Sam, my statement still applies.
Just because your defense gets turnovers that your team eventually converts into scores does not mean your offense is going to give up the same number of turnovers or even the same number of scores off of fewer turnovers.
They do not have necessarily have to even out over the course of a season.

---

Many things to reply to.

1) How does a good O benefit a D? Simple. It stays on the field. Imagine a balanced O. Runs for 5 yards. Then passes for 6. 1st down. Passes for 7. Runs for 5. Another first down. Passes for 11. 1st down. Runs for 5. Runs for another 5. First down. And so on.

Meanwhile, their D is just hating life. It has to make adjustments. It has to stay on the field. It never gets a break. But your D on the other hand is just chillin' and smilin'. Doesn't get better than that. Watch a work of art in progress.

They come on the field nice and rested.

In the end, your O is on the field 35-40 minutes while your D is on 20-25 minutes. That's the good life there. Less chances for injuries. More rest.

2) Points from Defensive TDs? Come on. Let's be realistic now. A team scores 450 points. That's a lot of points. How many came from the D? 20? The Bears brought their high profile D to the SB that scored all these points and look where it got them. THEY LOST THE FREAKING GAME. Yes, best D I've seen in a long time. Gets into the SB and loses to a mediocre D with a high profile O. Weird. I thought fo shizzle that defenses win championships. Or that's what people who love to overuse cliches say.

3) Whiskey Sam did the simple math and found 11-6 in favor of a higher ranked O. Hmm....
That's almost a 2-1 ratio. You can have the high profile D that wins ONE SB, but I'd take the high profile O that's a dynasty.

All in all, balanced teams win. But if I had to choose one or the other, I'd rather do the punching than reacting and countering. But that's just me.

---

My first choice philosophically speaking is a strong offensive line, coupled with strong offensive skill position players. The only thing as important as that is a strong defensive line that is further enhanced by incredible defensive perimeter players, including linebackers, except of course special teams which I always feel are critical to a winning strategy. That said, obviously the most important aspect to a winning team, not necessarily excluding any single aspect of the aforementioned, would absolutely have to include superior coaching and personnel aquisition, but I would be remiss if I also didn't mention the essential aspects of player conditioning, equipment maintenance, dietary considerations, facilities cleanliness, fan appreciation marketing and some good old fashioned luck. Other than that, I feel that we could easily get along with average output in the remaining aspects of fielding a winning team.

Not if the offense scores too quickly. The 98 Vikings did this all the time. They would score so fast, the defense would be off the field. The 99 Rams did the same thing. I'm not saying a good offense doesn't benefit a defense, I am saying a good defense benefits an offense more or better.

---

Yeah, a great defense helps the offense with scoring once in a while and putting them in good field position and gives them a lot of chances.


A great offense doesn't really help the defense other than putting points up.

But the best way to stop a great offense is keep them off the field by long drives that keep their defense on the field.

---

There aren't enough scores by the defense relative to those allowed by the offense to move them significantly in the rankings is the point. Your offense isn't going to rise from 10th to 1st on defensive returns.

---

You've never seen a team that can effectively run the ball then. When you get the ball and run 8 minutes off the clock with a grind it out drive, you're helping your defense keep the score down. I watched Washington do that to Dallas a few weeks ago. They took 8 of the final 10 minutes off the clock, kicked a FG to make it a two score game, and Dallas never got a second possession to even have a chance to tie.

---

But other than given the defense a rest, that it. It doesn't help the defense at all when they get back on the field.

On the other hand the defense gives the offense points once in a while and putting them in good field position and gives them a lot of chances.

---

And an offense that can stay on the field for extended drives and keep the other team from scoring helps keep a defense's points allowed down. Isn't this all obvious?

---

That is true, but it's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about on the field not in the stat book.

Yeah, an offense can make a defense stats look better.

But on the field, the a great defense would help a horrible offense a lot more than a great offense would help a horrible defense.

If a team has a great offense but horrible defense team it goes down to how had the ball last which is luck because both offense would be able to control the ball.

If a team has a great defense but horrible offense, their offense doesn't score at all but their defense stop the other teams offense, and if it's 0-0 it would get going until the defense scored a TD.


It is obvious that a great defense would help a horrible offense more than a great offense helps a horrible defense on the field.

Like you pointed out it's about equal when talking about stats.

---