General Manager Dave Gettleman -- January 9, 2020
Q: I know John (Mara) told us that he felt as though Monday afternoon, the search was over. What were your feelings when you exited the interview with Joe (Judge)?
A: You know, I felt the exact same way. The interesting thing, when you go through an interview process, you’re looking for the broad view, you’re looking for intelligence and we talked about that. The thing that was really amazing to me was, and he said it, it really was just a conversation. That’s really what it was. It was easy for him. The biggest thing when you’re hiring a head coach is you have to picture him in front of the room. He has to command that kind of respect. Yeah, for me, it was the same.
Q: Let’s get this big picture question out of the way. Obviously, we understand Giants, personnel, collaborative. If you disagree, who has the final say?
A: At the end of the day, it’s about building consensus and it’s about getting to the right place. I’ve been doing this long enough with Ron (Rivera) and then Pat (Shurmur), whatever. We’re going to get to the right place. It’s not… It’s about the right answer.
Q: It’s not slamming your fist down?
A: No, I’ve never done that in my life. Except when, no I’m only kidding. I can’t say it. I can’t give you a throwaway line. Bottom line is, it’s collaborative.
Q: I’ve heard some people say so I’ll ask you, there’s this perception from some that it’s going to be Dave Gettleman picking the players and it’s Joe Judge’s job to coach them. Do you feel that way?
A: No. It’s going to be collaborative. I don’t understand where that notion comes from. That notion has got to be coming from people that have never worked with me.
Q: That is the Giants way. In the past, that was George Young’s statement, right? The GM picks the players.
A: There was a way, way back in the day. It was scouts scout, players play, coaches’ coach, etc. That world has changed.
Q: Is there anywhere in particular you and Joe align in terms of your philosophies about team-building and how you want him to coach this team and all that stuff?
A: First of all, he has to coach the team the way he feels comfortable. The biggest thing was when he came in and said, ‘You have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, and let’s play special teams.’ There’s a toughness that you develop when you build your team to do those kinds of things. People say it’s a passing league, I get that, but that graphic on Sunday afternoon should not have been lost on everybody. Top four passing teams were not in the playoffs, the top four rushing teams were in the playoffs. Don’t quote me but most of the teams were in the top I think 12 in terms of rushing. Again, it’s a physical, violent game and if you don’t build your team to do that late in the year when the weather’s lousy and it’s mush out there, the tougher team is going to win.
Q: I know Joe is hesitant to talk about the roster until he can actually get in the building and dig in. But from your dealings with him, I would imagine that he feels the same way about Daniel Jones as you guys do, right? Is there any change in what you feel about Daniel and how he’s the quarterback here?
A: It’s like Joe said. He’s on the outside looking in the periphery. We believe Daniel is our guy.
Q: And you have no reason to believe he doesn’t believe…
A: I haven’t had the chance to have a conversation with him yet. Really.
Q: How much was he part of the interviews, Daniel, in general?
A: The interviews are more philosophical. They really are. It’s where’s your head, where’s our head, and can the two heads get together and mush. That’s really what that is. You don’t go player by player by player down the roster. You can’t.
Q: Joe spoke about fundamentals and all of the scheme stuff will kind of fall into place. Do you think all along people put too much emphasis on scheme and the importance of scheme and not enough on fundamentals?
A: Absolutely, absolutely. The bottom line is, there’s an old saying in coaching, ‘The last guy with the chalk wins.’ At the end of the day if you’re not fundamentally sound, and you look at the teams, me as an evaluator, watching the teams that are in the playoffs, they are all fundamentally sound.
Q: When did he pop up on your radar? The general fan doesn’t know who Joe Judge is, so when did he show up for you guys?
A: Every once in a while, you get into conversations about coaches around the league with other guys. Joe’s name kept popping up for me. Again, so you look at the resume, you look at the background, you say, okay, wait a minute— five championships in 10 years, worked for Belichick, worked for Saban, did the grunt work like a lot of us did, lining the fields and working at Birmingham-Southern.
