Face-Off: Rick Dahrens says "Offense Wins Championships"

These men combined: six Super Bowl championships and eight appearances in the big game.

   

 The Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears: One of these teams is not like the other. All except one has won a Super Bowl within the past 7 seasons. One has ventured far enough to the big stage, but fell short. The Chicago Bears lacked one aspect of the game that the rest of the teams excelled with.

   All these teams have had an explosive offense. Sure some of them might have had a stout defense too, but ultimately, offensive wins championships. The past is the past, and defense use to be essential, but now it’s all about scoring more points than the other team.

   When a big game is on the line, the quarterback is going to step up and win a big game.  In fact, you have to go back to 2001 to find a team that won a Super Bowl based on defense. Baltimore held the New York Giants to only 7 points in Super Bowl XXXV. Since then, the losing team in the Super Bowl has scored in double digits, with half of those teams scoring over 20.

   Being a defensive minded person myself, I do understand the importance of a great defense.  I play cornerback in intramurals, and always choose to be a defensive player in Road to Glory mode on NCAA Football for the XBOX 360. However, every Super Bowl winner the past 8 years has had a top 10 quarterback.

   Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady are just a few examples of how key offense is, and especially a passing game. This league has turned into a pass-happy league, and this past draft was a perfect example of it.

   Four quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks, all by teams with a struggle to find a leader. All four teams; Panthers, Vikings, Jaguars, and Titans were non-contenders because they struggled to find a way to get the ball in the end-zone.  A good passing game will help them turn the tides.

   I’m not trying to imply that defense is irrelevant and all focus should be put on offense, I strongly believe that defense will win games during the season. I just think offenses will ultimately win championships. Great quarterbacks will always step up when the game is on the line.

   The Jets are one of the most feared defenses, taming even the likes of Tom Brady as recent as last season. However, without a stellar offense, they cannot punch through the AFC Championship in the playoffs. Until Mark Sanchez breaks through, or a franchise quarterback replaces him, the Jets will always be one step away.

   If you strongly disagree with me, just take a look at history. The teams that win the Super Bowl have the better offense. How often do defensive players win Superbowl MVP, or better yet NFL MVP? Think about it. I can name them in single digits.

Rick Dahrens is a writer for Students of the Game. He is currently attending Troy University.