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Yeah, I mean, if you read the Twitter thread I don’t think the author disagrees with you.
Passes are worth more YPA than rushes. Interceptions and fumbles are equally likely. In a vacuum, passing makes more sense. But, we don’t live in a vacuum, and there are absolutely situations when running or a drop off to a RB makes more sense.
EX: Tom Brady is the best short yardage passer in NFL history. For him, having good pass catching RBs is absolutely crucial.
I just think this guy was referring, specifically, to the Cowboys. And I thought it was interesting data.
I’m excited about the Browns because Chubb was averaging ~5 yards per attempt and faces more full boxes than the grand majority of teams in the league. Given our offense now, though, my guess is that number decreases significantly. Chubb is one of a very small number of guys where running up the middle is a smart play.
I also think that, as defenses get faster and smaller, big power guys like Chubb, Zeke, Gurley, etc. will be increasingly valuable.
Good post, you covered a lot of what I wanted to say on the subject. I think the main difference between how successful quarterbacks use passes to running backs and middling quarterbacks use them is intention. You cited Brady as one of the best short pass throwers, but so much of that is by design - the running back is really the only designed receiver in most of those plays. Brees uses his running backs the same way - it's essentially a sweep. The key is that quick wheel route passes like those stretch a defense horizontally along the line of scrimmage. The best quarterbacks are manipulating the defense horizontally to attack them later in another area of the defense.
Think back to how Tyrod used short passes under Haley to how Baker used short passes under Kitchens. One guy dumped the ball off to escape pressure when nothing else was open. The other guy moved the chains with short passes in order to set up an "out pitch" down the field.