Q: Birmingham-Southern.
A: Birmingham-Southern. You know what I’m saying? He did all of that stuff. When you get a guy who’s had dirt under his fingers, there’s a, I don’t know the word that I’m looking for, there’s just a comfortableness there that says he understands it, he comes from the ground up.
Q: You went through the process, you have an open mind, but if you’re being honest with yourself were you surprised you end up with him at the end?
A: You don’t know. You don’t know. You have to go in with an open mind. You can’t say, ‘He’s the guy.’ You can’t do that. You can’t cloud your thinking, you have to take each individual as you interview them and go from there.
Q: He’s never been in this role before, but he seems to have a pretty specific vision for the type of team and players he wants. How has the structure in terms of personnel maybe changed or how is that setup going forward with you and Joe working together?
A: We’re going to work together. I’m not exactly sure what you’re saying.
Q: I guess what I’m trying to say is, do you have final say over personnel?
A: It’s collaborative. It is collaborative, we’ll work through every situation.
Q: With that being said, you mentioned the ground up approach. What’s the biggest thing you think he needs to learn and how can you help him in the head coaching?
A: I’ve got to get to know him a lot better before I make that statement. The bottom line is he is foundationally sound, he’s got a great philosophy, he understands about teaching, it’s all of that stuff that he gets that has me excited.
Q: What does ‘old school’ mean to you?
A: Old school to me means you’re always going to be strong with the basics. The fancy schmancy is nice, but you get to that when your basics are sound. To me, that’s what old school is.
Q: You were happy to hear him use the words ‘old school’?
A: Doesn’t bother me (laughter).
Q: How confident are you that he’ll be able to work with the quarterback? I know he’s got to work with all 53 but…
A: He’s going to work with everybody. Everywhere he’s been he’s worked with the whole team as a special teams coordinator. Listen, Daniel is a great kid, he’s a great young man and it’s going to be fine.
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And he really didn’t say anything that any other GM wouldn’t say. It was generic GM-speak. You guys are just looking for something so that you do the usual “look at me” posts.
Quick topic shift and question - who sends the Bat Signal on your side of the aisle? You? FMiC? Others?
I’ve got a bot going that triggers an alarm every time you post. I’m that much of a fan. It’s a pretty cool thing too because the thread opens automatically and your posts get highlighted in burgundy and gold
(sort of like your jerseys) so I can easily find them.
Exactly what did I say about Gettleman above?
Please elaborate - or are you just going to stick with calling him Shitbag?
I really haven't called him Shitbag all that much on this forum recently. Are you offended by my referring to him as Gettleman, or is that offensive too?
I don't believe in him, and his continued ignorance - or apparent ignorance - suggests that he refuses to adjust to the times. You lose the benefit of the doubt when you drive a team to a 9-23 record. So, it's now a prove it thing to me.
Exactly what did I say about Gettleman above?
Please elaborate - or are you just going to stick with calling him Shitbag?
But hey, I'm happy you continue to insult me in your posts.
Absolutely, fucking shocked.
It is almost like some of you fucknuts are doing a parody here daily.
No, he said it above - a rushing stat/graphic he saw from one of Sundays games supported his view that running the ball wins football games.
But it was a rudimentary yards/game stat that only tells a portion of the success.
It was all in reference to the band of fucknuts who go after him continually.
How long have you been sitting on that one? ;)
It was all in reference to the band of fucknuts who go after him continually.
Why are we "fucknuts"? Can't you just address people without cursing repeatedly or insulting others? I really can't get past the fact that you hurl insults in every post but hate that I or anyone disagrees with Gettleman at any turn.
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In comment 14770668 AdamBrag said:
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This quote sums up some of the main problems with Gettleman:
"Q: Is there anywhere in particular you and Joe align in terms of your philosophies about team-building and how you want him to coach this team and all that stuff?
