The things that stand out about Dart’s game are his toughness, feel, and the fact that he has so many ways that he can beat a defense.

However, every area that can be considered a strength of his also needs more refinement. He is one of the most interesting quarterbacks to keep an eye on because he is capable of taking off and becoming a star. But he is also capable of stagnating due to some bad habits and his overall style of play.

The way he develops over the next 2 years will be critical.

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Below, I take a deep dive into Dart’s 2025 season and show you over 50 plays covering the following areas:

• Playing from the pocket

• Manipulating and holding defenders

• Quick game

• Anticipation and ball placement

• Inconsistent accuracy

• Sloppy footwork

• Letting the game come to him

• Making plays with his legs

• A Factor in the designed run game

• Protecting himself

Playing from the Pocket

While this is an area that absolutely needs refinement, there are all kinds of things to like about Dart’s abilities from the pocket.

It goes without saying that Dart is a tough quarterback, unafraid to take a hit. Sometimes, that can even be a problem since he often breaks the pocket and takes too many (more on that in a bit).

But he has shown the willingness to hang in the pocket at times and deliver the ball downfield while knowing he’s about to be drilled by a defender.

Just take this 3rd-and-8 in the Giants’ surprise early-season win over the defending-champion Eagles:

What I really like about the play was that Dart quickly deciphered the coverage, saw the post-snap rotation, realized it was cover-1 and knew because of it that he could lay the ball out for his receiver:

You’re not making that type of throw vs. zone, so this was a great job of understanding the coverage and knowing what type of throw he could make. And he did all that with pressure bearing down on him.

Here are a few more examples below.

This was a 3rd-and-2 from that same game. The Eagles played Cover-0 funnel. Dart did a good job of recognizing the coverage and understanding that there would be a free rusher and no deep safety in the middle of the field. So again, he laid the ball out perfectly to his receiver (who unfortunately dropped it):

This next play was another 3rd-and-2 vs. the same coverage. This time, the protection picked up the pressure. Dart understood that he had time, reset his feet, and was able to find his 2nd read for the completion:

Here’s one more example. This time, Dart hung in vs. the blitz and didn’t panic with a free rusher in his face:

As mentioned above, a flaw of Dart’s is that he sometimes will look to make a play with his legs and break the pocket too early. But he has the ability to hang in against pressure, survey the field, and get the ball where it needs to go. If he can harness this ability, he’ll be twice as difficult to stop.

Manipulating and Holding Defenders

Dart has shown the ability to move or hold defenders in order to create windows at the intermediate level. This is a trait that the best quarterbacks in the league have (as you’ll see whenever you watch 2025 MVP Matthew Stafford). If Dart can continue to develop it, he’ll be all the more dangerous as a passer.

Watch him hold the single-high safety on this play, plant his back foot, then come back to the left and hit his receiver in the seam for a touchdown:

He probably could have put the ball a little further to the right than he did (I understand why he didn’t), but I like the process:

You can see the same thing on these throws as well:

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The most impressive thing about Maye’s play, however, is his substantial improvement from college in less than 2 years. His physical talent has always been there, but the precision and nuance to his game have been increasing fast.

Below I dive into over 35 plays from his first 10 games of the 2025 season to show you what he’s been doing so well and where there’s still room for growth.

(These film sessions are available with a Founding Member subscription, which also gets you access to our playbook that has more than 80 breakdowns grouped by concept (e.g. passing game, running game, situational, coverages, pressures, etc.) and hundreds of examples from NFL games.)

Great Ball Placement

Erratic was the way I’d characterize Maye’s ball placement in college. He sprayed the ball all over the field at times and frequently missed the lay-ups. Normally, that doesn’t improve when you get to the NFL.

Suddenly, it’s no longer an issue, though. In fact, Maye has not only improved in this department, he’s one of the best in the NFL right now at putting the ball exactly where he wants to with pinpoint accuracy:

He’s one of the few QBs who can consistently drill the ball into that cover-2 hole if he wants, like he did here to set up the Pats’ game-winning field goal against Buffalo in Week 5:

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Yes, Rodgers could stand to throw the ball downfield more. At times, the passing attack has seemed to function as an extension of the running game. Other times, it seems like its sole purpose is to get the ball out quickly to cover for the offensive line’s early-season struggles and protect Rodgers.

