Originally posted by redrathman:Originally posted by Joecool:
Basically, does a defensive line lose more energy when trying to rush the passer or when trying to stop the run? If so, then wouldn't it be wise to run after we forced them to rush the passer a few times?
Neither. It should be an all out effort on every play. Inside running grades interior linemen a bit more than rushing the passer due to the nature of the play.
With the way teams rotate defensive linemen, loss of energy really isn't the issue. More so, it's scheme, balance and execution that can truly throw off a team. The Saints rushed three defensive linemen and had five defensive backs on the field when Gore scored his touchdown. When you've got guards getting to the second level, it's an easy mismatch.
I thought they mainly rotated on 3rd downs or obvious passing downs.
My argument to the bold would be to use this analogy: A boxer expends far more energy when throwing a punch and missing than he does when he throws a punch and lands. The effort on both punches is the same but a miss uses that extra amount because resetting expends more energy rather than pretty much bouncing the punch back from the guy who got hit. Similar to a lineman running full speed only to miss or get pushed off his route or to the ground or just get stood up and even then, the defensive lineman is using energy to force off. In a run, a DL can "lean" on the blocker a little more and the DL is running a smaller distance.