Den21vsBal19
11-23-2008, 04:53 AM
Pretty good article out of the Post...............
I was watching the 78 AFCCG on DVD the other night, and the tackling was a different planet to what we see to day :tsk:
Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar says today's pro players lack fundamentals.
By Jim Armstrong (http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11052524)
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/23/2008 12:55:24 AM
If anybody knows a little about tackling, it's Randy Gradishar.
Back in the days of the Orange Crush, Gradishar was your basic tackling machine. During one five-year span, from 1977-81, he averaged 250 tackles per season, including a franchise-record 286 in 1978, when the NFL expanded its season from 14 games to 16.
So what does the Broncos Ring of Famer think of the state of tackling in today's NFL? He thinks it's broken, as in all those broken tackles on Sunday afternoons.
Not that Gradishar is surprised. It's pretty simple, he says. Tackling, for the most part, has become a lost art in today's NFL because players don't work on it in practice.
"The basic fundamentals have changed," Gradishar said. "We were always in full pads, and our theme was everybody get to the ball and tackle the guy. We worked on form tackling day after day. Today, they don't know what to do at practice because they don't have the pads on.
"I'm a firm believer in fundamentals. When you don't do something day after day after day, you get in a game situation and it doesn't come natural to you. These guys are literally throwing their bodies around, compared to actually grabbing on and holding on to make a tackle."
As perplexing as it might seem, NFL players missing tackles with alarming regularity, there are very specific reasons for it. The salary cap, for one. It isn't just the NFL's economic system. It doesn't just define how the league does business. It impacts how the game is played.
Full-pads two-a-days at training camp are ancient history. Today's players, unlike previous generations, come into camp in tremendous physical condition after months of organized offseason workouts. But they rarely put on full pads. Tackling is simulated, not replicated as it was in Gradishar's day.
Why? Because coaches live in constant fear of getting front-line players injured. Players who make millions in guaranteed money. Players who, given the nature of the cap, can't be replaced. It's a far cry from years ago, when megabucks signing bonuses didn't exist and players were sometimes disposed of like 15-cent razors.
"The game is changing," said Haven Moses, another Ring of Famer from the Orange Crush era. "People criticize baseball players because they don't know the fundamentals of bunting. It's the same thing. (If) you don't work on things, when game time comes, you won't be successful at it. I know why it's happening. These guys are valuable commodities."
Few if any of the NFL's 32 teams routinely wear full pads in practice. The Broncos have practiced in helmets and minimal pads since Mike Shana-han's arrival in 1995.
It was out of sheer desperation, after the team's run defense had collapsed during a recent three-game losing streak, that Shanahan took a risk and broke out the pads.
"Our rush defense was going downhill, and we felt like we had to tighten things up a bit," Shanahan said. "We improved in that area over the past few games, and we want to keep on doing it. We tackled better (at Atlanta). That's one of the reasons we put on the pads, to get better at tackling."
No practice time, no skills
Not that the risk of injuries and salary cap hits is the only explanation for shoddy tackling on game day. It's a phenomenon whose roots lie down the football food chain. College football has its own version of the cap: the 85-scholarship limit, which leaves those coaches, like their NFL counterparts, fearful of injuries. Add in restrictions on practice time and it's no wonder the state of tackling has taken a hit on Sundays.
"You come into the NFL and they expect that your high school and college coaches have taught you the art of tackling," Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "But you'd be amazed at how many guys come in here and don't know. Coaches are so focused on execution and making sure everybody knows the plays, things like that get thrown out the window. A lot of learning gets lost in the NFL."
"Tackling is the worst I've ever seen it," said former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, now an NFL analyst for Westwood One radio. "The colleges have limited time in pads and they don't hit. They're scared to death to tackle, and they darn sure don't do it in the pros. Now they're talking about doing away with some preseason games. Heck, that's the only time you see a guy tackle."
Said former Dallas Cowboys personnel chief Gil Brandt, now an analyst for NFL.com: "It starts in high school. You no longer have a hundred kids out. Fifty is a big team now. With those numbers, you don't have the drills that used to take place. It's the same way in college football. With 85 players, you don't have guys out there practicing tackling drills."
It's not just that. It's not just a lack of fundamentals or practice time. If the state of tackling isn't what it used to be, it's largely because the game itself isn't. The way it's played and those who play it are drastically different from back in the day.
Evolution of the athlete
Players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever, so they're inherently more difficult to tackle. And the linemen blocking for them are bigger, faster and stronger, too, which makes getting a clean hit on a ball carrier more difficult.
When Gradishar was roaming the middle of the field, opponents routinely ran 210- to 220-pound tailbacks up the middle or outside the tackles. Today, if a tailback comes busting through the line, he's often 235, if not 245, and faster than ever, thanks to his workout-warrior ways.
