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Has anyone else noticed that the NFL has turned into the arena league?


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What is even the point of running the football anymore?  Seriously?  You no longer need to establish the run to keep defenses honest.  Every decent QB in the league (and at this point, due in part to the rules making it easier to play QB, who doesn't have a decent QB?) averages 7-8 YPA.  So really, why run?  To average 4 YPC and create a more manageable third down?  All the good teams just pass every play at this point and are taking what they want.  It used to be, if a QB had 450 yards and 4 TD's it was because his team was down the whole game and, usually, lost.  Now 450 yards and 4 TD's is good for the third highest fantasy total among QB's in a given week.  This is what the NFL has wanted for years and now they've got it.  I grew up watching great running backs.  I love 21-17 football games where every yard is hard-earned.  I think this sucks.

Edited by metzelaars_lives
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1 minute ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Guess you missed the Titans vs. Jags game last Sunday. 

Yes, I am aware that not every game looks like this one.  My point is that the Steelers on Monday night can just come out and not mask the fact that they're not even trying to establish any sort of running game, pass every play, everyone in the stadium knows it, and they can be effective that way and win.  And it's not just hall of famers like Roethlisberger.  More than half the QB's in the league can do this now.  Blake Bortles did it two weeks ago against New England.

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It’s been trending this way for a long time, it’s a passing league. 

Whats more exciting, a Stefon Diggs one handed catch or a 3 yard run by cook? 

The rules are even skewed more year by year to enforce more and more passing. 

It creates more excitement, unless rules are adjusted to help defenses expect the trend to continue up 

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38 minutes ago, metzelaars_lives said:

Yes, I am aware that not every game looks like this one.  My point is that the Steelers on Monday night can just come out and not mask the fact that they're not even trying to establish any sort of running game, pass every play, everyone in the stadium knows it, and they can be effective that way and win.  And it's not just hall of famers like Roethlisberger.  More than half the QB's in the league can do this now.  Blake Bortles did it two weeks ago against New England.

I hear ya, I liked a more balanced games O-D... This is what the NFL is now....

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49 minutes ago, metzelaars_lives said:

that the NFL has completely turned into the arena league right in front of our eyes?  What is even the point of running the football anymore?  Seriously?  You no longer need to establish the run to keep defenses honest.  Every decent QB in the league (and at this point, due in part to the rules making it easier to play QB, who doesn't have a decent QB?) averages 7-8 YPA.  So really, why run?  To average 4 YPC and create a more manageable third down?  All the good teams just pass every play at this point and are taking what they want.  It used to be, if a QB had 450 yards and 4 TD's it was because his team was down the whole game and, usually, lost.  Now 450 yards and 4 TD's is good for the third highest fantasy total among QB's in a given week.  This is what the NFL has wanted for years and now they've got it.  I grew up watching great running backs.  I love 21-17 football games where every yard is hard-earned.  I think this sucks.

This has been a thing since polian and the rules committee further emphasized the contact rules for defensive backs after the colts receivers got mugged by the pats in the playoffs in like 2004...Its where the game was headed eventually anyhow. You have to remember teams used to run because it was more efficient to run..even up until the late 90s some teams barely even had a shotgun formation in their playbook..now you have all these spread concepts from college and such.

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Makes the Giants decision to take a running back over a top QB seem even more idiotic.

 

Just think what the Bills could have done with McCoy, Watkins, Woods, Goodwin, Hogan, Clay and Harvin if they had a really good QB and a sharp OC.

Edited by BubbaT
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42 minutes ago, Chemical said:

Could this have something to do with our lack of a passing game over the past 15 years? Just admit you're jealous. Also admit that you were excited when Allen was on pace for over 300 yards last week at halftime.

Admit?  I am one of probably like five people on planet Earth who is diehard Bills and Wyoming football.  I am like half gay for Josh Allen.  Going to Wyoming-Boise State on Saturday.

Edited by metzelaars_lives
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The teams with the stronger running games and the stronger defenses usually win when it matters. I’m not going to take the time to go through everything but if you were to look at the last 20+ super bowl winners, the team with the better defense wins the majority of the time. Beating the likes of super high powered teams like the undefeated Pats, Falcons, cardinals, pats again, and again....

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5 minutes ago, mrags said:

The teams with the stronger running games and the stronger defenses usually win when it matters. I’m not going to take the time to go through everything but if you were to look at the last 20+ super bowl winners, the team with the better defense wins the majority of the time. Beating the likes of super high powered teams like the undefeated Pats, Falcons, cardinals, pats again, and again....

I agree 100%.  I'm saying that is changing right now as we speak.  I actually just looked up on football reference and while everything is of course trending toward more pass attempts, more passing yards, less rushing attempts, yards, etc., the numbers are not as staggeringly different as I thought they might be, or at least how it feels.  Perhaps things will change when it gets colder/closer to playoff time but right now it's seriously like, what is the point of running the ball ever?  But FWIW, the Super Bowl last year was another one of these arena league games like tonight.

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3 minutes ago, metzelaars_lives said:

I agree 100%.  I'm saying that is changing right now as we speak.  I actually just looked up on football reference and while everything is of course trending toward more pass attempts, more passing yards, less rushing attempts, yards, etc., the numbers are not as staggeringly different as I thought they might be, or at least how it feels.  Perhaps things will change when it gets colder/closer to playoff time but right now it's seriously like, what is the point of running the ball ever?  But FWIW, the Super Bowl last year was another one of these arena league games like tonight.

It might have been. But I bet you the team with the better running game and better defense won. Just like tonight’s game. Gurley played well. Much better than Mns running backs. And the LA defense is 100% why they win that game. When it mattered, Cousins was on his back 

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