NFL Championship Sunday

[dew1679666265]

It's the number of moving parts that all need to be maintained in top form, and under the cap. That's what makes it hard to stay at that top defensive level for a long time.

 

QBs are protected in this league. Really good ones tend to have long careers. And it's just one player. You juggle the other parts around him, but he keeps you in contention for a long time almost by himself.

 

That's the theory anyway. I agree with it, although I still love to see fantastic defense.

 

Even with a top passing game, you have to have at least a decent defense. Also, with heavy passing game, if your QB gets hurt, your team sucks. Look at the Eagles for an extended time without McNabb or the Colts without Peyton. They're awful. If the Titans of 99-03 lost one defensive player, they generally could make it work with him hurt. With a running/defense mentality, you have to have more good players but also have more flexibility if one gets hurt. If you rely on the QB to win games for you alone, then you have to really hope he doesn't get hurt. And if he does, the team becomes terrible.

 

Without a high quality defense, you're not going to win consistently in the NFL unless you have Peyton Manning and he never gets hurt. That just doesn't happen much.

[dew1679666265]

Let me clarify my argument by saying that I don't think the running game/defense mentality is better than a pass-first, pass often mentality, but I do disagree with the idea that a running game/defense mentality is an "archaic" way of thinking that cannot win consistently in today's game.

 

If the personnel are right and the scheme is solid, that mentality can still work. It's similar, to me, to the thinking that the triple option or the spread option cannot work in the SEC. Sure it can, if it's run properly by the right players. Same with the running game/defense mentality in the NFL.

[Exile on Waveland]

It's the number of moving parts that all need to be maintained in top form, and under the cap. That's what makes it hard to stay at that top defensive level for a long time.

 

QBs are protected in this league. Really good ones tend to have long careers. And it's just one player. You juggle the other parts around him, but he keeps you in contention for a long time almost by himself.

 

That's the theory anyway. I agree with it, although I still love to see fantastic defense.

 

Even with a top passing game, you have to have at least a decent defense. Also, with heavy passing game, if your QB gets hurt, your team sucks. Look at the Eagles for an extended time without McNabb or the Colts without Peyton. They're awful. If the Titans of 99-03 lost one defensive player, they generally could make it work with him hurt. With a running/defense mentality, you have to have more good players but also have more flexibility if one gets hurt. If you rely on the QB to win games for you alone, then you have to really hope he doesn't get hurt. And if he does, the team becomes terrible.

 

Without a high quality defense, you're not going to win consistently in the NFL unless you have Peyton Manning and he never gets hurt. That just doesn't happen much.

 

AH! AH! Furiously knocking on wood . . . furiously . . . knuckles bleeding . . . knocking . . . knocking . . .

[Soul]

Oh, I never said running/defense can't work either. And I still love to watch a team with an aggressive, disruptive defense. In some ways I like to watch that even more than great offense.

 

I just think it offers more potential for longer-term success if you have that top QB in place and you work from there. And in the future, I would expect QBs to be even more protected by additional rules, making it even more attractive to go that route if you can.

[dew1679666265]

Oh, I never said running/defense can't work either. And I still love to watch a team with an aggressive, disruptive defense. In some ways I like to watch that even more than great offense.

 

I just think it offers more potential for longer-term success if you have that top QB in place and you work from there. And in the future, I would expect QBs to be even more protected by additional rules, making it even more attractive to go that route if you can.

 

Yeah, if they keep moving in the direction of two-hand touch on QBs then the likelihood of injury will go down even more and it'll make that much more sense to go in the heavy passing offense direction.

 

And it wasn't you that said a run-first offense can't work, but it's been said on the board before and I don't agree with it.

[jersey cubs fan]

but I do disagree with the idea that a running game/defense mentality is an "archaic" way of thinking that cannot win consistently in today's game.

 

That's fine if you disagree, just realize you are wrong.

[OleMissCub]

high quality vid of Peyton yelling "g-- damnit Donald!!" during a play

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS-90x1op4s

[biittner77]

but I do disagree with the idea that a running game/defense mentality is an "archaic" way of thinking that cannot win consistently in today's game.

 

That's fine if you disagree, just realize you are wrong.

 

It depends on what you consider winning consistently. If making the playoffs is winning consistently then yes it can work. If you mean winning / making it to the superbowl than no it can't consistently win. A defense first team relies heavily on winning the turnover and field position battles. I would also argue that they can be just as dependent on a single outstanding player as a good offense is on it's starting QB.

 

Some examples:

The Steelers are borderline terrible without Paulomauolo.

The Colts were bad without Bob Sanders- until this year.

The superbowl Bears didn't dominate anybody after Tommie Harris got hurt.

Would you say last year's Bears team missed Urlacher?

[dew1679666265]

but I do disagree with the idea that a running game/defense mentality is an "archaic" way of thinking that cannot win consistently in today's game.

 

That's fine if you disagree, just realize you are wrong.

 

I haven't seen anything to make me think it's the case.

