The NFL is a copycat league with executives, coaches and scouts prone to stealing the best ideas and team-building concepts. With the playoffs reaching the championship round, those in the football community are already studying how the four teams remaining in the tournament were constructed to see if they can borrow a blueprint to help their respective teams reach this point in the near future.
After taking some time to review the rosters of the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, here are a few lessons for team builders:
Philadelphia Eagles: Invest in “Trench Warriors”
The Eagles’ rise to prominence has been fueled by their dominance at the line of scrimmage on each side of the ball. General manager Howie Roseman has assembled a group of offensive and defensive linemen who can take over the game individually or collectively at the point of attack. Moreover, he has been willing to utilize top resources via the draft and free agency to dot the roster with several five-star players in the trenches.
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The defensive line has played up to its disruptive potential by accounting for 60 of the team’s 68 sacks. The Eagles are the first team in NFL history with four players with 10 or more sacks: Haason Reddick (16), Josh Sweat (11), Javon Hargrave (11) and Brandon Graham (11). Considering the list does not include Fletcher Cox (7), Milton Williams (4) or Ndamukong Suh (1), the Eagles are wearing opponents out with a deep and talented rotation that overwhelms quarterbacks.
Offensively, the Eagles’ success as a ground-and-pound attack with aerial circus potential is keyed by their dominance at the line of scrimmage. The frontline features a rare collection of athletic blockers with enough strength, power and nastiness to whip defenders. As the Eagles tap into Jalen Hurts‘ electric skills as a dual-threat playmaker, the versatility and adaptability of their frontline have helped the offense evolve into a juggernaut under his direction.
Nick Sirianni compares Jalen Hurts to Michael Jordan
After Philadelphia whipped the Giants 38-7 in the divisional round, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni compared QB Jalen Hurts to NBA legend Michael Jordan. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Kevin Wildes and Greg Jennings discuss.
Given the Eagles’ success overpowering opponents behind the play of their offensive and defensive lines, executives would be wise to throw more draft picks and cash at a collection of “trench warriors” with dominant skills.
San Francisco 49ers: Commit to position-less players
The 49ers have stolen a page from their NBA basketball brethren, the Golden State Warriors, by utilizing an offensive style that features a collection of versatile players in interchangeable positions. The four-time NBA champs’ success with the approach fostered the “position-less” basketball trend that has taken over the game. And the 49ers’ success with an offensive lineup featuring a group of “hybrids” on the perimeter could spark a similar trend in the NFL.
With Christian McCaffrey (RB/WR), Deebo Samuel (WR/RB), Kyle Juszczyk (FB/TE) and George Kittle (TE/WR/OT) possessing the versatility and flexibility to function as chameleons in a base package, the league is paying close attention to how Kyle Shanahan deploys his top playmakers to befuddle opponents around the league. Moreover, they are intently studying how the versatility of each player expands the playbook for a creative offensive coordinator hoping to produce more explosive plays on the perimeter.
Christian McCaffrey draws comparisons to Stephen Curry
Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard discuss the notion that Christian McCaffrey is the 49ers’ Stephen Curry.
As teams incorporate more collegiate-like concepts like jet sweeps, “Wildcat” plays and option tosses, the acquisition of dynamic athletes with unique skills should become a top priority for teams attempting to copy the 49ers’ offensive blueprint.
Cincinnati Bengals: Stack the roster with blue-chip players
Maybe Bengals owner Mike Brown subscribes to Warren Buffett’s investment advice that encourages investors to stockpile their portfolios with index funds featuring brand name companies to build an empire. The Bengals have assembled a championship-caliber roster with former college stars from Power 5 and Group of 5 schools.
While some scouts tend to look for hidden gems at smaller schools hoping to strike it big on a developmental prospect, the Bengals have populated their depth charts with a collection of players from winning programs at the top levels of collegiate football. From Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase shining at LSU to Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine flourishing at Oklahoma to Vonn Bell, Eli Apple and Sam Hubbard thriving at Ohio State, it is not a coincidence that the Bengals’ top players were big-school standouts for championship-caliber programs.
Considering the Bengals’ 53-man roster features only two players from smaller schools (Alex Cappa, Humboldt State, and Cordell Volson, North Dakota State), it is apparent that the Bengals have prioritized acquiring players from top programs.
During my time as a player with the Green Bay Packers, Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf told me that it is easier to project players who played at top schools due to their experience playing in big games against the best competition. He told me that the NFL is supposed to feature the “best of the best” and those players likely come from the best college programs.
Although you might find a “diamond in the rough” on occasion at a lower-level program, the odds suggest that teams are better off focusing on mining big schools for top talent. Given the Bengals’ success with an almost exclusive “big-school” roster, more teams should consider taking a similar approach to building their teams.
Kansas City Chiefs: Unearth the perfect QB and build around him
Patrick Mahomes might go down as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but the former Super Bowl and NFL MVP was not considered a sure thing in the 2017 draft. The Texas Tech product was a prolific sandlot player, but few gunslingers have evolved into winning quarterbacks.
Andy Reid spotted something in Mahomes that reminded him of his former pupil, Brett Favre, who became a Super Bowl winner and Hall of Fame inductee while toeing the line as a gunslinger and game manager. With that image in mind, Reid traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to move into the top 10 to select Mahomes despite already having a Pro Bowl QB (Alex Smith) in place.
Mahomes an underdog in AFC title game?
Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, Joy Taylor and David Helman discuss whether Patrick Mahomes is being disrespected as an underdog ahead of the AFC Championship Game.
The move has certainly paid off for the Chiefs, with the team reaching five straight AFC Championship Games (four with Mahomes as the starter) and a pair of Super Bowl appearances with one ring on the mantle.
While the success was initially driven by Mahomes throwing the ball to a pair of elite pass-catchers (Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce), the team has been able to transition to a quarterback-driven squad with lesser talents on the perimeter. This season, for example, the Chiefs have allocated resources to the offensive line (Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith) instead of the pass-catchers, yet they still have an explosive offense.
With the Chiefs also paying their QB1 big bucks on a second contract, the team has provided the league with an excellent example of how to identify, develop and build a championship team around a franchise quarterback.
Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He regularly appears on “Speak For Yourself” and also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
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