Pocket Context

🏈 NFL Film + Analytics | QB Play • Scheme • Protection • Coaching | Looking at WHY plays happen—not just the result. | Beyond the Box Score.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

This is bigger than Herbert. It’s a QB conversation.

Kurt Warner sees it. Russell Wilson has touched on it. Dan has talked about it.

Three QBs with VERY different NFL careers, all recognizing something similar: Herbert doesn’t look comfortable.

And that matters.

When a QB who has given you years of tape suddenly starts looking uncharacteristic, the evaluation can’t stop at:

“The QB is playing bad.”

Of course he is. Herbert threw the INTs. He’s missed throws. He deserves criticism for that.

But evaluating a QB without evaluating what he’s being asked to operate is like blaming a race car driver for slower lap times without asking what changed under the hood.

Maybe the driver made mistakes. Hold him accountable for them.

But if the same driver suddenly can’t take corners he’s handled for years, you’d be foolish not to inspect the car too….

Scheme dictates what you’re asked to process. Footwork affects timing. Protection affects your internal clock. Route concepts determine where the answers are. And when a QB starts thinking instead of reacting, everything can look a half second slow.

This applies to ANY quarterback.

Good coaching isn’t proving your QB can execute your offense….

It’s building an offense that allows your QB to play fast and consistently do what he does best.

When experienced NFL quarterbacks watch the tape and repeatedly say “this doesn’t look like him,” that’s worth paying attention to.

[Kurt Warner @kurt13warner]

I know there are a bunch of really smart ppl in the Chargers building, but the tape is leaving me befuddled conceptually! It almost feels like they are trying things bc #Herbert is a freak and they think he can do things others can’t, but it makes little sense!

Yes, I felt Herbert was uncomfortable earlier in year & missed some OPPs being tentative, yesterday, he had a couple bad INTs, but so many concepts left me uncomfortable for him watching the tape!

[Mina Kimes @minakimes]

Jared Goff’s toughness in the pocket remains impressive as hell. What a throw.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Bengals listed WR Ja'Marr Chase as a non-participant in today’s practice due to an ankle injury and rest.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@BigCtheEG So are you saying everyone else is doing their job but Herbert isn’t?

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

Harbaugh does not have a history of firing coordinators in season, so this is no surprise.

However, if the Chargers offense still looks terrible in the coming weeks after the bye maybe his loyalty could cost him his job.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Coming off their bye week, Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh said offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will continue to call plays.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker remains on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Kansas City had a practice squad spot, and now is bringing in depth and competition.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@Lou1520394 Every QB needs context.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@TeddRobert8811 Very thin.

That’s why games are usually close in the NFL no matter the opponent.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

“Your team lost to a team we beat, so that means we’re better than you!”

That’s not how football works.

Matchups matter. Injuries matter. Schemes matter. Coaching adjustments matter. Even when you play a team matters.

A team in Week 3 isn’t necessarily the same team in Week 12. Personnel changes, coaches adapt, and strengths against one opponent can become weaknesses against another.

Football isn’t a math equation where A beats B, B beats C, therefore A must beat C.

If evaluating teams were that simple, nobody would need to watch film.

Final scores tell you who won. Context helps explain why.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@bucks3317 🫡 🎯exactly.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@AdamSchefter 49ers fans like

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

Notable things Alex smith said on his interview with the @BussinWTB that I will never get off my soapbox about.

“As a Quarterback you’re such a product of the people around you. You’re such a product of the situation and scheme that you’re running.”

“Quarterbacks playing good are usually in good situations. It’s a rarity that those guys are just out there doing it themselves.”

He’s not the only former NFL QB to say this. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Dan Fouts, Eli Manning, and many others have said similar things.

I will say that’s the paradox of the position: The QB is expected to carry the team while simultaneously needing to be carried.

Context matters.

[Bussin' With The Boys @BussinWTB]

Alex Smith reveals what’s really holding Justin Herbert and the Chargers back

[Ian Rapoport @RapSheet]

#Colts WR Josh Downs has been the subject of trade talks… would be a big-time addition👇👇👇

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

I never went off-topic. You asked why Herbert was being discussed. I showed you the exact timestamp where the panel brought him up and explained why. Danny was highlighting the difference in how Nick evaluates Mahomes versus other QBs facing adversity. YOU then brought up MVPs, Super Bowls and career accomplishments. I simply addressed the arguments you introduced. 🤷‍♂️

For someone whose name is literally “theQuestion,” you sure ask a lot of questions you don’t seem interested in having answered. 😂 Asking a question, ignoring the explanation, then claiming nobody answered you isn’t a rebuttal. It’s just going in circles.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

Tell ’em, Danny. 🎯

The hypocrisy in QB evaluation is glaring.

When Mahomes struggles, context matters. When Herbert, Allen or others struggle, suddenly it’s all on the QB.

Same position. Same standards.

Context is not an excuse. Consistency matters. Context matters.

[First Things First @FTFonFS1]

@DannyParkins: “It was a really tough spot for Mahomes so I wanna dig a little deeper into how it went.”

@getnickwright: “That’s literally not what he did. You’re trying to do some funny stupid Justin Herbert or something ridiculous.”

D: “You nailed it! It’s Justin Herbert!" 😭

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

Seattle investing in its offensive line is another reminder of how important roster construction is to quarterback success.