A: First of all, he has to coach the team the way he feels comfortable. The biggest thing was when he came in and said, ‘You have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, and let’s play special teams.’ There’s a toughness that you develop when you build your team to do those kinds of things. People say it’s a passing league, I get that, but that graphic on Sunday afternoon should not have been lost on everybody. Top four passing teams were not in the playoffs, the top four rushing teams were in the playoffs. Don’t quote me but most of the teams were in the top I think 12 in terms of rushing. Again, it’s a physical, violent game and if you don’t build your team to do that late in the year when the weather’s lousy and it’s mush out there, the tougher team is going to win."
It shows he doesn't even understand the basics of analytics. Teams that are winning can run the ball more. Teams that are behind pass the ball more. That's why using pure rushing and passing stats is a major fallacy. There is no way he's meeting with a lot of people in analytics if he's pushing this nonsense.
It shows he's still building a team that is going to be designed around stopping the run. If you look at the best defensive teams in the NFL, their main focus is stopping the pass.
This discussion was the main thing he liked about Joe Judge! I interpret this to mean he's so stubborn about his outdated view he's going to double down on it.
I loved the "...but that graphic on Sunday afternoon should not have been lost on everybody..."
In other words, he just saw it on TV - probably for the first time - and that confirms his intuition...
Yeah that's what it means, he didn't know it. I guy that has been preaching running the ball and stopping the run wouldn't know that teams that run the football win. Bill Parcells use to always quote Lombardi, who said when you throw the ball three things can happen and two are not good.
It is getting annoying "listening" to you twist words to fit your narrative.
Nick Wright was ranting on this exact point, endlessly. It is not saying anything wrong or counter analytics to say you have to run the ball to be successful. A lot of it is imposing your will on the other team. Wright was actually saying the run game is irrelevant. How does he keep his job?
I’ve got a bot going that triggers an alarm every time you post. I’m that much of a fan. It’s a pretty cool thing too because the thread opens automatically and your posts get highlighted in burgundy and gold
(sort of like your jerseys) so I can easily find them.
Time to join the Dupes!
Quote:
I’ve got a bot going that triggers an alarm every time you post. I’m that much of a fan. It’s a pretty cool thing too because the thread opens automatically and your posts get highlighted in burgundy and gold
(sort of like your jerseys) so I can easily find them.
Time to join the Dupes!
Hmmm...you'll probably want to call your Posse to round us up.
The extrapolations, mental gymnastics and interpretations to twist his simple words and thoughts today are proof that people just hear what they want to hear and flat out make it up if they don't.
The extrapolations, mental gymnastics and interpretations to twist his simple words and thoughts today are proof that people just hear what they want to hear and flat out make it up if they don't.
I'm not criticizing the guy for today. I think he actually went out of his way to avoid the moronic quotes that were staples of his previous interviews. You have to think Mara told him to knock it off.
2018
NE tied third worst (4.7)
LAR tied second worst (4.8)
NO best (3.8)
KC tied worst (4.9)
2019
3 worst YPC given up:
Carolina, Jacksonville, Cleveland
3 best YPC given up:
Tampa bay, jets, Pittsburgh, nyg
data in a vacuum: inconclusive
data in context: get good at something whether its the pass or run. passing the ball contributes more to generating points than rushing. this is an incontrovertible fact because pass plays are far more likey to generate 10+yard gains.
tied 3rd best for YPC given up (3.9)
ranked 30th for PPG given up (28.2)
stopped the run but
gave up 28 ppg
so
slightly below avg pass rush+
top 3 rushing defense
still netted them third worst defense in terms of PPG given up at 28.2
the highest sack% teams are at 10%.
so the best sack % teams are getting 3 sacks for every 30 dropbacks. you're getting 3 incompletions a game guaranteed off that. 3/30
the best "coverage" teams can impact a play far more often because they force incompletions via PD and forcing tighter throws. this happens 27/30 times.
so the raw impact of having better coverage is far more valuable than the actual pass rush because pass rush only registered 3/30 times.
