Continued Sissification of the NFL

[NorthCoast]

Spinning a ball in front of the defender is a penalty?!?

Coaches whining that their 'read option' QBs are being hit too much.

Incidental helmet contact is a personal foul?!?!

Is this really professional football we are watching?!?

[fordfixer]

Spinning a ball in front of the defender is a penalty?!?

Coaches whining that their 'read option' QBs are being hit too much.

Incidental helmet contact is a personal foul?!?!

Is this really professional football we are watching?!?
Not any more

[SidSmythe]

I actually thought you were going to mention the "thunderstorm" delays in this thread. the fans are tougher than the players.

[birtikidis]

Well it's rare to see men in an NFL commercial. Now it's women in every one. what'd you expect? Course female fans want tougher than what Rog is giving them.

[papillon]

Spinning a ball in front of the defender is a penalty?!?

Coaches whining that their 'read option' QBs are being hit too much.

Incidental helmet contact is a personal foul?!?!

Is this really professional football we are watching?!?

It hasn't been professional football for a few years now and it is going to get worse and IMHO, within a few generations the game will be a thing of the past. You have current players saying they won't allow their kids to play football, so even in its current softer version the players are realizing the dangers of the game.

Pappy

[flippy]

I bet they once had the same conversations about the pussification of the gladiators in the roman colosseum. On a positive, it took over 200 years for these contests to fade away. So we should be ok with some version of the NFL for the rest of our lifetime.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

The pussification of the NFL? The game is becoming a direct reflection of its commissioner.

[RussBII]

I honestly blame the advent of Fantasy Football for a lot of this. The NFL has read into the HUGE participation numbers for FF. Rightly or wrongly they think that fans want more scoring. So they come up with all these rules making it impossible for defenses to dominate.

Bah!

[flippy]

I honestly blame the advent of Fantasy Football for a lot of this. The NFL has read into the HUGE participation numbers for FF. Rightly or wrongly they think that fans want more scoring. So they come up with all these rules making it impossible for defenses to dominate.

Bah!

I dunno. I watched the Seattle/SF game last night and Seattle's D dominated and pretty potent O. I think there's still a place for great D and the teams with the best D's will continue to win championships, even while everyone else focuses on bettering their O.

[BlitzTo7]

Defense hasn't been fazed out, it's job is different. It's no longer about yards allowed, it's about forcing turnovers and putting up points or setting up the offense with a short field.

[feltdizz]

I dunno. I watched the Seattle/SF game last night and Seattle's D dominated and pretty potent O. I think there's still a place for great D and the teams with the best D's will continue to win championships, even while everyone else focuses on bettering their O.

yep.. 5-0 at halftime? Seattle put on a clinic on defense.

My beef is all the flags... I watched a few games yesterday and it seemed like every other incompletion has a flag.. like there has to be a reason a pass wasn't completed

[Sugar]

I dunno. I watched the Seattle/SF game last night and Seattle's D dominated and pretty potent O. I think there's still a place for great D and the teams with the best D's will continue to win championships, even while everyone else focuses on bettering their O.

That was pretty amazing. After week one, everyone spoke like CK was the new evolution in the NFL. Seattle just showed how to get it done with great D. They are going to be formidable this year.

[Ghost]

yep.. 5-0 at halftime? Seattle put on a clinic on defense.

My beef is all the flags... I watched a few games yesterday and it seemed like every other incompletion has a flag.. like there has to be a reason a pass wasn't completed

Totally agree. Some games are almost unwatchable b/c of something being called almost every play. The flow of the game is destroyed. If not the Steelers, I've turned game off because 3 or 4 plays take 15 minutes, with a damn commercial every time a flag is thrown.

[Sugar]

Totally agree. Some games are almost unwatchable b/c of something being called almost every play. The flow of the game is destroyed. If not the Steelers, I've turned game off because 3 or 4 plays take 15 minutes, with a damn commercial every time a flag is thrown.

