The entire NFL is on the verge of major change on offense (1 Viewer)

[bclemms]

Watching the games the first 3 weeks of the season and it is amazing how fast the cream rises. Over the past couple of decades NFL defenses have become much faster and more complex. Between zone blitz schemes, games on the dline, crowding the line and making a QB guess on blitz vs drop and tweener LB/S and CB/S starting to take root it has become a game of making the QB hold the ball an extra second to allow defenders to get home. Defense had to evolve to stop the pass. The way it ended up working out was by defenses figuring out how to slow the pass by stopping the run with 6-7 man fronts. It's becoming increasingly rare to see offenses line up and just drive the defense off the ball, particularly early in games.

Offense is starting to evolve to defeat the modern NFL defense and it doesn't take a lot of watching other games to figure it out. Teams that can run the ball can throw the ball. Teams that can't run the ball can't hold up in pass protection. This is more than just the talent level of the offensive line. 7 of the top 8 running teams in the NFL are using a tremendous amount of motion, they are using constant misdirection and they are using speed. San Fransisco, Miami and the Chiefs are prime examples. The goal of the offense is to no longer run over the other team, it is to get them moving the opposite direction of players with speed to open up everything else on offense. Sure, they still run the ball between the tackles but instead of running a basic draw they might line up a speedy WR opposite a speedy RB next to the QB in the gun. Another speedy WR may motion to fake a jet sweep with one of the speedsters in the backfield flare out to the opposite flat and the RB gets a draw up the middle while the receivers all run routes. The motion and misdirection is designed to make space, pulling players a few yards one way or another to create space for speedy players. It's like having ghosts block for you. The end result of the play is still a pretty basic draw play. Scheming one extra long TD a game is the difference between the best offenses in the NFL and the worst. The defensive line may blow it up, they may make the tackles for 3-4 yard gains but it increases the odds one player on defense being out of position. Next, offenses can use the same formation, the same motion and pass the ball. They are moving the safeties a few steps here, a few steps there to create space for receivers. The play design is moving LB's or making them hesitate. One step can mean the difference between a typical play and a long TD in the NFL. With so much speed on the offensive side of the ball, it just takes one wrong step by a safety or LB to turn a play into a race with a track star.

Once defenses get frustrated and can't stop the run the idea is no different than it was 20 years ago. Bring an extra person down into the box to help. Well, once that happens then it creates more space in the passing game. The best teams are scheming a couple really big plays a game more than the other team. Everyone looks at Tua and the Dolphins last week with this explosive offense. What people fail to see is that they ran the ball for 350 yards.

As the game progresses, defensive linemen get tired, they get frustrated and they are suddenly a step slower.

Watching these new offenses like the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Niners is like watching a dam stop flood water that never stops rising. That dam may hold it back for a time but the water is going to continuously look for a weak spot, erode away at the dam until the whole thing collapses. These teams can start slow and then suddenly throw a 21 point quarter up. The best part, is they are keeping their QB clean by helping their offensive line and by moving the chains, keeping their defense fresh.

We have started using these concepts with Taysom some so I know the coaches are capable. When AK comes back I expect it to be even more effective. We have the speed with Olave, Shaheed and AK. I would really like to see us start using these concepts all the time because it has become quite obvious we can not run the ball without them and it has become quite obvious we can not keep the defensive line off of the QB. Making a defensive end hesitate by thinking has the exact same effect as chipping them with an extra blocker, except now the extra blocker is running routes. We have to use every eligible receiver on every part of the field and start making defensive ends worry about contain as much as they are worried about eating the QB.

It's a copycat league, time to start copying.

 

[Nolan]

Good writeup. I definitely think there are still effective ways to move the ball and score points outside of this, but regardless I wouldn't expect any sort of change or copycat type of thing under this current staff. They'll scratch and claw to try and make this current offense work, unfortunately.

Hopefully next year we'll be able to hire an offensive coordinator who has a clear vision (innovative would be a nice bonus) and knows how to create a scheme with our existing talent as opposed to trying to force our current talent into an aged scheme.

