TomBrady'sGoat

I'd be interested in season yards/carry and total carries rather than yards/game.

I may be entirely wrong here as I haven't done any research into this, but I'm guessing that this has more to do with teams running less than it has to do with defense. If one team allows 80 yards on 15 carries and another allows 100 yards on 30 carries, the latter is a much better running defense while the former looks better from a yards/game perspective.

I think a lot of it starts with coordinators. Running offenses don't tend to impress people as much as a prolific passing attack: any shmoe can run the ball but a genius can design intricate passing plays. Offensive coordinators and coaches are very aware of this because impressing people gets you a head coaching job or allows you to keep it. It's also an ego thing. I seem to remember a superbowl victory against the greatest show on turf where the egotistical coach insisted on winning the game through the air.

Also, maybe I'm imagining this, but it seems that teams have been giving up on the run when trailing much sooner than they used to. It used to be that if you were down 17-3 in the first half you'd keep running your normal offense because 14 points isn't insurmountable. Now it seems many teams go into panic mode and start tossing the ball the moment they're down by more than one score.

And as has been mentioned, the rule changes making passing easier also effects how often teams run the ball. If passing has become easier while running has stayed the same it makes sense to adjust and pass more.

Stokes

Sorry, I wasn't clear, I wasn't trying to say that bigger guys are better run blockers, just noting that the pats have a smaller line than most. I was just saying the guys they have (with the exception of Neil I'd say) are better in pass protection than in drive blocking. John Hannah was the best O-lineman I've ever seen by the way. Followed closely by Eugene Chung.

Ochmed Jones

I think John Madden had the best explanation I've heard thus far. He thinks that because teams are less physical and hit much less in TC, that it takes a good 5-6 weeks into the season before OL's start to click and the running game starts to take off.
There is no doubt in my mind that a BB TC has much less hitting than former HC Myers TC had when he first came to the Pats from college. (PS: He made the defense and offense ride on seperate buses, that drove players crazy.)
That was a very physical TC. And we ran the ball much better the next season.

gomezcat

One of the theories I have read, but I can't remember where, is that it is much harder to teach really innovative O line play in the free agency period. The writer described a type of toss play run by Maurice Carthon of the Giants in the Parcells era, where the guard would pull in a certain way. The writer described it as taking a lot of teaching time, something that isn't available these days.

I remember the counter gap (or tray) as run by the Redskins to devastating effect against Denver in a late eighties SB. It was a fantastic play, run from the two tight end set, IIRC. I remember watching the game and the commentator saying, after the over aggressive Denver D linemen had fallen for it yet again, "guess what that play was". It left a real impression on someone who had only just started to follow Football:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo...l/archives/22/

The other point about run defence is simple numerical advantage; realistically, you have seven offensive blockers versus eight defenders, if the D decides to stack the box. Of course, that means that there is more leverage for the play action, outside run, pass and so on.

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