well it makes sense that when teams load up to pass that the defense will load up to stop it. The offense then has to counter with a strong running game which then will be countered with a stronger run defense. It is a matter of move and counter moves.
More than a question of are they pass or running teams SF and Baltimore are teams that execute and don't make mistakes on offense or defense and that is what wins games. They are both 8th in Turnovers.

No it is not a running league.

It is a balance league, over the course of a season and playoffs, teams are going to present options that try and take away one aspect while giving another up. As a team, you have to have the balance to counter punch what they "give up" to force them to play honest and then you can play to your strengths. About once a decade there is a defense that is so dominate that they can smother an offense, but the currently landscape of the NFL, I don't think that defense is out there. 85 Bears, 01 Ravens come to mind.

Example. 49ers post season.

Against us they ran because we tried to take away the middle of the line and played coverage behind it. They exploited our weak edges and ran it down our throats. Atlanta, took away the edges and the Niners exploited the secondary. They are balanced enough (even with Smith at QB) to attack what you give them.. in other words, they can play multiple different ways to beat you.

My opinion, is that we by default are pass happy and try to force our will through the passing game no matter what the defense presents us. In 2011 we were dominate enough to do that most games until someone through pass rush and coverage took it away and we were beaten because we could counter that. This year, we tried to be more balanced, but we still we reluctant to beat teams on the ground, late in the season we could run, I think we should have ran more and help bolster our defense, shorten the game and rely on Rodgers late to win it.

My hope is that we follow the age old saying, pass it to score points, run it to win games. Basically build up the score and be able to run it effectively after that to win the game and rip the oppositions hearts out.

The league is constantly in motion, we call things like the read option revolutionary, but honestly, it is just another variation of days gone past. Zone blocking and man blocking come in and out of "style". 3-4 and 4-3 go back and forth as the dominate defenses.. it is curricular in nature. Teams that win consistently are able to play balanced offense, the can run the ball and set the tone and couple that with a fresher defense that generally ranks high because their offenses control the clock.

The recipe has been around for decades. It isn't the only way to win, but IMO, it is the most consistent and effective way to win.

Both Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick are playing at a very high-level. Flacco has 8 TDs to 0 INTs in the postseason. We saw firsthand what Kaepernick did. The trend seems to lend credence to the level of quarterback play. If your quarterback gets hot, then you have a chance to win the Super Bowl.

In other words, it's a quarterback league. Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Eli Manning are the last four quarterbacks from the NFC. Neither player had much of a dominant running game.

The AFC quarterbacks from the same span are Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. I think the same philosophy applies, though Roethlisberger had an amazing defense in ‘08. He also had a very, very good one in ‘10.

Is this year another shift in the ever evolving NFL or is it the rise of two young quarterbacks into the next class?

My guess is the latter, though the Packers place a larger burden on Rodgers than most teams do their respective quarterback. They'd be wise to take some stress off him, and tweaking the running game isn’t a bad place to start.