When legendary Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was asked, ‘what made you such a great quarterback?’ he replied: 

"There is no defense against a perfect pass. I can throw the perfect pass." - Dan Marino

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 26, 2014

The NFL has become a quarterback driven league. In a previous Skills and Drills, I examined how the NFL has become a pass-oriented league and discussed how this shift in philosophy impacting the outcome of Super Bowl XXV on a subsequent blog.

However, the reason the NFL had a significantly statistical shift away from a run-oriented league toward a quarterback-driven, pass-oriented league is the result of one player: Mel Blount.

The 5-yard bump rule or the Mel Blount Rule, which it is affectionately referred to, changed the way the game is played. Instituted during the 1978 season, when Blount was at the height of his Hall of Fame career, it prevented any contact between a defensive back and a wide receiver outside of the first 5-yards from the line of scrimmage.

Prior to the rule, Blount would jam receivers and impede their ability to run all over the field. He was highly effective using this technique, not surrendering a single touchdown in 1972. 

The introduction video of the rule change by Don Shula prior to the 1978 season, who was on the competition committee the purposed the rule change, stated, “…the rule change should open up the passing game and consequently, scoring.”

That was a bit of an understatement. Prior to the introduction of the rule, the whole of the NFL averaged 0.99 passing touchdowns per game in 1977. Since the introduction of the rule, there has been a steady increase in the statistic, which reached an all-time high of 1.64 per game in 2015.

That 0.64 difference may sound small, but it accounts for 317.44 more passing touchdowns across the league per year, which equates to 1,904.64 more points.

The effect of the rule is further illustrated via the passing average per game statistics: attempts, completions and yards per game have increased in a statistically significant way.

This means the introduction of the rule has worked as Shula and the NFL intended: passing and scoring is way up in the modern NFL.

Diving further into statistics, the top 35 touchdowns per season statistic has only two quarterbacks, George Blanda and Y.A. Tittle, who played prior to the rule change.

So all of your favorite quarterbacks and wide receivers can thank Mel Blount and his seismic contribution to the NFL.

The higher offensive output has appealed to audiences. However Blount is still unconvinced.

“The old style was better,'' Blount said.

More importantly, if any receiver complains about the press coverage towel drill, remind them of how wide receivers were forced to play against defensive backs prior to 1978. Which is to say, receivers had to fight through unending, field-wide physical impediments, not just five measly yards.

Interesting Fact

Mel’s son, Akil Blount, will be attempting to create some defensive back magic of his own. The Miami Dolphins recently signed the former Florida A&M cornerback as an undrafted free agent.

Time to go to work. #DolphinsNation #2GodBeTheGlory

— Akil Blount (@PrimeTime47_24) April 30, 2016

The Purpose of the Drill

To employ an effective dip-and-rip technique on a press-coverage cornerback so the wide receiver can properly release from the line of scrimmage. 

Drill Setup

Place a wide receiver in a normal pre-snap stance on any line on the field. Have a coach line up directly across from the receiver and play the role of a press-coverage defensive back.

Place a towel on the ground just 1 yard away from the defensive player’s outside foot. The towel will serve as a target for the receiver during the drill.

Key Coaching Points

The offensive player will take an aggressive step up field to close the distance between him and the defensive back.

When the whistle is blown, the wide receiver will plan off of their inside foot in order to cut hard to the outside. As the receiver’s outside foot cuts hard to the outside, his inside shoulder should reduce to slide under the cornerback press.

This move is commonly referred to as a “Dip-and-Rip”.

To train this specific shoulder technique, the wide receiver should reach down and grab the towel with his left hand while running the release full speed.

The drill demonstrations to wide receivers the proper technique to get their shoulder low and underneath press coverage.

Once the towel has been grabbed and the wide receiver has gained the dip-and-rip release, they should immediately sprint up field for a predetermined amount of yards. 

SEE ALSO: Skills and Drills: Carolina Panthers return route drill for wide receivers

SEE ALSO: Skills and Drills: Miami Dolphins pattern running speed turn for defensive backs