Two days ago, an NFL team scored more than 62 points in a game for the first time in 57 years.
Talk about "sending a message" to the rest of the league — and they did it with their number-two receiver out injured.
Not only that, but the 726 total yards gained by the Dolphins in their 70-20 obliteration of Denver was the second most in NFL history, surpassed only by the Rams when they gained 735 total yards against the short-lived New York Yanks (it was a common practice for professional baseball and football teams from the same city to have the same or substantially similar names in those days — a practice that did not die out altogether until the heretofore St. Louis football Cardinals moved to Phoenix in 1988) on September 28, 1951 (the Rams won the game, naturally — but by "only" 54-14).
The New York Yanks lasted for just two years — 1950 and 1951. In 1952 they moved to Dallas and became the Dallas Texans, and the following year they moved to Baltimore and became the Colts (there was a completely different Colts franchise in Baltimore in 1950; it folded at the end of that year).
The vastly under-appreciated Tua Tagovailoa completed 23 out of 26 for 309 yards, with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also not sacked in the game — and yes, in case you're asking, Broncos defensive coordinator (and former head coach) Vance Joseph uses the 3-4, proving once again how horribly that alignment matches up against the kind of offense that Miami has to offer; hey, Dan Fouts and Dan Marino both forged Hall Of Fame careers ripping that defense to shreds, while frequently struggling against the 4-3 (Fouts especially).
Buddy Ryan summed it up perfectly when he was hired as the head coach of the Eagles in 1986, referring to the 3-4 as a "bend-but-don't-break defense" and pointing out that "it's hard to teach a team that plays bend-but-don't-break defense to be aggressive." Ryan added, "If you bend but don't break, your offense will have to go 80 or more yards to score a touchdown — and that's simply too far."
With all the talk about getting rid of artificial turf, and also getting rid of the "tush push," how about getting rid of the 3-4 instead and make all NFL teams operate out of the 4-3?
(For a few years during its history, the 4-3 was mandatory in the Pro Bowl.)
And because the 4-3 is more of a pass-stopping defense than the 3-4, its universal use will give run-oriented teams like the Bears a fairer chance to be competitive.
Plus, fans want to see more sacks every bit as much as they want to see big plays on offense.
It is true that the NBA had to back off from its "illegal defense" rules, which were unpopular with the fans.
But in this case, an "illegal defense" rule in the NFL would definitely not be unpopular.
It's time to make the NFL great again — by returning to the run-pass balance that it had in the early and mid-1970s.
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