That's why I use the DVR to instantly forward past all the junk.

[papillon]

That was pretty amazing. After week one, everyone spoke like CK was the new evolution in the NFL. Seattle just showed how to get it done with great D. They are going to be formidable this year.

Or, maybe Kaepernik and Wilson aren't everything the media wants them to be in their second year. They had success last year, yes, but I still have faith in defensive coordinators that given time they will come up with an answer to anything an offense wants to throw at them. I still think the read option will die on the vine as the hits pile up and defensive coordinators devise ways to stop that particular style of offense. It's not surprising (at least not to me) that the best quarterbacks in the game are drop back passers that can do one of two things read the defense quickly and make a decision or move in the pocket just enough to be able to make the final read and then a decision.

Even though RG III put up good numbers yeaterday, Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy were talking about him potentially be benched if his play doesn't improve over the next game or two. Chip Kelly and his high flying circus will meet the same fate, maybe not this year, but at some point. We'll see how it all plays out.

Pappy

[flippy]

That was pretty amazing. After week one, everyone spoke like CK was the new evolution in the NFL. Seattle just showed how to get it done with great D. They are going to be formidable this year.

Not to mention, Seattle can run the ball. Hmm, running and defense both seem to work if you get good players who can execute.

[BlitzTo7]

Not to mention, Seattle can run the ball. Hmm, running and defense both seem to work if you get good players who can execute.

Isaac Redman isn't Marshawn Lynch. Hell, Le'Veon Bell isn't even Marshawn Lynch, especially coming off of an injury. Also, the Seahawks defense gets turnovers. The Steelers defense doesn't.

[Slapstick]

Isaac Redman isn't Marshawn Lynch. Hell, Le'Veon Bell isn't even Marshawn Lynch, especially coming off of an injury. Also, the Seahawks defense gets turnovers. The Steelers defense doesn't.

It's the combo of offense and defense...

The defense gets TOs because the offense can run the ball...that shortens the game and forces the O to take more chances, leading to more TOs...

Our offense was so inept last week, the Titans were able turtle up and still win the game...their offense didn't play particularly well nor efficiently...just better than our offense...

[BlitzTo7]

It's the combo of offense and defense...

The defense gets TOs because the offense can run the ball...that shortens the game and forces the O to take more chances, leading to more TOs...

Our offense was so inept last week, the Titans were able turtle up and still win the game...their offense didn't play particularly well nor efficiently...just better than our offense...

Saying "defenses can't force turnovers because the offense didn't run the ball" is outdated thinking. Look around the NFL Slapstick, time of possession and rushing yards have never meant less, yet other teams defenses are still better at forcing turnovers than the Steelers. Besides, the offense was top 5 in TOP in 2011 and 2012 and the defense still couldn't get turnovers. For a team that spends most of it's money on defense, you need to stop trying to blame the offense for all of the defense's short-comings. And no, by no means am I saying this offense is great (far from it), but to blame the defense's lack of turnovers on the offenses is just beyond foolish.

The reason the defense doesn't force turnovers is because they play scared in the secondary. There's always huge cushioning space between the Steelers DBs and the other teams WRs. Playing safe or "tackling the catch" gets you nowhere in today's NFL.

I bet that's a reason why Steeler fans loved the idea of "dink-and-dunk." They saw other teams do it to the Steelers so often, so they figure if the Steelers do it they'll be just as successful. Wrong. Other teams defenses, while maybe not as great statistically, are much more aggressive than the Steelers' defense. They press against the Steelers' WRs and don't give them the space to dink-and-dunk. Since the Steelers let go of their last deep threat, and won't let the potential new one (Wheaton) play because he's a rookie, dink-and-dunk has no chance to work for the Steelers.

