Off-season debate topic: Future trends for the NFL?

[zarakotas5]

There's going to have to be a new defensive scheme that can reliably shut down the athletic quarterback freaks that will probably start coming out of college in large numbers. The 6'5" 240 lb 4.4 running laser arm guy. Maybe a 5-3-3 defensive lineup.

Thanks, heat:

This is the sort of thing I was looking for. I do appreciate the fanatasy speculation of the future of the NFL, but I was hoping to tap into the vast knowledge of the board. I intend, in no way to discredit or disparage the opinions of the previous posters. Quite the opposite.


I posed the question in terms of the game itself, not the calamity of it as a business. There are many here who disect the game and speak about it profoundly. I thought y'all must surely try to envision what might become of it. I was hoping to give those thoughts a moment to be debated, it the doldrums of the off-season.

 

[zarakotas5]

I have to say that I am very surprised more people are not interested in this topic. This place is populated by opinions, most of which are learned and strong.

Yet, few have looked at the thread or ventured an opinion.

 

[AzPatsFan]

A trend that isocurring is the return of the multi-talented TE, and dual TEs Offense.

It is happening all over the league, as it helps the QB to break down and analyze the Defense.

 

[mgteich]

MORE MONEY
1) More ads, especially on uniforms
2) Choice of camera for TV viewer (in the next 5 years); cheerleader cam will be a heavy favorite
3) An attempt at internationalization of teams (a failure I think)
4) An attempt at much more international coverage (a success, I think)
This can from improved satellite and internet broadcasts.

MORE INTANGIBLES
5) Increased emphasis on character and role models
6) Increased emphasis on safety (e.g concussions)
7) More mikes for players

THE GAME ITSELF
8) Much more flexible defenses and changes after the offense sets
9) More Manningesque offenses, forcing one defense to stay on the field
10) Better kickers
11) Further development of special teams defenses and roles

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

There's going to have to be a new defensive scheme that can reliably shut down the athletic quarterback freaks that will probably start coming out of college in large numbers. The 6'5" 240 lb 4.4 running laser arm guy. Maybe a 5-3-3 defensive lineup.

Along those lines, you may see a 3-3-5 configuration become somewhat regular if some college coaches/coordinators get into the NFL. Wake Forest and West Virginia both specialize in this alignment and it gives opposing qb's fits. The WVa coach, Rodriquez, in particular, is considered a real up and comer who could be swayed to the NFL one day. I'd be interested to see a team try to implement a scheme like this on a daily basis.

It is basically a 3-4 with an extra safety in lieu of an ilb. I would think the extra safety needs to be an Ed Reed type though, who can quickly analyze the play for run/pass and then get to the correct place. In clear passing situations, it also allows for the safeties to cut the field into 3rds and lets the lb's and corners play tight man to man. If they get beat, there is help back there. The lb's all need to be quick, good in coverage, and able to stuff the run, but they tend to be on the smaller side (think Cato June). Also the dl, like in the pats' 3/4 scheme, needs to be able to occupy blockers while the lb's and db's provide the pressure.

IMO that would be the weakness of it in the NFL. If the OL gets to that second level of smaller lb's and safeties, they could get blown off of the ball fairly easily, leading to big running plays.

 

[TripleOption]

I think the 3-4 defense is a waning trend in the NFL.

It's a copycat league. If the Pats win another Super Bowl, watch it reverse again.

 

[TripleOption]

A trend that isocurring is the return of the multi-talented TE, and dual TEs Offense.

It is happening all over the league, as it helps the QB to break down and analyze the Defense.

The problem is getting 2 talented, HEALTHY TE's. Belichick tried to go this way for years and couldn't get there. Now they are morphing back to a more Twins Open 3 WR type of base.

 

[TripleOption]

Along those lines, you may see a 3-3-5 configuration become somewhat regular if some college coaches/coordinators get into the NFL. Wake Forest and West Virginia both specialize in this alignment and it gives opposing qb's fits. The WVa coach, Rodriquez, in particular, is considered a real up and comer who could be swayed to the NFL one day. I'd be interested to see a team try to implement a scheme like this on a daily basis.

It is basically a 3-4 with an extra safety in lieu of an ilb. I would think the extra safety needs to be an Ed Reed type though, who can quickly analyze the play for run/pass and then get to the correct place. In clear passing situations, it also allows for the safeties to cut the field into 3rds and lets the lb's and corners play tight man to man. If they get beat, there is help back there. The lb's all need to be quick, good in coverage, and able to stuff the run, but they tend to be on the smaller side (think Cato June). Also the dl, like in the pats' 3/4 scheme, needs to be able to occupy blockers while the lb's and db's provide the pressure.

IMO that would be the weakness of it in the NFL. If the OL gets to that second level of smaller lb's and safeties, they could get blown off of the ball fairly easily, leading to big running plays.

