Rocky Boiman: Is The Up-Tempo NFL Offense Becoming Obsolete?

The up-tempo offensive attack in the NFL is far from a secret, but it’s still used as a way slow defenses down. But for how much longer will that be the case?

Former NFL linebacker Rocky Boiman became a college football color commentator around the same time that schools were embracing lightning-speed, no-huddle offenses. And Boiman said in his latest Football By Football column that by 2014, everyone was using it, and they weren’t really fooling anyone.

What’s more, with the way the NFL is adapting, that style of offense might become obsolete for the professionals soon, too.

“But now, almost every offense in the country runs an up-tempo attack,” Boiman wrote. “Now the defenses in spring ball and throughout the season are used to running against their very own offense who now plays fast. It’s no longer a surprise. It’s no longer a shock to the system.

“Couple that with the fact that defenses have adapted from a personnel standpoint with bigger, more powerful but slower guys being replaced with smaller, speedier defenders that are better in space. Defenses are now equipped to play against all the nuances and speed of the up-tempo attack.”