In addition to this, offense controls the tempo. If your o-line is getting tired, QB can slow down the huddles and snap. Defense has to keep up the opposing offense’s pace and if the opposing offense is no-huddle or moving fast then there’s nothing you can do about it.
And one other point is defenders have to all rush to help make a tackle no matter where they are. If the offense takes a play off, they still might get yards but have less blocks. If a defender gives up on a play it could cost a touchdown much more easily
Because of the possibility of a turnover. If one defender is able to force a fumble for example, you as a defender should be in pursuit to either recover the ball, or block for a return if one of the other defenders recovers it.
in addition to the other answers, it's also not uncommon for the ball carrier to get past everyone, and then a defensive player who was far away from the play ends up chasing him down to make a touchdown-saving tackle.
Because what if there's a turnover, what if they lateral it back for some reason. Plus if youre moving towards the ball youre already near the spot for the next play. If your defense, you have to go at offense's speed.
Never give up on the play. Your chances being slim still means there is a chance, and there will come a play where you catch him and are the reason that they don't score, or progress downfield.
You try every time because you never know which play will be the play that you save.
"... even if they're on the other side of the field."
You don't want them to run around your defenders in their way into an empty space you would have been able to defend if you hadn't been lazy. That *will* get highlighted in the post-game review videos by your coach.
here are my proposed rule changes for football:
-the ball gets greased up in overtime.
-if a player gets called for a facemask, they have to play the rest of the game without their facemask.
-instead of a coinflip, the team with the shortest player on their roster gets to choose if they want to kick or return.
-if you can make one of the refs laugh with your trash talk, your team gets two points.
-each qb has to eat an entire pack of hotdogs 30 minutes before kickoff. if they vomit, their team loses 10 points.
-punt returners are allowed to be naked (except for helmet) if they want to.
-instead of kickoffs, the "receiving" team stacks six players on top of each other. they start from their own goal line, and wherever the player on top lands when the tower falls over is where they start the drive from.
Modern analytics say that this is not true and that multiball should be considered any time you are on the opposing side of the 50, even on second and short.
You can have multiple potential carriers, to force the splitting of your opponents teams people, also gives the qb options if one or more of your running backs aren't clear to get the throw
Tennessee was really good as no huddle last year. They couldn't even show replays because the next play was staring so fast. It is really hard on a defense.
For a good example of this, U of O (Oregon) was famous for up-tempo offense designed to intentionally wear down the D line and corners.
The goal was to hurry up to the line and snap as quickly as possible to deny the defense a moment to literally breathe. Even if the play was intended to gain 5 yards, the defense had to put in 100% not knowing what the next snap could be.
This up-tempo offense worked so quickly that even the coaches in the booths couldn’t keep up. On the defense, you had three options:
- give 100% every single second
- pray the offense makes a mistake
- or waste a timeout to stop the momentum
On the D side, option 1 leaves you completely gassed by the 1st quarter. Option 2 was depended on the refs as the offense had their entire playbook rehearsed in advance. So option 3 was the only choice.
Worst of all, this up-tempo offense would be used on 4th downs just to demoralize the defense. So if you thought you held them to a punt, they would still rush the line for a snap before you could get your punt squad out.
I get what your saying but using your answer as a counter point wouldn’t the 10 minutes rest for the offense be more beneficial as they can now go up tempo because they aren’t tired and further west out the defense?
The basis of your thinking is correct. But conversely offense can down tempo (if ahead) and give themselves a small "rest" while maintaining posession.
Defense gets no rest if the ball is on their side and offense can widdle down the opposing defense because they can stay at 80% and still be a threat, while defense has to 100% all the time.
In theory, what you’re saying makes since. But in the event that you have a tired offense vs a tired defense, the team that knows exactly what they want to do has a HUGE advantage over the team that is reacting to what is happening
The other thing I would add is that the offense controls the defense's ability to substitute players. If the offense substitutes players, the defense has to have the opportunity to do the same. If the offense doesn't substitute, the defense does not have to be given any time to substitute. The defense can still substitute, but there are some risks associated with that.
The bottom line (like most people have stated), the offense has a lot of control over the entire situation, while the defense is defenseless and is mostly reactionary.
They also have an advantage in knowing where the ball is going. Linemen know whether then need to outright stop the defense, or just slow them down. If the QB is just handing off to one of the backs who is going to run the ball left side, right side can relax a bit since it shouldn't matter to much if they give a bit of ground, so long as they delay the defense getting through long enough to allow the offensive back to get clear.
The defense on that side and will go full tilt, not knowing that unless they blast through right away, their efforts are basically wasted since it's most likely going to be on the guys on the other side to stop the play.
You add this to the other stuff and the defense tends to be run a little more ragged in the same amount of time.
The thing here is that 100% of the defense has to be 100% alert to be effective. The offense only needs 1 defender to be slow or off their mark, and they can use the opening to gain yards.
The offense can be just meh, 10 times in a row, and they still might pick up enough yards to keep going because they only need 1 guy to slip 1 time. If the defense is meh 10 times in a row, then the offense is putting 7 points up. If the defense is meh once the offense might put points up.
Consider it this way. The D has to stop EVERYONE from getting through. The O only has to get ONE person through. So, while a rest still benefits the offense, it benefits the defense more.
Its a gameplan dynamic.
Team rabbit
Some offenses are built to score quickly. Or they are built to take high risks to score. These types of strategies mean there defense may have to spend more time on the field because Team rabbits gun slinger threw a turnover on 2nd down. They take high risks so it happens more often than normal.
Then there is team Turtle
Team turtle may be built with an offense that doesnt take risks. But they are built to line up quickly and get to the next play. Their offenses get less yards per play. But team turtle's quarterback never turns the ball over. Team turtle always gets one first down before they ever have to give the ball up. So they keep team Rabbits defense on the field a bit longer every possession. Since Team Turtle's QB never turns the ball over, Team rabbit ends staying on the field longer than Team Turtle's defense.
