Paralysis by analysis.
The NFL has intentionally and incrementally tied the defense’s hands. Soon tackles will be abolished to be replaced with two-hand touch and a polite suggestion that the ballcarrier take a knee or step out of bounds.
The result is inflated scores and a cynical manipulation of results that would make the NBA hang its head in shame.
that the NFL's high-speed, high-scoring offenses are a reflection of one of the laws of nature—the tendency of all things to evolve toward efficiency.
OK, but wouldn't that apply to the defense as well as the offense? Shouldn't the defense also evolve towards efficiency?
Over time, a river relentlessly wears away its banks and, as a result, water flows faster and faster toward its mouth. When obstacles fall in its way, say, a tree, or a boulder—or in the case of an NFL offense, beefy linebackers like the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis or the Chicago Bears' Brian Urlacher—it will figure out how to wear those away, too.
Ray Lewis is a far cry from an inanimate rock or pile of dirt. In fact, Ray Lewis represents a defensive evolution. I daresay the stats against the Ravens are below the league average.
I'm not a big football fan, but I do agree with other posters that the rules have changed to benefit the offense. At some point, a genius coach will come along and figure out new ways to defend against the new offenses, and a new process of adjustment will begin.
Watch the NFL films show on Herb Adderly. Almost every tackle he made would be a penalty today. Players like Nitschke and Butkus would be fined every week.