Editorial by Ben Carter

“If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it’s that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously.”

-Dr. Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park

By the year 1998, Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling reached its peak, climbing from its niche Southern heritage into the most dominant force in professional wrestling. Powered by Ted Turner’s cash and wrestling icons like Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, the WCW left Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and his father’s empire, the World Wrestling Federation, in its wake.

Or so we thought.

Unlike my nWo clad friends, I sensed trouble in paradise. While Ted enjoyed the stars and the ratings, his product had become stale, repetitive, and boring. Little did the world know that the forgotten king – wrestling’s Prince William – had struck gold, latching his success onto a bald headed rattle snake with a drinking problem. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gave conventional wisdom the proverbial finger, cursing, drinking, and bleeding his way into hearts of every red blooded American male. In doing so, Austin launched wrestling’s Attitude era and changed its trajectory forever.

Flash forward to March 2001. After finding himself on the ropes, Vince McMahon purchased the WCW, dropping a $7 million drum on Big Ted’s ass.

This story should not be new; it is interwoven into the American fabric, it can be found in the most basic course in microeconomics to an advanced seminar in evolutionary theory. It is time honored tale of creative destruction; dispensing of the weak to make way for the advanced.

It’s a story that even applies, and will be specifically relevant, to the NFL.

Ron Jaworski’s National Football League

According to Wikipedia (the trusted source for unmotivated researchers), 30% of American sport fans list the National Football League as their favorite sports league. It should be no surprise then that the NFL dominates Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association in terms of revenue and television viewership.

And why should it not? Unlike the other two leagues, the NFL has not been ravaged by a player strikes. Buoyed by a salary cap and limited number of games, any given Sunday one of its 32 teams can be a winner. And with only 8 home games, the NFL can succeed with one team in Green Bay and no teams in Los Angeles.

More importantly, football is a sport made for television. While baseball moves too slow and basketball too fast, football keeps the action moving without inhibiting you from going; be it to the bathroom, refrigerator, or grill. The pre-snap rituals allow every spectator to share their play call knowledge or – God forbid – the commentary skills. Plus, it’s violent! Everyone loves a “good hit” for the same reason that we adore a wild race car crash – because it looks cool and it damn sure hurt!

And let’s not even get into fantasy football which, along with Electronic Art’s John Madden football, may be the true impetus behind both Generation X and Y’s affection for the League.

However, while the MLB or NBA would change positions with the NFL in a heartbeat, it would be naïve to view it as a league without trouble.

The No Fun League

“Congratulations! You just won the Super Bowl! What are you going to do next?…Oh, you’re going to Disney World. Well, first why don’t you GET THE F*** OUT OF THE END ZONE!”

Okay, so maybe I’m being overdramatic. But the point must be made: The NFL has become more vanilla than Christina Ricci. And penalties for touchdown celebrations only scratch the surface of the problem. The review system is beyond abhorrent, treating viewers to the sights and sounds of referees casually jogging to, and then from, a “monitor” that must be buried in Middle Earth because it takes 60 minutes – not seconds – to get a call. With kickers capable of 60 yard bombs, the overtime format rewards chance more than skill, frustrating both players and fans.

Of course, this ignores the biggest problem: the total disregard for the evolution of offensive football. From the moment Michael Vick stepped onto a college football field, the game changed forever: a scrambling quarterback appeared with actual throwing velocity. Before Reggie Bush gift wrapped the 2005 Rose Bowl to Vince Young (What? I should pitch the ball even though I’m 20 yards from pay dirt? That’s a great idea!), Vick almost beat a veteran, undefeated Florida State squad by himself.

So what did the League do with such a talented athlete and others of his kind? Did head coaches incorporate an option attach into their repertoire? Or perhaps invoke June Jones run and shoot? (Which coincidentally yielded more than 4,500 passing yards for Warren Moon in 1990.) No! Like a child jamming a wooden block into a round circle, modern scrambling quarterbacks find themselves in the West Coast offense. DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE?

The truth is, the NFL has not seen an offensive revolution since Bill Walsh introduced his attack in the 1970s. Every NFL offense today – from the Steelers to the Colts – somehow derives the minds of Walsh or Don Coryell. The run sets up the pass or the pass sets up the run; attack vertically or horizontally. Blah.

Former players or coaches (or people smart enough to book Artie Lange and then complain about his behavior…hello, Joe Buck!) might try to convince you that professional football coaches do not adopt the spread, the run and shoot, or even an old school triple option attack because it will expose their quarterbacks to injury; that NFL defensive linemen are too athletic for an option rushing attack.

While the merits of such offenses may be up for debate, the failure to even try can only be attributed to one thing: job security. Unlike college football, where a head coach can usually expect at least four years to integrate his recruiting classes, NFL head coaches may not last a full season; there is simply no way a coach will gamble their career on a new offense.

In short, coaches no longer play to win; they play to stay.

The Revolution CAN be Televised…

Up to this point, the United Football League has taken all the right steps. Unlike the XFL or the Arena League, the UFL chose to avoid mutating the football product into either a wrestling match or a basketball game. The rule changes – such as dropping the tuck rule, giving both squads overtime possession, and simplifying the fumble rule – will improve the game without reducing its credibility. And it was a smart move, at least initially, to hire former NFL head coaches with viewer name recognition that most players will not enjoy.

I say that that revolution can, rather than will, be televised though because the decisions UFL officials and team coaches make over the next year will ultimately decide the fate of the league, as well as the growth of professional football. There are still some rule changes that can be made – allowing one foot inbounds for catches; stopping the clock for first downs – that can differentiate without diluting the on field product. However, all the positive steps the UFL has taken will be for naught if on the field action is consistently driven by cookie-cutter “pro-style” attacks.

UFL head coaches must seek out some of the quirkiest offensive minds in the business to interject life into their attacks. While Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez, Mike Leach, and Paul Johnson probably won’t be leaving their day jobs, there are many, many more bright, young (and old) minds who would offer an innovative approach to the professional game. More than changing silly and illogical rules, changing the offensive culture associated with professional football can put fans in the seats and wins on the board.

If You Can’t Beat Them…

When I was 16 years old and preparing for my first car, my dad imparted wisdom which I apply in many settings today. Knowing that I would not be getting a new car – much less a Mercedes or a BMW – he advised that I should get something off-the-wall; that if I could not be the best, I could at least be different.

The UFL has a wonderful opportunity to change the trajectory of American football. Perhaps the detractors are right; maybe quirky offensive attacks do not translate to professional football. But for this league to succeed, they must at least try.

So, to the UFL, I say this: Don’t play to stay; play to win.

See Fleming, David. Shock to the System. ESPN the Magazine. December 18, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3779821.