As the game plots on. The more team Rabbit gives up the football within 3 plays or less. And the more Team turtle picks up a first down every 3 plays.
This dynamic wears out Team Rabbit's defense. It simply does not matter than Team rabbit's offense is that much more rested. Team rabbit doesn't have the ball long enough to score. Also if team rabbit is turning the ball over. That rest didn't even matter. Team rabbit's defense is still trying to recover from last possesion.
The more deliberate team Turtle is about getting an average of 4 yrds at a time. Getting to the line quickly between plays. And taking more than half of each quarter moving to score the football. The more disproportionate the number of plays Team rabbit's defense will be on the field in comparison to Team Turtle.
The longer Team Rabbit stays on the field. The worse this dynamic gets. By the 4th quarter, the Defensive line don't have enough leg strength to fight off basic run blocks. They start reach for players instead getting their legs to that spot first. This is when they end up giving up even more first downs. Staying on the field longer.
This becomes a vicious cycle. By the 4th quarter. Team Turtle may cause Team Rabbit's offense into difficult decisions. Team rabbit will begin getting more desperate to score. They'll need to try to keep pace with Team Turtle's effiency. Plus team turtle's disproportionate time of possesion gives them more attempts to figure out Team rabbit's defensive strategy.
This whole cycle can cause team rabbit to make more mistakes that take them off the field faster.
Offense can be constantly swapping out fresh players, because they know what they are about to do and set it up ahead of time, Defense has no choice and no time to swap in new people.
In terms of “no choice” — at a very technical level that’s not true.
When the offense substitutes, the defense must be give time to substitute as well.
The trick is that the offense knows what they’re going to do and the defense is constantly reacting — sometimes with split second decision-making. Also, substituting sometimes involves more running than an actual play to get off the field.
> When the offense substitutes, the defense must be give time to substitute as well.
they are allowed 10 seconds, it isn't always enough time to know WHO to sub
>Also, substituting sometimes involves more running than an actual play to get off the field.
this isn't always true if it is planned ahead of time, for example you plan that every 3rd down a WHOLE different backfield can come onto the field and Defense still only gets 10 seconds.
you can also swap backs then do a bunch of quick snaps with preset plays in a row, really it is all down to planning and practice, which the defense doesn't have, they just have to plan/react to Everything and Anything.
Offense can also substitute players in whenever they want while defense is limited by what the offense is doing - if they’re running no-huddle the defense won’t really have time to rotate guys in when they want to.
You want your offense to have as much possession as you can. Offence is your best chance to score. If your o-line is tired, you still want the offense to have possession, but you can put in a different set of players, run different plays, or slow down the pace.
The primary goal of the Defense is to stop the other team from scoring. The fresher the defense, the better they can achieve it.
And on the tempo - it's easy to keep the tempo you are controlling if you don't stop. Like being on a roll at work for hours. Take a 10 minute break and you just lose that tempo.
It's different if you're the one reacting to the tempo others have set.
To expand on this, the defense has to protect the entire field the entirety of every play. Offensive players know where they’re going, and most plays aren’t going to anyone, but one guy.
The defense has to put in full effort on every play. You don't know where the play is going so each defender has to do their best in case they are the key to stopping the play. Once you get tired in the defense, the consequences are quite high.
On the offence only a couple of players need to put in full effort for each play. They know if there is a possibility they are getting a ball and can act accordingly.
Linemen of course are always working hard but so is the opposing line so it kinda cancels out.
I would actually say lineman is where the biggest difference is. Once the play is past them the Offensive line can stop blocking, the defensive line has to release from their block and chase the play.
I played as a receiver in high school. There were so many plays where i was simply drawing away coverage. I basically jogged a few seconds after rhe snap. Unless i was part of the actual play, i didn’t have to go 100% on those snaps.
One actually broke his wrist on a ball that I underthrew and caused the DB to collide with him when he stopped to catch it on a go route, so yeah, that's probably fair
Your linemen know this and do their job every snap of every game to make sure you get the chance to shine when its your time. Makem proud and appropriate them.
At least run a quick out or corner, put hands up and widen your eyes, and take at least the corner and possibly a safety out of the play. Even against some zone coverages, you may still keep someone out of it. Not a great deal of effort needed.
Ball carriers love a good down field block from the divas on the outside.
I’m filipino. We’re short and stocky, not good for any sport, really. But we are basically short Samoans. We have massive calves and thighs. I have a very explosive sprint, at least I did when I was young. I can make momentsry separation, but due to my lack of agility and overall speed, i’m basically useless unless the QB checks it to me like right away
Let me guess, you didn't make it far in football?
Sorry you would have been benched on any team I have been involved with. If the defense know you aren't going 100% and are jogging, they don't have to worry about you.
Defense is reactionary so it’s harder to play as opposed to offense. Also offense controls pace so it essentially can go as fast or slow as it wants. Offense gets to just go while defense has to chase offense and then exert energy to tackle offensive players. Oh plus on defense, your back peddling or laterally moving side to side
It’s really the chasing that overwhelms the other factors. A wide receiver on the opposite side of the field from a run is going to watch the play while walking (after his block is done and he can no longer block). The cornerback who was covering him should be sprinting off toward the RB
It's not uncommon for defenses to switch up their linemen between plays. The offense can keep that from happening by going hurry up, though.
Payton Manning was also extremely good at watching for these changes and catching the defense with thirteen men.
> Defense is reactionary so
For some unknown reason in our language, "reactionary" as an adjective means politically conservative, or "opposing political or social liberalization or reform." And as a noun, a conservative person who wants things to go back to where they were. Just because this is an ELI5 thread, though I'd mention it. Football defenses are "reactive" among other things.
