RF34
nudes in bio
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2009
- Messages
- 22,298
- Reaction score
- 36,906
Anthony Richardson’s revival, Brock Bowers’ brilliance, more Week 11 thoughts: Quick Outs
By Derrik Klassen
1h ago
This week’s Quick Outs is more of a grab bag than usual.
At the top, Anthony Richardson’s first step towards redemption earns him the quarterback-charting spotlight. We also dig into a historically bad loss for a historically bad franchise, a failed two-point play that was actually a good play call and how the Offensive Rookie of the Year is hiding on one of the worst teams in the league.
A bizarre set of topics for such a landscape-shifting week in the league, I know, but you’ll have to bear with me. It’ll be worth it.
Scramble Drill: Brock Bowers is actually the rookie of the year
We don’t have to give the Rookie of the Year award to a quarterback — it’s not a “value” award like MVP. It simply should go to the best player relative to their peers at whatever position they play.Through that lens, there is no one more deserving than Bowers.
The statistical case for Bowers is easy. Through 10 games, he already has 70 receptions, second most in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase (who would have serious Offensive Player of the Year buzz himself if the Bengals were a .500 team). Bowers is also ninth in receiving yards, one spot behind Falcons star receiver Drake London. Every other player ahead of Bowers is a wide receiver, not a tight end.
And Bowers’ receiving volume is in historic territory. The only other player in league history with more receptions through their first 10 career games is Odell Beckham Jr. (71 in 2024), per Pro Football Reference. Beckham, of course, won Offensive Rookie of the Year at the end of that special season.
It’s not just volume, either. Bowers is an efficient player, despite playing on an aimless team with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and, occasionally, Desmond Ridder throwing him passes.
Bowers ranks ninth in the league in target success rate (60.7 percent) among players with at least 40 receptions, according to TruMedia. He is directly behind Chase on that list, and the only tight ends ahead of him are Trey McBride, George Kittle, and Travis Kelce. When you consider the gap in quarterback play and team rushing success, not to mention the higher volume Bowers has seen than those three other tight ends, it’s a huge feat he’s even close in terms of efficiency.
Numbers aside, just watch Bowers play. Pick one Sunday afternoon to observe how the Raiders funnel their entire offense through their rookie tight end. They call screens and scheme up shot plays in a way you just don’t ever see for first-year players at that position. That’s been especially true after the Raiders traded Davante Adams to New York.
Bowers is already one of the best players at his position, three months into his NFL career. No rookie caveats or anything like that — he is straight up one of the best tight ends in the NFL, right this second. That’s deserving of some hardware, if you ask me.
