The new NFL and what works

[superonyx]

It has taken me some time to admit this. I am like many fans and like stats. I like QB ratings, I like 1000 yard rushers, I like offense.
The ONLY thing that matters in the NFL these days is 2 simple things.

1. Dont turn the ball over.
2. Pressure the other teams QB enough that they turn the ball over.

Thats it folks. Its as simple as that.

Lets look at a few teams that show this.

1. Ravens- obvious they lead the league in takaways. They have a Qb that does not turn the ball over. They put tons of pressure on the other teams.

2. Steelers- They have a pressure defense that generates turnovers and pressure. Their offense isnt very good at all. But it doenst matter because they dont turn it over.

3. Eagles- They play a Jim Johnson blitz happy defense that generates game changing turnovers. Mcnabb manages the game enough to not turn it over.

4. Cards- The forced Jake Delhomme into throwing like 5 Ints. They somehow turned the pressure up in the last few games. They got after Romo big time when they beat us. And Warner had all day to throw the ball so they beat the Panthers.

5. Dolphins- They had the fewest turnovers in the league this year. I think it was only 12 total. They play pressure defense.

6. Giants- when they went 11-1 and when they won the SB last year think about how they played. On defense they got after everyone. Spagnola make a pash rush at all times. And offensively Eli manning just did enough. He handed the ball off and threw only when needing to.


Now i know its not sexy. Its not even exciting but it has become the recipe for success in the NFL. Its not about big name WR's and their stats. Its not about Fancy QB's and their 100 ratings. Its not about RB's that run for 1000 yards.

Its about getting after people on defense and not making mistakes on offense.

Now how far are we away from this style?

Do we have the personalities on offense to play this style?

Do we have the coaches that have enough confidence in our Secondary to unleash manufactured pressure on QB's?

 

[Sarge]

It has taken me some time to admit this. I am like many fans and like stats. I like QB ratings, I like 1000 yard rushers, I like offense.
The ONLY thing that matters in the NFL these days is 2 simple things.

1. Dont turn the ball over.
2. Pressure the other teams QB enough that they turn the ball over.

Thats it folks. Its as simple as that.

Nothing new there - that's the way it's always been for the most part.

 

[superonyx]

Nothing new there - that's the way it's always been for the most part.

It has never been more important than it is now.
Look back at how the 80 with the Niners west coast offense
the 90's with our Tripletts, Elways broncos, Bills offense.
The colts with their high powered offense, The Rams SB teams with their "greatest show on turf". ect....


Maybe its just that now the offenses all seem so insignificant. The game is ALL about pressure and defense. The offenses are just asked to not screw up.
I dont see how we can play that way when we need to keep all the stars on offense happy.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Or is that the blueprint for just beating Dallas?

It's sad but that's all you have to do against us these days.

 

[Doomsday101]

The new NFL? Maybe new fans but this is not much of a secret. Cowboys of the 90's did the same thing with a dominate running game and a very good defense add that to a highly accurate QB and a playmaking WR it was no big surprise to see the Cowboys at that time have the success they had

 

[CATCH17]

Turnovers lose games.

Everyone who knows anything about football, outside of the Dallas Cowboys, knows that.

 

[superonyx]

The new NFL? Maybe new fans but this is not much of a secret. Cowboys of the 90's did the same thing with a dominate running game and a very good defense add that to a highly accurate QB and a playmaking WR it was no big surprise to see the Cowboys at that time have the success they had

I guess you cannot see the changed to the game and what is working now vs in the past. Sure having a balanced team where every aspect of the game was played great would be the best way to win....

However, look at the teams that are the most successful right now.
Where is the offense?
Since this has not changed at all in your eyes then please enlighten me to the year when this many teams with over aggressive defenses where dominating the league... Sure we all can find a year where 1 teams defense carried them to the superbowl. But find me a year where almost every team that mattered was led by not just a nasty aggressive defense but a boring offense.

The balance of the league is now all about defense. I am impressed by the defenses ability to carry so many teams with bad offenses.

But i guess in your eyes this is how its always been. The cowboys of the 90's must have been carried by our defense according to you. The niners were also carried by that "west coast defense".

 

[superonyx]

Turnovers lose games.

Everyone who knows anything about football, outside of the Dallas Cowboys, knows that.

You are correct they do lose games. But the difference now isnt about a team having a bad game and turning the ball over. It is now about getting after the offense and forcing the turnovers. This league has become about 13-10 games where the winner is decided by who tried to pass the least and who turned it over the least.

 

[Doomsday101]

I guess you cannot see the changed to the game and what is working now vs in the past. Sure having a balanced team where every aspect of the game was played great would be the best way to win....

