MoLewisrocks

Although the rules changes are cited for making the middle of the field a safer place to play, and teams like NE have been able to exploit that. The other factors cited are the increased ability of QB's exposed to spread offenses to read defenses, the increased size and talent of receivers (including TE's who are no longer largely blockers) as well as the effect all of the above has had on schemes and subsequently coaching willingness to play more aggressively on that side of the ball (building a bigger lead rather than defending a smaller one).



Passing league: Explaining the NFL's aerial evolution

mayoclinic

It's quite possible that the more severe rule changes introduced in 2010 or so may have contributed towards 3 QBs passing for over 5,000 yards in 2011. But the NFL was going towards a pass-oriented league long before that - in some ways, the rule changes were a reaction to the league becoming more pass oriented.

Greg Cosell weighs in the topic, including a history of the evolution of the passing game:

Cosell Talks: The Evolving Chess Match : NFL Films Blog

It's a great read, and a nice discussion of the chess match between offense and defense. As Cosell notes:

Interesting stuff.

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pherein

Its a good read, I was just disappointed they didn't give solutions to the spread offense. Seems their is to many great OC and not enough revolutionary DC.
The revival of the 3-4 defense to counter these prolific offense seems to fall short. 4-3 is being stuffed by the massive OL's made to give expert QB marksmen 2-3 more seconds to find the target.
I can almost see WR's drafted as CB's and S at this point. But not seeing the evolution of the DL or LB's. I mean do they shrink and look at speed or become more massive. Become taller? Are we going to see 4 300-450 lbs DL's in the future to crack the OL. DL going to look for 4 Wilforks in the future. I just don't know.
But as the article eludes to, defenses are getting creamed and behind the curve. Even the #1 defense was rocked in the playoffs.

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Deus Irae

They could all but shut down most of the league's passing games in about 30 minutes. Just bring back downfield contact and eliminate the over-the-top protection of QBs.

Almost every team in the league would start hunting for more running backs the moment those were implemented.

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captain stone

Another reason for the passing proliferation, and the rules changes/points of emphasis
that made it happen:
Chicks - and therefore marketing suits - dig the long ball.

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Uncle Rico

Would be great to see defensive genius Bill Belichick catch up to what offensive genius Bill Belichick has helped wrought upon the league.

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Joker

You want to roll back the "Polian Rules" that were enacted by the comp committee for four straight seasons after Peyton was humiliated in Foxboro, 20-3? Goodell would never go for that...after all,they were trumped up "for the good of the league!!!".

pherein

lol, yeah. I am worried he doesn't have the stuff anymore. I mean the Patriots declining defense as BB seems to spend more time working on offense, it makes me wonder. Or is this just an exercise for him to understand the problems defenses face. You can never tell with BB. He seems to push himself a lot.
Probably most don't agree, but allowing Bradshaw to score in the playoff was a master stroke. I thought. Thats kind of concussive that the defensive mind is there, but he knows where his bread is buttered.
I don't know, you think BB can defeat a powerful spread offense ?
Create some defense that does not exist yet?
Would be sweet. Never seen the Saints stuffed sense 2006. Any DC that could keep the Pats,Saints, Lions, GB, and etc.. to 14pts consistently .. hmm wow. Stuffed like the Falcons in the playoffs.
But that same defense could not stuff the Pats, and theres a good chance wouldn't have made the SB if it faced NO at home. Defenses are so prolific vs some teams and helpless vs others.

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mayoclinic

As has already been noted by Deus and others, the league wants prolific passing attacks and high scoring games. The NFL is all about expanding their market share and fan base, and aerial acrobatics are more popular than trench warfare.

As Cossell notes, it's a chess match between offenses and defenses. Offenses have evolved to create mismatches and the rules make it easier and easier to exploit those mismatches. With all of the advantages that offenses have cited in the OP, there are only so many ways that defenses can respond to make things more competitive:

1. Find ways to get more pressure on the QB. Less time = less successful completions, more errant throws and turnovers, etc. As was discussed in another thread, defenses are already evolving to emphasize interior pressure more than previously:

Building a team from the "inside out"

We're seeing more and more uber-athletic "Super Grizzlies" in the Wilfork/Ngata mold. The idea of a 330# DE was crazy a few years ago, but its becoming more and more common. Guys like Marcell Dareus and Dontari Poe have ridiculous athleticism and movement skills for their size. We're even seeing more use of athletic DLs in multiple fronts at the college level: guys like Star Lotulelei, Johnathan Hankins, Jesse Williams, and John Jenkins have all played inside and out. Alabama dropped Dareus into coverage at times when he was there.

We'll also more more "outside" guys who are strong and versatile enough to play inside as well, with more NASCAR-like packages. Guys like Jason Pierre-Paul and JJ Watt are capable of playing almost anywhere on the line, and have incredible athleticism for their size. Margus Hunt has played inside as well as out for SMU at 6'8" 295#.

I don't know if we'll see 4 300+# linemen, but we'll continue to see more bigger and more athletic guys up front, and more creative ways to get effective pressure. Give a good QB time and he'll pick any defense apart given the current rules and the talent available at the skill positions.

2. Create confusion. If you can generate effective pressure and confuse QBs as to the defensive coverages, then you magnify the potential for mistakes by the offense leading to big plays on defense. Ameboid and semi-ameboid schemes will become more common. Morphing from a 4-2-5 to a 2-4-5. Moving guys around - outside guys inside, inside guys out, LBs dropping into coverage, DBs moving up, CBs and Ss being used interchangeably. If the QB has little time to make a read and the defense has more disguise, then it will be harder for the offense to find the right mismatch, even if one exists.

3. Increase your coverage options - use more DBs and coverage LBs. The nickel is the base, and the dime is the nickel. As BB has stated, you can never have too many good DBs. If you can generate pressure with your front 4, that gives you much more freedom to increase your coverage options with the other 7 guys. 5 DBs will be the norm, and 6 will be more common than 4, along with a coverage LB. Hybrid DBs with size, tackling ability, ball skills and the ability to play zone or man coverage will be coveted. So will LBs with processing speed and the ability to cover like DBs - hence my intense interest in Lavonte David heading into the 2012 draft. Guys like Sean Lee - who actually can drop into coverage effectively and handle most RBs and TEs - will be very valuable. DBs who are tall enough, big enough and agile enough to match up to the big WRs and mobile TEs will be coveted - Brandon Hardin went from a late rount to a top 80 pick in the 2012 draft. Your safeties have to have CB coverage skills - one of the reasons the Pats took Tavon Wilson in the 2nd round. The Giants used S Antrel Rolle - like Wilson a former CB - to cover slot receivers at times. Those guys are also big and physical enough to play as hybrid S/LB types - a role that the Pats have reportedly already had Tavon Wilson playing during OTAs and mini camp. Tony Gonzalez has suggested that teams need to look to basketball players for guys with the kind of height and footwork to covert to DBs:

NFL shifts from big, physical safety to a more versatile model - ESPN

That article is another great read for anyone interested in the challenges facing defenses in the modern passing era given the constraints addressed in the OP of this thread.

There's not many more things that I can obviously seeing defenses doing, short of putting 12 men on the field. And I'm firmly convinced that the league doesn't want them to succeed - they want football to go the way of fast break basketball. I'm personally convinced that if DCs found a way to consistently shut down today's offenses, the league would tweak the rules to make it harder.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

patman52

What you refer to as the Polian rules were not new rules but just a pointof emphasis. I think it was prior to 82 that dbacks could continue to knock the receiver all the way down the field until the ball was in the air.