Over the last 8-10 years we have seen the NFL product decline drastically. There are a multitude of factors that have led to this. QB play has declined, coaching has declined and the players have started to get too much power. If the NFL keeps this up it can turn into the NBA. Once the players got the power in the NBA it led to worse play on the court and softer players. There are signs of that all over the NFL.
The first reason the NFL product is bad right now is because of the lack of practice in the NFL. You are only allowed to wear pads a certain number of days and training camp and OTA’s keep getting cut shorter and shorter. By teams practing less, especially less in pads, it leads to more injuries and more cluelessness on the field. You can train all you want to without pads on, but it does not help when you aren’t wearing pads. It is leading to more soft tissue injuries than ever before. Also going back to practice, by practicing less it does not do you good to practice less at full speed with younger players. They need to be able to get as many live reps as possible. Tackling is also affected by these practice rules. You can not hit anymore in practice. How do you expect your body to hold up when not training it to hold up in season? Also, it results in more missed tackles and bad technique when trying to tackle players. If the NFL wants to get back on track they need to practice more and take practice more seriously.
The Quarterback play in the NFL is atrocious right now. Guys have no idea how to read NFL defenses anymore. They get so caught up playing 7 on 7 thinking that is what’s best for them, when that is what is really hurting them. 7 on 7 is not real football. You are able to run routes and combos that no team is going to run in an actual game and it messes with the quarterback's ability to process. You do not have a rush you have to worry about and you don’t have to throw the ball over lineman either. Yes NFL QBs are the most accurate they have ever been, but yards per game and touchdown passes are down. That is because there is so much dink and dunk going on. If guys do not see what they want on their first read they are checking it down or scrambling more than ever. Since the NFL has poured so much into the quarterback position, it is imperative that they start getting results from QBs that warrant the money they are getting. Because if not, the NFL as a whole might fall.
The last reason the NFL is at its lowest point right now is because of player empowerment. The players have too much power right now. Young players and older players want more money they deserve and they do not want to earn it. There are too many players sitting out of training camp going into a contract year to try and get paid before they need to be. Just go out there and play. Prove you deserve the money you are holding out for on the field. Owners and GMs are too scared of players sitting out and demanding trades right now that they are giving more money to players than they deserve. Just look at Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagoviloa, Jordan Love, and Justin Herbert. All of these QBs are making over 50 million dollars and none of them have won an important game in their NFL career. Trevor Lawrence is the 3rd highest-paid player and is under .500 in his career. Dak is the highest-paid player ever and has never been to a NFC title game. Once the NFL starts making players earn the money they are making, it will make the league better.
The NFL is king right now. If the NFL keeps going on the track that it is on now, it can be a real bumpy road for the league.
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