NOW you may argue "what about QB hits!! and throwaways" even if you quantify those and add them into the 3/30 you're still not going to get more than 15/30 passes.
the giants 2019 raw stats illustrate this issue perfectly. they had the third worst defense in terms of PPG, a slightly below avg pass rush, and the third best rushing defense.
being able to cover receivers is king.
Currently our struggles in pass defense are responsible for poor results. But the job of building the roster isn't complete. Lots of young talented guys competing. Certainly more additions to come. Hopefully much better coaching.
You mentioned vacuums and it's true nothing happens in a vacuum. In your analysis you failed to factor in our specific defensive roster strengths and weaknesses. When you do your observations and conclusions die on the vine.
Then traded for peppers who’s a better cover safety than Collins
Why because he doesnt have an elite pass rusher yet? Cuz they just grow on trees right., He got Golden and drafted Carter and Xman too in a hope they develop.
Half of this is just nonsense
That's been a championship formula since the beginning of football.
The trashing of DG has almost become political at this point. You are either a DG fan or you aren't and nothing is going to change your mind. Fucking weird.
The trashing of DG has almost become political at this point. You are either a DG fan or you aren't and nothing is going to change your mind. Fucking weird.
Now that the braintrust has moved on from Eli, it seemed fairly natural to move solely onto DG don't you think?
Don't do stupid things this free agency, find value in draft and win more games. Than FMiC will call less people fuck-nuts.
Ah...who am I kidding, no he won't...
Maybe this weekend he'll see something that depicts the teams that score more points than their opponents are in the playoffs too...
Q: We’ve had the opportunity to see your special teams play. What is your offensive philosophy? Do you have an offensive system that you’re going to bring definitely?
A: Again, I think every offensive system has to have levels of multiples that we have to be flexible with in both our personnel and our scheme to match up each opponent game by game. My overall philosophy is we have to be able to put pressure on opponents, and we have to do that with what we have available and what they don’t do well. So, that includes being versatile and multiple in what you do.
Q: Is that the same defensively?
A: It’s the same across the board. Listen, we’re going to play whatever is best for our team and our personnel. 3-4, 4-3, man coverage, zone coverage, we’ll find out what fits us best and we’ll wait until we play against our opponents. Running the ball, throwing the ball, it’s, again, whatever is best week by week by opponent is how we’ll address it.
I've often felt that we were going to try to do something and come hell or high water, we were going to stick with it. And the record shows that type of plan failed a lot. A lot.
He started Lorenzo Carter, a pass rush specialist, Markus Golden, a pass rush specialist, Ogletree, a lb that can’t fill gaps but can cover rb’s, and Going by training camp, planned to start Tae Davis, who was supposed to be a coverage lb. How in the world is that spending all your resources on creating an elite run defense???
He is simply delegating the DL to run stopping which allows the LB’s to focus on pass rushing and pass coverage. 11 players make a defense, NOT THREE. Him trying to get 3 players in here that are dominant in stopping the run doesn’t mean he’s out of touch. The Ravens have three run stoppers, the Steelers have three run stoppers.
If you keep focusing on what Gettleman is saying rather than his actions you’re gonna keep parroting nonsense. What do you think his next step on defense is, now that he has Leonard Williams. If you answered acquire pass rushing talent then you are absolutely correct, watch it unfold.
2) does he know the stats are flawed but he refers to them anyway because he thinks the sorts of fans who would read an interview by an NFL GM (ie, hard core football fans) don’t know any better?
When readers are forced to infer either ignorance or arrogance in a quote, you know it’s been put wrong. Another foot-in-mouth statement from Dave.
