Mike Tanier

New Jersey

NFL Writer and Analyst at Freelance

NFL Writer/editor/founder of Too Deep Zone. Formerly Football Outsiders, the New York Times, The Messenger, Bleacher Report and other ancient empires.

Articles

Dawn of the Buccaneers Punters!

1 week ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

[Opens Stathead. Filters for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2024. Play type: Punt. Yes, punt.][Loads NFL Pro. Enters password. Enters it again. Refreshes. Enters it again. Player name? Jake Camarda. Fourth downs only, please: no one needs to see his kickoffs.]Ah yes, a deep dive into Buccaneers punters. This is a totally normal activity for a Wednesday morning in May. Now let’s just see how bad this Camarda lad really was …Dear lord. This is a special teams snuff film.
The Greatest Eagles Quarterback Ever

1 week ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Jalen Hurts is the greatest quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history. Hurts ranked fourth when I published the All-Time Top Five Eagles QBs last summer. He was coming off a 2023 season during which the Eagles suffered an epic collapse. “Hurts can climb this list with another good-not-great season or two, because that’s the nature of this list,” I wrote. “He could vault to #1 with a return to the Super Bowl.
Why the Brock Purdy Contract Stinks

2 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Quarterback contracts used to be gross, gnarly and cool. Quarterback contracts used to be excessive and overindulgent, like those five-pound bacon donut burgers that are free if you are willing to cut a decade off your life by eating one in under 30 minutes. Negotiations were often as protracted and contentious as peace treaties; either that, or as rushed and ill-conceived as a drug deal behind the liquor store. The fine print was sometimes as nefarious as a terms-of-service agreement.
Seahawks All-Time Top 5 QBs: We Want the Ball

2 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Welcome to the final installment of the All-Time Top 5 QB series! Although there will be an epilogue. So, welcome to the penultimate installment of the All-Time Top 5 QB series!Here is a list of the 2012 Senior Bowl quarterbacks:Kirk Cousins, Michigan StateNick Foles, ArizonaRyan Lindley, San Diego StateKellen Moore, Boise StateBrandon Weeden, Oklahoma StateRussell Wilson, WisconsinQuite a group, right?
Mailbag Part 2: Projecting Things is Hard

3 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

This edition of Mailbag starts with deep questions about roster construction and ends with me babbling about my favorite foods and stuff. For those wondering what’s next at the Too Deep Zone: the All-Time Top 5 QBs series CONCLUDES next week with the Seahawks! There will then be a coda feature looking back on all the friends we made along the All-Time Top 5 QB way. Settle this Mike: do successful clubs draft for talent or need? – Jack M.
Mailbag Part 1: George Pickens and the Usual Suspects

3 weeks ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Part 1 of May’s Mailbag will cover player and team-specific questions. Broad-based and non-NFL questions will be covered in Part 2. What motivational quote would you write on the wall of the Browns' QB room? – Sam“Winning isn’t everything. Pass the beer nuts.”With the whole ridiculous Sanders draft stuff behind us (pending the stupid lawsuit), how much do you foresee Deion being involved in the Browns organization? How much of his possible meddling is real?
49ers All-Time Top 5 QBs Part II: Pretty, Pretty, Purdy Good.

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Steve Young and Joe Montana took center stage in Part I. Now it’s time for all the guys who couldn’t win the big game despite superstar supporting casts or whose merits are defined in comparison to their immediate predecessors. It turns out 49ers quarterbacks have been dealing with such narratives since not long after the end of World War II.
49ers All-Time Top 5 QBs Part 1: YoungTana

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

To paraphrase Douglas Adams: 49ers quarterback history is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's hard to properly rank Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, but that's just peanuts compared to 49ers quarterback history. Joe Montana, Steve Young, Bill Walsh and their interrelationships are the subjects of an intimidating array of histories and memoirs. There’s Best of Rivals by Adam Lazarus.
AFC Draft Performance Assessments 2025

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

Welcome to the 2025 AFC Draft Performance Assessments. Are you looking for the NFC DPAs? You will find them here. Are you wondering what DPAs are? They’re GRADES, okay? I spent 20 years in public education hearing buzzwords for “grades,” then the last 20 years on the NFL Internet being told how stupid draft grades were (by the folks reading and reacting to them). So I came up with this bit a few years ago. Now I am stuck with it. And finally coming clean does not feel liberating in any way.
NFC Draft Performance Assessments 2025

1 month ago | miketanier.substack.com | Mike Tanier

These are not draft grades. They are Draft Performance Assessments (DPAs). They are like draft grades, but 3000% better because they accurately reflect how subjective and superficial this whole process is they have a fancy name and a scientific veneer. And sub-categories; most readers actually find those helpful. The AFC DPAs are still baking and will be published bright and early on Tuesday morning.