The four teams that received first-round byes in the NFL playoffs have a combined record of 52-12. To say they ran over the competition en route to the postseason would not be entirely accurate.
The combined record of the four first-round bye teams isn't significant. They're the teams with the four best records in football; you'd expect it to be a lot of wins to very few losses.
All of those teams have won big by using the pass as their primary mode of moving the ball. Their success may initiate what could be considered a seismic shift in strategy — if it hasn't already happened.
Knute Rockne happened in the early 1900s. Fuck you, Trib.
The Indianapolis Colts are challenging the long-standing football tenet that victory is directly proportional to a team's ability to run the ball. Indianapolis finished the regular season with a 14-2 record despite ranking 31st out of 32 teams in rushing offense.
I guess it's kind of interesting and mildly noteworthy that the Colts succeeded without running much. But, if we're going to say that there isn't a correlation between rushing and winning, then we have to add that there is no correlation between passing and winning. The 5-11 Seahawks led all teams in pass attempts. The thing that makes the Colts so good isn't their playing philosophy; it's that they have the best possible players ever for executing that style.
The Peyton Manning-led Colts were No. 2 in passing offense, and of the eight division winners, only the Cincinnati Bengals did not rank in the top 10 in that category.
I like this "eight division winners" cherry-pick, implying that the four wildcard teams were worse units than the higher seeds. Coincidentally... it's those wildcard teams that blow some massive holes through Scott Brown's argument.
The Bengals are ranked last among the 12 playoff teams by Las Vegas oddsmakers, according to gaming expert R.J. Bell of pregame.com.
No kidding. And that would be behind Dallas (7th overall in the rushing yards), New Orleans (6th), Baltimore (5th), and New York (1st).
"I've said a thousand times, the league evolves offensively and defensively," said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for a franchise-record 4,328 yards this season. "And you have to keep up with Indianapolis, the (New Orleans) Saints, teams like that. Because if you don't, you are going to be left behind."
Ben: "I LiKe hOw SOmeTImES AND then wE ChanGe HOw THInGs worK anD I LIKE to PASS the BaLL arf!"
The passing sensibility that has gripped the NFL is evident even with a team such as the 12-4 Minnesota Vikings.
Oh my god, we're about to find out if it's possible to hate Brett Favre any more than we already do.
While Adrian Peterson rushed for almost 1,400 yards this season, quarterback Brett Favre became the centerpiece of the Vikings' offense. Minnesota ranked eighth in the NFL in passing offense.
Minnesota had a gravy train of offense. That they were 8th in passing yards, yet 2nd in overall points tells you that they have found a pretty efficient balance. Also: that they had a guy run for 1400 yards doesn't exactly put them in the same camp as the "can't run / can't lose" Colts that started this article.
"I think what people are starting to see is that 'three or four yards and a cloud of dust' is not good enough anymore, and that we need chunk plays," said Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, whose team finished 7-9 despite ranking fourth in rushing offense.
People are starting to see that? People like the Jets? Like the Ravens?
Also, hint for Sparano: your offense was pretty good; it was your defense that failed you, buddy.
The Steelers, who have long been associated with a smash-mouth ethos, appeared to embrace that concept this season as they finished seventh in passing offense.
Nothing like bouncing from one team that didn't make the playoffs to another, just to show that two different approaches can yield the same basic result.
More and more, defenses are daring teams to throw, which often results in bigger passing numbers.
What the fuck? That was 1985 that Buddy Ryan was challenging teams to throw on him. More and more, teams are using a nickel as a base defense these days.
"If you get eight in the box, that means there's three covering, and you have three receivers," Philadelphia Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver said. "So if you have those odds, that's exactly what you'll take."
Yes. Agreed. If you see a team in their goalline package and you've got 3-wide, you should absolutely throw the ball. But most of the time when that mismatch happens, a defense will realize they're in the wrong sub-package and call a timeout. I want to stress that what fullback Leonard Weaver is talking about isn't a commonplace event. The defense is very attuned to what substitutions need to be made between plays.
The odds are further stacked against defensive backs because of rules that are geared toward more scoring and higher TV ratings.
Whoa, whoa, whoa... conspiracy theory about television ratings? No need for that!
Defensive players are not allowed to initiate contact with a receiver beyond 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. A pass interference penalty, meanwhile, is a spot foul; in college it is a 15-yard infraction.
Offensive players are not allowed to initiate contact beyond 5 yards. It's called bump-and-run. Also, here's the top 5 teams to receive first downs thanks to penalties:
1. Patriots
2. Seahawks
3. Falcons
4. Packers
5. Lions
Peyton Manning doesn't throw the ball because he's looking for a flag. Peyton Manning throws the ball because he's really fucking good at throwing the ball.
"If you're smart, you've got to take advantage of that," Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said of the rules that help passing offenses. "You can't really touch the receiver after five yards, and if you breathe on them, you get a flag. You'd be crazy not to take advantage of that."
I'm not arguing that it's easier to pass now more than ever before. In fact, I'm completely agreeing with it, and saying that that's why so many good teams have good passing numbers: because almost everyone has good passing numbers. Good teams and bad teams. And there are good teams and bad teams with good rushing numbers. What defines a team's success isn't philosophy: it's how well the players fit a philosophy.
More and more teams are doing just that, said Steelers inside linebacker James Farrior, a 13-year veteran.
Don't talk to these people, James.
"When I first came into the league, there was a lot more running involved," he said. "I think with the type of athletes we have on offense, you're more apt to go to for big plays. The main guy on the field is the quarterback, and they want to throw the ball 100,000 times a game."
That's all probably true. People are passing a lot these days. People are also winning and people are losing in equal measure.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers set career highs this season in passing attempts (486) and yards (4,254), and he is a major reason why the Chargers take an 11-game winning streak into the postseason.
He is the only reason the Chargers have an 11-game winning streak. Rivers is absolutely outstanding. I will be very interested in how far San Diego will go without a defense or running game. Today the Ravens' Joe Flacco had a QB rating of 10.0, yet was on the winning side of a blowout because his team could run and play defense. At the same time, Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers were absolutely lighting the world on fire in Arizona, throwing for 9 TDs and 800 yards; yet, one of them had to lose because his team played even worse defense than his opponent.
This isn't earth-shattering stuff here: teams win because they're a better matchup than the other team. Not because they do a single, specific thing extremely well.
Rivers has taken over an offense that not too long ago ran through running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the league's MVP in 2006.
Yes. It's very impressive what San Diego is capable of. But they're also vulnerable to being shut down when a defense (like Baltimore's in week 2 or ours in week 4) sells out to stop Rivers.
But Rivers said the running game is still vital to the Chargers' offense, which works best off play-action passes.
Why the fuck would you include a quote like that? Are you trying to disprove your own argument for me?
That teams are not about to abandon the run can be seen in what happened with the Steelers last week. Coach Mike Tomlin considered going in another direction with the offense even though the Steelers had their first 4,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and 1,000-yard rusher in franchise history.
Nothing like winning your fantasy league in week 16, and then returning to actual football for the finale, Mike.
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is returning for at least one more season, but the Steelers could put more of an emphasis on running the ball in 2010.
What reason do you have for offering me hope, Trib?
"Teams still run the ball," Trotter said. "They have to establish the run. But a lot of times you see teams in passing sets and run the ball that way. It's the nature of the beast."
That.
That was really good.
I knew you were coming back with something weak, but I did not see it being that weak. Well done.
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