As a result, the approach has predominantly been quick game, screens, smoke, RPO’s, play-action boot, and then the occasional iso throw downfield on the outside.

But there have been moments here and there where it has looked explosive. That was particularly the case in Week 7 against the Bengals. And it will be interesting to see how it evolves over the remainder of the season.

Either way, Rodgers has played well and displayed very few negatives. And when it comes to throwing the football, he looks as good as he ever has.

At the Line

Aside from throwing the ball, the best aspect of Rodgers’ game is his ability at the line of scrimmage. There’s very little that he hasn’t seen in his 21 NFL seasons. That’s helped him get the Steelers into the best looks from a run game and protection standpoint. It’s also served him well in key situations, like on 3rd down.

The below example was the Steelers’ first 3rd down of the season, a 3rd-and-10 against the Jets. Rodgers used a hard count to try and get a read on what the defense was doing. He noticed linebacker Quincy Williams (#56) move towards running back Kenneth Gainwell (#14), tipping that he was responsible for him in man coverage:

Rodgers wanted to hit Pat Freiermuth on a slant from the left side vs. 1-on-1 coverage. He didn’t want any defenders hanging out in the area, which may have happened since Gainwell was check-releasing on this play.

So he moved Gainwell to the other side of the formation. On a side note, notice how Quincy Williams tried bluffing a blitz after initially moving towards Gainwell. That was just after Rodgers’ hard count where he had tipped his hand. Williams tried to recover by then showing blitz, but the 21-year vet wasn’t fooled:

With Williams out of the way, Rodgers could now focus solely on the 1-on-1 to his left and do what he does best:

Rodgers’ experience also played a role at the end of Pittsburgh’s Week 3 win over the Patriots.

This was a 3rd-and-6 with 2:20 left in the game and the score tied 14-14. The Steelers were already in field goal range, but they did not want to settle for 3.

Below, I’ll show you more than 25 plays from Rodgers’ first 6 games. These film sessions are available with a Founding Member subscription, which also gets you access to our playbook that has more than 80 breakdowns grouped by concept (e.g. passing game, running game, situational, coverages, pressures, etc.) and hundreds of examples from NFL games.

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He might not have the arm strength of Josh Allen. Or the speed of Lamar Jackson. Or the improvisational skills of Patrick Mahomes.

But there is no quarterback who plays from the pocket better than Joe Burrow.

His game starts with anticipation. He’s a timing and rhythm passer. It’s enhanced with his pocket presence and ability to navigate the pass rush.

Not to mention, he does have some underrated scrambling and play-making ability.

Below, I take a deep dive into over 30 plays from his MVP-caliber 2024 season.

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Anticipation

I’ve expressed this sentiment many times before, but show me a quarterback making anticipation throws, and I’ll show you a quarterback who has numerous other critical skills needed to play the position.

To anticipate consistently, you need to be able to read the defense, process quickly, play with timing, see the field, know where defenders will be (not where they are), understand your playbook like the back of your hand, have good footwork, throw with accuracy and touch, and basically understand how to play the position like a pro.

Burrow is as good as any quarterback in the league in this department:

He consistently gets the ball out of his hands before his receivers are out of their breaks and before the defense has time to react:

Need a good playcall for 3rd-and-a-million? With a quarterback who can release the ball before the defense knows what hit them, you’ve got a shot:

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Not all of it was his fault. It’s tough to play the position when the pass rush is on you instantly and your receivers can’t create quick separation.

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Still, that didn’t mean the pressure on Young wasn’t mounting heading into year 2. He needed to have a good season and at least show some promise as the future of the franchise. Otherwise, Carolina likely would have been looking for different options at the position heading into 2025.

Then, he was benched after 2 games.

Many saw it as the Panthers making an early decision to move on from Young. I saw it as a chance to give him a bit of a mental reset.

And boy did he reset, because Young was a different player when he came back 6 weeks later.