"Players have evolved," Gradishar said. "There were a couple of Earl Campbell-types, guys who were 240, but most of the guys I played against were around 220. And the offensive linemen were smaller. These guys are 300-some pounds compared to 265. That's a huge influence. It's harder to get at a guy carrying the ball."
Said Brandt: "The real thing is this: 20 years ago, you didn't have Reggie Bushes on every team. The offensive guys are so good now. It's like in the NBA. You didn't have a Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James on every team. Tackling is a lost art, but it's harder to do, too."
Pass first, run second
Then there's the West Coast offense. There's no understating its impact on the state of tackling in the NFL. The widespread use of the offense has rendered tailbacks with fewer off-tackle carries than they once had. Case in point: The Broncos' Super Bowl team of 1977 attempted 523 runs and 314 passes. Thirty years later, Shanahan's Broncos threw 515 passes and ran 429 times.
The pass sets up the run in today's game, not vice versa. The running game in 2008 often is an afterthought, a means to chew up the clock after the passing game has produced a lead. Today's coaches try to get the ball to a relatively new breed of receivers, players who are bigger and tougher to tackle than wideouts from years past. Exhibit A: 6-foot-4, 230-pound Brandon Marshall compared to Moses, who at 6-2, 205 was one of the biggest receivers of his generation.
It started with Bill Walsh. He was the one who envisioned in the 1980s that Jerry Rice could catch a 5-yard pass, break a tackle and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown. Next thing you knew, the YAC (Yards After Catch) stat was born, along with a new generation of "cover" corners, who, by their very definition, are paid to run with receivers, not tackle them.
"It's a new dimension of the game," Moses said. "It's all about matchups. That's what the West Coast offense has evolved into. They want that big receiver catching the ball in space and trying to break a tackle. It's just an extended handoff, but everyone is doing it. Look at all those college receivers. They're breeding these guys now.
"That's what the running game used to be. The way the game used to be played, you wore down your running back. They would take such a pounding, you couldn't depend on their durability, their longevity. That's why you're seeing wide receivers as the focal point of your offense."
Wideouts, tailbacks, tight ends . . . it doesn't matter, said Broncos cornerback Dre Bly. Tackling in today's NFL is more challenging than ever.
"Guys are going to miss tackles in this league," Bly said. "Those guys get paid to make us miss just like we get paid to tackle them.
"And guys are so big now. Look at Michael Turner," Bly said, referring to Atlanta's 5-10, 244-pound running back. "He seems like a little bowling ball, he's so big. Our job isn't easy, bringing those guys down, but that's the way it is today in this league."
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
I was watching the 78 AFCCG on DVD the other night, and the tackling was a different planet to what we see to day :tsk:
Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar says today's pro players lack fundamentals.
By Jim Armstrong (http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11052524)
The Denver Post
Updated: 11/23/2008 12:55:24 AM
If anybody knows a little about tackling, it's Randy Gradishar.
Back in the days of the Orange Crush, Gradishar was your basic tackling machine. During one five-year span, from 1977-81, he averaged 250 tackles per season, including a franchise-record 286 in 1978, when the NFL expanded its season from 14 games to 16.
So what does the Broncos Ring of Famer think of the state of tackling in today's NFL? He thinks it's broken, as in all those broken tackles on Sunday afternoons.
Not that Gradishar is surprised. It's pretty simple, he says. Tackling, for the most part, has become a lost art in today's NFL because players don't work on it in practice.
"The basic fundamentals have changed," Gradishar said. "We were always in full pads, and our theme was everybody get to the ball and tackle the guy. We worked on form tackling day after day. Today, they don't know what to do at practice because they don't have the pads on.
"I'm a firm believer in fundamentals. When you don't do something day after day after day, you get in a game situation and it doesn't come natural to you. These guys are literally throwing their bodies around, compared to actually grabbing on and holding on to make a tackle."
As perplexing as it might seem, NFL players missing tackles with alarming regularity, there are very specific reasons for it. The salary cap, for one. It isn't just the NFL's economic system. It doesn't just define how the league does business. It impacts how the game is played.
Full-pads two-a-days at training camp are ancient history. Today's players, unlike previous generations, come into camp in tremendous physical condition after months of organized offseason workouts. But they rarely put on full pads. Tackling is simulated, not replicated as it was in Gradishar's day.
Why? Because coaches live in constant fear of getting front-line players injured. Players who make millions in guaranteed money. Players who, given the nature of the cap, can't be replaced. It's a far cry from years ago, when megabucks signing bonuses didn't exist and players were sometimes disposed of like 15-cent razors.
"The game is changing," said Haven Moses, another Ring of Famer from the Orange Crush era. "People criticize baseball players because they don't know the fundamentals of bunting. It's the same thing. (If) you don't work on things, when game time comes, you won't be successful at it. I know why it's happening. These guys are valuable commodities."
Few if any of the NFL's 32 teams routinely wear full pads in practice. The Broncos have practiced in helmets and minimal pads since Mike Shana-han's arrival in 1995.
