12-07-2017, 02:43 PM
I understand "play mixing," and think that fans drastically overvalue its importance. As a defender and a defense, you can think it highly likely a team is going to run, and that knowledge does you little good. You still have to guard against the team going away from tendency and burning you.
The same is true of expecting pass, but with a twist. The problem with defending an expected pass is that's a helluva long and wide field. What does "pass" even mean, given the infinite varieties, and where might the pass go? If knowing that a team was going to pass all but ensured you could stop the play, seven on seven tournaments would end in scoreless ties.
The deception in an offense doesn't come from the play mix, but from each play itself. Good luck, for example, in your first games as a safety defending against Peyton Manning and his ball fake on play action. You swear--swear--that he just handed the ball off. You saw it! You race forward to blow up the run. Oops. Peyton has the ball. Peyton is throwing the ball--to the guy who's ten now yards behind you, running free.
The same is true of expecting pass, but with a twist. The problem with defending an expected pass is that's a helluva long and wide field. What does "pass" even mean, given the infinite varieties, and where might the pass go? If knowing that a team was going to pass all but ensured you could stop the play, seven on seven tournaments would end in scoreless ties.
The deception in an offense doesn't come from the play mix, but from each play itself. Good luck, for example, in your first games as a safety defending against Peyton Manning and his ball fake on play action. You swear--swear--that he just handed the ball off. You saw it! You race forward to blow up the run. Oops. Peyton has the ball. Peyton is throwing the ball--to the guy who's ten now yards behind you, running free.