The NUGGGZ this year remind me of the last Jay Cutler/Shanahan season in 2008 when they had a really prolific offense that featured a ton of "flex" players. TEs are naturally "flex" players that can contribute in the passing and running phases, but all of the rest of the skill players that year did as well. You had a small athletic TE who could also play in the slot in Scheffler, a another natural starting TE in Daniel Graham, and a TE/WR hybrid in Brandon Marshall who could crack back block a DE and then a RB/FB/TE hybrid player in Petyon Hillis, and Eddie Royal a slot WR who could also run the ball. With the same 5 players in the game they could come out in a JUMBO package and run the footbaw with a bunch of awesome blockers or go 5-wide and have all legitimate threats in the passing game. After decades of specialization in offensive positions/archetypes, I felt like this season was so close to breaking through with a different approach to attacking defensive with FLEX players like Florida and OU were doing at the college level and the Patriots later did with their multiple TE lineups. It was honestly one of the most FUN Denver offenses I ever watched, and they didn't even make the playoffs because they had a mediocre defense and historically bad special teams. I think the Chiefs and Bears returned like 43 kickoffs and Punts for TDs against them that season
@Orlando @bruin. At the time
@Brick and I were obsessed with CFB HEAVY SPREAD offenses that employed TEs and FBs to counter all the dime/335 defenses that were being employed in response to the 4WR versions of the spread and how these teams were able to get production out of all 5 eligible position players and the QB. I made so many #SPREADSHEETS! We contrasted this to PRO STYLE teams that employed multiple FBs and TEs that they never used for anything but blocking. I remember North Carolina and Virginia Tech specifically had multiple TEs/FBs who NEVER TOUCHED THE BALL! WHAT A WASTE!
Anyway, I like the comparison because the NUGGZ have a bunch of Power Forward/Center types who are athletic enough that you can put like 4 of them on the court at once, which is cool. A cool reaction toward the NBA's recent trend of favoring lineups that are heavy on perimeter shooting and slash/drive players. If the NUGGZ can't match up with that type of lineup, just play more BIG BOYS and change the matchup rules.