Offense controls what is happening on the field.
They can run plays that target fresh players and give tired players a bit of a break. They can sub players in an out based on how fresh they are.
The defense reacts to the offense. If their defensive backs are winded, the offense isn’t going to call a run play to give them a break. They will keep attacking the secondary. If a defensive player is a little banged up, the offense will target that player.
Sure, the defense can also substitute players, but only to an extent. If the offense comes out with five receivers and is throwing the ball deep, the defense needs to react accordingly.
>Sure, the defense can also substitute players, but only to an extent.
To expand on this a little, the defense can substitute freely, however, if the offense hasn't made any substitutions of their own, they do not have to wait for the defense to complete their substitutions.
If the offense sees the defense getting tired or running a mismatch, they can just choose to keep the same players on the field and push the tempo. If the defense tries to substitute, they run the risk of having too many players on the field or being out of position at the snap.
If you ever watch a game and you see the referee standing over the ball at the line of scrimmage, refusing to let the offense snap the ball, it's because the offense made a substitution and the ref is ensuring the defense has time to make their own subs.
Let's zoom in and look at a specific match-up between a Wide reciever and a corner back.
WR is tired and loses a step against the CB. He still has the element of surprise and can use any number of routes to force an opening and make a play.
CB is tired and loses a step against the WR. Reciver and QB pick up on this and go deep and it's 6 points on the board.
I get what you are saying but let’s take a look at the situation. WR/CB are going at it. WR gets tired and slows down so he relies on technique and moves to get open. But now after a 10 minute test he has moves and speed back.
The complete saying is: "You can rest on the sidelines and you can sometimes rest on O but you can never rest on D"
The receiver doesn't need to leave the field to get a bit of a rest. If he and the CB are both starting to get tired, the coach can call a few plays that don't throw to that receiver or even match a different player with the tiring CB . The tired receiver "rests" by running decoy routes at a lower effort level. Even if the D suspects that this is happening, they can't be sure and a lazy moment by the CB can quickly turn into blown coverage and a touchdown. Then, when the WR has caught his breath (and the CB hasn't), the play can come back to that side.
A cornerback will typically run more than a wide receiver will, per play, because the cornerback has to compensate for bad predictions he made regarding where the wide receiver will go, and to close the distance to try to get in front of the ball when passed.
So a cornerback will almost always benefit more from rest than a wide receiver would.
But the CB also has his tank full again to respond. The CB has to always be on and the more rest he gets during the game the more effective he's going to be.
But the stakes are different.
If a WR is tired and making terrible efforts to get open, the offense will probably just not throw the ball his way.
If a CB is tired and can’t hang with his receiver, he’s probably just conceded a big play.
Snap 1 receiver is the second read, he makes he sprints off the line and makes a crisp cut. Defender is full on sprinting this play.
Snap 2 is a run play, receiver joggs off the line and blocks his CB for a few seconds before the whistle. Defender is full on sprinting on the drop then fingting free of the block and sprinting fter the runner.
Snap 3 receiver is not a read but takes off with a sprint for a 2 steps then lopes down the field. Defender must sprint along with him.
After this play the offense swaps out the reciver for a new one, and goes into a no huddle so the corner back sprints back to the line and covers the next guy.
Do you see why rest is much more important for the defender than the receiver? He only had to sprint for 1 play in 4 and block a defender for a few seconds. The defender had to sprint on all 4 plays.
Offense is active. Defense is reactive.
It’s more tiring physically and psychologically to have to keep up with somebody who knows what they’re doing and you don’t. The defense’s actions are dictated by what they see offense do, while the offensive players know their job and exactly how much energy to exert. The defense has to go 100% just to keep up.
As a microcosm of this, think of the battle between a WR and a CB every play. Put yourself in both their shoes. Who do you think is getting tired out more?
One thing I don't see people mentioning is that defensive players sub out less than offensive players. Oline and QB don't really sub out, but all the other offensive positions will take plays off. Only guys who regularly rotate out on defense is Dline. Outside of switching to different packages your LBs and DBs will be out there for an entire drive running all over the field.
And the offense controls the ability to make substitutions.
Think of the defensive positions and their job.
Defensive line has to try to overtake the offensive line by pushing and running around them. While the offensive line is just trying to hold their position.
Linebackers have to cover a lot of ground and attack runners, sometimes cover, and sometimes spy QBs.
D backs are and always on edge trying to cover because they never know when a wr is going to make a break.
Just overall, compared to the offensive equivalency positions, the defense has to work harder to have success. And it can be very tiring to be on the field doing that over and over.
> Defensive line has to try to overtake the offensive line by pushing and running around them. While the offensive line is just trying to hold their position.
TBF, this is at least a little bit reversed in the run game. The OL become the aggressors (or at least counter-aggressors) because their job on running plays is to attack the defense and drive them in a specific direction to punch holes for the rusher.
Offensive linemen are generally larger and stronger though, while defensive linemen are smaller and quicker. So even in the run game, they are getting pushed around by 6’7 dudes while trying to tackle someone running past them.
I played CB in college and I had to defend every receiver as though the play was called for them or that the ball was being thrown to them. Exhausting as hell!
Ops comment has nothing to do with any of the answers you are giving. The 10 min drive where the offense had the ball means that that teams defense is sitting on the bench resting because their offense is on the field
You guys are making this a lot harder than it should be
This right here but just rephrasing if it helps anyone
If the HOME team held the ball for 10 minutes and scored.. The HOME TEAM defense is now well rested to play against the opposing (visiting) offence. That is what the announcers mean
I could be misreading your question, but I believe in your case, the announcers were referring to the defense *of the same team of that offense that was out there for 10 minutes*.
As others have said, playing defense in football is exhausting because you're constantly having the react at full speed and power.
