It's a passing league, but...

[AKM311]

I agree that the running game can lead you to wins and be a very competitive team.

However, the Broncos comparison doesn't work for me. No way does the game plan they have work in the long run. Just like the wildcat, it will disappear within a year or so. Defenses will catch up to it and **** it down.

But as someone else pointed out, it all comes down to the OL. Our OL sucks and until that gets better (most likely this offseason) we will continue to look like a High School offense.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

the broncos are a joke. theyve won 2 lucky games, and once teams figure out how to go against the option, theyre going to lose big time.

the 49ers are the typical team that gets through the regular season with a mediocre QB, awesome run game, and a great defense. they will lose in the playoffs to brees, rodgers, or eli if he gets another crack at it. that team knows it cant sustain these type of wins. theyre also the luckiest team in the league in terms of injuries, i dont think theyve lost a single starter on either line, at LB, or the secondary. their biggest injury is frank gores ankle being sore.

[illone]

If you're buying into Denver's offense then I have some beach front property in Arizona for sale at a great price.

[No_Pressure]

I personally feel San Fran will be bye-week team that will lose in their first playoff game. UNLESS, Smith has progressed to where he can be "the man". In the playoffs defenses do their best to make you one dimensional. IMO, stopping/slowing Frank Gore will put a lot of pressure on Smith, and I don't think he's come that far. JMO.

Reason it's a passing league is the officiating has been geared to make passing easier for the offense, and even tougher for the defense to defend. At several points in the playoffs, QBs will have to make plays, hence the reason game-managers rarely win Super Bowls (since 2000 IMO).

Doesn't every single team everywhere try to make you one dimensional in every game? Everybody seems to think that you can run just fine for 16 games and then you get to the playoffs and you can't run the ball anymore. I never said at any point that you don't have to have a competent QB and WR group, but you don't rely on them. I'm sure everyone remembers games where Gibbs' quarterbacks lit it up with great stats. That was likely because teams were stacking the box against the run. If you put 8 men in the box it isn't like Alex Smith is useless, he can make throws towards single coverage, just like every half decent QB in the NFL can.

Anybody could just as easily say that when pass happy teams get to the playoffs, teams will defend the pass and make them one dimensional. But of course if you take away one thing a team will hurt you with another. What is the difference really between a pass happy team that has a great QB and great WR's and a run happy team that has a great running back and great offensive linemen? Passing heavy teams typically can't pound the run extremely well. Running teams can't typically throw all over you extremely well. The idea I have a problem with is that you HAVE to be a pass happy team in today's NFL to win. I think that is the current trend and yes I'm aware of rules and ref. attitudes which have been made favoring the passing game. I still feel that the dynamics of clock control, wearing down the defense for 60 minutes, physically dominating the opposition, etc. still have value and still work, they just aren't being used like they once were.

Personally I'm a fan of the old wear down the defense so you can get the decisive score in the 4th type of game. I think a lot of fans want their team to be a pass happy team because it is more exciting. The close games when you pass are typically decided by a handful of big plays. I'd rather have a game which was decided by a whole lot of little plays.

[PeterMP]

I think it is very possible that right now you might be able to make a REALLY good team based primarily on being a good running team. It is about value.

Right now, most teams value the pass and stopping the pass. Almost by default that means other things are undervalued. You'd need almost an organizational decision and a long term goal and method to go that way.

[No_Pressure]

I think it is very possible that right now you might be able to make a REALLY good team based primarily on being a good running team. It is about value.

Right now, most teams value the pass and stopping the pass. Almost by default that means other things are undervalued. You'd need almost an organizational decision and a long term goal and method to go that way.

Thats my thinking. I think that we could call it the "Manning Model". Get a good WR, get a great QB, get a good LT, everything else on offense can be mediocre. Perhaps teams feel that when you hit on building a passing offense it is cheaper and easier to maintain than a running team, and that could be another explanation of why run heavy teams have declined over the past few years. To be a great running team you need all of your linemen to be top notch, you need a good running back, you probably want a good fullback, blocking TE's, and you still want a decent to good quarterback and a decent to good wide receiver. It costs more to build a run heavy team than to go with the Manning Model.