Below, I take a deep dive into Young’s 2024 season. The first part will cover those first two games. The next will cover the rest of his season. In the end, you’ll see roughly 40 plays covering the following areas:

• Week 1 vs. the Saints

• Week 2 vs. the Chargers

• Bouncing Back 6 Weeks later

• Great Timing and Anticipation

• Processing & Recognition

• Ball Placement

• Pocket Presence

Week 1 vs. Saints:

Young wasn’t quite as bad as the final score and his numbers indicated, but he was certainly off in this game. He played fast at times, wasn’t putting the ball where he wanted to, and just didn’t seem to see the field well.

His first throw of the season was intercepted, setting the tone:

It looked like Young was a little quick with his drop and desire to get this ball out of his hands. The timing of the play was off as Young set up to throw and his receiver was still a few steps from getting into his break. The result was a ball that was out before his receiver had a chance to react to it:

Young’s other interception came later in the game with the score out of hand. This was at a point in the game where he was just trying to make something happen. Either way, he didn’t put the ball where he wanted to, resulting in an interception:

Here’s one more miss from this game:

It’s not that Young should have completed this pass necessarily. It was a tight window. But it wasn’t a great throw. He didn’t put it in a spot where his receiver had a chance to make a play on the ball.

It wasn’t just erratic ball placement and playing fast that did Young in on this day. He didn’t see the field well, with this 3rd-and-6 serving as a great example.

The Saints brought more than the Panthers could handle. Young didn’t recognize the extra man, though:

The play didn’t have great hot answers, although the receiver chipping and then releasing to his right would have been the best option:

The point is, Young didn’t recognize it. He had no urgency in his drop and clearly didn’t account for that extra defender until it was too late.

This next play was in the 4th quarter with the score about 96-3. The Panthers faced a 4th-and-6. New Orleans brought the house and played cover-0 behind it. I think Young made the right decision, but you can see that his knee kind of buckled as he faded away from this throw. The ball sailed as a result:

I’ve got no problem with fading away from the throw. Often times against cover-0, quarterbacks will drop or drift as much as they can to buy time and then throw from an off-balanced position. But Young was kind of caught in between fading away and planting his back foot here.

Caught in between is a perfect microcosm for his performance in this one.

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Week 2 vs. Chargers

Week 2 went much the same way as Week 1 did. Young wasn’t seeing the field well at all.

On this interception, he appeared to pre-determine that he was going to try to make this throw come hell or highwater. Watch him look left and stay there:

Young was trying to hit the wrap-in, but the linebacker underneath never widened. That forced Young to put this ball further inside than he wanted to. It didn’t help that the quarters safety to that side was ready to pounce on any in-breakers from #2. This play was dead from the jump. But Young forced it anyway.

Take another look from the end zone angle:

This was a 1st-and-10 in the 2nd-quarter too. There was no need to force that throw. This was probably one of those indicators to head coach Dave Canales that Young wasn’t seeing the field, reading things out, or doing what he was supposed to.

Then you have a play like this. Young looked left to the bendback/corner route from the #2 receiver. He stayed on it too long given the defender’s leverage. He probably should have looked at the in-breaker/over-route running across the field since they were playing cover-1. Instead, he held it and took the sack:

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It’s hard to argue any rookie QB was better than Jayden Daniels last season. But next in line has to be Penix. That’s how good his 3 games were.

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Below, I take a deep dive into Penix’s first NFL Season and show you over 25 plays covering the following areas:

• Professional Quarterbacking

• Intermediate/Downfield Throws

• Anticipation and Timing

• Manipulating and Holding Defenders

• Working Through Progressions

• Sneaky Scrambling & Play-Making Ability

• Statue in the Pocket

Professional Quarterbacking

As I mentioned above, Penix looked like a professional quarterback right from the get-go.

This was the first 3rd down pass attempt of his first start. A 3rd-and-7. This was an example of great NFL quarterbacking in so many ways.

Penix looked left initially. The Giants were playing man but the motion didn’t make defenders switch and as a result he didn’t like the leverage his receivers’ routes had. He instantly came back to the right, in rhythm, and delivered a perfect ball, hitting his receiver in stride:

It was out of a somewhat muddy pocket with a pass rusher in his face too:

That’s professional quarterbacking my friend.

