Well, we're half way through the 2nd weekend of the playoffs. Seems like the teams that have advanced are mirror images of Rex's 2009-2010 teams. Suffocating defense. Overwhelming running games. Good/Avg QB play in spots. Russell Wilson passed for around 100 yards, but the Hawks won by way of a stiffening defense and an unstoppable running game. Ditto the Pats win last night (6 rushing TDs). Maybe Rex is on to something?
I remember getting killed because I said Rex wanted a team built like Seattle or San Francisco. But I think Rex is on to something. I think they will get weapons on this team. So IMO it's up to Geno to take that next step.
And the 49er / Panthers game seems to be about the same thing: Suffocating DEFENSE, killer running game, and a QB who can play in spots.
The weather was also a factor. You also have to remember Passing Attempts in 2013 Season: #1 Peyton Manning #3 Drew Brees #5 Tom Brady #8 Andy Dalton #11 Andrew Luck #13 Rivers #15 Alex Smith Foles and Rodgers didn't play complete seasons so let's split them saying Foles doesn't make the top 16 and Rodgers does, leaving 3 teams of CAR, SEA, and SF. So only 3-4 playoff teams were below average in passing attempts this year and 7-8 were above average. What you also saw was a game in Foxboro playing in the wind and rain and a game in Seattle being played in the wind and rain.
BUT it is a passing league. Rex is so out of his time. Just what the hell are you talking about? /sarcasm off ------------------------------------------------------------------ Remember why Erhardt/Perkins offensive system was built in the first place. They knew they had this third factor - elements - that they had to battle come winter time. There is no way around it unless you change to a dome team or play on the road all the time [which does not necessarily guarantee warmer games.] They wanted to build an all-weather offense that could get points on the board regardless of the weather condition. That meant it would have to feature healthy dose of running attack by default. What failed in Ryan's tenure is not his defense nor his commitment to the running game. What blew up in his face was his ineffective QBs. If Jets had a QB that could put up average stat on the board, you know damn well Jets were in playoff hunt for all of the past five years.
We've got a coach, a GM and an owner who all like the same style of football and it's coming back into vogue again? Sign me up.
I'm not saying a brilliant performance by a franchise QB can't win a PO game, it can, just saying that up until now it seems the teams with the best defense and best running games are advancing. Weather has been an issue, but weather usually is in January on PO games. If the road to the playoffs goes through NE, Greenbay, Seattle, SanFran then you better come with a really good defense and running game or go home. After this year, the SB will be played indoors, but indoor high-speed track star arena league teams will have a really hard time getting there.
As mentioned above the weather has been a major factor. Especially in both games yesterday. We add some playmakers on offense and we'll be alright.
Yeah, I'm just pointing out that the whole league isn't swinging in that direction just yet. The 49ers, Panthers, and Seahawks definitely are the teams that did it all year long and were very successful doing it all year long. The others just adapted to the situation, which was always needed to win in the playoffs.
Every talking head on TGG, ESPN, talk radio reminds us that the NFL has become a passing league and the ONLY hope of winning is with a franchise QB putting up 3-4 TDs and 400 yrds/game. Defense, running game, and ST should be an afterthought at best. But the POs so far have been telling a completely different story.
Offensive trends are very cyclical in the NFL. The league is skewing things toward the passing game with the recent rules changes but it's still fairly likely that the big gun QB is going to be less important in the next cycle. Obviously what you want is the big gun QB AND a great team, which is where Denver and New England are at the moment, but if you have to choose between good QB and great team or great QB and average team there's just no question where you want to be. This was true 30 years ago and with a couple of exceptions it has been true over the last decade also.
How do you explain the Colts/Chiefs game? The Colts did lose in NE and if it happens that NE plays Den, then perhaps we'll know for sure at least in the AFC. The NFC is more smashmouth.
I can't explain the Colts/Chiefs game, only that the Chiefs through outstanding defense (3 ints) and running game posted a 28pt lead before half their team ended up in the locker room with concussions.
The difference is the Jets didn't do it as consistently as teams like the Niners and Seahawks have done all year long. Also both their QB's made big plays that won games for them, not just limited mistakes. Our QB was just a game manager.
Your last sentence is on the money. All they needed was a middle of the pack QB who could make throws at certain times and we would be nj contention every year. I still believe that if we had Jason Campbell , Kyle orton, or Rex grossman back in 09 we hoist the Lombardi. Instead we left it to a rookie with minimal experience in college
San Fran, Seattle and Carolina also are getting good qb play for cheap which allows them to spend in other areas (o line, defense). When Russell Wilson needs g to be extended, let's see Seattle try to keep all that talent on defense. Look what happened to ravens when they had to pay Flacco.
Ideally you build an offense/system that is not dependent on extraordinary QB play to be successful from year to year. Then you do your best to stock the roster with developmental QB's that could run your system. Nobody does it this way in real life but that doesn't mean that's not the next iteration to come. The pre-cap/effective free agency teams didn't have to manage various segments of the roster against each other in terms of cost. It was just a question of finding guys who could play and doing what you could do to lock them up without causing huge personnel flareups in the process. The cap era teams have been more limited. However they've also had effective free agency to try to fill gaps that opened up. The problem is that maintaining your star QB has generally been at the expense of other important areas on the roster. Maybe it's time for a team like Seattle to just draft a good read-option QB every second year and deal with the fact that Russell Wilson is going to move on in a few years.
