Quote:
Originally Posted by Verdict
We all know that the NFL is a copycat league and that right now it is a pass first league. The rules favor the passing game and receivers are given every break when it comes pass defense. I totally get that.
With that having been said, I think the pendulum has swung way too far and most defenses have been constructed to defend the pass. Corners are generally very slightly built guys that can cover the pass well, and are marginal at playing the run and tackle only because they have to. Think Deion Sanders.
I wonder what would happen if you constructed a run first team, and assemble multiple quaterbacks (keep 4 qbs on the active game day roster) and put together a who's who of running QB's ala Mike Vick, Vince Young, Tim Tebow, etc. Those QB's come dirt cheap in this day in time. Make sure all of the running backs are former QB's in college who can also throw the ball.
[View Full Quote]Since your QB's and RB's are CHEAP them getting hurt isn't the end of the world. You just plug the next guy in. It becomes a system. If every RB can throw the ball, then the rb pass becomes very deadly because you might throw a rb pass every 4th or 5th time the guy touches the ball. Speed becomes the most important skill for the QB. Because the RB's are pounding it on the edges, CB's take a beating against that sort of team.
On the offensive line, it would also be much easier to acquire talent because you are assembling maulers whose pass blocking becomes secondary. It would also be much cheaper to acquire a left tackle because you aren't paying him to defend the blind side as much because passing attempts out of the pocket would be limited. Passing is on the move a majority of the time.
Corners would have a tough decision to make because they would need to help in run support, but they can't help in run support if the RB is throwing the ball every 5th touch. Think how successful LaDainian Tomlinson was in his prime.
The offensive side of the ball would be acquired with cheaper players which would help the defense be able to load up on that side of the ball, in both cap dollars and also using premium draft picks.
I am not looking forward to the change back to a 4-3 defense, but I will admit that the fact that so many teams are now in a 3-4 negated one of its advantages in that now more teams are competing for players with the same skill set. Initially you might get the best running QB in the college ranks as an udfa in most years. Think about that for a minute. Because no one else wants those players, a team could load up on that kind of talent. Keep the cap low, and acquire a boatload of those players for low picks.
I think you are already seeing a bit of this with RGIII and Kapernick ..... but RGIII cost a boatload of picks to get him. What if you were able to get an RGIII as an udfa.....(minus his arm) You wouldn't really care if he got hurt ... you would just plug in the next guy in line. |
It all boils down to the time required to score vs the time required to score by the opponent.
This was the problem with the Wishbone and those types of offenses.
You could win games with this approach; however, if the offense had turnovers or the defense couldn't consistently force the other team to dink and dunk their way to a score, then you couldn't keep up on the scoreboard.
I do think that you could implement some of your ideas while taking a less radical approach. Make RBs with QB skills an integral part of offenses instead of using it as an occasional gimmick.
The thing that you can't get away from is quick/athletic OLinemen. The same types that are good pass-blockers are also required for outside running teams.