A thought about "the NFL is a passing league"

[Stel]

while waiting for Day 3.

The NFL has always been a copycat league and has morphed into a pass happy league over the last decade. What works gets copied. When someone finds a way to defeat what works, everyone copies that.

Over the last few years, teams have been built to pass. Defenses have been built to stop the pass. Defensive players have been taken and developed who are faster and quicker, but are also smaller and less powerful (with some freak exceptions!).

How do you counter a quicker, faster but smaller defense? Maybe you wear them down with big, powerful people who run over them. Seems to me we may be building a team to counter the current "passing league" notion instead of joining in. The GSOT era helped start the passing craze, maybe we'll now lead the league back to ground and pound football.

 

[V3]

Been thinking about that ever since SEA won the SB. I can see it working that way.

The other thing I've been thinking about is for defenses, it seems to be much more important to have elite DB's and a solid defensive front as opposed to an elite defensive front and solid DB's. Teams are just countering the elite defensive lines with quick/short passes that the average DB's/LB's can't stop. This is why I'd rather have the Rams get better DB's/LB's that can cover instead of going overboard with their D line.

 

[ReddingRam]

Eggsactly! It's all cyclical and as you say, smart guys learn how to counter what is the trend ... just like I think the Rams showed other teams how to defend the read option. Teams were struggling to keep guys like Kaepernick and Russel in the pocket until The Rams came along and made them have to play away from their strengths.

Also ... look at the teams who were there in the end of the playoffs. Teams that had the ability to run the ball down your throats, while still being able to pass and DEFENSE are what was left standing. Other than Manning and the Broncos ... all the other teams were either run first or balanced Offensive teams.

What we are countering with is 1) a TOUGH and swarming Defense. 2) A team that has the resources, ability and the WANT TO to wear you down in the running game. That does two things ... it keeps your QB upright and it will bring defenses up to defend the run, opening up the passing game in play action. And then 3) .. .we have shown to be fairly good in the lost art of Special Teams.

I like this.

 

[Tailback]

Well, not to be a negative Nancy but there is another alternative. Maybe Fisher is a one trick pony and like many other former defensive players that become coaches, has no clue about offense. I'm not saying Fisher is like that, but just that it's a possibility.

 

[12intheBox]

I think that is spot on.

Lined up across from a guy like Randy Gregory? Go right over the top of him.

 

[jap]

"Mad" Mike Martz alluded to the same idea when he indicated he expected the pass craze he helped to start would eventually balance out when teams started employing effective running games once more.

 

[FRO]

Look at the recent Super Bowl teams. Most of them are built on defense and the run game.

If we can run the ball effectively I think we have the receivers to do a solid job and the defense to keep us in every game.

 

[12intheBox]

Everything on this team fits what the Rams want to do ....

Except Tavon.

But there is always some room for some sizzle if he turns it on next year.

 

[SteezyEndo]

I think we will have strengths in running and passing. More room for play variations.

 

[RamBall]

As much as I hate to say this, NE won the SB because they could run or pass successfuly even when the D knew what they were doing and they played good/really good D. Fisher has always said they need to be able to run when the D knows their gonna run. Looks like they are addressing this with this years draft. It seems they have been doing pretty good building the D through the draft, so I will trust they have a plan as they have every year. Just more O peices as the D is close to complete.

 

[RaminExile]

Its only a passing league until everyone builds to defend the pass - then it will become a running league again because of the undersized defenders. Everyone says its cyclical - that's WHY its cyclical.

 

[jap]

Everything on this team fits what the Rams want to do ....

Except Tavon.

But there is always some room for some sizzle if he turns it on next year.

Oh, I think Tavon fits very well. It's a matter of taking full advantage of what he brings. Using backs with good hands like TG in the backfield places even more stress on defenders. TG is faster than most LB's and stronger than any DB. He may be hard to cover with a single guy. Along with Kenny & Co., that leaves less people to try and contain Tavon and his electric moves. If tall Nick Foles can find little Tavon amongst the defensive trees, there will be hell to pay if he snares passes downfield. All players now know if you block for Tavon, very good things will happen.

 

[Ky Ram]

The run isn't as flashy as the prolific passing stats, but I think it's been shown time and time again that a superior passing team can consistently be beaten by a superior running team (kind of appears like those teams also stress tough Ds).
I think Fish is definitely a one trick kinda guy, but we knew that when we brought him here. We wanted to be competitive and we are, the question is whether we can get over that hump this year or not, because other coaches have done more with less this far so it's time to start producing

 

[snackdaddy]

Its a passing league for teams with good quarterbacks. And the rules seem to always favor offenses. So if you have an average quarterback, or even below average, it better be a defensive or running league for your team.

We don't have a good QB at this point, so we need to win running the ball and playing good defense. Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco had success with it the past few years. And Arizona didn't really have a good run game.

Obviously we weren't that good at either running or overall defense or we woulda won more games.

 

[IowaRam]

Gurley can catch the ball ,

 

[MrMotes]

With the rule changes, the NFL will always be more of a passing league than in the past but some of it is cyclical.

But i agree with the theory that this is simply what Jeff Fisher is. I think he flirted with modernizing his approach when we signed Cook and drafted Tavon but he quickly reverted to what he believes in and now, it seems, he's all in.

The great majority of SB's are won by teams with elite QB's whereas Fisher/Cignetti rarely, if ever, get high quality play from the QB position. So it might be tough sledding but we can win like this...