But this discussion is about another flawed comment from Gettleman where he cites a flawed rushing star to buttress his old school philosophy that running the ball is paramount for success. It’s just sophomoric. The stat was just basic yards/game and the regular season leaders. And coincidentally most of them were in the playoffs.
There is more layered context why those teams got to that basic aggregate stat. QBs who are tops in YPA, getting the lead, growing the lead, defensive stops, winning on first and second down, etc.
I’ve never been more convinced he doesn’t connect all of those dots. If you don’t, I think it impacts your ability to build a good team...
"Q: Is there anywhere in particular you and Joe align in terms of your philosophies about team-building and how you want him to coach this team and all that stuff?
A: First of all, he has to coach the team the way he feels comfortable. The biggest thing was when he came in and said, ‘You have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, and let’s play special teams.’ There’s a toughness that you develop when you build your team to do those kinds of things. People say it’s a passing league, I get that, but that graphic on Sunday afternoon should not have been lost on everybody. Top four passing teams were not in the playoffs, the top four rushing teams were in the playoffs. Don’t quote me but most of the teams were in the top I think 12 in terms of rushing. Again, it’s a physical, violent game and if you don’t build your team to do that late in the year when the weather’s lousy and it’s mush out there, the tougher team is going to win."
It shows he doesn't even understand the basics of analytics. Teams that are winning can run the ball more. Teams that are behind pass the ball more. That's why using pure rushing and passing stats is a major fallacy. There is no way he's meeting with a lot of people in analytics if he's pushing this nonsense.
It shows he's still building a team that is going to be designed around stopping the run. If you look at the best defensive teams in the NFL, their main focus is stopping the pass.
This discussion was the main thing he liked about Joe Judge! I interpret this to mean he's so stubborn about his outdated view he's going to double down on it.
That's a huge take away from a couple of sentences. I know people will want to focus on whatever backs up their own POV but he's discussing why running is important still, not why passing isn't important.
I don’t get why people assume he doesn’t like analytics. Oshane X was an analytics freak in college, analytics says a lb with a good 10 yd split is valuable, check Ryan Connelly, analytics says a receiver with a good 40 us dash time and a good vertical jump is valuable, check Darius Slayton.
The idea that Gettleman is against analytics is confirmation bias after the Saquon Barkley pick
Or worse, crickets on it...
I don’t get why people assume he doesn’t like analytics. Oshane X was an analytics freak in college, analytics says a lb with a good 10 yd split is valuable, check Ryan Connelly, analytics says a receiver with a good 40 us dash time and a good vertical jump is valuable, check Darius Slayton.
The idea that Gettleman is against analytics is confirmation bias after the Saquon Barkley pick
Uh, Eli was 78 years old. It was time to find his replacement.
I’m sure he has a superficial interest and understanding. But that’s all I’m willing to concede. There are other moves and comments that suggest he’s still behind the curve.
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That if he invests a six overall pick on a “2nd round” qb that he has to value the passing game more than he gives off.
I don’t get why people assume he doesn’t like analytics. Oshane X was an analytics freak in college, analytics says a lb with a good 10 yd split is valuable, check Ryan Connelly, analytics says a receiver with a good 40 us dash time and a good vertical jump is valuable, check Darius Slayton.
The idea that Gettleman is against analytics is confirmation bias after the Saquon Barkley pick
Uh, Eli was 78 years old. It was time to find his replacement.
I’m sure he has a superficial interest and understanding. But that’s all I’m willing to concede. There are other moves and comments that suggest he’s still behind the curve.
Fighting that he’s behind the curve is completely different than trying to prove he’s against analytics altogether, which it seems some posters here are trying to do. I personally, wouldn’t say he’s behind the curve, but I definitely wouldn’t say he’s ahead of the curve either.
Nobody lit it up through the air last weekend. We'll see if that rings true this weekend.
At the end of the day, it may be a passing league in the regular season, but when shit gets tight teams that run the ball and play defense still have an advantage. And if you have those things, you probably have a shot at being a consistent contender.
