- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 9,580
- Reaction Score
- 24,422
These are two different concepts. No one is questioning that this has become a more pass-friendly league where passers are protected. It’s the concept that this somehow narrows the talent gap between elite and marginal talents. Everything is relative. It’s not as if these rules help the middling talents but do not help the elite talents. We do this on every single sport. We come up with some reason why the old days were somehow preferable or more talented than the current days.
From a competitive balance standpoint, I think you could argue that the league is the healthiest it's ever been. It takes a minute to flip 4-12 into 12-4 with the way things are now. There's also the unavoidable reality that players, coaches, and organizations evolve over time. These guys are much smarter, better-trained, better-prepared, etc. than they were even a decade ago.
On the other hand I think you'd be hard pressed to say the product is more enjoyable. A lot of the things we do to improve the experience of watching a game don't actually end up improving the experience. I don't like unlimited replay, I don't like not having kickoffs anymore, I don't like not being able to hit people, assert your will at the line, chuck the ball down field, etc. I don't like the sharp drop-off in interceptions, I don't like coaches getting smarter, and I don't like the crack down on taunting, dancing, and every other behavior that might threaten Jim Nantz.
I still like the current game a lot. I get the sense that the product I'm watching now is about as far as I can go, though.
