earlier this week, I wanted to show why that alone wasn’t the reason Fitzpatrick is a problem. Being effective in a simplistic offense is fine if you take care of the ball. Fitzpatrick doesn’t take care of the ball, it took Carson Palmer playing through an injury into the playoffs for Fitzpatrick to finish second in Interceptable Passes during the 2015 season.
As such, I decided to solve both problems with one article by going through all 31 of Fitzpatrick’s interceptable passes from last season.
During the second quarter of Week 1, Fitzpatrick threw one of the worst interceptions you will see. He had time and space in the pocket because the Jets kept multiple extra blockers in to protect him and the Browns only rushed four players after the quarterback. Despite having this time and space, Fitzpatrick forces a throw into triple coverage, trying to find Brandon Marshall.
Fitzpatrick likely never saw Tashaun Gipson, misreading the coverage completely and throwing the ball directly to the safety. Gipson fumbled the ball back to the Jets so this play actually gained yards for the offense, setting them up at the Browns’ 9-yard line.
A few minutes later in the same quarterback, Fitzpatrick threw just as bad a pass. He should have given the defense a chance at running back a touchdown but the linebacker couldn’t catch the ball. He should have caught the ball because Fitzpatrick stared down his tight end from the beginning of the play. The ball arrived in a spot where he could have comfortably caught it if he had used both hands, instead he just tipped it away with one.
Once again, there was no reason for Fitzpatrick to get rid of the ball so quickly. He predetermined this pass for no good reason, simply a terrible decision.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, Fitzpatrick is intercepted by Mike Adams midway through the second quarter. He makes two major mistakes on this play, both are mental errors. He has time and space in the pocket when he drops back once again. He stares down Brandon Marshall running down the left sideline from the beginning of the play. Fitzpatrick predetermined that he was throwing the ball to Marshall even though Vontae Davis is on top of the route from the beginning of the play.
This ball should never be thrown to Marshall unless it’s going to be thrown to his backshoulder with velocity. Fitzpatrick tries to lead his receiver downfield, through Davis, with a slow, lofted pass.
Davis doesn’t intercept the pass, he can only tip it into the air as he reaches out for it. Marshall is nowhere near where the ball lands. Instead, it’s safety Mike Adams who is in the right spot at the right time. Adams tends to be in the right spot at the right time, but he was on this occasion because of Fitzpatrick. At the beginning of the play, Adams drops deep on the same hashmark as Fitzpatrick drop backs on. That is the hashmark to the shorter side of the field, Adams is slow, but he can cover the narrower side of the field to get under a slow pass from Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick never understood the coverage on this play, forcing a pass into Vontae Davis and leading Mike Adams to the football.
When charting Interceptable Passes, I also chart interceptions that aren’t the quarterback’s fault. The obvious example of this play is when the quarterback throws an accurate pass that hits the receiver’s hands and is then caught by a defender. Those plays only qualify when the pass is an accurate one though, if the quarterback’s throw is off target and the receiver adjusts to tip it into the air, it can still qualify as interceptable. This throw against the Colts is a good example.
Fitzpatrick should have a simple completion by throwing the ball in front of his running back underneath. Instead, his pass is high and too far behind. If this was just a slight adjustment, for example if the back only had to cradle the ball against his hip, it would still be considered accurate for the purposes of this measurement. But it’s not.
Instead, the pass is way behind its intended receiver and bounces into the hands of the linebacker who proceeds to drop the ball.
Smart quarterbacks make mistakes, but they learn from them. Fitzpatrick has been repeating his mistakes for the best part of the last decade. Despite still being in the same quarter as his interception to Mike Adams, Fitzpatrick made almost the exact same mistake with 50 seconds left in the half. He predetermined his throw to Brandon Marshall, throwing a duck into coverage for the safety to break on.
Once again, the defender couldn’t maintain control of the ball.
A week later, Fitzpatrick repeated another mistake to throw two intereceptable passes. On both plays, Fitzpatrick attempts to find Devin Smith down the left sideline. He needs to put the ball in front of Smith and preferably on his outside shoulder. Smith has gotten past Rowe on both occasions but is forced to adjust to passes that are underthrown and arrive too far infield. Smith prevents the first interception because cornerback Eric Rowe is slow to turn and find the football.
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