And in our two playoff runs, it was especially clear.
They were tight games that were won/lost at the LOS.
Second when weather turns bad so does passing game. Its much harder to pass and minimize turnovers, obv run game works in bad weather.
Third the fact that some feel he doesn't know how important covering the pass game is ludicrous. How much draft capital did he just expend on the secondary? Trade for Peppers? Pressuring the QB will be added this offseason.
Fourth This is the same guy that brought in AP and Kawicka as LBrs for the championship runs. Anyone remember those guys?
Look the team is headed in the right direction -we have had 2 very good drafts so --Come on guys, Give Dave a Break.
"Oh, that's easy, let's just punch in the numbers and magically we'll have our answer"
I really think a lot of fans have decided that Gettleman is wrong at every turn. In fact I think there is an effort to spin anything he says as negative. I feel I see more of that than fans spinning everything he says as a positive or as correct. I feel a lot of fans on here get labeled as defenders when all they are doing is taking each decision or quote and measuring it with different angles.
Football is football, concepts & trends change, but basic “old fashioned” principals remain the same.
Ironically, everybody loved Judge’s PC (including me), yet his philosophy is not too far from the classic, tough, hard nosed, well prepared with a more modern twist, namely versatility
Nobody lit it up through the air last weekend. We'll see if that rings true this weekend.
At the end of the day, it may be a passing league in the regular season, but when shit gets tight teams that run the ball and play defense still have an advantage. And if you have those things, you probably have a shot at being a consistent contender.
And in our two playoff runs, it was especially clear.
agree with all of this as well...
Football is football, concepts & trends change, but basic “old fashioned” principals remain the same.
Ironically, everybody loved Judge’s PC (including me), yet his philosophy is not too far from the classic, tough, hard nosed, well prepared with a more modern twist, namely versatility
Exactly..
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In comment 14771267 aGiantGuy said:
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That if he invests a six overall pick on a “2nd round” qb that he has to value the passing game more than he gives off.
I don’t get why people assume he doesn’t like analytics. Oshane X was an analytics freak in college, analytics says a lb with a good 10 yd split is valuable, check Ryan Connelly, analytics says a receiver with a good 40 us dash time and a good vertical jump is valuable, check Darius Slayton.
The idea that Gettleman is against analytics is confirmation bias after the Saquon Barkley pick
Uh, Eli was 78 years old. It was time to find his replacement.
I’m sure he has a superficial interest and understanding. But that’s all I’m willing to concede. There are other moves and comments that suggest he’s still behind the curve.
Fighting that he’s behind the curve is completely different than trying to prove he’s against analytics altogether, which it seems some posters here are trying to do. I personally, wouldn’t say he’s behind the curve, but I definitely wouldn’t say he’s ahead of the curve either.
He literally mocked a guy after the Saquon pick for even mentioning analytics. This year he referred to their analytics department as "four computer folks". When you say and act like Gettleman has, people no longer give you the benefit of the doubt that analytics are strongly woven into anything you do.
Teams will attack the weakest link in your defense.
You will never win if you cannot stop the run. The other team will control the clock and will rarely turn the ball over. They may score less points, but that is only because it shortens the game. Your team will score WAY less and even the best offense cannot score when they are not on the field.
All stats can be skewed to some extent. Someone earlier in the thread was talking about the best teams playing less stacked boxes and used that to say that stopping the run was not their priority. I expect that this is because they can stop the run with 7 players (SF) and do not need to stack the box.
Would you say that getting pressure on the QB is not important because the best teams rush 4 players. Well maybe they do that because they get enough pressure with 4.
Bottom line is that the best scenario occurs when teams can stop the run with 7 and pressure the passer with 4. You can work combinations off of that.
"Q: Is there anywhere in particular you and Joe align in terms of your philosophies about team-building and how you want him to coach this team and all that stuff?
