protection threw off the tiing last year, and I do think the QB's (both TH and TM) failed to pull the trigger when they needed to, even if it meant an incompletion. Almost all receivers get moments of separation, and I saw that a ton last year. It was just that the period of separation was usually when the QB was dodging a sack, and then trying to regroup and find someone.
Also, the receivers didn't come back to the ball near as much as they needed to. I hope that Ty and Cahoon emphasize that more this year. It neutralizes over-zealous DB's to some extent.