Deciding to be a powerful, physical run first team as an organization would be more difficult and less attractive than trying to hit the jackpot with at least 3 good offensive players needed for a good passing attack.

[grhqofb5]

It's very interesting seeing this all play out. Hard not to root for the guy, even though I know it can't last.

[skins island connection]

Burgold, you're better than that, c'mon man!

The statement of Rex being a Superbowl calibre qb almost caused me to fall out of my chair. If you recall, the Bears fans were booing him so loudly the announcers could barely hear each other.

If riding the back of a defense to the superbowl makes him a superbowl calibre qb, then I must be considered in the same catagory as Ron Jeremy, minus of course the telephone pole, and the fact that I never starred in a porno movie; that I KNOW of.

Players are smarter, bigger, and faster than they were in the 80's; thats why most of those schemes do not work in today's game. Mike's slant play, unless a rb has a quick cutback or reverses direction [ which they never do ], will work for the first 4-5 games, then teams figure out how to stop it. Thr run sets up the pass vs the pass sets up the run is the same; fooling the defenses is what its all about; selling routes, running plays as if they are getting the ball on every play, but players are too good for that; every once in awhile, a suck-ass team catches fire and wins alot of games, but they never try to improve on it; they continue riding the same play over and over, until teams start beating it, then they have no alternative plays to keep them on their toes.

Denver and T-BONE is a fluke, and his time is coming when a Ray Lewis drives him to China, and is nothing but a circus sideshow, giving that poor kid a false sense of "i'm th' man", but it will end, and the chants of "bench Bow" will radiate throughout the stadium, watch...

[PeterMP]

Thats my thinking. I think that we could call it the "Manning Model". Get a good WR, get a great QB, get a good LT, everything else on offense can be mediocre. Perhaps teams feel that when you hit on building a passing offense it is cheaper and easier to maintain than a running team, and that could be another explanation of why run heavy teams have declined over the past few years. To be a great running team you need all of your linemen to be top notch, you need a good running back, you probably want a good fullback, blocking TE's, and you still want a decent to good quarterback and a decent to good wide receiver. It costs more to build a run heavy team than to go with the Manning Model.

Deciding to be a powerful, physical run first team as an organization would be more difficult and less attractive than trying to hit the jackpot with at least 3 good offensive players needed for a good passing attack.

Right, but many of the positions you want to run the ball are "cheap" right now. Blocking TEs are much less values than dynamic pass catching TEs. Fullback as a position is disappearing.

Even run blocking interior OL are not valued as much as athletic edge pass blockers. Passing QBs are EXTREMELY highly valued.

(Though this is where for example the Broncos "messed up" if they want to go in that direction. They "spent" too much on Tebow. You have to get your QB for less than a 1st round pick.)

[NoCalMike]

The 49ers you see today were built through the draft sanz Carlos Rogers.

However they went through 3-4 seasons of being awful and took it like men. At the end of 4-12, 6-10 type seasons their front office didn't panic and try and go out and sign all the big name free agents available.

They used their bad seasons to turn them into draft picks and they used quality scouting to build their line and draft players like Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis etc etc....

I actually would say the 'Skins 2011 draft of Hankerson, Jarvis Jenkins, Ryan Kerrigan, Helu, Niles Paul etc etc....is probably the best draft overall they have had in awhile. but it takes more than one offseason to overhaul a team that has been mediocre in awhile. Remember, it is quite possible there are still sports on this team Shanahan wants to upgrade but it couldn't be done in a single offseason so he had to simply run with what he had (Rocky McIntosh anyone? Who now seems to have lost his spot to Perry Riley)

If this team truly wants to build through the draft, and Snyder is committed to Shanahan/Allen being the duo to do it, we as fans have to expect to be a sub .500 team for a few seasons and take those lumps in order to build a real machine here.

[KCClybun]

It's hard because right now, we don't pass block much better than we run block. If we did one better than the other, it'd be easier to lean on one more than the others. In order to determine a teams' offensive identity, you first need to know what your o-line is good at doing, and then you have to know what your quarterback is good at doing. Right now, on it's best day, our o-line is only average at either. But once you determine that identity, you have to work to that strength, a lot.

