By now you've heard it a million times; It's a Quarterback driven League. You have to be able to score a ton of points because the rest of the league is scoring a ton of points.
You would have guessed no one watched the SuperBowl. You know…the one where the greatest offense of all time was shut down by a great defense?
It's a story no one would write in hollywood because it's been so played out in the NFL.
They say the game has changed But they said that in 1980 too. You see in 1978 the rules changed far more drastic than they have recently. Before that year a defensive back could take the head off of a reciever and they couldnt do anything about it.
Than as is now..it took a few years for offenses to learn how to take advantage of this. Perhaps one of the biggest benefactors were the San Francisco 49ers who under new head coach Bill Walsh in 1979 instituted what would become known as the 'West Coast Offense'. Instead of running the ball 3.5 out of every 5 plays Walsh's 49ers used short high percentage passes to control the clock just as a running game would do.
Now…if a defender touched a Wide Reciever or a Back after 5 yards…pass interference was called and the offensive team got the ball where the infraction took place. It was an offenses dream and referees called it every time. Yes the rule hasnt changed since then but today the calls are not as frequent and new subrules have taken hold. Things like "if a defender is looking back for the ball" have all evolved over the years since 1978 to bring a sense of balance to the game.
In 1980 the passing game in the NFL was taking over. The Bucs who had the number one offense in 1979 with a 3-4 defense designed to stop the run finished near the bottom in '80 before head coach John McKay drafted linebacker Hugh Green who could drop back into coverage and take a slot Receiver or back or Tight End out of the equation. It was the decade of the QB. Think of all the QBs who became household names in the 80s! Not really enough room in this article.
"The Offense rules the game" They said that in 1999 too. The St.Louis Rams became the greatest show on turf…this was one year after the Minnesota Vikings broke the NFL scoring record in 1998 with a reciever trio made up of Jake Reed Chris Carter and Randy Moss. They were beaten in the NFC Championship game by the Falcons who took a page out of that years Bucs playbook (Tampa Bay was the only team to beat Minnesota in the 1998 regular season) and ran the ball- keeping the ball out of Randall Cunningham's hands. In 1999 the Ram's exploded onto the scene with everyday man Kurt Warner piloting an offense the NFL had never seen. A passing attack rivaled by the running of Marshal Faulk who was equally as dangerous as a pass catcher too!
The Rams would make it to and win the Super Bowl- but along the way they ran into and were almost stopped by a great defense; The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With 4 minutes to go in the game the Rams were losing 6 to 5. An NFC Championship game with the greatest offense ever created reduced to a safety and a FG. Finally with time running out a perfect pass was launched to 4th string WR Ricky Proell for the TD and an infamous incomplete pass that created its own rule in the NFL offenses legacy: The Bert Emmanuel Rule.
So just remember…the line "It's a QB driven league" and " You have to have offense to win in the NFL" are all phrases that have been envogue throughout the history of this league. But an even greater phrase perseveres every other decade or so….coming out of the woodwork to dispell the myths of the day about Quarterbacks and Offenses….
"Defense wins Championships"
Source: the 2013 Seattle Seahawks.
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