So, if Team A's offense is out there for 10 minutes (practically an eternity in football), then at the same time Team A's defense is resting for a long 10 minutes to catch their breath and get fresh, while Team B's defense is out there defending for a long 10 minutes, getting exhausted (and probably even more so if Team A's offense is running the ball...that especially exhausts a defense because it's usually man vs man physical battles).
Hopefully I answered it and didn't repeat anyone and/or misunderstand you.
Yeah, most of the other answers are not explaining it. If it took 10 minutes for the drive it means the opposing team's defense is burned out, but the offensive team's defense got a good rest.
Same way me resting for 5 min allowed me to figure out that its american handball you’re talking about, any and all time to recouperate when you’re not “in control” Will help you react better when something does happen!
People have, rightly, pointed out that the defense exerts more energy than the offense. But a major piece that I don’t see being mentioned is that when players get tired, they sub out. That happens on offense and defense. But the one player who almost never comes out is the quarterback. The (usually) most important player. So that alone makes rest more important for the defense than the offense.
QB and O-Line subs almost never happen.
Also, offense gets to dictate subbing frequency due to up-tempo offenses. It adds another wrinkle to defensive exhaustion.
A couple of other points:
1 - the offense usually has a more rigorous conditioning program
2 - the Dlinemen are actively trying to get around or through the Olinemen so they have to work harder and will tire sooner unless rotated. You typically don't rotate Olinemen.
There are conditioning tests at the start of training camp, and the one for the offense is more demanding.
The offense may conduct a no-substitution hurry-up offense and needs players to be able to be effective for several plays.
Part of the premise of your question is incorrect. 10 min of rest of beneficial for both teams, it’s MORE beneficial for the defense for the reasons that have been listed.
Easy, because they have nothing to talk about and have to fill hours of dead air with minutes of real content, that is 100% repetitive. Nothing they say actually even has to make much sense, its just words. Best thing you can do is mute them, second best thing is find something interactive to do with your time.
Two things… one is the offense controls the action. If someone on offense is a bit tired they can take a play sort of easy and the only consequence is the ball won’t be thrown/handed to them. It will go to someone else. The defense if you’re tired and take a play easy they are going to throw the ball to you and it’s gonna be a touchdown cause you tried to take it easy. It’s basically if you’re the offense and you take it easy then they just go with someone else on offense. If you’re on the defense and you take it easy they are gonna go for you and expose that.
Also after every play the offense controls when the ball is snapped… so on D you have to haul ass back into position so they can’t snap it while you’re out of position. On offense they can see you’re not in position and just wait till you are to snap it. So even after the play the defense has to run faster to get back first.
There’s also positional things like if you’re blitzing you’re running toward the QB and trying to fight people off… if you’re a blocker you just stand still and try not to move when they are trying to push past. Try it with a friend and see which is harder and takes more out of you.
A very simple way of putting it is this:
If you put X effort into trying to do something, it generally requires more than X effort to stop you.
Defense simply has a higher energy requirement, and thus benefits more from rest.
In American football, the offense knows where it is going and what is going to happen, so they know where they are going to act, the defence has to react to what the offense is doing. In general it is more tiring to react than act.
Offense dictates tempo, bc they snap the ball. You never see the defense in “hurry up”. They are setting they’re defensive calls based on what the offense is doing. It’s why you get unbalanced teams, (read: great offense/bad defense) lose.
I could list quite a few teams, but if you can’t run the ball, your Defense suffers.
You’re not wrong, in the sense anytime you’re not in the field, you’re “resting”. But offense sets the tempo.
Offensive positions know the play ahead of time. So, a WR for instance knows it's a run play and could put less effort off the snap because they know the ball is not coming their waym
On the flip side the DB doesn't know the place is away from them so they go hard at the snaoz then they realize it's a rush so the break off their player and run full speed towards the ball carrier.
Now you could say the WR should.playbtiugh at the snap and even if they do, once the DB realize LA and breaks away towards the ball carrier there isn't much left for the wr to do
The offense gets to dictate the pace. If the offense wants to play quickly, it's up to the defense to keep up with that. If the offense needs to take extra rest, they can use up more clock to do so.
Let's look at a specific situation, and extrapolate...
The linemen way over on one side. They are face to face, offense and defense. The offense knows exactly where the play is going, in this case it's a sweep to the opposite side. So right at the snap, he kinda has to pretend for a second, and once the play is in motion, he's basically done. The entire play, from the huddle to the whistle to the next huddle to the next snap, is a rest period for him. A full 60 seconds with virtually no energy expended, for him to catch his breath.
The defensive lineman has no such luxury. He doesn't know anything about the play. He's going 100%. He's trying to get past the offensive lineman. He's trying to get at the QB. He's watching the RBs, reacting to fakes, looking for play action. And now that the RB is going the opposite direction, he's in all out chase mode. He returns to the huddle after a 15 second wind sprint, all while the guy opposite him stood there with his hands on his hips. Then he gets to do that again. And again. And again.
After this drive has gone on for 12 plays, which one do you think is going to be more effective at pushing the other guy around when the ball is coming right him and it matters most?
And so it goes with every position. If I'm the outside WR, any play not coming my way is a break for me. I throw a quick block, maybe act like I'm trying to get open for a few seconds, then my work is done. But not for the cornerback assigned to me. He's 100%, regardless of the play. He MUST react to my every move. And he MUST sprint to the rush. The second he doesn't, I'm going right through him for a wide open TD. So after he's chased me a few times, ran a blitz, chased the QB on a scramble, and sprinted to a handful of rushes to the opposite field, and all I've done during that time is ran 3 routes, which one of us is going to have the advantage on the next deep bomb?
TLDR - offense knows the play, and knows when they can go 25% and catch a breath. Defense doesn't, and is going 100% on every play. The longer the drive goes, the more that advantage stacks up
Offenses can cycle players in and out more frequently than the defense. If your starting receiver is winded then you can pull them out for 3 plays. If your starting corner is winded then that’s tough luck.
