Gruden says AFL should get more defensive
Published on September 19, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Orlando Predators News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 19) -- On Friday, the Arena Football League announced several rule changes that will drastically alter the look and feel of Arena Football League games. On Tuesday, Orlando Predators head coach Jay Gruden said that less scoring may result from the changes.
The biggest rule change was the introduction of free substitution, essentially reducing the concept of two-way "Ironman" football. Since the game's inception, six of the eight players on the field have been required to play both offense and defense. Substitution rules allowed for a starter to leave and return just one time per quarter.
League officials believe that the new rule will allow coaches to put their best players on the field for each snap. It should also allow for more player rest (i.e. defensive lineman will rest when their team is on offense) that should decrease in the amount of penalties.
Gruden saw both negatives and positives in the rule change. "To some extent, the Arena Football has always been marketed as 'tough-guy, two-way football' and that element is obviously changing. Teams will now be able to sign great wide receivers without having to worry whether that guy can also play defensive back or linebacker," Gruden said. "I also think it is going to eliminate jobs for some players who were proficient but not great on both offense and defense. Some familiar fan favorites may have a difficult time making rosters."
Gruden believes that scoring may decrease under the rule change. "When you have platoon specialists at every position, I believe that will favor the defense. You may see more winning scores in the low 40's," Gruden said. "But I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Everyone loves offense, but I'm not sure a final score of 80-75 in football constitutes a great game. I would challenge anyone to say that our 31-27 playoff win over Philadelphia was not one of the most exciting Arena Football League games ever played. I certainly believe that under the rule changes, you will see a lot more games like that."
He also noted that the rule change may help player development. "Coaches should have a bigger pool of players available," Gruden added. "Offensive and defensive players can now sign with the Arena Football League without worrying about having to learn the other side of ball."
Gruden believes the concept of two-way football is not totally dead when the new rules go into effect. "We're still going to be limited in roster size," the Predators head coach said. "For that reason alone, you are going to still have to sign some players that can go both ways so they can fill in for injured players."
He also noted that the rule change could result in strategy changes and will result in some roster uncertainty. 'In goal line situations, do you take out one or two wide receivers and replace them with two big offensive linemen?," Gruden said. "I can also see the possibility of true running backs having an opportunity to play Arena Football for the first time."
Two other key rules - the removal of coaches from the playing field and the increase in the amount of games (two to four) a player on injured reserve must miss - were not favored by Gruden. "Because some teams have bench areas in the corner of the field, there is going to be some communication problems," Gruden said. "I don't like the injured reserve rule because it penalizes players that are hurt but could be ready to go in three weeks. There is such a thing as a two-week injury."
Gruden said that two other changes - a decision not to re-seed playoff teams for the Conference Championship game and a decision to provide field markings to define the "box" for the "Jack" linebacker would have "minimal effect" on the game.
As for how the rule changes will shape the Orlando roster, Gruden felt pretty good about his current roster. "From the Predators standpoint, I think we are in pretty good shape with the core group of players we have signed," Gruden - who is entering his eighth year as head coach and Director of Football Operations - said. "We will focus on completing our roster with these new rule changes in mind."
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 19, 2006
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- Gruden says AFL should get more defensive - Orlando Predators
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