 

[St. Geezy]

Watching the games the first 3 weeks of the season and it is amazing how fast the cream rises. Over the past couple of decades NFL defenses have become much faster and more complex. Between zone blitz schemes, games on the dline, crowding the line and making a QB guess on blitz vs drop and tweener LB/S and CB/S starting to take root it has become a game of making the QB hold the ball an extra second to allow defenders to get home. Defense had to evolve to stop the pass. The way it ended up working out was by defenses figuring out how to slow the pass by stopping the run with 6-7 man fronts. It's becoming increasingly rare to see offenses line up and just drive the defense off the ball, particularly early in games.

Offense is starting to evolve to defeat the modern NFL defense and it doesn't take a lot of watching other games to figure it out. Teams that can run the ball can throw the ball. Teams that can't run the ball can't hold up in pass protection. This is more than just the talent level of the offensive line. 7 of the top 8 running teams in the NFL are using a tremendous amount of motion, they are using constant misdirection and they are using speed. San Fransisco, Miami and the Chiefs are prime examples. The goal of the offense is to no longer run over the other team, it is to get them moving the opposite direction of players with speed to open up everything else on offense. Sure, they still run the ball between the tackles but instead of running a basic draw they might line up a speedy WR opposite a speedy RB next to the QB in the gun. Another speedy WR may motion to fake a jet sweep with one of the speedsters in the backfield flare out to the opposite flat and the RB gets a draw up the middle while the receivers all run routes. The motion and misdirection is designed to make space, pulling players a few yards one way or another to create space for speedy players. It's like having ghosts block for you. The end result of the play is still a pretty basic draw play. Scheming one extra long TD a game is the difference between the best offenses in the NFL and the worst. The defensive line may blow it up, they may make the tackles for 3-4 yard gains but it increases the odds one player on defense being out of position. Next, offenses can use the same formation, the same motion and pass the ball. They are moving the safeties a few steps here, a few steps there to create space for receivers. The play design is moving LB's or making them hesitate. One step can mean the difference between a typical play and a long TD in the NFL. With so much speed on the offensive side of the ball, it just takes one wrong step by a safety or LB to turn a play into a race with a track star.

Once defenses get frustrated and can't stop the run the idea is no different than it was 20 years ago. Bring an extra person down into the box to help. Well, once that happens then it creates more space in the passing game. The best teams are scheming a couple really big plays a game more than the other team. Everyone looks at Tua and the Dolphins last week with this explosive offense. What people fail to see is that they ran the ball for 350 yards.

As the game progresses, defensive linemen get tired, they get frustrated and they are suddenly a step slower.

Watching these new offenses like the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Niners is like watching a dam stop flood water that never stops rising. That dam may hold it back for a time but the water is going to continuously look for a weak spot, erode away at the dam until the whole thing collapses. These teams can start slow and then suddenly throw a 21 point quarter up. The best part, is they are keeping their QB clean by helping their offensive line and by moving the chains, keeping their defense fresh.

We have started using these concepts with Taysom some so I know the coaches are capable. When AK comes back I expect it to be even more effective. We have the speed with Olave, Shaheed and AK. I would really like to see us start using these concepts all the time because it has become quite obvious we can not run the ball without them and it has become quite obvious we can not keep the defensive line off of the QB. Making a defensive end hesitate by thinking has the exact same effect as chipping them with an extra blocker, except now the extra blocker is running routes. We have to use every eligible receiver on every part of the field and start making defensive ends worry about contain as much as they are worried about eating the QB.

It's a copycat league, time to start copying.

Excellent post. I have been preaching the same, just not in as detailed of a manner as you have here.

We are WAY behind modern offenses right now. I have said it before, but I feel like I am watching a higher level of the sport when watching several other teams play. We need to figure out how to duplicate what these teams do. You don't even have to have a super-mobile QB to pull it off, either.

SP's offense is outdated and really is only effective with a HOF passer. We need to get with the times and evolve, ASAP.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Watching the games the first 3 weeks of the season and it is amazing how fast the cream rises. Over the past couple of decades NFL defenses have become much faster and more complex. Between zone blitz schemes, games on the dline, crowding the line and making a QB guess on blitz vs drop and tweener LB/S and CB/S starting to take root it has become a game of making the QB hold the ball an extra second to allow defenders to get home. Defense had to evolve to stop the pass. The way it ended up working out was by defenses figuring out how to slow the pass by stopping the run with 6-7 man fronts. It's becoming increasingly rare to see offenses line up and just drive the defense off the ball, particularly early in games.