It'll take a little while longer until we have something to really hang our hat on.

[darrelgreenie]

They say it's a passing league, but teams are showing that there is more than one way to skin the pigskin.

It a 'passing league' because the current rules have made it easier then ever for QBs and WRs to have success in the passing game.

If a team has the personnel to take advantage of those rules to create a potent passing attack they're likely to beat an offense that doesn't.

But at the same time:

o a team should always play to their own strengths; there's no sense airing it out all game without the personnel or the scheme or the gameplan/playcalling to do so effectively

o an offense needs to be able to run the ball when they want; a running game is especially handy when it comes to safe i.e low risk means of closing out a game in 4 minute offense mode

[Chump Bailey]

They used their bad seasons to turn them into draft picks and they used quality scouting to build their line and draft players like Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis etc etc....

They signed Justin Smith as a FA whom the Bengals chose not to re-sign. I know what you're getting at though.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

The thing that the great run teams of the past that teams don't have today is the lack of free agency.

The 80s Hogs had 6 to 8 top-notch starters (as in, 5 great starters and 1-3 other guys who could be the best OL on a bunch of other teams). And that's just one example.

Now? You either have to pay 100 million with 30 mil in signing bonuses just for your GUARDS (Let's assume the Saints resign Nicks to a similar contract they signed Evans to) and then you have to worry about your tackles and center.

If we tried to build the Hogs again, we'd lose May and Bostic in free agency, pay Jacoby and Grimm 55 mil over 7 years with a 15 mil signing bonus and replace the others with mid-tier FAs or mid-round picks. No team in the NFL can afford that kind of line, so that's why you have to hit on a QB.

[CapnRedskins]

When Beck was playing it was very easy to take away the running game because they KNEW he wouldn't go down field and could constantly put 8-9 men in the box all game with little to no risk. Grossman can stretch the field a little but is still limited. In other words, the fact that we have no quarterback does affect our running game.

[88Comrade2000]

You need to be able to run the ball, but in passing league at some point you will have to be able to pass the ball.

In the NFC, things are trending towards a Packers- 49ers championship game. The Niners can keep it close but at the playoff level; I expect the Pack to win that game via passing when they need to.

You can compare Tebow and the Broncos to what the Dolphins did with the wildcat. Eventually, it will be figured out and they will do nothing. Denver isn't going anywhere near the playoffs and Tebow isn't an NFL calibur QB.

AS NFL gears the rules even more towards passing; what San Fran and Denver are doing this year won't work in the long run. You need to be able to do everything, when you need do it. Doesn't always work out that. The great teams usually find a way.

[tex]

Football today looks a lot different then it did 20 yrs ago. 20 yrs from now we may not even recognize it from what it is today. So what is the state of modern football and how do the Redskins compare? This is a huge topic so a complete detailed analysis is not entirely possible here but there are some major trends that can be mentioned.

Those talking about the rules changes are right on. The change on hitting defenseless receivers and penalizing defenders contacting wr’s downfield has tipped the scales. Moving the umpire behind the offense also favors the passing game. Most teams are now passing more than running and using the running backs as receivers more often.

So what else are teams doing to adapt? For starters having a smart efficient qb that doesn’t make mistakes with the football is paramount. Throwing windows are getting smaller so accuracy is a desirable trait as well. Teams are not throwing deep as much and tend to rely more on the short quick release passing game. Teams are passing to score points and to open up the running game then running the football to hold on to their lead and wind down the clock. Though running back tandems are on the increase teams still need a top shelf primary back complimented by a change of pace back. The running game is still important but how it is used is changing.

This is where it gets hard. Shanny’s play action scheme is based on running the ball to open up the pass, the opposite of where the modern game is trending. Shanny is following the trend using multiple backs but lacks that primary back so often found in the first and second rounds of the draft. The fact that Helu set a team record for catches shows that for that game, Shanny was trending with modern thinking by getting the backs more involved in the passing game. Teams are trending toward taller bigger receivers so drafting Hankerson shows that the Redskins are aligning with the modern game there as well. Rex has the quick release but is not smart with the football and creates turnovers whereas Beck is captain checkdown but is into the short passing game and is getting the ball to the running backs. Between the two of them they might make one decent qb. Football is trending towards more passing so a team’s best chance for great success is to have a quarterback that’s smart and efficient with wide receivers to match.