It was out of sheer desperation, after the team's run defense had collapsed during a recent three-game losing streak, that Shanahan took a risk and broke out the pads.
"Our rush defense was going downhill, and we felt like we had to tighten things up a bit," Shanahan said. "We improved in that area over the past few games, and we want to keep on doing it. We tackled better (at Atlanta). That's one of the reasons we put on the pads, to get better at tackling."
No practice time, no skills
Not that the risk of injuries and salary cap hits is the only explanation for shoddy tackling on game day. It's a phenomenon whose roots lie down the football food chain. College football has its own version of the cap: the 85-scholarship limit, which leaves those coaches, like their NFL counterparts, fearful of injuries. Add in restrictions on practice time and it's no wonder the state of tackling has taken a hit on Sundays.
"You come into the NFL and they expect that your high school and college coaches have taught you the art of tackling," Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "But you'd be amazed at how many guys come in here and don't know. Coaches are so focused on execution and making sure everybody knows the plays, things like that get thrown out the window. A lot of learning gets lost in the NFL."
"Tackling is the worst I've ever seen it," said former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, now an NFL analyst for Westwood One radio. "The colleges have limited time in pads and they don't hit. They're scared to death to tackle, and they darn sure don't do it in the pros. Now they're talking about doing away with some preseason games. Heck, that's the only time you see a guy tackle."
Said former Dallas Cowboys personnel chief Gil Brandt, now an analyst for NFL.com: "It starts in high school. You no longer have a hundred kids out. Fifty is a big team now. With those numbers, you don't have the drills that used to take place. It's the same way in college football. With 85 players, you don't have guys out there practicing tackling drills."
It's not just that. It's not just a lack of fundamentals or practice time. If the state of tackling isn't what it used to be, it's largely because the game itself isn't. The way it's played and those who play it are drastically different from back in the day.
Evolution of the athlete
Players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever, so they're inherently more difficult to tackle. And the linemen blocking for them are bigger, faster and stronger, too, which makes getting a clean hit on a ball carrier more difficult.
When Gradishar was roaming the middle of the field, opponents routinely ran 210- to 220-pound tailbacks up the middle or outside the tackles. Today, if a tailback comes busting through the line, he's often 235, if not 245, and faster than ever, thanks to his workout-warrior ways.
"Players have evolved," Gradishar said. "There were a couple of Earl Campbell-types, guys who were 240, but most of the guys I played against were around 220. And the offensive linemen were smaller. These guys are 300-some pounds compared to 265. That's a huge influence. It's harder to get at a guy carrying the ball."
Said Brandt: "The real thing is this: 20 years ago, you didn't have Reggie Bushes on every team. The offensive guys are so good now. It's like in the NBA. You didn't have a Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James on every team. Tackling is a lost art, but it's harder to do, too."
Pass first, run second
Then there's the West Coast offense. There's no understating its impact on the state of tackling in the NFL. The widespread use of the offense has rendered tailbacks with fewer off-tackle carries than they once had. Case in point: The Broncos' Super Bowl team of 1977 attempted 523 runs and 314 passes. Thirty years later, Shanahan's Broncos threw 515 passes and ran 429 times.
The pass sets up the run in today's game, not vice versa. The running game in 2008 often is an afterthought, a means to chew up the clock after the passing game has produced a lead. Today's coaches try to get the ball to a relatively new breed of receivers, players who are bigger and tougher to tackle than wideouts from years past. Exhibit A: 6-foot-4, 230-pound Brandon Marshall compared to Moses, who at 6-2, 205 was one of the biggest receivers of his generation.
It started with Bill Walsh. He was the one who envisioned in the 1980s that Jerry Rice could catch a 5-yard pass, break a tackle and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown. Next thing you knew, the YAC (Yards After Catch) stat was born, along with a new generation of "cover" corners, who, by their very definition, are paid to run with receivers, not tackle them.
"It's a new dimension of the game," Moses said. "It's all about matchups. That's what the West Coast offense has evolved into. They want that big receiver catching the ball in space and trying to break a tackle. It's just an extended handoff, but everyone is doing it. Look at all those college receivers. They're breeding these guys now.
"That's what the running game used to be. The way the game used to be played, you wore down your running back. They would take such a pounding, you couldn't depend on their durability, their longevity. That's why you're seeing wide receivers as the focal point of your offense."
Wideouts, tailbacks, tight ends . . . it doesn't matter, said Broncos cornerback Dre Bly. Tackling in today's NFL is more challenging than ever.
"Guys are going to miss tackles in this league," Bly said. "Those guys get paid to make us miss just like we get paid to tackle them.
"And guys are so big now. Look at Michael Turner," Bly said, referring to Atlanta's 5-10, 244-pound running back. "He seems like a little bowling ball, he's so big. Our job isn't easy, bringing those guys down, but that's the way it is today in this league."
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com