[phillyesq]

Saying "defenses can't force turnovers because the offense didn't run the ball" is outdated thinking. Look around the NFL Slapstick, time of possession and rushing yards have never meant less, yet other teams defenses are still better at forcing turnovers than the Steelers. Besides, the offense was top 5 in TOP in 2011 and 2012 and the defense still couldn't get turnovers. For a team that spends most of it's money on defense, you need to stop trying to blame the offense for all of the defense's short-comings. And no, by no means am I saying this offense is great (far from it), but to blame the defense's lack of turnovers on the offenses is just beyond foolish.

The reason the defense doesn't force turnovers is because they play scared in the secondary. There's always huge cushioning space between the Steelers DBs and the other teams WRs. Playing safe or "tackling the catch" gets you nowhere in today's NFL.

I bet that's a reason why Steeler fans loved the idea of "dink-and-dunk." They saw other teams do it to the Steelers so often, so they figure if the Steelers do it they'll be just as successful. Wrong. Other teams defenses, while maybe not as great statistically, are much more aggressive than the Steelers' defense. They press against the Steelers' WRs and don't give them the space to dink-and-dunk. Since the Steelers let go of their last deep threat, and won't let the potential new one (Wheaton) play because he's a rookie, dink-and-dunk has no chance to work for the Steelers.

The idea that the Steelers secondary always plays with a cushion is a myth. For example, there was no cushion on Thomas in the Denver playoff game against Tebow.

The Steelers have been more aggressive in coverage since Lewis and Allen both showed that they were up to the task.

I think a lot of the lack of turnovers is due to the lack of pressure. The Steelers didn't force a turnover last week, but they got close on a couple.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I was shocked, after all the hubbub this offseason about the leading with the helmet rule, that Brandon Meriweather was not flagged when he knocked Eddie Lacy out of the game with a concussion because of an earhole shot from the crown of his helmet. Karma struck quickly, though, because when Meriweather tried to knock out another Packer RB, James Starks, with a helmet-to-helmet shot, this time, his knocked himself the #&@% out!

[flippy]

Saying "defenses can't force turnovers because the offense didn't run the ball" is outdated thinking. Look around the NFL Slapstick, time of possession and rushing yards have never meant less, yet other teams defenses are still better at forcing turnovers than the Steelers. Besides, the offense was top 5 in TOP in 2011 and 2012 and the defense still couldn't get turnovers. For a team that spends most of it's money on defense, you need to stop trying to blame the offense for all of the defense's short-comings. And no, by no means am I saying this offense is great (far from it), but to blame the defense's lack of turnovers on the offenses is just beyond foolish.

The reason the defense doesn't force turnovers is because they play scared in the secondary. There's always huge cushioning space between the Steelers DBs and the other teams WRs. Playing safe or "tackling the catch" gets you nowhere in today's NFL.

I bet that's a reason why Steeler fans loved the idea of "dink-and-dunk." They saw other teams do it to the Steelers so often, so they figure if the Steelers do it they'll be just as successful. Wrong. Other teams defenses, while maybe not as great statistically, are much more aggressive than the Steelers' defense. They press against the Steelers' WRs and don't give them the space to dink-and-dunk. Since the Steelers let go of their last deep threat, and won't let the potential new one (Wheaton) play because he's a rookie, dink-and-dunk has no chance to work for the Steelers.

I think he was just saying when an offense is under pressure to score and takes more chances to do so, there become more errors which lead to turnovers. But no one has to take chances against us if we can't either get a big lead or put the fear of God in teams that we can score at will so they feel pressured to score. Our lack of success on offense leads to more conservative play against us. And the opportunity for mistakes goes down with it.

Sure the D has responsibility to make things happen. But it seems more opportunities comes for better offenses. It's a whole cycle that works together and makes the better teams better and the worse teams worse.

[flippy]

The idea that the Steelers secondary always plays with a cushion is a myth. For example, there was no cushion on Thomas in the Denver playoff game against Tebow.

The Steelers have been more aggressive in coverage since Lewis and Allen both showed that they were up to the task.