Offense is starting to evolve to defeat the modern NFL defense and it doesn't take a lot of watching other games to figure it out. Teams that can run the ball can throw the ball. Teams that can't run the ball can't hold up in pass protection. This is more than just the talent level of the offensive line. 7 of the top 8 running teams in the NFL are using a tremendous amount of motion, they are using constant misdirection and they are using speed. San Fransisco, Miami and the Chiefs are prime examples. The goal of the offense is to no longer run over the other team, it is to get them moving the opposite direction of players with speed to open up everything else on offense. Sure, they still run the ball between the tackles but instead of running a basic draw they might line up a speedy WR opposite a speedy RB next to the QB in the gun. Another speedy WR may motion to fake a jet sweep with one of the speedsters in the backfield flare out to the opposite flat and the RB gets a draw up the middle while the receivers all run routes. The motion and misdirection is designed to make space, pulling players a few yards one way or another to create space for speedy players. It's like having ghosts block for you. The end result of the play is still a pretty basic draw play. Scheming one extra long TD a game is the difference between the best offenses in the NFL and the worst. The defensive line may blow it up, they may make the tackles for 3-4 yard gains but it increases the odds one player on defense being out of position. Next, offenses can use the same formation, the same motion and pass the ball. They are moving the safeties a few steps here, a few steps there to create space for receivers. The play design is moving LB's or making them hesitate. One step can mean the difference between a typical play and a long TD in the NFL. With so much speed on the offensive side of the ball, it just takes one wrong step by a safety or LB to turn a play into a race with a track star.

Once defenses get frustrated and can't stop the run the idea is no different than it was 20 years ago. Bring an extra person down into the box to help. Well, once that happens then it creates more space in the passing game. The best teams are scheming a couple really big plays a game more than the other team. Everyone looks at Tua and the Dolphins last week with this explosive offense. What people fail to see is that they ran the ball for 350 yards.

As the game progresses, defensive linemen get tired, they get frustrated and they are suddenly a step slower.

Watching these new offenses like the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Niners is like watching a dam stop flood water that never stops rising. That dam may hold it back for a time but the water is going to continuously look for a weak spot, erode away at the dam until the whole thing collapses. These teams can start slow and then suddenly throw a 21 point quarter up. The best part, is they are keeping their QB clean by helping their offensive line and by moving the chains, keeping their defense fresh.

We have started using these concepts with Taysom some so I know the coaches are capable. When AK comes back I expect it to be even more effective. We have the speed with Olave, Shaheed and AK. I would really like to see us start using these concepts all the time because it has become quite obvious we can not run the ball without them and it has become quite obvious we can not keep the defensive line off of the QB. Making a defensive end hesitate by thinking has the exact same effect as chipping them with an extra blocker, except now the extra blocker is running routes. We have to use every eligible receiver on every part of the field and start making defensive ends worry about contain as much as they are worried about eating the QB.

It's a copycat league, time to start copying.

here's the fly in that ointment - colleges aren't really the training ground for a lot of what you predict will happen
more colleges still run the spread and the haves will probably continue to out-athlete the have nots
we have seen this effect most dramatically in oline play - college lineman are just not tasked to run block all that much
and now RBs, once the gems of offense, now serve a more utilitarian function - there are not enough lineman and there are too many RBs
i think what we will continue to see is teams finding the right balance of luck & skill in finding linemen and rbs who can do the things you suggest, but there won't be enough to faciliate and actual sea change

 

[Crawdaddys]

Agree with everything, especially the constant misdirection. It keeps defenders on their heels. You can add Jaguars to the list of teams that are good at this, to a slightly lower level.

 

[OldTimeGamer1966]

Excellent post. I have been preaching the same, just not in as detailed of a manner as you have here.

We are WAY behind modern offenses right now. I have said it before, but I feel like I am watching a higher level of the sport when watching several other teams play. We need to figure out how to duplicate what these teams do. You don't even have to have a super-mobile QB to pull it off, either.

SP's offense is outdated and really is only effective with a HOF passer. We need to get with the times and evolve, ASAP.

You need a offensive minded coach with creativity,vision and strategic objectives. We have a defensive minded coach that wants to play late 80's early 90's Dome Patrol defense and a Carl Smith offense.

Dennis Allen's way would work but it would take a second coming of the Dome Patrol to run but still would need a offense that is worlds better upfront. The offensive line is killing this team.

Kamara comes back so maybe just maybe he can help this line but Allen needs to be creative with Kamara so that will remain to be seen. So far it sounds like he has not totally figured how to use Alvin consistently game in and game out during a full season.

 

[SWJJ]

Excellent observation.

My son's middle school team lost last night. The team that beat them was undersized and less athletic, but used a lot of motion and misdirection. Another dad and I were talking about how we had seen more of that in College games this season and how well it's worked for the offenses using it. I haven't seen enough of the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Niners to identify that trend in the pros, but wholly agree that we should copycat it and implement it sooner rather than later.

 

[Walter White]

Watching the games the first 3 weeks of the season and it is amazing how fast the cream rises. Over the past couple of decades NFL defenses have become much faster and more complex. Between zone blitz schemes, games on the dline, crowding the line and making a QB guess on blitz vs drop and tweener LB/S and CB/S starting to take root it has become a game of making the QB hold the ball an extra second to allow defenders to get home. Defense had to evolve to stop the pass. The way it ended up working out was by defenses figuring out how to slow the pass by stopping the run with 6-7 man fronts. It's becoming increasingly rare to see offenses line up and just drive the defense off the ball, particularly early in games.

Offense is starting to evolve to defeat the modern NFL defense and it doesn't take a lot of watching other games to figure it out. Teams that can run the ball can throw the ball. Teams that can't run the ball can't hold up in pass protection. This is more than just the talent level of the offensive line. 7 of the top 8 running teams in the NFL are using a tremendous amount of motion, they are using constant misdirection and they are using speed. San Fransisco, Miami and the Chiefs are prime examples. The goal of the offense is to no longer run over the other team, it is to get them moving the opposite direction of players with speed to open up everything else on offense. Sure, they still run the ball between the tackles but instead of running a basic draw they might line up a speedy WR opposite a speedy RB next to the QB in the gun. Another speedy WR may motion to fake a jet sweep with one of the speedsters in the backfield flare out to the opposite flat and the RB gets a draw up the middle while the receivers all run routes. The motion and misdirection is designed to make space, pulling players a few yards one way or another to create space for speedy players. It's like having ghosts block for you. The end result of the play is still a pretty basic draw play. Scheming one extra long TD a game is the difference between the best offenses in the NFL and the worst. The defensive line may blow it up, they may make the tackles for 3-4 yard gains but it increases the odds one player on defense being out of position. Next, offenses can use the same formation, the same motion and pass the ball. They are moving the safeties a few steps here, a few steps there to create space for receivers. The play design is moving LB's or making them hesitate. One step can mean the difference between a typical play and a long TD in the NFL. With so much speed on the offensive side of the ball, it just takes one wrong step by a safety or LB to turn a play into a race with a track star.

Once defenses get frustrated and can't stop the run the idea is no different than it was 20 years ago. Bring an extra person down into the box to help. Well, once that happens then it creates more space in the passing game. The best teams are scheming a couple really big plays a game more than the other team. Everyone looks at Tua and the Dolphins last week with this explosive offense. What people fail to see is that they ran the ball for 350 yards.

As the game progresses, defensive linemen get tired, they get frustrated and they are suddenly a step slower.

Watching these new offenses like the Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Niners is like watching a dam stop flood water that never stops rising. That dam may hold it back for a time but the water is going to continuously look for a weak spot, erode away at the dam until the whole thing collapses. These teams can start slow and then suddenly throw a 21 point quarter up. The best part, is they are keeping their QB clean by helping their offensive line and by moving the chains, keeping their defense fresh.

We have started using these concepts with Taysom some so I know the coaches are capable. When AK comes back I expect it to be even more effective. We have the speed with Olave, Shaheed and AK. I would really like to see us start using these concepts all the time because it has become quite obvious we can not run the ball without them and it has become quite obvious we can not keep the defensive line off of the QB. Making a defensive end hesitate by thinking has the exact same effect as chipping them with an extra blocker, except now the extra blocker is running routes. We have to use every eligible receiver on every part of the field and start making defensive ends worry about contain as much as they are worried about eating the QB.

It's a copycat league, time to start copying.

Great write up and spot on in my opinion.