Great Intermediate/Downfield Thrower

This was an aspect of Penix’s game that stood out in his college tape. He throws the ball downfield so well. At the intermediate level and deeper, it sometimes seems like a long hand off.

Just take a look at this deep comeback. Not only did this ball have good velocity, he dropped it into his receiver’s hands, 30 yards away, while also putting it over the underneath defender:

This next throw ended as an incompletion, but just look at the ball placement:

You can question the decision to make that throw with a safety closing, but you can’t question the accuracy.

On this next example, he put the ball in a spot where only his receiver could get it:

And here’s another downfield throw:

And another:

And another:

There’s not a more important attribute for a quarterback than putting the ball where you want to. And Penix can do that regularly. There were so many examples in just 3 games last season.

Anticipation and Timing

Penix showed the consistent ability to throw with great anticipation and timing in his limited action last season as well.

But what does it take to be able to throw with anticipation? And what does it mean if you’re a quaterback who can throw with anticipation?

It means he can process and recognize the coverage quickly. A QB is not letting the ball go early without understanding what the defense is doing.

It means he has awareness and vision of where nearby defenders are.

It means great accuracy and ball placement (making the right type of throw to beat the coverage).

Some quarterbacks show the ability to throw with anticipation occasionally. Penix was comfortable enough to do it regularly and in the biggest of situations.

Check out this 3rd-and-8 against the Giants. Penix got this ball out before his receiver was out of his break:

That’s how you consistently convert on 3rd down in the NFL.

Here’s another example:

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Below, I’ll show you roughly 50 plays from his rookie season (good and bad) as a part of the new “Film Room” section of our Substack.

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Better Timing in the Short Passing Game Than in College

Maye didn’t play with great timing and rhythm in college, but I thought he showed some drastic improvement in this area in the NFL.

Watch him get the ball out in rhythm here. He hit his back foot, saw the underneath coverage move towards the flat, and the ball was out:

Great throw.

Same thing here. Shotgun, 3-step, ball out for a completion in the coverage void and yards after the catch:

Take what the defense is giving you. You’ll never go broke taking a profit, and playing with good timing allows that to happen:

Much of Maye’s improved timing came from the play-calling and route concepts. I know offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was fired, but he did a great job of getting Maye to play quicker. I’m sure a part of that was making it a point of emphasis for Maye. But much of it was the play-calling.

The Patriots were hell-bent on getting the ball out of Maye’s hands with quick, short throws. This was the right approach given the O-line situation and the need to get Maye playing that way.

In fact, according to PFF, Maye was 14th in the NFL in percentage of throws behind the line of scrimmage, 6th in percentage of throws between 0-9 yards from the line of scrimmage, 35th on throws 10-19 yards, and 34th on throws 20 yards or more.

Intermediate-Level Throws and Reliable Concepts

While Maye’s timing was much better on shorter throws, he did show some ability to play in rhythm on throws at the intermediate level:

There were clearly some concepts that Maye felt extremely comfortable throwing, and Van Pelt went back to them as often as he could.

The below concept was a spin-dig route combination to the bottom of the screen. Watch Maye plant his foot and deliver these throws with confidence:

What I love about these two throws is how Maye initially held the only defender who could take the play away. The spin-dig puts the underneath defender nearest to the concept in conflict. He can’t be right. It’s the Mike linebacker on both plays that the quarterback has to hold. Maye did so comfortably before delivering two strikes above.

Here was another route concept Maye looked comfortable reading and throwing:

Saw that one multiple times throughout the season.

Here’s one more example of good timing at the intermediate level. The Colts were playing cover-1. Maye read it, targeted the best matchup, noticed the defender’s back to him, and put this ball into a great spot:

Maye Looks Like He Belongs

I kept thinking this to myself as I watched Maye’s film. Despite whatever weaknesses he has, it was clear that he has enough to orchestrate an NFL offense effectively.

His pocket presence and ability to hang in the pocket still need work, but he was much-improved in this area:

I didn’t see many plays like that in college.

Below, he did a great job responding to the blitz and using his physical talent to get the ball out on a throw across his body despite free rushers bearing down on him:

Again, that was a sack or worse when he was at UNC.

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