The 3-3-5 Stack relies on heavy blitzing to stop the run game; I think NFL O-lines and RB's would obliterate it. It is murder in High School and College but in the NFL it wouldn't cut it (like the Triple Option, unfortunately )

 

[dryheat44]

Wow, how the hell does that scheme work with 10 guys?

Huh? 5+3+3=11, right?

 

[TripleOption]

Huh? 5+3+3=11, right?

Yep, sorry. Bouncing inside and out from the heat.

The 5-3 is a great HS run stopper, but it is terrible vs the pass.

 

[dryheat44]

Yep, sorry. Bouncing inside and out from the heat.

The 5-3 is a great HS run stopper, but it is terrible vs the pass.

My thinking is to spread out the line of scrimmage to make it harder for the Vick's and Young's to get around the outside. You would need to play some version of Cover 3, perhaps with a strong-side DB cheating towards the line with the weakside OLB dropping into a wide zone.

The offensive would probably counter by keeping the QB in and running more short patterns and screens and misdirections.

That's the beauty of football. Innovations come in on offense, and than innovations come in on defense to nullify that, so the offensive guys have to innovate something else. In time they'll be back to running wing-T plays.

 

[TripleOption]

My thinking is to spread out the line of scrimmage to make it harder for the Vick's and Young's to get around the outside. You would need to play some version of Cover 3, perhaps with a strong-side DB cheating towards the line with the weakside OLB dropping into a wide zone.

The offensive would probably counter by keeping the QB in and running more short patterns and screens and misdirections.

That's the beauty of football. Innovations come in on offense, and than innovations come in on defense to nullify that, so the offensive guys have to innovate something else. In time they'll be back to running wing-T plays.

With a 5-3, you are stuck with Cover 3 or Cover 1. If you "break the stack" and take an LB out of the box you are running a 5-2 (basically a 3-4) and you will get gashed off tackle all day long.

 

[zarakotas5]

10) Better kickers

This is one I'm interested in. I'm a little surprised that more players aren't combining the K/P role.

I'm not demeaning the roles of either, but I can't quite believe that the two can't be combined in the future. Saving the roster spot would be a small change with tactical dividends.

 

[mgteich]

Actually, I want kickers to become better at kicking skills, especially directional kicking and on-sides kicks. A kicker should be able to kicking it away from a Hester. He should be able to drop more within the 10 and more out of bounds.

This is one I'm interested in. I'm a little surprised that more players aren't combining the K/P role.

I'm not demeaning the roles of either, but I can't quite believe that the two can't be combined in the future. Saving the roster spot would be a small change with tactical dividends.

 

[gomezcat]

Actually, I want kickers to become better at kicking skills, especially directional kicking and on-sides kicks. A kicker should be able to kicking it away from a Hester. He should be able to drop more within the 10 and more out of bounds.

Definitely. There are plenty of guys in Rugby who can kick the ball into the coffin corner or thereabouts, as a way of putting the opponents under pressure. They kick the ball lower and go for distance rather than height.

 

[gomezcat]

This is one I'm interested in. I'm a little surprised that more players aren't combining the K/P role.

I'm not demeaning the roles of either, but I can't quite believe that the two can't be combined in the future. Saving the roster spot would be a small change with tactical dividends.

Again, to use Rugby as an analogy, it is usually the case that the goalkicker and one of the guys doing the "punting" are the same person.

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

I'm in complete agreement with a previous poster who predicted there will be less and less physical contact and violence permitted in the future. Hell, if the fundamental nature of football were left to the likes of Bill Polian and Mikey Martz, physical contact would be outlawed entirely, players would shed the pads in favor of leotards and yoga warm-ups, and the likes of Apollo Ono and Brian Boytano would serve as proud poster boys of a newer, more sensitive league.

Dannyboy would finally secure season tickets. In two weeks, however, they'd be revoked due to his repeated offense of trying to smuggle beer into the stadium in a eye-drop dispenser and find himself tasered by security amid the ordeal. He'd eventually be banned also from Patsfans by the mods who finally tire from his same rant over the taser incident after 17 years of daily, broken record postings.

 

[zarakotas5]

Definitely. There are plenty of guys in Rugby who can kick the ball into the coffin corner or thereabouts, as a way of putting the opponents under pressure. They kick the ball lower and go for distance rather than height.

There is an interesting idea....

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

Dannyboy would finally secure season tickets. In two weeks, however, they'd be revoked due to his repeated offense of trying to smuggle beer into the stadium in a eye-drop dispenser and find himself tasered by security amid the ordeal. He'd eventually be banned also from Patsfans by the mods who finally tire from his same rant over the taser incident after 17 years of daily, broken record postings.

I was wrong.
It only took three days of his postings since the above post.
A pity he wasn't tasered though.