Having played defense during a time when substitution was kept to a minimum, you would think I would be in love with the No Huddle offense. I am not. Sure, I may like it when MY team is running it but when the roles are reversed, it feels deceptive.
The offense has the advantage. They know what plays they will run and can hurry through 6-8 of them in a row, count on you not being ready for the ball to be snapped and take advantage of it. The defense has to keep the same guys on the field and stay in one defense for the most part. I can live with that. It’s the lack of strategy involved in the “lets snap the ball when they aren’t ready” tactic that burns me.
It feels like watching musical chairs.
It levels the playing field at times and I guess I would rather see man on man football, a competition of men at full strength to see who is bigger, stronger and faster. Give me a 330 lb. fullback in short yardage over 5 WR's vs. 5 DB's playing essentially seven on seven football. Throwing a quick out pattern, unless it’s MY offense doing it, and hoping a defender can be faked out for a 5 yard gain feels more like basketball then football. I like football that imposes its will on defenses and grinds them down. When teams can’t do that, at times they resort to this. It sounds childish but I like to see the best athletes win USUALLY. And don’t hammer me about the Boise State team that “tricked” Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State was the team with 9 or 10 NFL players on the field that day.
I also think the advent of the passing game and No Huddle offense puts too much power in the QB hands. It seems like the whole game is now about 1 guy not 11. Football is the ultimate team sport; the right guard should feel every bit as important as the QB.
But, let’s face it he isn’t.
Lineman hit full speed in practice every day. They don’t wear red don’t-touch-me practice jerseys. I don’t recall too many penalties being called for an offensive lineman being hit after he was “in the grasp”. They don’t win the Heisman, coaches don’t have a radio transmitter to talk to them and only one offensive lineman works as a NBC, CBS or FOX NFL color commentator. It’s out of control I tell ya!
