Merrith
Golden Baronet of the Realm
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I don’t agree with either statement. Tom didn't have about the best offensive line for 20 straight years. He had a good one last year as an old man but not every year. KC knew they had turnstiles. Maybe the game plan needed more adjustment.
For the second argument. I always think that’s a terrible argument. "NFL suddenly employs new Supermen found frozen in cave. Our super duper new science creates them in a lab beside the COVID!" Terrible. Do you think Reggie White, LT, JT, Sapp and others wouldn’t succeed in today’s NFL? Surely, you jest? Do you think Walter Payton, OJ etc couldn’t run in today’s NFL? I think Sapp in his prime, with all those extra practices and conditioning, would dominate the fatties we see on the OL today just like he dominated then.
The OL of the 90s Broncos were much more athletic than these mega-fats today. WFT just traded for a lazy, mega-fatty. Miami has two starters over 320 lbs and just picked up a guy that's 340. Are you saying those guys are athletic??!!???!! With all those practices they don't have to do anymore?! C'mon now!!
No, the reality is that the NFL practices far less than it once did and has pushed offensive benefits so far that you don't need Supermen on the OL. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/02/nfl-holding-penalties-scoring/ . It's always about changed rules. Defense can't do nearly as much as they could two decades ago. Offense given so many advantages in the hopes of higher scoring.
The new QB rules and push are directly meant to up scoring and make it easier for QBs that can't read a defense, aren't as accurate, and are running backs to still succeed. Too many of the money makers aren't succeeding. We have to change this! QBs can't be touched. WRs can't be touched. Hard hits cause massive penalties. These rules let them spread the field more. Keep those QBs happy and healthy!
Numbers are changed so that QBs like Brady can stop dominating our damn game! Please, let the new kids bring in more money, Tom!!! Sure, it was a change to help the defense, wink, wink! We need less thinking, more running! Guys who can plan ahead have too big of an advantage! Just look at the last twenty years! The smartest QB kept winning damn it!!!! No more, Tom...and I think it will work. Tampa will not win this year's Super Bowl. Bank it.
I wasn't saying every year, just specifically last year. It's something I see happening now and over the next 3-5 years, the move away from pure pocket passers. Brady didn't have the talent around him at all his final year with the Pats, and they went one and done mainly for that reason. He also didn't just have a good one last year, they were very good to great. Top 5 in the league. His pressure rate on drop backs was 4th lowest in the league last year, when Arians' offensive systems usually result in more pressure on QB's due to the focus on downfield passing.
Sure the absolute greats of the game could still succeed today, but on the whole, most of these pass rushers today are just different athletic specimens than they were on average 25-30 years ago. They weren't found frozen in a cave, that's just natural progression. I think you undersell how much more athletic some of the big men are in the league today, too. Whether someone like Sapp would dominate the same way, can't say for sure, but do you think he compares to Aaron Donald?
I get it, Flowers isn't the most exciting guy, not like I was calling him an All Pro. Christ we swapped 7th round picks and Miami is paying 66% of his money this year to trade him to us. What are we even talking about? He just had a decent year at guard for us 2 seasons ago, and is nice depth/starting competition potentially.
Practicing less doesn't mean these guys are in worse shape. Guys aren't slamming 6 packs like they used to after practice or at halftime back in the 80's. I think quite a few guys that got by back then as average to semi good players would be lost in the sauce against today's athletes.
The rules changes are a real thing, although I think it affects defensive backs more so than anyone in coverage against wide receivers. One rule "change"...or more change of enforcement you didn't note is the lack of offensive holding penalties last season. When you call less holding against O lines, it makes it easier to protect pocket passers (and just QB's in general), and will lead to increased scoring, just as calling MORE holds/PI's on DB's does.
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