A great QB can elevate the players around him, but that doesn’t mean the players around him don’t matter.🤷‍♂️

Protection, receiving talent, rushing efficiency and coaching all influence how effectively a quarterback can perform.

The best organizations understand that building around their QB is just as important as finding the right one.

A franchise quarterback is a cornerstone, not the entire foundation.

Context matters. So does the right GM.

[Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter]

Trade: Colts have agreed to send eight-time Pro-Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, per me and @rapsheet. Nelson is on an expiring contract and the Colts are opting to get back draft capital now before they could lose him in free agency.

But an all-time Colt now moves on to the Seahawks.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

I think we’re having two completely different conversations.

You’re arguing who’s had the better career. I’m arguing whether Nick applies the same evaluation standards when assigning responsibility for individual games.

Mahomes’ accomplishments are incredible. I’ve never disputed that. But trophies don’t change how offensive-line injuries, receiver play, defensive performance or coaching affect a QB.

This is 2024:

Herbert: 3,870 yards, 23 TD, 3 INT, 101.7 rating.

Mahomes: 3,928 yards, 26 TD, 11 INT, 93.5 rating.

One reached the Super Bowl. The other lost in the Wild Card. Does that automatically tell us who individually performed better? No.

My 2025 extreme-pressure research adds context. In the documented games above 45% pressure:

Herbert: 2–3, 1,143 yards, 6 TD, 7 INT.

Mahomes: 0–2, 439 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT.

Different sample sizes, but adversity affected both.

And this is exactly what Danny’s comparison was illustrating. Not that Herbert is greater than Mahomes, but how misleading isolated box-score comparisons can be when context is ignored.

If Nick places most of the blame on Herbert despite poor protection and limited support, but gives Mahomes more grace when those circumstances affect him, that’s the inconsistency I’m questioning.

I don’t excuse Herbert’s mistakes. I wouldn’t excuse Mahomes’ either.

Imagine two weightlifters failing a lift. Their previous medals tell you who has accomplished more. They don’t tell you how heavy the weight was, what equipment they had or why they struggled.

Past accomplishments establish a resume. They don’t replace evaluating present circumstances.

Context isn’t excuses. It’s ALWAYS apart of the evaluation. 🤷‍♂️

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

You’re asking two different questions now.

Initially, you asked why I brought up Herbert and Allen. I explained that. Now you’re asking why they were brought up in the segment itself.

Here’s the context.

Danny isn’t arguing Herbert is better than Mahomes. He’s not questioning Mahomes’ accomplishments or greatness.

He’s challenging the consistency of how quarterbacks are evaluated.

Nick regularly uses statistical graphics and individual performances to criticize Herbert. Danny is demonstrating what happens when that same approach is applied to Mahomes.

When Mahomes struggles, we’re encouraged to examine his protection, receivers, running game and coaching. Especially by Nick Wright.

Which is absolutely reasonable. I agree with doing that.

But why shouldn’t those same circumstances matter when evaluating Herbert, Allen, Burrow or Maye?

That’s the argument.

And bringing up Mahomes’ MVPs, Super Bowls and career accomplishments doesn’t actually address it.

His career accomplishments establishes his greatness. It doesn’t change the circumstances of an individual performance or justify applying different evaluation standards to other QBs.

You can believe Mahomes is better than every QB mentioned AND acknowledge inconsistent analysis.

Those positions aren’t mutually exclusive.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@ivefewquestions I time stamped it for you.

Based on you’re responses I can assume you’re just reading the headline and not diving into the context of the video.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

For context…

Michael Irvin said on The White House podcast:

“I saw a fear in Patrick Mahomes.”

That’s interesting to me, because I wonder how much of what he saw was Mahomes becoming increasingly conscious of the pass rush.

Against Seattle, NFL Next Gen Stats recorded pressure on 38.9% of his dropbacks (14 of 36).

Kenneth Walker III managed just 36 yards on 14 carries. Add injuries along the offensive line and at receiver on top of that.

There’s a reason NFL teams invest so heavily in their starters.🤷‍♂️

And here’s something I think people overlook:

Football is a game of INCHES and MILLISECONDS.

Consider what 0.03 seconds means.

That’s just 30 milliseconds.

At 15 mph, a defender travels roughly 8 inches in that time.

A blocker reacting 0.03 seconds sooner could be the difference between a defender reaching the QB and the QB getting his throw away.

Three extra inches of receiver separation could create just enough room for a completion instead of a pass breakup.

These are obviously illustrations, not measured differences between starters and backups. But they demonstrate how small the margins can be.

NFL Next Gen Stats even incorporates receiver separation, pass-rusher proximity and time to throw into its evaluation of passing difficulty for a reason.

So imagine several starters being replaced simultaneously.

One protection assignment is executed slightly slower. A receiver doesn’t separate quite as quickly. The QB has to move before his route develops.

Individually, these differences might look insignificant.

Collectively, they can change third-down conversions, sacks, turnovers, touchdowns and ultimately the game.

Does that excuse Mahomes for poor decisions? Absolutely not. I say that for any QB.

But it helps explain why even elite quarterbacks can struggle when the supporting pieces around them aren’t performing.

And that standard should apply to Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert, Hurts, Dak, Love, Purdy, Lamar and EVERY quarterback.

Context matters.

[Pocket Context @PocketContext]

@AdamSchefter @RapSheet Dang the Colts are like “Here’s another Super Bowl for you”