However, look at the teams that are the most successful right now.
Where is the offense?
Since this has not changed at all in your eyes then please enlighten me to the year when this many teams with over aggressive defenses where dominating the league... Sure we all can find a year where 1 teams defense carried them to the superbowl. But find me a year where almost every team that mattered was led by not just a nasty aggressive defense but a boring offense.

The balance of the league is now all about defense. I am impressed by the defenses ability to carry so many teams with bad offenses.

But i guess in your eyes this is how its always been. The cowboys of the 90's must have been carried by our defense according to you. The niners were also carried by that "west coast defense".

I have been watching the game for over 40 years it has not changed much and the keys to success are pretty much as they always have been. I know many who like to think the NFL is some how new it is not it does tend to run in a cycle but what I see today is not much different. Hell Paul Brown is the man who invented the so called WCO so that was not new and many of the passes in that offense are looked at as part of the running game in the eyes of the OC

 

[jterrell]

This works until it doesn't....

The Pats seemed to win a lot of games last year with offensive firepower.

This works if that is what you have to work with.
It worked for the Giants when they had Plaxico to pass to, not so much when they didn't.

Turnovers have always been huge and will always be. Losing the turnover margin by 2 or more is pretty much giving the game away. So get runners who don't fumble and coach QBs not to toss picks.

End of the day every team wants to have 0 turnovers but they also want to make plays. The Ravens, Steelers and Eagles amongst others put a premium on acquiring defenders who create turnovers. We actually seem to as well under Wade and it will be interesting to see who Wade tabs as the Strong Safety starter next year.

 

[zeromaster]

I guess you cannot see the changed to the game and what is working now vs in the past. Sure having a balanced team where every aspect of the game was played great would be the best way to win....

However, look at the teams that are the most successful right now.
Where is the offense?
Since this has not changed at all in your eyes then please enlighten me to the year when this many teams with over aggressive defenses where dominating the league... Sure we all can find a year where 1 teams defense carried them to the superbowl. But find me a year where almost every team that mattered was led by not just a nasty aggressive defense but a boring offense.

The balance of the league is now all about defense. I am impressed by the defenses ability to carry so many teams with bad offenses.

But i guess in your eyes this is how its always been. The cowboys of the 90's must have been carried by our defense according to you. The niners were also carried by that "west coast defense".

The only problem with this logic is that two of the remaining teams that pressure the QB and don't have much on offense are still not going to make it to the Super Bowl. Their fans will be only be happy afterwards about the progress this season, but upset they didn't get to the big dance. Somewhere along the line, the offense still has to make the defense pay. That hasn't changed either.

 

[NextGenBoys]

It has taken me some time to admit this. I am like many fans and like stats. I like QB ratings, I like 1000 yard rushers, I like offense.
The ONLY thing that matters in the NFL these days is 2 simple things.

1. Dont turn the ball over.
2. Pressure the other teams QB enough that they turn the ball over.

Thats it folks. Its as simple as that.

Lets look at a few teams that show this.

1. Ravens- obvious they lead the league in takaways. They have a Qb that does not turn the ball over. They put tons of pressure on the other teams.

2. Steelers- They have a pressure defense that generates turnovers and pressure. Their offense isnt very good at all. But it doenst matter because they dont turn it over.

3. Eagles- They play a Jim Johnson blitz happy defense that generates game changing turnovers. Mcnabb manages the game enough to not turn it over.

4. Cards- The forced Jake Delhomme into throwing like 5 Ints. They somehow turned the pressure up in the last few games. They got after Romo big time when they beat us. And Warner had all day to throw the ball so they beat the Panthers.

5. Dolphins- They had the fewest turnovers in the league this year. I think it was only 12 total. They play pressure defense.

6. Giants- when they went 11-1 and when they won the SB last year think about how they played. On defense they got after everyone. Spagnola make a pash rush at all times. And offensively Eli manning just did enough. He handed the ball off and threw only when needing to.


Now i know its not sexy. Its not even exciting but it has become the recipe for success in the NFL. Its not about big name WR's and their stats. Its not about Fancy QB's and their 100 ratings. Its not about RB's that run for 1000 yards.

Its about getting after people on defense and not making mistakes on offense.

Now how far are we away from this style?

Do we have the personalities on offense to play this style?

Do we have the coaches that have enough confidence in our Secondary to unleash manufactured pressure on QB's?

Those are two main ingrediants to getting a ring. But they are hardly all you need. If it was, the late 80's and early 90's Eagles would have won a ring.

It's a team game. You need offense, defense, and special teams to get a ring.