Some numbers related to Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, receiver Desean Jackson and the deep ball, explain why Jackson's addition might be a good one for the team.
In Griffin's rookie year, his total QBR on passes thrown 20 yards down field or longer was 99.9 out of 100. He completed 47.1 percent of those passes and threw a touchdown 20.6 percent of the time with no interceptions. He ranked in the top two in the league in each category.
Last season Griffin's total QBR dropped to 33.4 on deep balls. He completed 25.6 percent of those passes, threw touchdowns 9.3 percent of the time and threw interceptions 7 percent of the time.
They needed help and brought in a fast receiver especially proficient with deep balls. Jackson caught 19 touchdowns on such passes, had 57 total catches on 145 targets. His yards per catch on passes that went at least 20 yards down field was 42.2.
That can be dangerous for the Houston Texans, and they're on alert.
"Those guys have some big-play ability. I think that’s what they pride themselves on," cornerback Kareem Jackson said.
"Deep balls, you’ve got to stay on top of deep balls," safety D.J. Swearinger said.
Last season is last season (like Texans coach Bill O'Brien likes to remind us frequently), but the Texans were about middle of the road against passes that traveled at least 20 yards in the air. They allowed opposing quarterbacks a 90.7 QBR on such passes, which ranked 18th in the league. They also allowed a 45.5 percent third down conversion rate when opponents attempted deep balls, which isn't great.
"He's done a good job of running by a few people and making the big play when the ball is thrown, but that's our job as corners, to eliminate the big play," cornerback Elbert Mack said of Jackson. "It reverts back to executing your technique and trusting your fundamentals."
