The era of the long ball

Long passes used to be synonymous with low % passes. The first obvious reason is that it is a harder throw. It also takes longer to develop, which leads to more exposure to being sacked. Another reason they were low % is that they were not practiced as much as other throws. Timing is very important on these passes, but practice time was spent on throws they were going to be making in the game. So, it was a lesser used option. Especially against zone defenses who had the luxury of having their eyes on the QB and the ball in flight.
In an unrelated development a few year back. Offenses started using numbers to pound the ball. Either by spreading, shifting, formation, etc. The pounding was a cumulative affect to wear down D lines and linebackers. Passing was almost used to keep defenses honest. The deep ball was more of a “ if you don’t cover this, we are gonna throw it”. Aggressive defensive schemes were developed to attack and stuff the ground pound game and the quick passes that were the counter plays. These complex defenses required a lot of man coverage. In many cases, tight man coverage.
Offenses learned, that by moving players around, you could have your best receivers in slot spots covered by a SS or LB. They also learned that they could manipulate aggressive Safeties with PA and flood type routes/ over-under. This in turn put the coverage on an island with minimal cushion.
So, they started taking shots over the top. These shots used to be low percentage because the coverage almost had an advantage because they were watching the QB. Now, in a lot of cases they are not. They are running in stride with the WR who actually has an advantage in seeing the ball and knowing where he is going. Add that these throws are being made more and practiced more and all of a sudden, they are not as low percentage as they used to be. They are a true offensive tool that can break an opposing defense.
Now that offensive lines can hold and 1/3 of the defensive plays in man on deep balls are PI, offenses are learning to use it effectively. No longer are they low percentage.

Your move DC’s.