Ravens Pollard: NFL will become extinct

It is completly logical to assume it is more homogenized.

I don't have any playcall statistics or anything; however, it is only natural to assume that, as more and more rules are made to protect the QB and WR, more and more teams would pass.

Now, I'm not an Xs and Os guy, so as for types of plays and stuff, I don't really know.

But, while I don't have the stats to prove it, you hear the experts say it all the time; "It's a passing league".

And the teams with the most success are the ones in this trend; which leads me to believe all teams are/should be "trending" so to speak.

 

It wasn't supposed to be taken literally. Only you didn't understand that.

 

I just started a thread comparing the median rush attempts with pass attempts for the last 50 years. The game has not changed that much. The median team in pass attempts in 1971 averaged 26.1 pass attempts game vs 34.3 in 2011. So with all the rule changes and evolution of the game you get a difference of 6 pass attempts per game.

 

If you have the numbers handy, was there any difference in yards per attempt?

 

I have no evidence per se. And I really couldn't even tell you the difference between a West Coast offense and a standard offense from just watching. And yes, you're right, the spread is coming quite into vogue.

I guess more than schemes, I am just referring to the perception that it seems like there is ONE way to be successful these days. For example, building a team with defense is going the way of the dodo. That is a function of the rules helping offenses I believe.

One big criticism I've always had of the NFL is that it is so conservative. You see a much wider variety of scheme in the college ranks. The NFL is such a small universe and such a copycat system, I think teams miss out on trying creative things.

I mean, the driving force behind the spread is really that that is what players coming out of college know how to do, not that they think it is so awesome.

 

Not every rule change that has been made over the past few years has been only to help the offenses. One off the top of my head is the rule change concerning pushing a reciever out of bounds while making a catch in the air. It used to be that if the reciever was pushed OB by the defender but would have landed in bounds if not contacted, it would have been ruled a catch. This is no longer the case. A defender can push a receiver OB now to force an incomplete pass. That helps the D not the O.

Another slight rule change the NFL made recently was to the way facemasks are called. No longer is there a penalty for grabbing the facemask if you immediately let go, and don't turn the head of the ball carrier. This is another rule change that helps the D because sometimes their hands might accidently graze a face mask, and they aren't getting penalized 5yds anymore.

I don't believe that these rule changes were made to help the D so much as they were to help to keep all ruling consistant. I think that is what is hurting the game most right now. Its not necessarily the rules that are put in place, but how they are all subject to the refs' judgement.

I can understand making a rule about targeting the knees/head of a QB bc they are in a vulnerable position. And I can understand all the rules about how defenders can hit recievers. The problem is there is too much room for interpretation of the rules. There should be a penalty if a player dives right at someones knees, but if they are already on the ground or something, it shouldn't be a penalty. There should be a penalty for a horse collar tackle if you pull them backwards, but not if you just happen to place your hand on the back of the jersey to make a tackle.

We all saw how VY can get crushed by the Steelers and not get a call, but if someone's hand barely touches Mannings head he gets a 15yd penalty. It can appear in some games that this is becoming a 'powder puff' league because some refs are calling it like that. Its not what the rules were meant to do IMO, but that is what is happening right now. The NFL really needs to change the language of the rules more than anything to make them less subject to the refs judgement. I think that would go a long way into restoring some of the balance as far as the rules helping Offenses/defenses go.