Would love to see the Skins take a qb and a wr with their first two picks of the 2012 draft.

[Darth Tater]

You need to be able to run the ball, but in passing league at some point you will have to be able to pass the ball.

In the NFC, things are trending towards a Packers- 49ers championship game. The Niners can keep it close but at the playoff level; I expect the Pack to win that game via passing when they need to.

You can compare Tebow and the Broncos to what the Dolphins did with the wildcat. Eventually, it will be figured out and they will do nothing. Denver isn't going anywhere near the playoffs and Tebow isn't an NFL calibur QB.

AS NFL gears the rules even more towards passing; what San Fran and Denver are doing this year won't work in the long run. You need to be able to do everything, when you need do it. Doesn't always work out that. The great teams usually find a way.

Thing is the wild cat was a gimmick while what Tebow is running is not. Big problem would not be that NFL defenses will figure it out, they don't really need to unless Denver builds a defense comparable to the Ravens of 2000, but that you are going to have a problem when your defense has a crap day. You also might have a problem when Tebow goes down because now you'll need to start running your gimmick offense.

[CRobi21]

If were gonna strive to be the Broncos were not too far off!

[Newera]

What's interesting is that Denver has adopted more of their offense to suit Tebow's skills. Which is smart. Instead of turning him into a "Traditional" NFL quarterback, make your offense more suited to what made him successful in college. It's hard for NFL teams to prepare for the scheme -- particularly with a quarterback is adept at running it. The more he plays, the better he's going to get. Interesting development in Denver. They're becoming a hard nosed team.

They kind of remind of San Fran. Solid teams, but not great teams. He's still going to have to get better at the passing game. The question is will he.

[CRobi21]

What's interesting is that Denver has adopted more of their offense to suit Tebow's skills. Which is smart. Instead of turning him into a "Traditional" NFL quarterback, make your offense more suited to what made him successful in college. It's hard for NFL teams to prepare for the scheme. The more he plays, the better he's going to get. Interesting development in Denver.

It was hard to prepare for the wildcat too.. Now look at all the teams running that offense.

[Newera]

The 49ers you see today were built through the draft sanz Carlos Rogers.

However they went through 3-4 seasons of being awful and took it like men. At the end of 4-12, 6-10 type seasons their front office didn't panic and try and go out and sign all the big name free agents available.

They used their bad seasons to turn them into draft picks and they used quality scouting to build their line and draft players like Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis etc etc....

I actually would say the 'Skins 2011 draft of Hankerson, Jarvis Jenkins, Ryan Kerrigan, Helu, Niles Paul etc etc....is probably the best draft overall they have had in awhile. but it takes more than one offseason to overhaul a team that has been mediocre in awhile. Remember, it is quite possible there are still sports on this team Shanahan wants to upgrade but it couldn't be done in a single offseason so he had to simply run with what he had (Rocky McIntosh anyone? Who now seems to have lost his spot to Perry Riley)

If this team truly wants to build through the draft, and Snyder is committed to Shanahan/Allen being the duo to do it, we as fans have to expect to be a sub .500 team for a few seasons and take those lumps in order to build a real machine here.

That's such a good point. San Fran has talent. Harbaugh is maximizing it. The key is patience. We need another good draft and offseason. Too bad about Hankerson.

[Burgold]

For those who pick on the Broncos comparison... that's one more notch in their belt for the running team. For the record, didn't watch the game so I don't know how the Broncos won, but I'm guessing it wasn't a Joe Montana/Tom Brady passing fest.

[DieselPwr44]

It still holds true in this league that the team that controls the line of scrimmage, wins the game.

Rodgers,Brady,Brees etc, can't hurt you if their butt is parked on the bench for 8-10 minutes a quarter.

[PeterMP]

It still holds true in this league that the team that controls the line of scrimmage, wins the game.

Rodgers,Brady,Brees etc, can't hurt you if their butt is parked on the bench for 8-10 minutes a quarter.

I'd guess given the speed at which some teams score and the way teams rotate their DL today that TOP is one of the least meaningful statistics out there.