The pendulum has been in the offense’s favor for over 17 years now.
It’s time for the pendulum to swing back in the defense’s favor.
In 2004, the NFL cracked down on pass interference and illegal contact, pretty much extinguishing the physical cornerback from the game. That rule change led to the current NFL, which sees high-flying offense sling it all over the yard.
There have been 88 300-yard passing games this year — and that’s including Andy Dalton’s 317-yard showing at Detroit on Thanksgiving. Heck, rookie Davis Mills has two 300-yard games for the apathetic Texans.
I get it. The NFL treats the game like a TV show. And the best way to get eyeballs from the casual fan is to make scoreboards use every wattage of electricity. The casual fan craves offense because if they sit down and see a 35-31 game or a 13-10 contest, which one do you think they are going to watch?
But does that make the game better?
Tom Brady was shut out for the first time in 15 years vs. New Orleans on Sunday. But the main story coming out of that game is how Brady wants the rules to be changed. He thought that the tackle that caused Chris Godwin’s right ACL to tear was illegal and wants to talk to the competition committee about it in the offseason. But like Brady mentions below, the reason so many penalties are being called is due to offensive mistakes.
The question is, what is there to talk about? The reason why so many defensive players are tackling low is because they cannot go high anymore for fear of helmet-to-helmet contact coupled with a penalty and a potential league fine.
Remember when former Packers safety Chuck Cecil would lick his chops when he saw someone come over the middle? He let the opposing team know that if you come across the middle, prepare to pay for it. Obviously, Cecil took it a step or three too far at times, but just think if that kind of play happened now?
Those days are sadly gone. And don’t even get me started on the quarterback. It seems like whenever the quarterback hits the ground now, he is scanning the turf to see if there is yellow laundry on the field. There have been more egregious roughing the passer penalties in the last couple seasons than I want to remember.
I understand that the quarterback is the most important player in all of sports, but that doesn’t make him impervious to injury. He is playing the game like anyone else on the field. And it’s pretty much impossible for a guy built like Aaron Donald who’s 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, to pull up a moment before the quarterback lets go of the ball.
The game is being played on another level right now. Players are bigger, stronger and faster. Offenses are getting more and more complex. There’s a reason why Brady can conceivably play into his 50s and it’s because he rarely gets touched.
We all want to celebrate Cooper Kupp for getting 122 catches. He’s a solid receiver, but with defensive backs not being able to do much, 160 is completely attainable. The record that really stands out to me is Marvin Harrison’s 143 catches in 2002. He had to scratch, claw and basically fight to get open.
The NFL cares a lot about the bottom line. That is evident in the Thursday, Sunday, Monday and Saturday slate at the end of the season.
But when is it time to worry about the game itself? How much offense is too much?
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on “Clubhouse Live” and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn