ESPN article on how to improve defensive play in NFL

[pnthrs]

36 minutes ago, Lumps said:

What's more exciting to the casual fan (majority of fans) than a touchdown?

Nothing.

Pat attention to how loud stadiums get when there's a touchdown vs. a pick 6 or safety. Even when the game is on the line. They're louder and more exicted, these are everyday casual fans who go to games out of boredom.

Thus the NFL has adapted and changed the rules to support the offense doing as such.

100% accurate.  The NFL is about ratings and revenue.  That means targeting the largest group of people possible: casual fans.  The NFL already has the hard core base (though it may be diminishing) so they have turned to more dazzle dazzle product to influx casuals.  A great football game is a 14-10 defensive slugfest but unfortunately it doesn't draw ratings or fans.  The NFL has systematically changed its rules to help the offensive nature of football to maximize scoring. 

 

However really good defense is still very important as witnessed last night.  If offense is the most important thing than Aaron Rogers should have 6 Super Bowls.  Teams need to adapt to the new NFL and unfortunately old school fans do also.  

[SCO96]

3 minutes ago, Panthercougar68 said:

What bothered me was they turned up the holding calls by DB's after Manning and the Broncos got slapped around by the Seahawks. 

They also turned up holding calls after Manning and the Colts got slapped around by the Patriots during the 2003 AFC title game. This was on Wikepedia:

Colts players would later publicly complain that the game officials did not properly call illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding penalties on the Patriots' defensive backs. This, and similar complaints made by other NFL teams, would prompt the NFL during the 2004 off season to instruct all of the league's officials to strictly enforce these types of fouls.

I actually remember this game. Ty Law picked Manning off 3 times. 

If something negatively affects/affected Brady, Manning, and now Rodgers...expect a rule change to favor the QB's.

Pass Defense was more heavily scrutinized when Manning's teams can't score. 

They also changed the overtime rule because the Colts lost a playoff game to the Chargers in OT after they lost the coin toss. Peter King said it was shame that the MVP wasn't allowed to get the ball at all after time expired in regulation. Shortly afterwards the OT rules were changed.

Brady gets hit low, and below the knee shots on QB's are banned...but in all honesty I can see the logic in this one.

Rodgers get slammed to the turf and now sacks are monitored to see if too much weight falls on them. Back in the day, I remember Tony Siragusa falling all over Rich Gannon in a playoff game and he had to leave the field. But, he wasn't a glamour person at the time and no rule change occurred.

[Green_Tea]

I agree. I've always thought #1 was stupid. Giving the offense an automatic 1st down for illegal contact no matter the down-and-distance is dumb. 

[mc52beast]

Brains behind the NFL don’t want defense, they want teams going up and down the field putting up 30+ points. Definitely wouldn’t want to be a defensive player now.

[PantherBrew]

Do you want to know what the NFL reminds me of right now?  Soccer.  Well not just soccer generally, but the penalty kicks.  

 

Instead of being excited for touchdowns, it feels more like that's the expectation.  And if you dont score a touchdown if feels like a possession with a missed opportunity, like a big X for that possession. 

 

I love the tension, where every big play matters.  A forty yard gain, could make the difference in the outcome.  I am not talking about 9-6 football games.  But like 24-17, 17-16.  The tension when your team is on defense about how at anymore the game can completely change because of one big play.  Thats gone now, now when they score, its like welp we better go score now too. 

 

I know we sounds like old fugs, but thats why Soccer is so popular around the world. the tension of a 0-0 match cannot be topped.  NBA is going to find similar problems down the road.  

[ChibCU]

I personally have become bored of offenses running rampant and disregarding defenses.

[SCO96]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/14/defensive-schemes-rpos-mike-pettine-packers-naia-grand-view

It looks like ESPN isn't the only website discussing the difficulties of playing defense in the NFL these days. The above link takes you to an interesting article entitled:

The Search to Save NFL Defenses

"Even in the pros, rattled defensive coordinators and position coaches know they’re falling behind. Johansen used to share notes with at least one nearby NFL coaching staff, the kind of exchange that’s become common as new-age offenses trickle up from the lower levels. The hope among defenses is that the counter-revolution will emerge from similar obscurity".

