State of the NFL

[run-run-pass-punt]

I'll preface this by saying that I'm obviously a fan of the NFL, or I wouldn't be here. With that out of the way...

I'm sadly losing some of my interest in this sport due to the trends within the game itself. As an example, last night saw Dallas throw the ball 58 times while running only 18 times. Tampa passed 50 times while amassing 14 rushing attempts. I know most people love points and the passing game, and I do as well...to an extent. But I love balance far more. I know there will be outliers - defensive battles (or simply inept offenses), but the overall balance of the game itself has just tilted so far in one direction that I find myself experiencing the NFL as, gasp, boring much of the time. Surely change is a constant, but I really miss the days of football gone by. I'm sure I'm just an old man yelling at a cloud, but I can't be the only one here who is disenchanted with the current state of the game.

How do you fellow huddlers feel about the general state of affairs within the game of professional football?

[jbland]

I’ve been losing interest for the past several years. Mostly due to the panthers sucking ass. My interest is commensurate with the level of panthers play. 

[CarolinaLivin]

It was just their strategy for this game. Buccs have good,  strong run stoppers. They decided to try and pick apart the DBs on the outside. Smart move that almost won them the game. 

I can't speak on trends though. Just what I saw last night.

[TheCasillas]

Not gonna judge the NFL based off of a single game. The game has changed but not all offenses are built like the two we saw last night. 

[LinvilleGorge]

The casual fan wants to watch high flying, high scoring games. The NFL isn't dumb. They do market research. They know this. They see which games draw the biggest ratings and generate the most buzz.

As long as the casual fan wants high flying, high scoring games the NFL will continue to tweak the rules to encourage that style of football. It is what it is. 

[t96]

Yeah the NFL has gotten drastically worse for me over the last decade or so, especially the last 5 years. Defense isn't allowed any more and it's just the same boring passing plays over and over again. It's getting closer and closer to arena league or flag football crap. I still plan to follow the Panthers but I haven't been watching many primetime games or other games on Sundays much in the last few years, whereas a decade ago I'd watch all the primetime games and a couple games on Sundays. Can't control what the people want though, I understand the NFL's just trending this way because of what the public wants and how it'll impact their bottom line.

 

NBA seems to be going the opposite direction, the last couple years have been much much better than in years past, and I'm glad the Hornets seem to be moving forward. So getting more into basketball. And the Canes of course are the class of all of Carolina's pro sports teams, and while the NHL certainly has their issues too it's not as bad as the NFL, not even close.

[Tbe]

Watching RBs run into a brick wall to pick up 1-2 yards isn’t fun.

[run-run-pass-punt]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

The casual fan wants to watch high flying, high scoring games. The NFL isn't dumb. They do market research. They know this. They see which games draw the biggest ratings and generate the most buzz.

As long as the casual fan wants high flying, high scoring games the NFL will continue to tweak the rules to encourage that style of football. It is what it is. 

Oh I know why things are the way they are. I just don't like it.

Not that I can do anything about it, lol.

[SCO96]

I turned 50 this week. Today's NFL is different game from the one I grew up watching. There were high powered offenses back in the day that favored the pass (Air Coryell Chargers, Walsh's 49ers, etc). But even then, you didn't see Dan Fouts or Joe Montana throwing the ball 50 times a game. Those teams had guys that were still getting close to (or eclipsing) 1,000 yards on the ground. Dallas had 60 yds on the ground last night and Tampa only had 52.

The defenses seem worse too.  Whenever a QB gets the ball in the last 2:00 and only needs a FG or TD to win, I almost always put my bet on the defense to come up short. I think it's easier to pass than it's ever been due to the legalized holding on the O-line and the biased flag calling in the secondary. Godwin pushed off last night on Brady's game winning drive. If that play had been the other way around and the CB had got the INT a flag would have been thrown. I can't think of a more thankless task in the NFL than playing CB these days.

I still follow the league, but I will confess to not nearly as interested in watching the actual games as I did growing up.

[CanadianCat]

Both those teams are loaded with WR's and the defenses have poor secondary's. 

I can see why they chose to throw. 

[CanadianCat]

Also, I need the points for my fantasy team! 

[Moo Daeng]

My slightly waning interest is due to the shift in how people follow it. It's not about understanding the game as much as a soap opera.

[TheoJay10]

Last nights game looked like the equivalent of a NBA game. High scoring, spread wide open avoiding the run (equivalent to scoring in the paint) in favor of the medium to deep pass (jump shots and 3’s). This is what has ruined the NBA and now in the NFL has brought in more high scoring offenses and made defending the pass a little harder. It’s not what we are used to but it’s evolution and you can’t avoid it, unfortunately. I don’t care for the NBA at all anymore but football could never fall into the same trap of having to appeal to a specific audience. Things will even itself out over time, it was just the first game. The Bucs won last year because they are and balanced as much as I hate to say it. They can pass with the best, run with the best and defend both pretty well. 

[LinvilleGorge]

3 minutes ago, SCO96 said:

I turned 50 this week. Today's NFL is different game from the one I grew up watching. There were high powered offenses back in the day that favored the pass (Air Coryell Chargers, Walsh's 49ers, etc). But even then, you didn't see Dan Fouts or Joe Montana throwing the ball 50 times a game. Those teams had guys that were still getting close to (or eclipsing) 1,000 yards on the ground. Dallas had 60 yds on the ground last night and Tampa only had 52.

The defenses seem worse too.  Whenever a QB gets the ball in the last 2:00 and only needs a FG or TD to win, I almost always put my bet on the defense to come up short. I think it's easier to pass than it's ever been due to the legalized holding on the O-line and the biased flag calling in the secondary. Godwin pushed off last night on Brady's game winning drive. If that play had been the other way around and the CB had got the INT a flag would have been thrown. I can't think of a more thankless task in the NFL than playing CB these days.

I still follow the league, but I will confess to not nearly as interested in watching the actual games as I did growing up.

I don't think the defenses are worse, I just think they're significantly handicapped by today's rules vs. the rules of years past.