I think a lot of the lack of turnovers is due to the lack of pressure. The Steelers didn't force a turnover last week, but they got close on a couple.

With Shark playing in the nickle, I'd expect seeing a lot of bumping of WRs at the LOS tonight.

[NorthCoast]

Saying "defenses can't force turnovers because the offense didn't run the ball" is outdated thinking. Look around the NFL Slapstick, time of possession and rushing yards have never meant less, yet other teams defenses are still better at forcing turnovers than the Steelers. Besides, the offense was top 5 in TOP in 2011 and 2012 and the defense still couldn't get turnovers. For a team that spends most of it's money on defense, you need to stop trying to blame the offense for all of the defense's short-comings. And no, by no means am I saying this offense is great (far from it), but to blame the defense's lack of turnovers on the offenses is just beyond foolish.

The reason the defense doesn't force turnovers is because they play scared in the secondary. There's always huge cushioning space between the Steelers DBs and the other teams WRs. Playing safe or "tackling the catch" gets you nowhere in today's NFL.

I bet that's a reason why Steeler fans loved the idea of "dink-and-dunk." They saw other teams do it to the Steelers so often, so they figure if the Steelers do it they'll be just as successful. Wrong. Other teams defenses, while maybe not as great statistically, are much more aggressive than the Steelers' defense. They press against the Steelers' WRs and don't give them the space to dink-and-dunk. Since the Steelers let go of their last deep threat, and won't let the potential new one (Wheaton) play because he's a rookie, dink-and-dunk has no chance to work for the Steelers.


umm... what more do you want from a defense besides being top 5 in the NFL in scoring defense for the last 3 yrs. Seems that is the definition of a defense. Meantime, the offense continues to gift opponents with turnovers. Oh wait, you're one of those guys that thinks the defense needs to score to make up for the shabby Offensive...

[BlitzTo7]

umm... what more do you want from a defense besides being top 5 in the NFL in scoring defense for the last 3 yrs. Seems that is the definition of a defense. Meantime, the offense continues to gift opponents with turnovers. Oh wait, you're one of those guys that thinks the defense needs to score to make up for the shabby Offensive...

Again, more outdated thinking. Defense in today's NFL is no longer about yards allowed, it's about turnovers and splash plays. It's about setting up the offense with shorter fields so more points can be scored. Yards allowed is a stat, nothing more. Turnovers change field position and lead to more points for. You can complain endless and write Roger Goodell nasty letters, but that's how it is today.

And do keep in mind the Steelers spend more money on defense than offense. So following that logic, shouldn't the defense be asked to do more?

[Djfan]

I was shocked, after all the hubbub this offseason about the leading with the helmet rule, that Brandon Meriweather was not flagged when he knocked Eddie Lacy out of the game with a concussion because of an earhole shot from the crown of his helmet. Karma struck quickly, though, because when Meriweather tried to knock out another Packer RB, James Starks, with a helmet-to-helmet shot, this time, his knocked himself the #&@% out!

It was announced today that he gets suspended.

Still, the NFL is no longer the sport I fell in love with. Honestly, tonight's game is the first one I have watched this year including preseason. It's just lame.

Glad hockey is back. And this hunting season is working out so well.

[Discipline of Steel]

Pussification has reached disgusting proportions. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/23578415/nfl-week-1-had-more-td-passes-than-any-week-ever-in-league-history Week 1...NFL quarterbacks combined to throw 63 touchdown passes in Week 1, the most touchdowns thrown in any week ever in NFL history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/elias?date=20130910). The previous record was 58 and that had happened twice before: in Week 13 of 2004 and Week 17 of 2007. Week 1 also set the record for most total passing yards in a week in NFL history as the league's quarterbacks combined to throw for 8,143 yards. That broke the record of 7,946 yards set in Week 2 of 2011... during the 1970's there were only five 400-yard passing games in the entire decade. There were three in Week 1.