TOP doesn't directly serve a single purpose.

TOP keeps their offense off the field as well as their defense on the field. You want to have a more effective running game in the second half? Keep their defense on the field for several long drives in the first half and they'll be gassed earlier and earlier in those second half drives. Just look at what happened to the Saints D tonight.

The side benefit of keeping their offense off the field, besides the fact that they can't score, is that it disrupts rhythm. Much of modern NFL offenses operates on timing and rhythm; by taking away possessions and also simply keeping them on the sideline, their rhythm can be disrupted. They can be forced to press if they get down multiple scores. It can even force the coaches to change their gameplan, further disrupting a team's confidence and mental stability.

And finally, if a team has proven that it can move the ball at will against your defense, and you still have to get another score, then the last thing you'd want is to give the ball back to them. You would by necessity have to figure out to prevent them from getting the ball back. Say by pinning them inside their end-zone and forcing some kind of turnover, or faking a punt, or recovering an onside kick. The point being, it would put pressure on a team to take more risks, to alter their gameplan, to operate outside their comfort zone.

So while the TOP in and of itself may not be an indicator of a team's success, it can create difficulty and even mass mental pressure on the opposing team's offense in the latter stages of a game. Again, just refer to the Saints game tonight for a textbook example.

Oh, and thanks for the "10 things" even though this week it was 11 things. Really enjoy these things.

^hahaha

Mentally I think lopsided TOP was a killer for Alex in both 2016-2017. He always looked flustered and in a hurry when taking the field (thinking of the Tampa Bay and Tennessee games, as well as the Steelers playoff loss). For Pat, I think it makes him a bit out of sync at times, but at the end of the game it just doesn't matter. He's putting points on the board.

I think we're going to see more and more of this, as teams are deciding to try to run the ball a lot...35 or 40 times a game, and grind out drives that keeps Pat off the field. The fewer possessions Pat gets, the better chance the opposition has to not get their doors blown off.

Mahomes is the outlier. Rodgers and Wilson as well. Back in the day it was Montana. They just don't care.

But for the more normal human QBs the clock, how much time is left on it, is a real and palpable thing. I've watched dozens if not hundreds of QBs and teams get tight, lose their focus, whatever as they watched the clock winding down. Even coaches for that matter.

And Alex, yeah, I remember the Pats game and in one head shot you could see him actually clench his jaw right before he stepped into the huddle. The clock, among other things, was probably firmly in the front of his brain pan. Joe Montana would've cracked a joke right there.

I missed this game due to having some work that absolutely needed to be done by Monday Morning but caught the highlights yesterday.

How did Sammy Watkins pick himself up after that hit he took? In the highlights all they did was show the hit then moved on. Looked nasty.

Thanks GB! :thumb:

I don't know how Sammy got up so fast. Initially I thought he was knocked out. The whole bar thought he was out cold. Then about 30 seconds later he was walking off the field under his own power, though he was grimacing and squinting pretty hard. Maybe his solar lizard powers kicked in.

Good to hear he walked away.

I thought he was KOed as well. The highlights cut away as soon as he hit the turf.

Thanks!

I took all manner of hell for this position after the Houston game. Just a heads up.

I look forward to it. But thanks!

Bitches were SALTY about time of possession.

https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/show...highlight=Time

I remember that one. I think I had a few things to say about it at the time. The problem is that some people think TOP is an indicator of winning/losing, which it's not. My coach in HS used to say, "TOP only tells you that a team can string some plays together, which is only as useful as you want it to be." Something like that.

Yep. Efficiency in scoring and stops