The NFL in 2014: Copycat teams follow the trends
From no-huddle offence to sideline gadgets, it’s about mimicking others
Troy Vincent pounds his fists on a conference room table and smiles.
“We are a copycat league, you bet,” he says. “If Peyton and Philip and Brees and Brady are doing something that’s good, then go out and try to do the same thing.”
The NFL’s head of football operations, a star player for 15 seasons and former president of the players’ union, recognizes that trends always will be a part of the sport.
Some burst on the scene and then fade quickly: the wildcat or alternating QBs, for example. Others — the zone blitz, the nickel back — have staying power.
There will be plenty of plagiarism between the lines, on the sidelines, in the coaching boxes and even in marketing.
NO HUDDLES
The no-huddle offence was reserved for late portions of halves and games. It’s running rampant through the league now, its popularity buoyed by the record-smashing seasons Peyton Manning and Tom Brady recently put together.
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Phil Simms, now an analyst for CBS, says it’s here to stay.
“Faster offence will be a part of the NFL,” Simms says.
“What was a talented offence from 10 years ago is so much less so now because it is harder to run the ball.”
Simms believes teams will pass more than ever, combining that with the no-huddle.
PLAY CALLING
Rich Gannon, the NFL’s 2002 MVP while leading the Raiders to the Super Bowl, thinks the faster pace will affect the ones calling plays. The traditional system of relaying a play or formations from the co-ordinators to the quarterbacks or defensive leaders is endangered, Gannon predicts. So is a quarterback calling just one play.
Modern offences need a quarterback who can adjust on the line. Denver, New England, New Orleans, Green Bay, a few others — they don’t have to worry. Other teams will continue searching for a quarterback who has a great arm and the intelligence to make the right call while the clock is ticking.
TECHNOLOGY
While the league is allowing teams to use tablets on the sideline for everything from play calling to reviewing what just happened, not everyone is readily embracing it. Vincent senses that some coaches might not make a smooth switch.
ELSEWHERE
Teams are learning from each other when it comes to such areas as in-game entertainment — player introductions, cheerleaders, game day hosts, even the music — merchandising, ticketing and stadium development. A club planning a new home or renovating the existing one typically uses comparisons of other stadiums.