Allstarjim Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I'm going to try and give the cliff notes version of what I believe is happening to the NFL. They are making it extremely difficult to play effective defense. Never before has the receivers and QB's been so protected. The defensive players are at an enormous disadvantage, because at times they HAVE to deliver a blow, and even though many times the hit is legal, the flags are still coming out. Also, you have more 4,000 yard passers in the NFL than at any point in history. You have possibly 4 QB's breaking Marino's single season record. This is a sign that things are far different. The top 3 passing teams in the NFL are the Packers, Saints, and Patriots, all teams that will be division winners and strong Super Bowl contenders. Even the Steelers are becoming a more pass-oriented offense. I believe in today's NFL you must have elite athletes on offense to really win. I think you have to be able to match up with the opponent 3 and sometimes 4 very good receivers. Offense is where to invest in your team in the new NFL. The best offenses will be playing for championships. The ones that focus on defense, do so in a futile effort, and will spin their wheels. All the evidence is there, and we see it on a week to week basis in the NFL, where offenses are repeatedly bailed out by officiating, and drives are sustained, more points are scored. It's time for the Giants to look on the offensive side of the ball. Reese's focus in free agency and the draft should be to surround Eli with offensive weapons and make sure the O-line is good. Yes, I still think we need linebackers, we really do, but the offense needs a huge facelift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 That doesn't negate the fact our defense is limbo and we're lacking at a few positions.. the most glaring of course is at LB. Of course our FO has invested heavily in defense.. not so much the defensive coaching part of it. On O.. our OL needs to be revamped .. I'm guessing not too many changes have to happen and at RB and TE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 That doesn't negate the fact our defense is limbo and we're lacking at a few positions.. the most glaring of course is at LB. Of course our FO has invested heavily in defense.. not so much the defensive coaching part of it. On O.. our OL needs to be revamped .. I'm guessing not too many changes have to happen and at RB and TE. Still need a TE to back up Ballard. I don't think Beckum is that guy. Perhaps Hynoski has relieved Pascoe enough so that Pascoe can go back to TE full time. I think we need a RB too. Ware blows. AB is hurt a lot. BJ isn't nearly as effective as he once was. Although, if we seriously addressed the O-Line in a big way, I'd be willing to give the RBs a pass for another year. LB though is eveyr bit as huge a need as any on this team. Probalby wouldn't hurt to grab a backup QB at some point too so we don't become the 2011 version of the Indianapolis Colts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightFire Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 The 49ers would disagree. Interestingly enough though the top O teams have bad Ds. The Patriots and Packers are both bottom of the league on D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlb37 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Still need a TE to back up Ballard. I don't think Beckum is that guy. Perhaps Hynoski has relieved Pascoe enough so that Pascoe can go back to TE full time. actually we need a TE period. Ballard has been a pleasant surprise in the passing game but his inline blocking has been decidedly sub par. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 actually we need a TE period. Ballard has been a pleasant surprise in the passing game but his inline blocking has been decidedly sub par. Can't argue that. Think Ballard is good enough though for now given other needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlb37 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 The top 3 passing teams in the NFL are the Packers, Saints, and Patriots, all teams that will be division winners and strong Super Bowl contenders. Even the Steelers are becoming a more pass-oriented offense. The Ravens are 10 - 4 and first in their division. The Texans are 10 - 5 and first in their division The 49ers are 11 - 3 and first in their division. All 3 are in the top 5 in the league for both points and yards allowed / game. I hear what you are saying but I think all 3 of the above teams show that you can still win with defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treehugger Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 That flag on the Texans' DT last night was ridiculous. He was tackling the QB around his WAIST for fuck's sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 The Ravens are 10 - 4 and first in their division. The Texans are 10 - 5 and first in their division The 49ers are 11 - 3 and first in their division. All 3 are in the top 5 in the league for both points and yards allowed / game. I hear what you are saying but I think all 3 of the above teams show that you can still win with defense. I hear what you are saying. But I do think things are shifting. I'm not saying a team can be all offense and win a championship. What I'm saying is that dynamic offenses are ruling the NFL right now and that is the way it