 

[Super]

I agree, and trends change with time and specific talents, but I’m pretty sure that teams that can run and pass well have always been up near the top of the league consistently regardless of the current trends in offense and defense

 

[Rouxble]

Here is the data through week three showing the effectiveness of motion and play action on efficiency, obviously not controlled for the team/players utilizing it.

 

[Nolan]

I actually do think our offense could be insane even in todays NFL - if we had prime Drew Brees behind center. That's who this thing was built around. Our biggest issue is that we're still calling plays as if he's back there. There's not a single quarterback in this league who is capable of doing that, so it's not really a jab at our guys.

But you look around the league and see the most successful quarterbacks, and how their coaches are playing to their strengths and putting them in the right position to succeed. And it's not just what guys like Shanahan and McDaniels are doing.

Josh Allen in Buffalo - they squeeze a lot of juice out of him being such a physical and fast dual threat, and when they're moving the ball on the ground, that's when we see his prolific arm talent.

Jalen Hurts in Philly - dude isn't a great drop back progression passer, but they grind teams out while running the two man game with the read option, and they're prolific on offense because of it. To bclemms point, they wear these defensive lines out and when they do need to be productive through the air, their quarterback has the time.

Joe Burrow in Cincy - obviously off to a rough start this year with him playing hurt, but in general you can see their body of work. They're playing in the shotgun most of the time and trusting Joe get it to the best matchup. And he gets it out fast. They'll poke, poke, and poke some more with some short timing routes and they eventually get their shots. It may not seem like a short pass game would be super effective to wear out a pass rush, but it actually is. These guys spend energy on every down. So what if it takes 8-10 plays to get to the endzone? By the time you get to middle to late 3rd quarter, if you've stayed patient enough and grinded them out, they won't be humming at your quarterback come 4th quarter.

But in New Orleans? We're just chilling here trying to bring things back to the good old days. Drew was able to win at the line of scrimmage most of the time, and eliminate reads before he even snapped the ball. It led to a 70%+ passer year in and year out because he always knew what was free and he always took what was free. We're not taking what's free and that's 100% on coaching.

 

[saint_drago]

Spot on op. Spot on. SP's system was all fine and good while we had Drew. Defenses knew what the Saints were going to do but they still couldn't stop it because we had the most accurate passer of a football in the history of mankind. On top of a first ballot HoF QB we had great interior O line play and great weapons for the system. We were able to run the ball if SP felt like it but he didn't always commit to the run. And with Drew Brees at QB, who can blame him?

The minute Drew retired our offensive approach needed to change. The things that worked with an all time great QB weren't going to work with just about any other QB. And when SP left it was time to completely overhaul the offense. It was like a restaurant losing it's founder and head chef. So the Sous-chef was handed the recipe book and was expected to keep everything going.

 

[dutar76]

But in New Orleans? We're just chilling here trying to bring things back to the good old days. Drew was able to win at the line of scrimmage most of the time, and eliminate reads before he even snapped the ball. It led to a 70%+ passer year in and year out because he always knew what was free and he always took what was free. We're not taking what's free and that's 100% on cocoaching.

There have been plays where Carr held the ball too long for whatever reason. He's also been stepping up in the pocket instead of running away from pressure.

But the main reason for the sacks, QB hits, and hurries looks to me like completely blown blocking asignments. WAY too many LBs and DLs getting straight to Carr clean. With literally nobody touching them.

Easy to blame coaching And playcalling, and the coaching does deserve it for sure... but linemen getting beat this bad consistently??? Some of thats gotta be on the players themselves. Im not sure how much better prime drew would be doing with the amount of pressure Carr is seeing. Maybe he'd do better setting presnap protections? IDK.

I dont really see the vanilla playcalling everybody keeps ranting about. What I see is defenses all but shutting down whatever play is called by tremendously whipping our OL. Hopefully we find an answer.

 

[cant]

This whole thread is amazing info. Great football minds in here.

Sadly, I see us using it some but I don’t have faith in Pete exploiting pre snap motion as much as he should.

Shaheed & Kamara are perfect chess pieces though, hopefully I’m wrong and Pete is capable.

 

[bclemms]

Here is the data through week three showing the effectiveness of motion and play action on efficiency, obviously not controlled for the team/players utilizing it.

I did not know these stats existed but it certainly confirms what i am seeing.