Evolution and the NFL

[dead_poet]

I thought this was an excellent article and provides some support that a power running game like the Vikings employ might be actually more progressive than many think (and certainly not as "dated" and impossible to win with as has been a theme in recent years).

http://nflphilosophy.com/evolution-and-the-nfl/

[Eli]

There's a difference between progress and action/reaction, which is as innate as natural selection. The argument made in the article is that it can be expected as a natural counter to how defenses have physically morphed to better cover the passing game. When that happens, it would be expected that offenses would exploit the weakness.

While there may be a grain of truth to that, you have to ask: Would a team like the Vikings emphasize the running game without one of the best running backs in all of football? Would they do so if they had a competent passing attack? In the NFL, a team's approach is often as much a factor of the personnel on their side of the ball than of what's happening on the other side of it.

[S197]

I thought this was an excellent article and provides some support that a power running game like the Vikings employ might be actually more progressive than many think (and certainly not as "dated" and impossible to win with as has been a theme in recent years).

http://nflphilosophy.com/evolution-and-the-nfl/

To me the article is really stating that the "progressive" Patriots are getting rid of the fullback position and utilizing a power run game in a three wide receiver set, two things I don't see a lot from the Vikings. In other words, rather than being a pure spread offense, they're learning to evolve into a multifaceted attack.

I know the goal isn't to mimic the Patriots, as that would be the antithesis of creativity, but I don't think the Vikings are doing anything revolutionary that is evolving the way the game is played. The power run game has a lot of advantages, the main ones being eating up the clock and tiring out defenses when used correctly. However, with the talent level in the NFL being so close, games often come down to whomever has the last possession. In those cases, one of the strengths of the power run game (eat up the clock), now becomes somewhat of a detriment. When your offense is predicated on taking yardage in small chunks and 6-7 minute drives, it leaves you in a bit of a predicament when you have 2:00 left and need a TD. I think this is why we see NFL teams using spread offenses more these days while we will never see a team convert to something like the triple option.