Greg Olsen on NFL Offensive Evolution and Defensive Strategies

The Resurgence of 12 and 13 Personnel

• 🏈 Teams are returning to 12 and 13 personnel (two or three tight ends), a shift influenced by the development of tight ends as dual receiving and blocking threats.
• 💡 This contrasts with the previous decade's trend towards 11 personnel (three wide receivers) and offenses predominantly operating from the shotgun formation.
• 🎯 The resurgence under center and with heavier personnel is forcing defenses to reconsider their base packages.

Adapting Defensive Strategies

• 🧐 Defensive coordinators face a dilemma: play base personnel against heavier offensive sets or risk being exploited by nickel packages on the run.
• ⚠️ A key challenge is defending offenses that use 11 personnel but line up in condensed splits, effectively adding blockers and creating run game advantages against defensive backs.
• 📈 Conversely, teams like Seattle are using 12/13 personnel to force defenses into base packages, aiming to exploit them in the passing game.

Personnel Groupings and Game Planning

• 🧠 Offenses are manipulating personnel groupings to dictate matchups, forcing defenses to adapt their personnel on the fly.
• 🎯 The Rams, for example, excel in 11 personnel by using athletic receivers as blockers, while Seattle uses 13 personnel to get big bodies on the field for both run and pass.
• 📊 Buffalo's use of 13 personnel is noted as a way to force defenses into base packages, allowing them to run or pass effectively.

The Modern NFL Defensive Philosophy

• 🛡️ A growing trend is for defenses to prioritize preventing explosive plays, even if it means giving up more yards between the tackles.
• 📉 This often involves playing