Run Versus Pass To The Super Bowl In The Modern NFL

Analytics is the big new thing in the NFL, where everything is reduced to numbers to determine how teams want to play the game. While there's nothing wrong with a new approach, does that mean the old ways no longer have a place in the game?

Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Titans are reportedly shopping Derrick Henry. With this news, some fans and media alike believe that running the football to win games is "old school" and outdated in today's modern "sling it around" world. 

The critical factor in this thought is based on the teams who have won  Super Bowls in the last 14 seasons and who and how much their running backs have cost the team in salary each season. 

I'm not going to sit here and deny that since the 2009 Saints Super Bowl win, teams have gone away from the high-dollar star running backs, opting for cheaper backs who they can move on from at any time. It's worked for those teams who have won championships.    

Other than LeGarrette Blunt-who began his carer as a Titan and was the leading rusher for three championship teams- the Super Bowl winners have had some less than household names lead them in rushing.  

However, I am not ready to say that a team like the Titans and a back like Derrick Henry are obsolete and can't win a Super Bowl running the football. 

Granted, you need a franchise-caliber talent at quarterback to win in today's NFL. But with the correct signal caller in place who can make plays in the passing game when needed, the old-fashioned run game can still be just as valuable to shorten games. 

A hypothetical for you. In 2017 the Titans selected Corey Davis as the No.5 pick in that season's draft. Patrick Mahomes was still on the board. Would we discuss Henry today if Mahomes had been the Titans' selection? 

Nothing is for sure, but I'm guessing the answer would be no because Mahomes is a player who would have made plays supporting Henry when needed and vice versa. 

Sometimes it's the luck of the draw, or draft in this case, that's stopped the Titans from success. 

While styles and formations have evolved, the simple fact is that eleven players still play the game on each side. The field still has the exact dimensions, and a great running back is still a great running back and can help win you games.  

 If Henry remains in Nashville, the Titans must find a quarterback capable of putting the team on his back and making big plays through the air when needed. Henry can't do it alone, which is what has been happening throughout his career here. 

In short, I still believe that a balanced offense, with a big-time back and a strong defense, can win a championship, even in this modern NFL.