[Cubswin11]

high quality vid of Peyton yelling "g-- damnit Donald!!" during a play

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS-90x1op4s

:-))

[OleMissCub]

Best Saints Fan evah... Vance is gonna love this.

 

 

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5830/image001rhl.jpg

 

[jersey cubs fan]

underboob

[ScrubMD]

Kudos to that guy for not trying to hide the fact that he's staring at her ass.

[TruffleShuffle]

i'm sure those are real

[dew1679666265]

Vince is going to the Pro Bowl again. Odd, but cool.

 

The Titans quarterback was added to the AFC roster on Wednesday. Running back Chris Johnson is currently the only other Titan in the league's annual all-star game on Jan. 31 at Miami. It will be Young's second Pro Bowl appearance, as he also played at the end of his rookie season in 2006.

 

Young was a Pro Bowl alternate. He replaces injured Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, joining the squad after Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger opted not to play because of injuries. Earlier on Wednesday, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub replaced New England's Tom Brady, also injured.

[CubColtPacer]

So if the Colts and Vikings make the Super Bowl, the AFC Pro Bowl team will now be missing:

 

All 3 QB's, two of the 4 WR, starting tight end, starting left tackle, backup center, both starting defensive ends, and the backup free safety.

 

The NFC will be missing:

 

1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 starting tackle, 1 starting guard, starting center, 1 starting defensive end, 1 starting defensive tackle, 1 outside linebacker, 3 CB, a kick returner, and the special teams player.

 

And that's assuming that all the members of the losing teams from the conference championship games show up. I don't think that's a good assumption to make but I don't know how many to knock out because of that.

 

So that's 27 players missing with potential for more out of 84 including many of the most high profile players.

[SpongeWorthy]

So if the Colts and Vikings make the Super Bowl, the AFC Pro Bowl team will now be missing:

 

All 3 QB's, two of the 4 WR, starting tight end, starting left tackle, backup center, both starting defensive ends, and the backup free safety.

 

The NFC will be missing:

 

1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 starting tackle, 1 starting guard, starting center, 1 starting defensive end, 1 starting defensive tackle, 1 outside linebacker, 3 CB, a kick returner, and the special teams player.

 

And that's assuming that all the members of the losing teams from the conference championship games show up. I don't think that's a good assumption to make but I don't know how many to knock out because of that.

 

So that's 27 players missing with potential for more out of 84 including many of the most high profile players.

 

All this proves is that it's actually impossible to care less about the Pro Bowl.

[Roast]

So if the Colts and Vikings make the Super Bowl, the AFC Pro Bowl team will now be missing:

 

All 3 QB's, two of the 4 WR, starting tight end, starting left tackle, backup center, both starting defensive ends, and the backup free safety.

 

The NFC will be missing:

 

1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 starting tackle, 1 starting guard, starting center, 1 starting defensive end, 1 starting defensive tackle, 1 outside linebacker, 3 CB, a kick returner, and the special teams player.

 

And that's assuming that all the members of the losing teams from the conference championship games show up. I don't think that's a good assumption to make but I don't know how many to knock out because of that.

 

So that's 27 players missing with potential for more out of 84 including many of the most high profile players.

 

All this proves is that it's actually impossible to care less about the Pro Bowl.

 

Yeah, I used to actually care about the Pro Bowl. Well, not really "care" so much as "watch it because it's Sunday and since the Super Bowl is over I might as well watch one last game w/ NFL players on the year."

 

This year's is just a joke, though.

[Derwood]

Collins vs. Dilfer greatest Super Bowl QB match up of all time.

 

beat me to it

[jersey cubs fan]

This year's is just a joke, though.

 

It's always been a joke.

[biittner77]

This year's is just a joke, though.

 

It's always been a joke.

 

The chances of me actually watching it during the off week as opposed to the week after the superbowl are much much higher. In other words, if I flip past it I may watch for a few minutes.

[OleMissCub]

This year's is just a joke, though.

 

It's always been a joke.

 

The chances of me actually watching it during the off week as opposed to the week after the superbowl are much much higher. In other words, if I flip past it I may watch for a few minutes.

 

Correct. In theory it's an ideal place to put the pro-bowl.

[Soul]

Maybe they can start holding a raffle to fill out the rosters:

 

"Enter for your chance to strap up and PLAY WITH THE PROS!"

 

Oh, yeah. Must see TV.

[shnsajax]

This year's is just a joke, though.

 

It's always been a joke.

 

The chances of me actually watching it during the off week as opposed to the week after the superbowl are much much higher. In other words, if I flip past it I may watch for a few minutes.

 

Correct. In theory it's an ideal place to put the pro-bowl.

 

The conference that wins gets the home team in the Super Bowl and gets to call the coin toss :thumbsup:

 

I wish baseball would do something like that.

[rocket]

high quality vid of Peyton yelling "g-- damnit Donald!!" during a play

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS-90x1op4s

 

congrats on being twittered by bill simmons