The quality of play in the NFL as a whole

[Jetstream Green]

It is just me, or does it seem like the quality of football now in the NFL is poor compared to 10 years ago. The progressive effects of free agency, injuries now under a microscope where slight injuries tend to rule a guy out, along with all the rule changes and the fact that proper NFL QBs are no longer developed in college. It seems like a bunch of broken plays and flags. Taking nothing away from the Seahawks compared to the rest of the league because they are the best at this juncture, but this Seahawk squad would not be a powerhouse 10 years ago. Twenty years ago none of these current 32 teams in my opinion would stand a chance against the playoff quality teams then. Maybe it is the style of football now which I just do not appreciate and they really are good teams...

 

[Shaggy]

Seahawks would be nothing with out Wilson. Bottom line. Dude is a stud and is the main reason they won the Super Bowl and are also on a hot streak this year. Seattle was nowhere near the team they are now before Wilson.

 

[NJCardFan]

It is just me, or does it seem like the quality of football now in the NFL is poor compared to 10 years ago. The progressive effects of free agency, injuries now under a microscope where slight injuries tend to rule a guy out, along with all the rule changes and the fact that proper NFL QBs are no longer developed in college. It seems like a bunch of broken plays and flags. Taking nothing away from the Seahawks compared to the rest of the league because they are the best at this juncture, but this Seahawk squad would not be a powerhouse 10 years ago. Twenty years ago none of these current 32 teams in my opinion would stand a chance against the playoff quality teams then. Maybe it is the style of football now which I just do not appreciate and they really are good teams...

10 years ago this Seahawk team is still competitive. But overall you're not wrong. Quality of play has fallen off for several reasons many of which you named. The league has been going in this direction for many years wanting more offense but the real issue is, and I find this the same issue with the NBA, are college players coming out too early. For example, Johnny Manziel needed to stay in college and hone his game. Look at him the past 2 weeks. He makes Lindley look good and the reason being is that he just isn't physically able to compete in the NFL. When players start coming out only 2 years in, if you think about it, they're only college juniors when they go pro. Sure there are some freaks of nature who can come out early and be ready for the pro game but Hershel Walkers are few and far between. You'll see it in Winston. He has the size and talent to be a pro but his mechanics are severely lacking for the pro game. He's going to fail and fail miserably.

 

[TRW]

Too many teams, too many games, greed, greed, greed has made all professional sports inferior IMO. Parity is what they wanted and it has made the play a parody of what it used to be.

As long as they make their billions of dollars it isn't going to get any better.

 

[NJCardFan]

Too many teams, too many games, greed, greed, greed has made all professional sports inferior IMO. Parity is what they wanted and it has made the play a parody of what it used to be.

As long as they make their billions of dollars it isn't going to get any better.

Just would like to point out that that greed finger should be pointed at both players and ownership.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I look at the Cardinals and I say to myself we need a QB for the future but I do not see a QB in the draft for the future if we run a traditional NFL offense with a QB expected to make reads and run an offense with his arm in this draft or any time soon from the college ranks. I liked Wilson the most when he came out in the draft, mostly because an offense now is a fly by night product and the QB is just a guy to make something happen without really dictating it at the snap. The traditional well honed passer is still the best solution to be a great NFL offense and that can be seen in Brady, Rodgers and P. Manning. Maybe Luck is of the same mold, but he is the odd guy out of all the young QBs. I believe Collinsworth even alluded to this by say in reference to Wilson last night that one would not call him a great QB by what one wants from a QB to run a consistent offense, more just a great player who finds a way to win. Wilson was making reads last night, rather one read and then the rest was feasting off a broken play and that to me is not a cerebral QB.

One can laugh, but if Jake Plummer was coming out in the draft this coming year, I would consider him the best QB in the draft because of what the NFL has become. You dang right you want a scrambler at the position, especially when the rules dictate how you can hit the QB. A scrambling QB is 10 times more alluring now because 1) A complex offense with all the turnover on a NFL team is hard to mesh with newly arriving players coming from college offenses which are all gimmick 2) You cannot just go after a QB, because you have to make sure to tackle him 'properly' and you do not know when he is going to slide and that gives a scrambler the advantage on most initial moves on a defender 3) The longer you stretch a play out, the harder it is for anyone to cover a potential receiver without breaking one of the NFL's ticky tack rules

 

[Chopper0080]

It is just me, or does it seem like the quality of football now in the NFL is poor compared to 10 years ago. The progressive effects of free agency, injuries now under a microscope where slight injuries tend to rule a guy out, along with all the rule changes and the fact that proper NFL QBs are no longer developed in college. It seems like a bunch of broken plays and flags. Taking nothing away from the Seahawks compared to the rest of the league because they are the best at this juncture, but this Seahawk squad would not be a powerhouse 10 years ago. Twenty years ago none of these current 32 teams in my opinion would stand a chance against the playoff quality teams then. Maybe it is the style of football now which I just do not appreciate and they really are good teams...

The NFL is QB dependant, and if you don't have one you will likely get boat raced out of the stadium on any given week. Better athletes now vs then, but the league has made playing defense over an entire game very difficult.

 

[don7031]

Teams are only allowed to practice with pads Eleven times during the entire regular season. If you can't practice at something, how do you get better?