The NFL Offense: What is it? Why does every team use it?

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by shotgun styles

I think the game would be better served if the rules were fair. The 1978 rules changes were the beginning of a trend that has ruined the authenticity of the game. Passers and receivers today have bloated statistics because no one is allowed to defend them properly. The evolutionary effect of this is a feminized QB position that is afraid of everything, with most of the toughness and athleticism bred out of it. This is how you end up with QBs like Brady and Manning being the statistical best in the league despite being sub-standard athletes who don't really belong on the same field as a Ray Lewis or a Troy Polamalu. Modern QBs are really golfers in pads and cleats. From a marketing standpoint the author of this article has it right: the NFL QB obsessed. They want marketable faces in that position, and Brady and Manning fit that bill. Playing QB in the NFL does not require much physical talent, but does require a finely honed set of teachable, learnable physical skills (primarily accuracy and anticipation). In short, it's a problem that only a few of us want fixed. Most people are perfectly happy with their manufactured superstars, even if it makes watching your defense painful. The rules are unfair and as a defensive guy I am constantly sickened not just by how much of a free pass the passing offenses get, but by the lies told about how great these players are. If they're so great, how about we make them play on a level field, then we'll see how "great" they really are.

The game was unfairly defensive prior to 1978. Scrubs like Deacon Jones, 14th round picks, were allowed to run full speed past offensive linemen who weren't allowed to properly block guys. I fear what would've happened to QBs if guys like LT were allowed to zoom top speed at QBs under pre-1978 rules. Joe Theissman's horrific career ending injury would be a normal occurrence.

By your line of reasoning, if every offensive player from 1979 on is talentless, how bad are losers like Larry Wilson, Joe Greene, and Gino Marchetti? Hell, how about that skinny nancy boy Jack Lambert? Mel Blount was basically allowed to tackle a guy all the way down the field. As unfair as the game is to defenders today, it was just as cruel to offenses back in the Dead Ball Era. The difference is that when Randy Moss just runs past people, no one gets hurt.

[deaduck]

I got no problem with the horse collar rule or any other rule designed to prevent somebody from getting twisted up and injured.

[SPTO]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

The game was unfairly defensive prior to 1978. Scrubs like Deacon Jones.

I was willing to read your post because while I don't necessarily agree that the game was unfairly defensive (there was good offensive balance) but when you call Deacon Jones a scrub well, I stopped reading.

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

I was willing to read your post because while I don't necessarily agree that the game was unfairly defensive (there was good offensive balance) but when you call Deacon Jones a scrub well, I stopped reading.

I was jokingly mocking his style. He honestly believes Peyton Manning and Tom Brady aren't great QBs. I honestly don't believe Deacon Jones is the best pass rusher ever, but he is by no means a scrub. He just isn't as good as Reggie White.

[SPTO]

Gotcha,

I will say that the league was very different before the rule changes. It was more of a smash mouth game and sometimes games can be very predictable or boring as most teams stuck to a very basic run game. That's not to say the league was completely inferior to today's product. It was just very different. It also wasn't akin to the "dead ball" era in baseball as some teams (most noticably the Cowboys, Raiders and Cardinals under Coryell) passed the ball fairly well.

As for Deacon Jones, I dunno, I never saw the man play so I can't say anything but I do think he was just as much of a dynamic force on the field as LT was in his prime. Deacon was definitely slower but that doesn't mean he wasn't in the same ballpark talent wise.

[shotgun styles]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

The game was unfairly defensive prior to 1978. Scrubs like Deacon Jones, 14th round picks, were allowed to run full speed past offensive linemen who weren't allowed to properly block guys. I fear what would've happened to QBs if guys like LT were allowed to zoom top speed at QBs under pre-1978 rules. Joe Theissman's horrific career ending injury would be a normal occurrence. By your line of reasoning, if every offensive player from 1979 on is talentless, how bad are losers like Larry Wilson, Joe Greene, and Gino Marchetti? Hell, how about that skinny nancy boy Jack Lambert? Mel Blount was basically allowed to tackle a guy all the way down the field. As unfair as the game is to defenders today, it was just as cruel to offenses back in the Dead Ball Era. The difference is that when Randy Moss just runs past people, no one gets hurt.

Quote: Originally Posted by deaduck

I got no problem with the horse collar rule or any other rule designed to prevent somebody from getting twisted up and injured.

The injury issue is a lie. The NFL perpetuates it to make excuses for itself. How do I know this? Be cause the most casualty causing safety issue in the NFL is KNEE INJURIES. If the NFL really gave a damn about safety, the WHY IS CUT BLOCKING STILL LEGAL? 375 pound offensive players are allowed to run full speed into a defenders KNEES and it's completely legal.

But tackling an offensive player from behind is a personal foul. Tackling a QB below the waist (as of this year) is illegal. Touching the QB's helmet, even accidentally, is a foul. MERE TOUCHING of a receiver after 5 yards is a foul. And my two favorites (the ones that display absolute cowardice) hitting the QB after he has "given up" is illegal, but intentionally grounding the ball out of bounds (or at a receiver's feet) is completely legal.

To recap:

Tackling an offensive player from behind = illegal.

Naked and outright cheating to avoid a hit = completely legal.

The NFL does not give a damn about injuries or safety. It cares about manufacturing matinee idol superstars like Manning and Brady to sell more tickets.

Have you listened to those old timers talk about today's QBs? They are disgusted. It ain't just me, it's damn near every defensive player who played before 1978 saying these things.

[Cebby]

Throwing the ball away isn't cheating to anyone who lives outside of your head.

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by shotgun styles

The injury issue is a lie. The NFL perpetuates it to make excuses for itself. How do I know this? Be cause the most casualty causing safety issue in the NFL is KNEE INJURIES. If the NFL really gave a damn about safety, the WHY IS CUT BLOCKING STILL LEGAL? 375 pound offensive players are allowed to run full speed into a defenders KNEES and it's completely legal. But tackling an offensive player from behind is a personal foul. Tackling a QB below the waist (as of this year) is illegal. Touching the QB's helmet, even accidentally, is a foul. MERE TOUCHING of a receiver after 5 yards is a foul. And my two favorites (the ones that display absolute cowardice) hitting the QB after he has "given up" is illegal, but intentionally grounding the ball out of bounds (or at a receiver's feet) is completely legal. To recap: Tackling an offensive player from behind = illegal. Naked and outright cheating to avoid a hit = completely legal. The NFL does not give a damn about injuries or safety. It cares about manufacturing matinee idol superstars like Manning and Brady to sell more tickets. Have you listened to those old timers talk about today's QBs? They are disgusted. It ain't just me, it's damn near every defensive player who played before 1978 saying these things.

Cut blocking should be illegal,but the argument against that is that defenders are better able to avoid the hit than the precious QBs.

Even if the NFL's intentions of making the game safer are complete lies (They probably are.), the alternative would be catastrophic. If not for the 78 rule changes, I guarentee Lawrence Taylor could've killed a man on the football field. The rule changes have biased the game towards the offense, but that's the worst thing they've done. If you think that having QBs that aren't elite athletetic specimens is worse than the tremendous risk of injury that today's athletes then you're crazy.