A: First of all, he has to coach the team the way he feels comfortable. The biggest thing was when he came in and said, ‘You have to run the ball, you have to stop the run, and let’s play special teams.’ There’s a toughness that you develop when you build your team to do those kinds of things. People say it’s a passing league, I get that, but that graphic on Sunday afternoon should not have been lost on everybody. Top four passing teams were not in the playoffs, the top four rushing teams were in the playoffs. Don’t quote me but most of the teams were in the top I think 12 in terms of rushing. Again, it’s a physical, violent game and if you don’t build your team to do that late in the year when the weather’s lousy and it’s mush out there, the tougher team is going to win."
It shows he doesn't even understand the basics of analytics. Teams that are winning can run the ball more. Teams that are behind pass the ball more. That's why using pure rushing and passing stats is a major fallacy. There is no way he's meeting with a lot of people in analytics if he's pushing this nonsense.
It shows he's still building a team that is going to be designed around stopping the run. If you look at the best defensive teams in the NFL, their main focus is stopping the pass.
This discussion was the main thing he liked about Joe Judge! I interpret this to mean he's so stubborn about his outdated view he's going to double down on it.
over-analyzing, chill
Teams will attack the weakest link in your defense.
You will never win if you cannot stop the run. The other team will control the clock and will rarely turn the ball over. They may score less points, but that is only because it shortens the game. Your team will score WAY less and even the best offense cannot score when they are not on the field.
All stats can be skewed to some extent. Someone earlier in the thread was talking about the best teams playing less stacked boxes and used that to say that stopping the run was not their priority. I expect that this is because they can stop the run with 7 players (SF) and do not need to stack the box.
Would you say that getting pressure on the QB is not important because the best teams rush 4 players. Well maybe they do that because they get enough pressure with 4.
Bottom line is that the best scenario occurs when teams can stop the run with 7 and pressure the passer with 4. You can work combinations off of that.
The statement that you can't win if you can't stop the run is flat out inaccurate. There are 8 teams remaining in the POs. Of them, only one - the Ravens - ranked in the top 10 at stopping the run, and even they gave up 4.4 YPC. The others - Tenn (12), Minnesota (ranked 13), SF (17), Seattle (22), GB (23), Houston (25), and KC (27).
So, the stats show that you need to stop the pass more than the run to be successful. Just saying.
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Gettleman is a lot smarter than you give him credit. He is NOT going to tell you every nuance of his thinking. He dumbs down what is actually a complex answer and people kill him for it. The reality is that football strategy shifts from game to game and play to play. Judge clearly gets it. Look at the quotes that Eric put up.
Teams will attack the weakest link in your defense.
You will never win if you cannot stop the run. The other team will control the clock and will rarely turn the ball over. They may score less points, but that is only because it shortens the game. Your team will score WAY less and even the best offense cannot score when they are not on the field.
All stats can be skewed to some extent. Someone earlier in the thread was talking about the best teams playing less stacked boxes and used that to say that stopping the run was not their priority. I expect that this is because they can stop the run with 7 players (SF) and do not need to stack the box.
Would you say that getting pressure on the QB is not important because the best teams rush 4 players. Well maybe they do that because they get enough pressure with 4.
Bottom line is that the best scenario occurs when teams can stop the run with 7 and pressure the passer with 4. You can work combinations off of that.
The statement that you can't win if you can't stop the run is flat out inaccurate. There are 8 teams remaining in the POs. Of them, only one - the Ravens - ranked in the top 10 at stopping the run, and even they gave up 4.4 YPC. The others - Tenn (12), Minnesota (ranked 13), SF (17), Seattle (22), GB (23), Houston (25), and KC (27).
So, the stats show that you need to stop the pass more than the run to be successful. Just saying.
Tenn, Minn, SF, Seattle, Houston all have great run stoppers on their team tho... only two teams on that list, GB and KC can you say don’t have a good run defense personnel wise