will continue because that is how the NFL is shifting, by the rules they've instuted and by the natural evolution of how the game is being played today offensively. Out of the three teams you mentioned, only the Ravens wouldn't be somewhat of a shock to make the Super Bowl. I'm not talking about division winners, I'm talking about winning a championship in today's NFL. The dominant team right now is the Green Bay Packers, and the Saints are very close behind. And if you look at the Texans, they have the 5th ranked offense in the NFL, and haven't been nearly as good since losing Schaub and Andre Johnson. San Francisco is doing it with defense. But keep in mind they've had to play one of the weaker schedules in the NFL, and play in the worst division in football. Not discounting your notion, but there are only a couple of teams that have caught on to the nouveau NFL. And those teams will be winning the titles for the foreseeable future, IMO. Yes, you can still put together a winning season and win your division, but when the playoffs start, and you have to play a team like the Saints or Packers, that's when the truth will slap you hard in the face. If defense still ruled the day, we wouldn't be seeing these offensive records being shattered by multiple teams and players. Personally, I hate it. I love good defense. But the NFL seems intent on hamstringing defenses. I think you have to have a realistic plan and ability to drop 40 on a team any given Sunday, because that's what it might take to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Oh yeah, and Ballard is a backup. There are times he's not getting open, because when you watch him run, it looks like he's running in mud compared to the linebackers out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlb37 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 FWIW: I heard Boomer Esiason talking about this topic the other day. he claimed that the single rule change that really tilted the field towards the passing game was the addition of "automatic first downs" for defensive holding / illegal contact. His rational was that the rule bails out QBs after sacks or other negative plays and keeps drives alive that would never have been sustained prior to the rule change. This is not a particularly new rule however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman329 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I'm going to try and give the cliff notes version of what I believe is happening to the NFL. They are making it extremely difficult to play effective defense. Never before has the receivers and QB's been so protected. The defensive players are at an enormous disadvantage, because at times they HAVE to deliver a blow, and even though many times the hit is legal, the flags are still coming out. Also, you have more 4,000 yard passers in the NFL than at any point in history. You have possibly 4 QB's breaking Marino's single season record. This is a sign that things are far different. The top 3 passing teams in the NFL are the Packers, Saints, and Patriots, all teams that will be division winners and strong Super Bowl contenders. Even the Steelers are becoming a more pass-oriented offense. I believe in today's NFL you must have elite athletes on offense to really win. I think you have to be able to match up with the opponent 3 and sometimes 4 very good receivers. Offense is where to invest in your team in the new NFL. The best offenses will be playing for championships. The ones that focus on defense, do so in a futile effort, and will spin their wheels. All the evidence is there, and we see it on a week to week basis in the NFL, where offenses are repeatedly bailed out by officiating, and drives are sustained, more points are scored. It's time for the Giants to look on the offensive side of the ball. Reese's focus in free agency and the draft should be to surround Eli with offensive weapons and make sure the O-line is good. Yes, I still think we need linebackers, we really do, but the offense needs a huge facelift. I agree that the game has changed and the offense has more advantages than ever before but the bottom line is, our O has been in the top 10 all year and our D has been in the bottom 5. Sure, I'd like to see the line solidify and a stud running back added and have the next Cruz come out of nowhere but difference makers on the other side of the ball - LBs & DBs - are more crucial needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgutmartyr Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I really don't think you can reall tell too much about trends with this year. With the lockout screwing with nearly every team in the NFL, I think this year will likely be an outlier in terms of the overall scheme of things. I could be wrong, but I would hold off until next year to see if this continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlb37 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I really don't think you can reall tell too much about trends with this year. With the lockout screwing with nearly every team in the NFL, I think this year will likely be an outlier in terms of the overall scheme of things. I could be wrong, but I would hold off until next year to see if this continues. This is a good point. It is much harder to play defense than offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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