No big news flash, but teams are passing more. This is allowing quarterbacks and wide receivers to have more success - put up better numbers, anyway.
Look at the chart below, which shows receivers seeing the most passes.
In 2004, the NFL started published "targets" in their boxscores. The number of balls thrown to each player (whether caught or not). In the first eight years of the target era, no player was the intended target on more than 181 passes.
Last year, three different receivers saw at least 192 pass attempts. Megatron, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall.
It's a passing league. (On the chart below, I'm showing all receivers who've averaged at least 10 targets in a season - 160 in a 16-game season.)
AVERAGING 10 TARGETS PER GAME, 2004-12
No Year
204 2012 Calvin Johnson (Det.)
195 2012 Reggie Wayne (Ind.)
192 2012 Brandon Marshall (Chi.)
181 2008 Brandon Marshall (Den.)
180 2011 Roddy White (Atl.)
179 2010 Roddy White (Atl.)
179 2006 Torry Holt (St.L.)
176 2010 Reggie Wayne (Ind.)
175 2012 Wes Welker (N.E.)
173 2011 Wes Welker (N.E.)
173 2010 Larry Fitzgerald (Ariz.)
172 2006 Donald Driver (G.B.)
171 2009 Andre Johnson (Hou.)
171 2005 Anquan Boldin (Ariz.)
170 2008 Andre Johnson (Hou.)
170 2007 Brandon Marshall (Den.)
170 2004 Chad Johnson (Cin.)
169 2007 T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cin.)
168 2004 Laveranues Coles (Wash.)
166 2007 Larry Fitzgerald (Ariz.)
166 2005 Chris Chambers (Mia.)
166 2005 Plaxico Burress (NYG)
165 2005 Larry Fitzgerald (Ariz.)
164 2012 A.J. Green (Cin.)
164 2009 Roddy White (Atl.)
164 2007 Derrick Mason (Balt.)
164 2006 Andre Johnson (Hou.)
163 2005 Torry Holt (St.L.)
162 2012 Andre Johnson (Hou.)
162 2009 Wes Welker (N.E.)
161 2007 Chad Johnson (Cin.)
160 2004 Muhsin Muhammad (Car.)
^aEUR"Ian Allan
March 24, 2013