The No Fun League: Why the NFL Is Dying

The NFL is unwatchable this season.

There I said it.

As long as I've been a football fan, I've been able to count on entertaining autumn Sundays. No longer.

Now I literally put the game on mute while I read a book. Maybe it's because I live in the DC area, and the Redskins and Ravens have two of the most boring offenses in the NFL.

Or maybe it's because the West Coast offense has ruined the game.

Remember when you'd play your friend in Madden and he'd throw short screen passes on every play and there was nothing you could do to stop him?

That's what's become of the NFL.

The lack of talented quarterbacks leaves coaches no option but to check down to running backs or tight ends on almost every down. James Thrash's touchdown on Sunday was the first score for a Skins receiver in weeks—and the situation in Washington is far from unique. 

All told, there are five, maybe six, NFL teams worth watching: the Patriots, the Colts, the Cowboys, the Packers, the Browns, and, on a good day, the Giants.

The common trait?

Offensive ingenuity—made possible by quality QBs.

Never before has the league seen such mediocrity under center.  The fact that guys like Josh McCown, Tim Rattay, Quinn Gray, Cleo Lemon, Trent Edwards, Brooks Bollinger, and Vinny Testaverde are household names is embarrassing.

It's enough to make a guy yearn for Kyle Boller.

And I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.

Add to that, Derek Anderson is now regarded as a top 10 NFL quarterback.


That said, the problem isn't just the quarterbacks—it's the conservative offensive coordinator who don't trust them. Eventually, something has to give.

Let Damon Huard throw a 50-yard bomb to Dwayne Bowe. Let Jeff Garcia throw a 30-yard post to Joey Galloway. The five- and six-yard passes are killing the league.

Imagine that your parents never took the training wheels off your bike...and when you turned 20 you were still on a tricycle.  That about summarizes the situation in the NFL.

My two cents: Either learn to trust the guy under center or draft someone who can actually throw.

Unless the NFL gets some more talent or coaches learn to open up the playbooks, it's going to turn from the No Fun League into the No Fan League.

Because honestly, I can't see people watching this junk much longer.