Originally Posted by
RuthlessBurgher
Look at our opponents this year, and think about whether it would be prudent to sacrifice potential open lanes for running backs in favor getting more pressure in the passing game. Who scares you more, the RB or QB for each team?
Tennessee. Chris Johnson over Jake Locker and it isn't close. Would much rather two-gap than one-gap here.
Cincinnati. A.J. Green is a bona fide elite weapon and they have a couple of quality TE's too, but Dalton is more of a game manager type. Cincy can win games with a nasty defense and a solid running game (and they added the potentially electric Gio Bernard to complement the plodding Law Firm). Gimme the two-gap here as well.
Chicago. Cutler to Marshall puts up numbers, but their offense revolves around the versatile Matt Forte (with Michael Bush complementing him). Two-gap.
Minnesota. Adrian Peterson over Christian Ponder and it isn't close. Would much rather two-gap than one-gap here.
New York. Chris Ivory isn't a world beater, but he's better than Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith with no one to throw to. Two-gap.
Baltimore. Flacco flourished in the playoffs when his go-to guys were Boldin and Pitta. They are both gone now, and Torrey Smith is essentially a poor man's Mike Wallace. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce are more dangerous. Two-gap.
Oakland. Darren McFadden over Matt Flynn. Two-gap.
New England. Brady is obviously always dangerous no matter what, but Welker and Hernandez are gone and who knows where Gronkowski will be in early November. They already run the ball more than people think (Ridley had over 1250 rushing yards and 12 rushing TD's last year), and they also plan to use Shane Vereen more creatively this year to make up for some of the talent lost. While Brady is your focus, obviously, you still have to respect the run.
Buffalo. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson over Kevin Kolb and E.J. Manuel. Two-gap.
Detroit. The Lions throw the ball more than anyone (Stafford threw the ball 727 times last season, and has over 10,000 passing yards in the last 2 seasons). When you have Calvin Johnson at your disposal, who can blame you? But they did bring in Reggie Bush this offseason, giving them a threat in backfield for the first time since Jahvid Best's concussions got the better of him. While the passing game is your focus, obviously, you still have to respect the run.
Cleveland. Trent Richardson over Brandon Weeden and it isn't close. Would much rather two-gap than one-gap here.
Miami. Lamar Miller is somewhat of an unknown in the Miami backfield, but Ryan Tannehill hasn't exactly established himself fully in the league either. Teams with developing QB's often run to set up the pass, though, so two-gap makes sense here.
Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is obviously the man, but the Pack added Eddie Lacy and Jonathan Franklin in the draft, so the offense shouldn't be as one-sided as it has been in the recent past. While Rodgers is your focus, obviously, you still have to respect the run.
So, to recap, it seems to me like will be facing more potentially dominant RB's than we will truly elite passers this year (and I think that it is still important to respect the run, even when facing the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady).
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