present a significant shift in offensive line philosophy for the Falcons Youth Kemal Ishmael Jersey , but Atlanta—with some minor tweaks—will continue to run the zone blocking scheme in 2019."There has been a lot of speculation among fans recently about the direction of the Falcons’ rushing attack. The signings of James Carpenter and Jamon Brown—two offensive guards who don’t necessarily match the prototype of the players Atlanta sought after under Kyle Shanahan and Steve Sarkisian—have brought up a lot of questions. Clearly, the team is seeking to get bigger along the offensive line. But what does that mean for the scheme, andfor the Falcons’ offense as a whole?Under Shanahan and Sarkisian, it was pretty clear that Atlanta valued athleticism above all else from their offensive linemen. In 2015, that system worked well for running the ball but not much else. In 2016, with the addition of Alex Mack and Chris Chester playing well, we saw just how effective the system could be. However, under Sarkisian in 2017 and 2018, the Falcons offensive line was a constant issue. The running game rarely got going and the pass protection was lousy, to say the least.It’s hard to say if the size of the offensive line had anything to do with that. After all, we’ve seen virtually all approaches to offensive line building work at some point in the NFL. That is, unless you’re Tom Cable in Seattle. Regardless, the Falcons have decided to invest in larger offensive linemen in 2019. James Carpenter (6’5, 320) and Jamon Brown (6’6, 340) are clearly a significant change from 2018 starters Andy Levitre (6’2, 305) and Brandon Fusco (6’4, 306).This shift in philosophy extends to the players the Falcons are looking at in the draft, as well.It appears that Atlanta is focusing their scouting on OTs, with the possibility of also adding a developmental center later in the draft. Take a look at the top names the team has met with:OT Andre Dillard: 6’5 Stitched Justin Hardy Jersey , 315OT Cody Ford: 6’4, 329OT Tytus Howard: 6’5, 322OT Jawaan Taylor: 6’5, 312All are bigger than the typical OL whom the Falcons targeted from 2015-2018—albeit only by a few pounds in some cases—but all also possess the all-important characteristic that the team covets: plus athleticism. The same goes for Carpenter and Jamon Brown, who are bigger but also have the requisite mobility to succeed in the zone blocking scheme.So why do so many fans believe that Atlanta is moving away from the zone blocking scheme in 2019? Nothing the team has said would indicate such a change. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has run both zone and power schemes during his coaching career. Quinn additionally emphasized the athletic aspect of Brown and Carpenter’s game during an interview at the NFL league meetings, and also clarified that the Falcons’ would not be changing their blocking scheme outside of some “tweaks”.With bigger offensive linemen on the interior (and possibly at RT), Atlanta is likely to add more inside zone runs to their offense. But I believe the change in “prototypical” personnel has more to do with a change in philosophy for Dan Quinn than any sort of schematic shift. There was an interesting quote from Quinn at the 2019 NFL Combine which actually gives some context to these changes. The Falcoholic’s own Jeanna Thomas wrote about it earlier in the month, but here are the relevant bits as Quinn talks about evaluating college offensive linemen:Quinn seems to be remarking on one of the big challenges of scouting offensive linemen for the zone blocking scheme. It’s generally true that smaller OL will be more athletic, and therefore more successful in the mobility-focused zone blocking scheme. In college, that lack of ideal size isn’t as much of an issue—the players generally have good technique and understanding of leverage, allowing them to handle larger defenders without a problem. Plus, they’ll usually be more effective at blocking the lighter, more athletic defenders.However, in the NFL, the size mismatch can grow to pretty ridiculous levels. NFL players are, after all, some of the biggest and best athletes in the entire world. Using the zone blocking scheme, you can often mitigate some of these size disparities with technique and double teams. But there are still times where raw size can overwhelm linemen—particularly depth players who aren’t as sound with their technique. We saw it regularly with Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland in 2018, and in short-yardage situations in general.But finding larger offensive linemen with the requisite athleticism to thrive in the zone blocking scheme—I like to call them “scheme-diverse” or “dual-threat” OL—is pretty difficult Youth Justin Hardy Jersey , particularly if you’re not willing to spend premium picks or cap space. Under Quinn and Dimitroff, the Falcons have demonstrated that they’re totally unwilling to draft interior offensive linemen on the first two days of the draft—they haven’t done so since C Peter Konz in 2012 (second round), and the only other one taken by Dimitroff was G Mike Johnson in 2010 (third round).To Atlanta’s credit, they have been willing to invest significant draft capital and cap space into OTs and centers. Jake Matthews has been a phenomenal addition from the draft (and, coincidentally, the last OT taken prior Day 3 by the Falcons) and Alex Mack has arguably been the best free agent signing of Dimitroff’s tenure. Their “MO” has always been to invest at LT, C, and RT, and go cheap at guard. That worked fine when you were happy taking smaller, zone-scheme linemen—but it’s a lot more difficult when you’re chasing a prototype that every team in the NFL is interested in.With James Carpenter and Jamon Brown, the Falcons managed to find a way to make it work. Both are examples of “scheme-diverse” guards, but both were available on reasonable starter contracts. How did they manage that? By targeting players that were either coming off poor seasons (Carpenter) or developing players that were simply caught between teams (Brown). To be clear, neither are likely to be slam-dunk additions like Alex Mack or even Andy Levitre. Although they are bigger, I’m not sure we can expect a huge uptick in rushing production. What we should expect is for Carpenter and Brown to provide more stability in pass protection while also giving the Falcons a more reliable short-yardage rushing attack. If that doesn’t happen, I think the team will be fairly disappointed—as will we.The team is transitioning to a more “scheme-diverse” prototype on the offensive line, but don’t expect that to translate to significant schematic changes. I think Quinn was simply tired of seeing his interior offensive line trapped in size mismatches, and decided it was time to give his offense a little more “beef” up front.One thing is certain, however: Quinn and Dimitroff aren’t done remaking this offensive line. Whether the pick comes early or late, expect the Falcons to add an offensive tackle to either supplant or compete with Ty Sambrailo. We’ve heard the team say repeatedly that fixing the OL was a priority—now we have to wait and see how serious they were about it.What are your thoughts on the Falcons’ offensive line changes? Do you expect improvements to the pass protection and/or run blocking with James Carpenter and Jamon Brown in the fold? Do you think Atlanta will still add a right tackle in the 2019 NFL Draft? Drew Brees has been a highly efficient and durable quarterback since he first entered the league in 2001. He also happens to be pretty good! So good Stitched Matt Schaub Jersey , in fact, that he’s cementing his place among the game’s greatest and putting his name all over the record book in his 18th NFL season. And he somehow stays healthy. Not only is he one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but he’s only missed one game due to injury. That recipe for success means Brees already has some gaudy records attached to his Hall of Fame career. Not bad for a guy who turns 40 in January, and still hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Now in his 18th season and still functioning as an elite player, Brees could easily add a few more to his name before calling it quits ... whenever he decides to do that.What’s on the line this week?Brees joined the 500 club in Week 7 against the Ravens. He’s only the fourth player in NFL history to reach that milestone. Peyton Manning holds the record with 539. Brees has a chance to continue his pace as the single season leader for completion percentage. Right now, Brees has a completion percentage of 77 percent (!). There’s no fluff in that number either — Brees is currently averaging 8.9 yards per attempt.Speaking of the Ravens, they were the final NFL franchise that Brees did not have a win against in his career. He was 0-4 in his career against the Ravens until Week 7, when the Saints won 24-23. Now, Brees has a win over all 32 current teams. Brett Favre and Peyton Manning are the only other quarterbacks who have beaten every team.Brees becomes the NFL’s all-time leading passer Heading into a Week 5 game against Washington, Brees only needed to throw for 201 more yards to pass Peyton Manning as the all-time leading passer in NFL history. He hit that mark in the second quarter with a 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Tre’Quan Smith in their 43-19 blowout win.For the game, Brees threw for 363 yards, putting him at 72,103 yards for his career. Not bad!It’s been just three years since Manning broke Brett Favre’s career passing yards record. With quarterbacks throwing more than ever in today’s NFL, the record could keep falling — especially as the career longevity of quarterbacks is in increasing. Tom Brady, who holds a long list of his own records, is already in his 40s and Brees will turn 40 in January of next year.But no matter how long they stand, we can still appreciate the feats Brees has accomplished in his illustrious career. Even Manning, who congratulated Brees for becoming the new all-time passing leader, said Brees “deserves” to break his records.Here’s a look at the other records he owns and which he has a chance to break before he calls it a career. Let’s start with his most impressive ones:Brees’ three most impressive recordsCareer completion percentage (67.3 percent): No matter who he’s had at receiver Youth Matt Schaub Jersey , running back, and tight end, Brees finds a way to get the job done. Completion percentage isn’t the best stat to use when looking at quarterback skill (Chad Pennington is second on the list at 66 percent), but completing that many passes while inching toward the all-time attempts mark is nuts. Consecutive seasons with 4,500 passing yards (7, 2010-16): Even in today’s pass-heavy game, 4,500 yards is still a major benchmark. In 2017, there were two quarterbacks who hit the 4,500-yard benchmark. In 2016, there were three. Brees did it seven times in a row. God-tier status. Single-season passing yards per game (342.3 yards, 2011; tied with Peyton Manning in 2013): Brees’ 2011 season was one for the ages. He threw for an incredible 5,476 yards, which was the single-season record until Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards in 2013. In that season Brees completed 71.2 percent of his passes, threw 46 touchdowns, and had just 14 interceptions. That’s pretty good!Records that Brees has a chance to passCareer passing attempts: The leader for career passing attempts is Brett Favre with 10,169 attempts. Brees is in second place with a ways to go at 9,628 attempts Stitched Derrick Shelby Jersey , but there isn’t anyone who can currently challenge him. The only active player close to Brees is Brady, who has just over 9,100. Brees could get the record come 2019, provided he continues to stay healthy.Career passing touchdowns: Brees became just the fourth player in NFL history with 500 touchdown passes in his career. It happened in the second quarter of a Week 7 game against the Ravens. Tom Brady, who reached the mark earlier this season, is neck-and-neck with Brees for the passing touchdowns. Peyton Manning holds the record with 539 yards, but there’s a great chance that the record comes down during the 2019 season.Most starts in NFL history: At 258 starts during the regular season, Brees has a while longer to pass Favre’s mark of 298 games, which is entirely possible if his level of play doesn’t dip. Brady is right ahead of Brees, so it might come down to who plays the longest. Like Brady, Brees has said he could play until he’s 45.Other NFL records Brees holdsCareer completions (6,479)Most seasons leading the NFL in passing yards (7)Most career 400-yard passing games (16)Most career 300-yard passing games (114)Total completions in a season (471 in 2016)Single-season completion percentage (72 percent in 2017)Touchdown passes in a single game (tied for first with 7)Consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54)Consecutive games with 300 passing yards (9, twice)Most 5,000-yard passing seasons (5)Most seasons leading the league in passing (7)