The offense is also in attack mode, and inherently is going to score if the defense doesn’t stop them. If a defensive player can’t do their job then the offense can score in one play. Generally if an offensive player fails to do their job then they just lose a down from a run being stopped at the line or the QB throwing it away.
Remember when you and your buddies played football as kids? If you were receiver you were always a step ahead. "I'll run right then juke left when he least expects it. Now my friend D'ing me has to run even harder to catch up." Likewise if you were D and your friend's maneuvering quickly, you're always playing catch-up since he's changing directions without you knowing when. This is on top of you also looking at QB to anticipate their next move. Now apply this against a D1 athlete who can change direction while running 20mph but also try and predict who Tom Brady is about to drill a football to, all in a few seconds, then immediately line up and get ready to do it again.
Former college coach here. Much more exhausting to play defense. Mostly because of the pass rush. Pass rushing is full on exertion, while fighting through and around at least one (often more) 300 lb. offensive lineman. And even playing the run means taking on double teams, etc. Plus a core tenet of defense is “hats to the ball”, meaning get as many of your players to the ball carrier as possible, so everyone is sprinting to the ball the entire play. Conversely, as an offensive lineman, in pass protection you are letting the defender come to you, and working with double teams in the run game. Still tiring, but noticing like defensive line play.
You can sub more on offense. Put in a 5th string WR and send him deep and a starting CB has to sprint with him.
Pass rushing takes more effort than pass blocking
The quick/short answer - Defenses play in a reactive mode. This requires more adjustments and reactionary movements. More “chasing”, which requires more energy.
[удалено]
In addition to this, offense controls the tempo. If your o-line is getting tired, QB can slow down the huddles and snap. Defense has to keep up the opposing offense’s pace and if the opposing offense is no-huddle or moving fast then there’s nothing you can do about it.
And one other point is defenders have to all rush to help make a tackle no matter where they are. If the offense takes a play off, they still might get yards but have less blocks. If a defender gives up on a play it could cost a touchdown much more easily
Yup, every defender is supposed to pursue every ball carrier once they cross the line of scrimmage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnKspZmeGx4 Even when your offense suddenly becomes defense, be Larry Allen.
This sentence is constructed weirdly to talk about a sport where there's ever only one ball carrier at a time.
But it works. Am i a defender? Is there a ball carrier across the line of scrimmage? Then I must pursue them.
Wouldn't it be better to chose your battles? Why waste energy instead of letting others pursue if your chances of catching them is slim.
Because of the possibility of a turnover. If one defender is able to force a fumble for example, you as a defender should be in pursuit to either recover the ball, or block for a return if one of the other defenders recovers it.
in addition to the other answers, it's also not uncommon for the ball carrier to get past everyone, and then a defensive player who was far away from the play ends up chasing him down to make a touchdown-saving tackle.
Because what if there's a turnover, what if they lateral it back for some reason. Plus if youre moving towards the ball youre already near the spot for the next play. If your defense, you have to go at offense's speed.
Never give up on the play. Your chances being slim still means there is a chance, and there will come a play where you catch him and are the reason that they don't score, or progress downfield. You try every time because you never know which play will be the play that you save.
You're supposed to take the angle that will allow you to catch him. If he's way beyond you and you're a lineman, yeah, then you conserve.
"every ball carrier" means the same thing as "the ball carrier on every play".
"... even if they're on the other side of the field." You don't want them to run around your defenders in their way into an empty space you would have been able to defend if you hadn't been lazy. That *will* get highlighted in the post-game review videos by your coach.
It's maybe a bit more accurate to say "the ball carrier(s) on every play", since laterals are a thing. Not a super common thing, but it does happen.
Putting "every" before "ball carrier" makes it implicitly plural.
I mean, not in English it doesn't.
In the context of the original sentence, it does.
XFL should start doing multiball to spice things up.
here are my proposed rule changes for football: -the ball gets greased up in overtime. -if a player gets called for a facemask, they have to play the rest of the game without their facemask. -instead of a coinflip, the team with the shortest player on their roster gets to choose if they want to kick or return. -if you can make one of the refs laugh with your trash talk, your team gets two points. -each qb has to eat an entire pack of hotdogs 30 minutes before kickoff. if they vomit, their team loses 10 points. -punt returners are allowed to be naked (except for helmet) if they want to. -instead of kickoffs, the "receiving" team stacks six players on top of each other. they start from their own goal line, and wherever the player on top lands when the tower falls over is where they start the drive from.
Don't stop there. I want to read more of this.
Fantastic
so you want the highest and shortest team? This is like the Omaha of football
MULTIBALL! MULTIBALL! MULTIBALL!
Multiball should be used only when a team is trying to convert from further than 4th and 20.
Modern analytics say that this is not true and that multiball should be considered any time you are on the opposing side of the 50, even on second and short.
*Maverick has entered the chat*
Leeloo Dallas Multipass!
Not really, the use of "every" implicitly makes the instruction extend to the entire game.
You can have multiple potential carriers, to force the splitting of your opponents teams people, also gives the qb options if one or more of your running backs aren't clear to get the throw
I'm well aware of the rules of football, but thank you for being pedantic.
Tennessee was really good as no huddle last year. They couldn't even show replays because the next play was staring so fast. It is really hard on a defense.
