...by way of all the ridiculous rules and administration of them against defensive players (i.e. targeting and pass interference) has resulted in no defense being played by anyone this year....
if Ohio State and/or some Big 10 team comes in and actually starts playing defense, they will rule the world....
unfortunately, and it makes sadgator sick to say it, the one team poised to actually play any semblance of defense in our league is UGA. We’ll see how they do next week...
On the other hand...games were tremendously entertaining yesterday...especially that OU-Texas game...
You might be right, I don't know what it is. Probably a variety of things but the pussy rules may be a factor.
I brought up the names Todd Johnson and Marquand Manuel in another thread. Remember those two? This day in age they would be suspended every other game. Especially Todd Johnson. He put his helmet to busting a WR coming over the middle or a smaller sizes RB who got past the LBers.
That play Lawrence Wright put on the UT WR these days would be a first down for Tennessee and Wright in the locker room. Also remember when Andra Davis(I believe) knocked out Tee Martin's tooth by knocking his ass into the camera man? These days the offensive drive would still be alive.
However that is a small factor. I'll tell you what happened to defenses. You now have to account for 6 skilled players.
- Offenses usually use 3 WRs every single play, sometimes up to 4 to 5. In the past years it was one, a few times 2, 3 was a rarity. A team would be fine with a depth chart of 7 WR's on the roster, now you roll 5 out on the field.
- The FB is a rarity. The assignments of some LBers were to key in on the FB first. Instead of a borderline chubby dude with a little speed who had the assignment of carrying for 3 yards and a cloud of dust or be a blocker for the lead back they have eliminated that position and put a more skilled player on the field. No more neck role wearing MLB assingned to the 4.87 40 RB. He has to worry about another 4.5 40 guy.
- The evolution of the skilled TE. Tell me a TE remotely similar from the 90's remotely similar to the skill set of Kyle Pitts. Back then players with Pitts speed and size were OLBers. Now the game has evolved into taking advantage of their skills on moving the ball. Back then TE's were undersized OL with good hands and a tiny bit of speed. This not only makes the defense have to account for a player with this skill set this also takes away from the talent of what use to be a damn good OLB.
- The evolution of the Duel Threat QB. (I wish they would have had these offenses in my days) Now you don't have many slow footed statues taking snaps. Even Trevor Lawrence, Matt Corrall, Kyle Trask, and others can halfway run the ball. Did you ever worry about Jay Barker or Peyton Manning picking up a first down on 2nd and 4 with their feet? Now you have fast athletes you have to account for in the running game. Back in the days, these guys were CB's or FS's. Back then besides the Nebraska's of the world or the teams who ran some wishbone, flex one, option I, etc didn't have the pure athlete at QB. The Mike Vick's, Randall Cunningham's, Donovan McNabbs, were a delicicy...now they are 10 out of 12 teams per conference. Seriously think, Felipe Franks and Jeff Driskel would have either been TE's or on defense. Now one is in the NFL and the other is starting for his second SEC team.
In summary, you have to have an overload of skilled talent on the offensive side of the ball and it takes away from the defensive side of the ball. Many kids who would normally be DB's and LBers are now playing offense. If not for P5 schools they are using their talents at non P5 schools.
Look up the name Darrell Henderson, former All American, All AAC RB, plays for the Rams. I asked him if any SEC schools recruited him. He told me Saban and Bama talked to him heavily about being a DB. He said he hadn't played full-time at DB since like the 9th grade, that he knew he was a legit RB. So therefore he took his RB talents to another team and got himself into the NFL by doing such. Back in the early 00's and beyond he would have been a DB like Guss Scott or something. Players like Kardarious Toney would have put on defense, instead he is scoring TD's. If somebody like Lito Sheppard came up these days, he'd be on offense.
So in simple terms, offenses traded in the FB and old prototype TE and QB and now need 4.5 guys at 5 different positions. Tell me who benefitted, offense or defense?
