Kept scrolling and saw no mention of the Drew Brees era Saints. Always thought they were a finesse team that was always dropping bombs and had Bush catching passes.
this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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Every Patriots team during their dynasty
Bills in the 90's - the NFC was just more physical those years
I think of the 2002 Bucs (in a good way.) They were a smallish defense that relied on speed and smarts to beat opposing offenses, and they were great at it. But if the Raiders had chosen to run the ball down their throats in the Super Bowl (instead of Gannon passing it all over the place,) they'd have been steamrolled.
It's funny I was thinking the current dolphins
I think this is a great example, though I don't really think of it as "derogatory." Finesse has its weaknesses the same way sole power does. Maybe only in regards to their offense though...
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It’s true to a degree, but a lesser degree than last year. Dolphins are currently the #2 rushing offense in the NFL behind the Ravens. Lead the league in YPC at 5.5 / carry. (Ravens #2 at 4.9 / carry)
Last year the Dolphins were 26th in rushing, 22 in YPC.
It’s tough to shake a “finesse” label once you have it but the Dolphins are much less of a finesse team than last year.
you can argue though that the way we run the ball is still a "finesse". we typically dont run between the tackles and gut out yards. we use a heavy compliment of sweeps and reverses to try and hit the home run.
I dont really see it as being a bad thing though. we are playing to our strengths, which is speed. If you know your better then anyone else at a certain skill, you take advantage. And its not like there isnt hard work on blocking outside runs too.
My take: Colts dominant regular seasons during the Peyton era. '05-'09
Greatest Show on Turf. Every play they ran was fucking pretty. Holt, Bruce, and Faulk were the definition of finesse. Even Orlando Pace moved like Fred Astaire.
I actually kind of disagree, people forget those teams were dominant in run defense
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2008/2009 Cardinals.
2013 Broncos
Chiefs 2020 the Bucs bullied them
Greatest show on turf, 2000s colts, 2010s saints, 2020s bengals
That era Saints feasted on screen passes, which could be argued to be the definition of finesse.
Why do you say 2020’s bengals? Interested to hear your take on it.
Because they are a finesse team. So much of the offense is predicated on timing routes and coordination between Burrow and his receivers. All the back shoulders he throws are a perfect example of a finesse game. They also struggle mightily when played by a more physical defense as we've seen against the Ravens the past 2 years.
2011 Packers. We got most of our points through the air. Our run game was inessential. We didn’t have the backs to ground and pound and wear down a defense.
2017-19 rams
Maybe the niners from like a year or 2 ago when Deebo was more used (or less hurt) in their offense?
Greatest Show on Turf, and I say that as a Rams fan. That was my favorite football team ever but they would classify as a finesse team (although no football team is really a finesse team). Early 90s run and shoot Oilers maybe? Late 80s SF?
yah, 80s Niners teams definitely had a finesse label. not sure it was deserved because the defense was actually pretty nasty with Ronnie Lott and co. leading it
but the offense with its precision routes and timing throws definitely got hit with the finesse tag. particularly because they usually went up against some real dirt nasty defenses like chicago, new york, washington, etc. in the playoffs
The broncos when they got smoked by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. It doesn’t help they played one of the most physical teams ever. Also just the way manning had to throw looked soft.
That whole Manning offense that year was bullshit crossing routes. They were fucking pick plays. It worked all year until they played a defense where the cornerbacks just fucking held and dared the refs to throw flags. Broncos had zero answers that day.
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Rams "greatest show on turf" era
Colts at peak Peyton Manning era
Current Chiefs under Mahomes
Raiders that got blasted by Bucs in Super Bowl
Have you seen Pacheco run?
A few years ago we were much more finesse, so I'll 1/2 agree
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Air coryell chargers
Marino dolphins maybe?
Rams under Dick Vermeil and Kurt Warner.
I remember hearing that a lot about the late '80s/early '90s Niners. Even though it wasn't really true.
1990s Buffalo Bills
Fouts Chargers
Marino Dolphins
What is even ‘finesse’?
I heard this lots about 90s teams throughout all sports including the Los Angeles Kings.
Finesse typically refers to a team that isn’t strong or physical but fast and quick, which is why it’s looked down on in football: smack them in the mouth and they fold like a house of cards.
- 2013 Broncos
- 2016 Falcons
- 2018 Chiefs
I always think of a finesse football team as one with high flying offense that gets let down by their defense.
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Rams with Mike Martz or Dolphins this year
2019 ravens
The offense was not a finesse offense. It was literally the greatest rushing offense of all time and our OL was dominant.
The defense however was the definition of a finesse defense. They covered very well but they lived off of turnovers, all our pressure came from blitzes and our run D was soft as bread pudding. Nobody ever tested it until the playoffs bc the offense always jumped ahead to such giant leads.
True but didn’t the titans defense hold the ravens offense off for most of their he game until the ravens scored 2 tds in the 4th quarter.
98 Vikings with Moss, Carter and Robert Smith
Air Coryell. Chargers
Bill Walsh era 49ers
oh also the 2017 falcons
Going old school here- the team that first got called “finesse” by the modern media was the 1988 49ers.
This was especially used to contrast what the Bill Walsh coached West Coast Offense was doing with the timed receiving routes and lack of an emphasis on a run game first with teams like the NY Giants or Bears of the ‘80s. Well, as Keena Turner famously said during the post-game locker room interview, the “finesse ass 49ers” rolled into Soldier Field in the freezing cold during the NFCCG and wooped them 28-3.
I thought of the 80s 49ers as soon as I read the question. The first thing I think about from those teams is Montana to Rice. Both guys were smooth af. Then I remembered Roger Craig running like a maniac. Ronnie Lott crushing people. Charles Haley being Charles Haley, etc.
They weren’t soft, but compared to the teams you mentioned and Washington (the other Super Bowl winners of that era), they were definitely more finesse.
1994 Little Giants
O'Shea was the only real bruiser on defense and she only played half a game. Pretty sure Zoltek was their second-leading rusher behind Vennaro. This was a game that Urbania lost, not a game the Giants won. No yards given up and only up three scores? Should have been a warning signal.
A mix of hubris and painstakingly horrible mental mistakes (along with some really dodgy pursuit angles) lost the game.
Yet the Giants were the victors and their coach probably went home and banged the starting QB's mom.
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