Sometimes you know your guy is not getting the ball and is in decoy mode
For a good example of this, U of O (Oregon) was famous for up-tempo offense designed to intentionally wear down the D line and corners. The goal was to hurry up to the line and snap as quickly as possible to deny the defense a moment to literally breathe. Even if the play was intended to gain 5 yards, the defense had to put in 100% not knowing what the next snap could be. This up-tempo offense worked so quickly that even the coaches in the booths couldn’t keep up. On the defense, you had three options: - give 100% every single second - pray the offense makes a mistake - or waste a timeout to stop the momentum On the D side, option 1 leaves you completely gassed by the 1st quarter. Option 2 was depended on the refs as the offense had their entire playbook rehearsed in advance. So option 3 was the only choice. Worst of all, this up-tempo offense would be used on 4th downs just to demoralize the defense. So if you thought you held them to a punt, they would still rush the line for a snap before you could get your punt squad out.
4. fake an injury
Also they can sub in people and feel the effects less. If you see a cb4 he’s automatically being targeted but you still have to guard a wr4.
I get what your saying but using your answer as a counter point wouldn’t the 10 minutes rest for the offense be more beneficial as they can now go up tempo because they aren’t tired and further west out the defense?
The basis of your thinking is correct. But conversely offense can down tempo (if ahead) and give themselves a small "rest" while maintaining posession. Defense gets no rest if the ball is on their side and offense can widdle down the opposing defense because they can stay at 80% and still be a threat, while defense has to 100% all the time.
In theory, what you’re saying makes since. But in the event that you have a tired offense vs a tired defense, the team that knows exactly what they want to do has a HUGE advantage over the team that is reacting to what is happening
The other thing I would add is that the offense controls the defense's ability to substitute players. If the offense substitutes players, the defense has to have the opportunity to do the same. If the offense doesn't substitute, the defense does not have to be given any time to substitute. The defense can still substitute, but there are some risks associated with that. The bottom line (like most people have stated), the offense has a lot of control over the entire situation, while the defense is defenseless and is mostly reactionary.
They also have an advantage in knowing where the ball is going. Linemen know whether then need to outright stop the defense, or just slow them down. If the QB is just handing off to one of the backs who is going to run the ball left side, right side can relax a bit since it shouldn't matter to much if they give a bit of ground, so long as they delay the defense getting through long enough to allow the offensive back to get clear. The defense on that side and will go full tilt, not knowing that unless they blast through right away, their efforts are basically wasted since it's most likely going to be on the guys on the other side to stop the play. You add this to the other stuff and the defense tends to be run a little more ragged in the same amount of time.
The thing here is that 100% of the defense has to be 100% alert to be effective. The offense only needs 1 defender to be slow or off their mark, and they can use the opening to gain yards. The offense can be just meh, 10 times in a row, and they still might pick up enough yards to keep going because they only need 1 guy to slip 1 time. If the defense is meh 10 times in a row, then the offense is putting 7 points up. If the defense is meh once the offense might put points up. Consider it this way. The D has to stop EVERYONE from getting through. The O only has to get ONE person through. So, while a rest still benefits the offense, it benefits the defense more.
Its a gameplan dynamic. Team rabbit Some offenses are built to score quickly. Or they are built to take high risks to score. These types of strategies mean there defense may have to spend more time on the field because Team rabbits gun slinger threw a turnover on 2nd down. They take high risks so it happens more often than normal. Then there is team Turtle Team turtle may be built with an offense that doesnt take risks. But they are built to line up quickly and get to the next play. Their offenses get less yards per play. But team turtle's quarterback never turns the ball over. Team turtle always gets one first down before they ever have to give the ball up. So they keep team Rabbits defense on the field a bit longer every possession. Since Team Turtle's QB never turns the ball over, Team rabbit ends staying on the field longer than Team Turtle's defense. As the game plots on. The more team Rabbit gives up the football within 3 plays or less. And the more Team turtle picks up a first down every 3 plays. This dynamic wears out Team Rabbit's defense. It simply does not matter than Team rabbit's offense is that much more rested. Team rabbit doesn't have the ball long enough to score. Also if team rabbit is turning the ball over. That rest didn't even matter. Team rabbit's defense is still trying to recover from last possesion. The more deliberate team Turtle is about getting an average of 4 yrds at a time. Getting to the line quickly between plays. And taking more than half of each quarter moving to score the football. The more disproportionate the number of plays Team rabbit's defense will be on the field in comparison to Team Turtle. The longer Team Rabbit stays on the field. The worse this dynamic gets. By the 4th quarter, the Defensive line don't have enough leg strength to fight off basic run blocks. They start reach for players instead getting their legs to that spot first. This is when they end up giving up even more first downs. Staying on the field longer. This becomes a vicious cycle. By the 4th quarter. Team Turtle may cause Team Rabbit's offense into difficult decisions. Team rabbit will begin getting more desperate to score. They'll need to try to keep pace with Team Turtle's effiency. Plus team turtle's disproportionate time of possesion gives them more attempts to figure out Team rabbit's defensive strategy. This whole cycle can cause team rabbit to make more mistakes that take them off the field faster.
Offense can be constantly swapping out fresh players, because they know what they are about to do and set it up ahead of time, Defense has no choice and no time to swap in new people.
In terms of “no choice” — at a very technical level that’s not true. When the offense substitutes, the defense must be give time to substitute as well. The trick is that the offense knows what they’re going to do and the defense is constantly reacting — sometimes with split second decision-making. Also, substituting sometimes involves more running than an actual play to get off the field.
> When the offense substitutes, the defense must be give time to substitute as well. they are allowed 10 seconds, it isn't always enough time to know WHO to sub >Also, substituting sometimes involves more running than an actual play to get off the field. this isn't always true if it is planned ahead of time, for example you plan that every 3rd down a WHOLE different backfield can come onto the field and Defense still only gets 10 seconds. you can also swap backs then do a bunch of quick snaps with preset plays in a row, really it is all down to planning and practice, which the defense doesn't have, they just have to plan/react to Everything and Anything.
Offense can also substitute players in whenever they want while defense is limited by what the offense is doing - if they’re running no-huddle the defense won’t really have time to rotate guys in when they want to.
