Good post. I'm the same.
I started watching some Cover 1 stuff and I had no idea how much I've always missed in terms of X&Os, individual technique, "concepts", etc. My revelation is that what is happening is happening very quickly. It's almost like the challenge of watching hockey and learning to not lose sight of the puck. Cover 1 will break down a few plays and stop after just a few frames to break the plays or individual play into digestible segments. Without this it's just a blur to me.
The TV coverage is selective and doesn't compare with the All 22. Replays seem scarce. We see a player "miss" a tackle when in analysis, it wasn't their assignment to begin with and the guilty party is out of the frame. Interceptions always look like the QB's fault unless you know where the receiver was supposed to be. Point being that bombastic claims of failure and incompetence are often un-justified. Watching the Cover 1 segments has greatly softened my overly critical views on Edmunds. I've come to really appreciate some of the D-line play.
The more I understand the game, the more the peripheral stuff like gambling, player celebrities, non-game drama, sports politics, etc. have zero interest to me.