------

It's long so I won't post anymore. There is a portion that mentions Mike Pettine's attempts to adapt the GB defense to the new reality of high powered offenses in today's game. It's an interesting read.

[run-run-pass-punt]

All I'll say is that the NFL's vision of fun sport is not my vision. It may or may not appeal to the mainstream, but it's rapidly losing appeal to me.

[FugAllY'all]

4 would basically end the Saints and Patriots, that's their entire offense. 3 would kill the Chiefs and Rams. I like these ideas, lets do it.

[SCO96]

2 hours ago, PantherBrew said:

 

I love the tension, where every big play matters.  A forty yard gain, could make the difference in the outcome.  I am not talking about 9-6 football games.  But like 24-17, 17-16.  The tension when your team is on defense about how at anymore the game can completely change because of one big play.  Thats gone now, now when they score, its like welp we better go score now too. 

 

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Two of the more thrilling games NFC title games I've seen both involved a team I usually have little interest in...the 49ers.

Back in 1990, the Giants and 49ers played a title game at Candlestick and the final score was 15-13. The game was tied 6-6 at the half. The  only TD of the game occurred in the 3rd quarter (a Montana pass to John Taylor). The Giants had to kick 5 FG's (the last as time expired) to win the game. Every point was highly contested. You wouldn't think so just looking at the score, but that game was absolutely riveting.

The 2013 title game between San Francisco and Seattle was also memorable. The final score was 23-17. The 49ers had a chance to pull it out with 30 seconds to go, but Kaepernick's pass to Michael Crabtree was broken up by Richard Sherman and tipped to Malcom Smith to seal the win. Today we usually see scores like that at halftime. But, once again the stout defenses for both teams showed and each team struggled to score.

Unless the tide changes, those types of games will soon be relics of the past...and that's unfortunate. 

[t96]

3 hours ago, pnthrs said:

100% accurate.  The NFL is about ratings and revenue.  That means targeting the largest group of people possible: casual fans.  The NFL already has the hard core base (though it may be diminishing) so they have turned to more dazzle dazzle product to influx casuals.  A great football game is a 14-10 defensive slugfest but unfortunately it doesn't draw ratings or fans.  The NFL has systematically changed its rules to help the offensive nature of football to maximize scoring. 

 

However really good defense is still very important as witnessed last night.  If offense is the most important thing than Aaron Rogers should have 6 Super Bowls.  Teams need to adapt to the new NFL and unfortunately old school fans do also.  

Yep and every single sports league is moving towards this now. Look at NBA scores this year (haven't watched the games but check scores)... Seems like every game is 130-120. NHL games seem to be averaging like 8-10 goals a game, should be 6 or less. Can't say for sure on baseball since I don't watch it or follow it during the regular season.

[Byrdman4real]

4 hours ago, RumHam said:

Number 4 gets called very selectively, and when it is, that game is overly rigged. Pretty sure it happened to us and happened to Pats.

Seen it on most of the Steelers plays

[arbnranger]

I guess I’m not seeing where the negativity towards scoring is coming from.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved a bad ass, hard hitting defense that says “Let’s Hunt” (Ray Lewis) 

Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater and John Lynch were heroes when I was a kid.

Hard hits and a great defense is exciting but let’s not lie to ourselves and pretend  that a high powered offense isn’t as well. 

You can be a “hardcore fan” and like scoring as much as you like defense. 

Times change and right now the rules are obviously skewed to give the offense the advantage. 

 

[Joe the Show]

34 minutes ago, arbnranger said:

I guess I’m not seeing where the negativity towards scoring is coming from.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved a bad ass, hard hitting defense that says “Let’s Hunt” (Ray Lewis) 

Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater and John Lynch were heroes when I was a kid.

Hard hits and a great defense is exciting but let’s not lie to ourselves and pretend  that a high powered offense isn’t as well. 

You can be a “hardcore fan” and like scoring as much as you like defense. 

Times change and right now the rules are obviously skewed to give the offense the advantage. 

 

In some way this reminds me of how baseball let the steroids get out of hand.  The year of the home run race between mcguire and sosa was epic.  Fans dig the long ball, but baseball purists wanted things to return to the old days of pitchers duels.  Personally, I like a good mix.