Why is running up the score in the NFL a bad thing?
I know that unfair play should be avoided as much as possible and have absolutely no problems when Easterbrook names and shames in TTMQ, high school and college teams that runs up the score on their opponents. But we are talking about schools that have a great deal of disparity in terms of footballing talent, money, etc, etc and it is clearly deplorable for a team to bully another.
But we are talking about the NFL here. A league that is supposed to have parity. Where the salary cap ensures that you cannot load your roster at the expense of another team. Where the draft is supposed to ensure that no one team runs away with success. So there should be no remorse felt in scoring at will. After all, this is a grown-up business here and you don't want to see companies whining because rival firms are being "too effective" and "running up the score".
In fact, there are several reasons why teams should be scoring as much as possible and as early as possible. I am sure they are all obvious to everyone but I thought I might just throw them out.
1. The fans. NFL tickets are expensive. Season tickect holders and other felons to be on stubhub are paying through the nose to see touchdowns and that's what the team should be giving the fans. If I wanted to see Brady kneel, I'd go to his church on Sundays. So seeing it on NFL gamepass at 3 bloody AM in the morning is none too pleasant. However, I know that fans also want to see their players for 19 games so this leads onto....
2. Health of the starters. When you have a massive lead, you can pull your starters. Simple right? It's pretty clear that the Pats have had a long history of playing through tough injuries. If I can get the score up way high and the starters can sit, a superbowl victory is more likely. If they need to go in again, as was the case in Miami, they can always do so. So the caveat for me, just run up the score and then coast from the mid 3rd Quarter onwards.
3. Time for the back ups. Conversely, this means that backups can get valuable playing time and not just because someone got injured. If they show they can handle game time, great. They can crack the starting lineup or be traded for higher picks in the off season. If not, then they can be dumped.
4. It makes it tough on the opponent's offence. Playing with a huge lead makes the other team's attacks more one dimensional, ie, pass more. One of the biggest reasons why the Colt's swiss cheese run defence was not tested enough in the past was that they always took an early lead and kept on scoring. It forces the opponents to start throwing and in a slingfest, advantage goes to the team with the huge lead. It would take a very disciplined team to stay committed to the run to overcome such massive leads.
5. It makes the opponent's offence impatient. In addition, even when passing, when teams are playing with a huge lead to overcome, the QB's likely to be rushing things, and playing hurry up offence. Most QBs can't.
6. It covers up for your defence. It seems like the pats just have more high quality backups in offence than in defence this year. Playing with a huge lead means that our older defence players no longer have to start throwing themselves around and can afford to take it easy, again, protecting their health. They can even afford to let teams get back in it, but it must be a joy playing knowing without the knowledge, like in old times, that if the D does not answer, the Offence might not be up to it.
7. All those wacky comebacks. I just don't know why people are accusing the pats of running up the score when the opponents are clearly not giving up the fight! I mean, if the opponents are just rolling over and calling it quits, then the Pats should take it easy perhaps. But if they were still calling timeouts like Dallas and still slinging away like Miami, then you just have to keep the lead up to ensure that the opponents won't have the time and the will to keep fighting. 1 interception + 1 successful onside kick can overturn a 14 point lead in a matter of seconds. So why not just kill kill kill the game by running up the score?
Anyways, just my twocents. Still a little sleepy after being up till 4 AM to see the game but well worth the effort methinks. Go Pats!
