Parity Dead?

[TerriblePizza]

Rest in peace, parity.

The NFL's decades-long effort to produce equality on the playing field is dead and buried. In fact, it suffered a gruesome, unwatchable demise in Week 7 of the 2009 season.

Perhaps it's only fitting that parity's final bloody demise came just days before Halloween, in a week that produced a record six four-touchdown blowouts in the space of a few hours on Sunday.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/kerry_byrne/10/28/parity/index.html

Its an interesting read. It almost makes me wonder how bad the NFL will get with an uncapped year, and if a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached.

Personally, some of these franchises seem like they are far from rescue with no savior in sight. However, Brady and Manning are getting up there and it also remains to be seen if they remain dominate after these guys are gone.

[natty]

Uncapped years won't affect parity that much imo. Football is still a young man's game so drafting well will always be better than paying free agents.

If parity is in fact dead(which I think is a big exaggeration) then what has caused it? I agree that there's a large gap between the best teams and the worst teams this year, but the league is still under the CBA. It's the rules of the past years aimed at the passing game. Look at all the current division leaders, they all have good or elite QBs(you could say Orton isn't a good QB, but he's damn sure playing like one), now look at the division losers. The NFL has changed the game so that you absolutely HAVE to have at least an above average passer. You need a good team around the QB but you're not a good team unless you have a good QB. It's been that way for a while, it's just more apparent now than ever.

[TerriblePizza]

Uncapped years won't affect parity that much imo. Football is still a young man's game so drafting well will always be better than paying free agents.

If parity is in fact dead(which I think is a big exaggeration) then what has caused it? I agree that there's a large gap between the best teams and the worst teams this year, but the league is still under the CBA. It's the rules of the past years aimed at the passing game. Look at all the current division leaders, they all have good or elite QBs(you could say Orton isn't a good QB, but he's damn sure playing like one), now look at the division losers. The NFL has changed the game so that you absolutely HAVE to have at least an above average passer. You need a good team around the QB but you're not a good team unless you have a good QB. It's been that way for a while, it's just more apparent now than ever.

You know, thats a good point. A lot of the rule changes lately have been beneficial to the offense, and especially the QB.

I think if there were a few changes in the favor of the defense that it will solve some of that. However, fans like flashy football. It puts people in the seats. I don't see the NFL changing those rules based on financial reasons.

[natty]

People do like the flashy nature of the passing game but no one likes to watch a blowout between a team with a great QB and a team with a crappy one. I think they just need to tweak some things until a balance is achieved. Maybe extend the 5 yard no-contact rule to 10 yards - stuff like that.

[Guild]

[R0CKnR0LLA]

The system that promotes parity is still in place, the NFL doesn't need to change everything because a handful of teams are incapable of drafting/managing/executing at a professional level.

[thefuzz]

It's all about the QB.

Most teams understand this, the Panthers on the other hand, do not.

If you happen to shore up the QB position in the draft, meaning you get a Brady, Rivers, Manning, Brees, you can build around their strengths. You don't have to continue to pick up 2nd and 3rd round QB's and hope they pan out. Those picks can be used on the D line and O line, instead.

[thejimmy]

Exactly. It's not a question of the haves vs the have nots, it's a question of who has a good QB and who doesn't. You have a good QB, you're good. You don't, you struggle.

We are proof.

[Davidson Deac II]

If parity means having different dominant teams every year, then we have parity. Last years best teams in the regular season were New York and Carolina in the NFC, and Pitt/Tn in the AFC. In the playoffs, Pittsburgh and Arizona were the best. This year, so far its the Colts, Broncos, Saints, and Vikings. Different group of teams.