7.
One of the main things that has always interested me is the ebb and flow of offensive strategies that have come and gone in this league. In a lot of ways, this league can mirror real life football and in some ways, it's diametrically opposed. But one area where it has a striking similarity is the cat and mouse game and evolution of offensive football that we see. In this league, there have been Ultimus winning teams whose bread and butter was a bell cow running back that they fed over and over again. We saw numerous running backs take home various seasonal awards and etch their names into history with that strategy and it was incredibly successful for their franchises as well. Beyond that, we saw a flex offense where teams would focus on two backs, with one being almost a purely receiving threat. I remember as an awards voter it was always difficult to parse between who was a "real" running back and who was just a wide receiver masquerading as a running back. That also led to an influx of receiving running backs being created as the search for glory infiltrated every new create looking for their name in the limelight. As defenses learned to slowly shut down those receiving threats out of the backfield, teams moved to a pass heavy overall scheme utilizing wide receivers instead of backs. Typically there was a running back just to keep the defense honest with mediocre rushing stats, but the main focus was on high volume, downfield passing. When I was new to the league, it seemed the fantasy drafts were rife with heavy usage wide receivers who put up insane numbers. As an emphasis on better cornerback play increased as well as perhaps a slight decline in overall quarterback performance, teams shifted yet again to more of a true running game, but utilizing two running backs in flexible roles. That's more or less what we do in San Jose right now and it has been very successful. Gone are the days of one pure runner and one pure receiver and now we're in the time of just two very balanced backs. As the tempo of offenses has increased, teams have learned that you need to substitute fresh legs in as much as possible which beget the second running back. And, not wanting to be too one-sided on offense, teams have gotten more balanced with the usage of those backs. One might typically have slightly better stats in one area than the other, but nothing like the vast difference we saw some 15-20 seasons ago. Most of these changes have been due to personnel, but the evolution of defenses and defensive strategy are just as impactful. When teams spread you out, the defenses made sure their secondaries were more important and loaded up on pass rushers instead of downhill linebackers. Given that, offenses then began to run the ball more, taking advantage of the holes on defense in the middle, which of course led to a reaction by the defense. And it's mentioned above, but a third factor also plays into this other than just personnel and defensive scheming. The third prong is individual glory seeking. A lot of players want awards, glory, and notoriety, which shepherded them away from the positions that weren't as useful. It's some of that which made players, especially the high earners, help drive the boat as it were in terms of what positions have the most TPE and how it gets spent. In a lot of ways, this mirrors the NFL as we've seen the 1500+ rushing yard seasons that were so prevalent go by the wayside, being replaced by more dynamic pass catchers out of the backfield who can impact the game in multiple ways. Change, it seems, is inevitable.
637 words
One of the main things that has always interested me is the ebb and flow of offensive strategies that have come and gone in this league. In a lot of ways, this league can mirror real life football and in some ways, it's diametrically opposed. But one area where it has a striking similarity is the cat and mouse game and evolution of offensive football that we see. In this league, there have been Ultimus winning teams whose bread and butter was a bell cow running back that they fed over and over again. We saw numerous running backs take home various seasonal awards and etch their names into history with that strategy and it was incredibly successful for their franchises as well. Beyond that, we saw a flex offense where teams would focus on two backs, with one being almost a purely receiving threat. I remember as an awards voter it was always difficult to parse between who was a "real" running back and who was just a wide receiver masquerading as a running back. That also led to an influx of receiving running backs being created as the search for glory infiltrated every new create looking for their name in the limelight. As defenses learned to slowly shut down those receiving threats out of the backfield, teams moved to a pass heavy overall scheme utilizing wide receivers instead of backs. Typically there was a running back just to keep the defense honest with mediocre rushing stats, but the main focus was on high volume, downfield passing. When I was new to the league, it seemed the fantasy drafts were rife with heavy usage wide receivers who put up insane numbers. As an emphasis on better cornerback play increased as well as perhaps a slight decline in overall quarterback performance, teams shifted yet again to more of a true running game, but utilizing two running backs in flexible roles. That's more or less what we do in San Jose right now and it has been very successful. Gone are the days of one pure runner and one pure receiver and now we're in the time of just two very balanced backs. As the tempo of offenses has increased, teams have learned that you need to substitute fresh legs in as much as possible which beget the second running back. And, not wanting to be too one-sided on offense, teams have gotten more balanced with the usage of those backs. One might typically have slightly better stats in one area than the other, but nothing like the vast difference we saw some 15-20 seasons ago. Most of these changes have been due to personnel, but the evolution of defenses and defensive strategy are just as impactful. When teams spread you out, the defenses made sure their secondaries were more important and loaded up on pass rushers instead of downhill linebackers. Given that, offenses then began to run the ball more, taking advantage of the holes on defense in the middle, which of course led to a reaction by the defense. And it's mentioned above, but a third factor also plays into this other than just personnel and defensive scheming. The third prong is individual glory seeking. A lot of players want awards, glory, and notoriety, which shepherded them away from the positions that weren't as useful. It's some of that which made players, especially the high earners, help drive the boat as it were in terms of what positions have the most TPE and how it gets spent. In a lot of ways, this mirrors the NFL as we've seen the 1500+ rushing yard seasons that were so prevalent go by the wayside, being replaced by more dynamic pass catchers out of the backfield who can impact the game in multiple ways. Change, it seems, is inevitable.
637 words