The storyline for Week 1 of the NFL was offense. Teams combined to throw for 8,143 yards and 63 touchdowns in Week 1, and eight games were high scoring. That’s the way NFL commissioner Roger Goodell likes it. But I miss the defense.
Goodell wanted the NFL to be all about offense when he was named the commissioner in 2006. He accomplished his objective by not allowing guys to hit players in the head or throw them in the ground on defense. He created rules for defensive players to not be aggressive on quarterbacks, and he does not want cornerbacks to clutch and grab receivers.
It’s no wonder quarterbacks have plenty of time to throw long passes or scramble for a first down. It’s no wonder receivers will get calls when a cornerback interferes with a receiver. It’s no wonder why no one bothers tackling considering they are worried about being fined by Goodell.
It’s a joke. It makes football unwatchable when guys can run to the end zone or first down without being hit.
Don’t tell that to football fans, though. They are all for the new rules. It was evident when football fans were vowed by the Eagles running 77 plays for 443 yards on Monday night. They tweeted with approval every time Eagles were running plays every five seconds with Eagles coach Chip Kelly running the hurry-up offense.
The focus on offense has created high ratings in the last few years, so Goodell’s supporters can say the commissioner’s strategy paid off.
That’s all well and good, but that’s not the way football should be played.
Growing up as a kid, I watched defensive players setting the tone for their team by beating up on the quarterback and wide receivers. Highlights were about offensive players getting hit frequently. It was more about what team would create more turnovers to win the game.
Quarterback play was a lost art back in the day. Coaches relied on the team’s defense and the running game to win games. Low-scoring games were the norm then. That got me intrigued into watching football.
It used to be high-scoring NFL games were blasphemy. Now, we have accepted it.
There’s no question there are so many good playmakers, but it helps quarterbacks are free to do what they want with no consequences. That’s why watching the NFL is like watching arena football.
It’s interesting football fans love this, but they would ridicule other sports for having high scoring games.
Would anyone tolerate high-scoring hockey games every night? Does 8-7 or 12-11 games suit anyone’s fancy? Hockey fans would be the first to say no.
Basketball fans would not be crazy watching games end at 130-127 on a daily basis.
Baseball fans would be sick of slugfests every game.
High scoring makes games unwatchable. No one wants to see guys score at will without earning it. In football, it has to be about perseverance and hard work for a player to score. Football should be about showing grit and toughness rather than teams playing finesse.
It’s alarming Patriots coach Bill Belichick has now focus on winning games by being more of an offensive mastermind. This is a coach that always put emphasis on defense. Who can blame him? If Goodell does not want any hitting, the future Hall of Fame coach has to adapt with the times.
It’s hard to believe Belichick endorses this. He has been a defensive guy in his entire career. He knows how football should be played. For him to change his approach, it’s depressing to watch.
Most coaches are not happy about it for sure. They know it’s going to be hard to stop quarterbacks and wide receivers from doing their thing when defensive players can’t do much against them. It should make teams wonder why field a defensive team anymore.
What made football appealing was quarterbacks being sacked or wide receivers being knocked down consciously. That’s what made the sport popular in the first place.
It’s understandable why Goodell is concerned about safety after so many players have had effects from concussion and hits all these years. That said, football is a violent sport. These guys signed up for it. They want to be gladiators. They want to be the guy that is the doing the grunt work in football. If they are so worried about safety, they shouldn’t play football.
It’s unheard of when players can score points with ease in football. This only happens in flag football, junior varsity football and arena football.
Football is dead as we know it. There’s no turning back now. Ratings and interest are at an all-time high now. Shootouts are here to say whether football purists like it or not.
If anyone wants to watch hard-hitting game, high school football is the way to go.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