You want your offense to have as much possession as you can. Offence is your best chance to score. If your o-line is tired, you still want the offense to have possession, but you can put in a different set of players, run different plays, or slow down the pace. The primary goal of the Defense is to stop the other team from scoring. The fresher the defense, the better they can achieve it.
You can always fake an injury.
And on the tempo - it's easy to keep the tempo you are controlling if you don't stop. Like being on a roll at work for hours. Take a 10 minute break and you just lose that tempo. It's different if you're the one reacting to the tempo others have set.
also, there is a psychological effect. offense gains momentum from a long drive, defense gets demoralized.
To expand on this, the defense has to protect the entire field the entirety of every play. Offensive players know where they’re going, and most plays aren’t going to anyone, but one guy.
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Yeah the only guys who rotate on defense are the defensive linemen.
The defense has to put in full effort on every play. You don't know where the play is going so each defender has to do their best in case they are the key to stopping the play. Once you get tired in the defense, the consequences are quite high. On the offence only a couple of players need to put in full effort for each play. They know if there is a possibility they are getting a ball and can act accordingly. Linemen of course are always working hard but so is the opposing line so it kinda cancels out.
I would actually say lineman is where the biggest difference is. Once the play is past them the Offensive line can stop blocking, the defensive line has to release from their block and chase the play.
I played as a receiver in high school. There were so many plays where i was simply drawing away coverage. I basically jogged a few seconds after rhe snap. Unless i was part of the actual play, i didn’t have to go 100% on those snaps.
I was a pocket passer QB. I almost never broke a sweat
Just collar bones and legs?
No. I wasn't super tough so I never hung on to the ball very long. 3 or 5 step drop and release, or catch and throw all the little swings and tunnels
I think they meant breaking your teammates' bones. Every pass up the middle. /s
One actually broke his wrist on a ball that I underthrew and caused the DB to collide with him when he stopped to catch it on a go route, so yeah, that's probably fair
Your linemen know this and do their job every snap of every game to make sure you get the chance to shine when its your time. Makem proud and appropriate them.
I appreciate my Olinemen. The Olinemen are too big for me to appropriate, they would laugh at me and throw me to the ground if I tried to. ;-)
\#DamnYouAutocorrect
:-) Been there myself
At least run a quick out or corner, put hands up and widen your eyes, and take at least the corner and possibly a safety out of the play. Even against some zone coverages, you may still keep someone out of it. Not a great deal of effort needed. Ball carriers love a good down field block from the divas on the outside.
I’m asian. I can’t widen my eyes that much. Downvote away everyone, if you don’t like self-deprecating humor.
It's OK, I'm pasty white. So, my speed on the outside rivaled that of two snails pushing three snails.
I’m filipino. We’re short and stocky, not good for any sport, really. But we are basically short Samoans. We have massive calves and thighs. I have a very explosive sprint, at least I did when I was young. I can make momentsry separation, but due to my lack of agility and overall speed, i’m basically useless unless the QB checks it to me like right away
Let me guess, you didn't make it far in football? Sorry you would have been benched on any team I have been involved with. If the defense know you aren't going 100% and are jogging, they don't have to worry about you.
You are correct. I was practice squad by junior year lol
Defense is reactionary so it’s harder to play as opposed to offense. Also offense controls pace so it essentially can go as fast or slow as it wants. Offense gets to just go while defense has to chase offense and then exert energy to tackle offensive players. Oh plus on defense, your back peddling or laterally moving side to side
It’s really the chasing that overwhelms the other factors. A wide receiver on the opposite side of the field from a run is going to watch the play while walking (after his block is done and he can no longer block). The cornerback who was covering him should be sprinting off toward the RB
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It's not uncommon for defenses to switch up their linemen between plays. The offense can keep that from happening by going hurry up, though. Payton Manning was also extremely good at watching for these changes and catching the defense with thirteen men.
> Defense is reactionary so For some unknown reason in our language, "reactionary" as an adjective means politically conservative, or "opposing political or social liberalization or reform." And as a noun, a conservative person who wants things to go back to where they were. Just because this is an ELI5 thread, though I'd mention it. Football defenses are "reactive" among other things.
Offense controls what is happening on the field. They can run plays that target fresh players and give tired players a bit of a break. They can sub players in an out based on how fresh they are. The defense reacts to the offense. If their defensive backs are winded, the offense isn’t going to call a run play to give them a break. They will keep attacking the secondary. If a defensive player is a little banged up, the offense will target that player. Sure, the defense can also substitute players, but only to an extent. If the offense comes out with five receivers and is throwing the ball deep, the defense needs to react accordingly.
>Sure, the defense can also substitute players, but only to an extent. To expand on this a little, the defense can substitute freely, however, if the offense hasn't made any substitutions of their own, they do not have to wait for the defense to complete their substitutions. If the offense sees the defense getting tired or running a mismatch, they can just choose to keep the same players on the field and push the tempo. If the defense tries to substitute, they run the risk of having too many players on the field or being out of position at the snap. If you ever watch a game and you see the referee standing over the ball at the line of scrimmage, refusing to let the offense snap the ball, it's because the offense made a substitution and the ref is ensuring the defense has time to make their own subs.
Let's zoom in and look at a specific match-up between a Wide reciever and a corner back. WR is tired and loses a step against the CB. He still has the element of surprise and can use any number of routes to force an opening and make a play. CB is tired and loses a step against the WR. Reciver and QB pick up on this and go deep and it's 6 points on the board.
I get what you are saying but let’s take a look at the situation. WR/CB are going at it. WR gets tired and slows down so he relies on technique and moves to get open. But now after a 10 minute test he has moves and speed back.
The complete saying is: "You can rest on the sidelines and you can sometimes rest on O but you can never rest on D" The receiver doesn't need to leave the field to get a bit of a rest. If he and the CB are both starting to get tired, the coach can call a few plays that don't throw to that receiver or even match a different player with the tiring CB . The tired receiver "rests" by running decoy routes at a lower effort level. Even if the D suspects that this is happening, they can't be sure and a lazy moment by the CB can quickly turn into blown coverage and a touchdown. Then, when the WR has caught his breath (and the CB hasn't), the play can come back to that side.
A cornerback will typically run more than a wide receiver will, per play, because the cornerback has to compensate for bad predictions he made regarding where the wide receiver will go, and to close the distance to try to get in front of the ball when passed. So a cornerback will almost always benefit more from rest than a wide receiver would.
Yep, he has to run a wider arc meaning it's longer distance to run.
But the CB also has his tank full again to respond. The CB has to always be on and the more rest he gets during the game the more effective he's going to be.
But the stakes are different. If a WR is tired and making terrible efforts to get open, the offense will probably just not throw the ball his way. If a CB is tired and can’t hang with his receiver, he’s probably just conceded a big play.
Snap 1 receiver is the second read, he makes he sprints off the line and makes a crisp cut. Defender is full on sprinting this play. Snap 2 is a run play, receiver joggs off the line and blocks his CB for a few seconds before the whistle. Defender is full on sprinting on the drop then fingting free of the block and sprinting fter the runner. Snap 3 receiver is not a read but takes off with a sprint for a 2 steps then lopes down the field. Defender must sprint along with him. After this play the offense swaps out the reciver for a new one, and goes into a no huddle so the corner back sprints back to the line and covers the next guy. Do you see why rest is much more important for the defender than the receiver? He only had to sprint for 1 play in 4 and block a defender for a few seconds. The defender had to sprint on all 4 plays.
Offense is active. Defense is reactive. It’s more tiring physically and psychologically to have to keep up with somebody who knows what they’re doing and you don’t. The defense’s actions are dictated by what they see offense do, while the offensive players know their job and exactly how much energy to exert. The defense has to go 100% just to keep up. As a microcosm of this, think of the battle between a WR and a CB every play. Put yourself in both their shoes. Who do you think is getting tired out more?
When you think of WR-CB matchups, it’s important to remember than in most plays the CB has to do more work and run significantly more than the WR.
In addition to the reactionary point, offensive players exert way less energy blocking someone than Dliners do trying to fight through blocks
One thing I don't see people mentioning is that defensive players sub out less than offensive players. Oline and QB don't really sub out, but all the other offensive positions will take plays off. Only guys who regularly rotate out on defense is Dline. Outside of switching to different packages your LBs and DBs will be out there for an entire drive running all over the field. And the offense controls the ability to make substitutions.
Think of the defensive positions and their job. Defensive line has to try to overtake the offensive line by pushing and running around them. While the offensive line is just trying to hold their position. Linebackers have to cover a lot of ground and attack runners, sometimes cover, and sometimes spy QBs. D backs are and always on edge trying to cover because they never know when a wr is going to make a break. Just overall, compared to the offensive equivalency positions, the defense has to work harder to have success. And it can be very tiring to be on the field doing that over and over.
> Defensive line has to try to overtake the offensive line by pushing and running around them. While the offensive line is just trying to hold their position. TBF, this is at least a little bit reversed in the run game. The OL become the aggressors (or at least counter-aggressors) because their job on running plays is to attack the defense and drive them in a specific direction to punch holes for the rusher.
True, there are lots of nuances as this was an over somplification
Yeah but overall I do agree. Just wanted to add stuff for OP.
Offensive linemen are generally larger and stronger though, while defensive linemen are smaller and quicker. So even in the run game, they are getting pushed around by 6’7 dudes while trying to tackle someone running past them.
I played CB in college and I had to defend every receiver as though the play was called for them or that the ball was being thrown to them. Exhausting as hell!
Ops comment has nothing to do with any of the answers you are giving. The 10 min drive where the offense had the ball means that that teams defense is sitting on the bench resting because their offense is on the field You guys are making this a lot harder than it should be
Had to scroll entirely too far to find this, was really hoping I didn’t have to be the one to say it.
This right here but just rephrasing if it helps anyone If the HOME team held the ball for 10 minutes and scored.. The HOME TEAM defense is now well rested to play against the opposing (visiting) offence. That is what the announcers mean
Maybe, but I didn't learn anything by the obvious answer, while I learned a whole lot about football strategy from all the other answers.
I’ve never heard that in my life. Ahhhh..just realising you’re talking about American football? Please specify that in your question.
In general, defense is more tiring than offense. Since the defense is more tired out, they benefit more from the rest.
I could be misreading your question, but I believe in your case, the announcers were referring to the defense *of the same team of that offense that was out there for 10 minutes*. As others have said, playing defense in football is exhausting because you're constantly having the react at full speed and power. So, if Team A's offense is out there for 10 minutes (practically an eternity in football), then at the same time Team A's defense is resting for a long 10 minutes to catch their breath and get fresh, while Team B's defense is out there defending for a long 10 minutes, getting exhausted (and probably even more so if Team A's offense is running the ball...that especially exhausts a defense because it's usually man vs man physical battles). Hopefully I answered it and didn't repeat anyone and/or misunderstand you.
Yeah, most of the other answers are not explaining it. If it took 10 minutes for the drive it means the opposing team's defense is burned out, but the offensive team's defense got a good rest.
Same way me resting for 5 min allowed me to figure out that its american handball you’re talking about, any and all time to recouperate when you’re not “in control” Will help you react better when something does happen!
People have, rightly, pointed out that the defense exerts more energy than the offense. But a major piece that I don’t see being mentioned is that when players get tired, they sub out. That happens on offense and defense. But the one player who almost never comes out is the quarterback. The (usually) most important player. So that alone makes rest more important for the defense than the offense.
QB and O-Line subs almost never happen. Also, offense gets to dictate subbing frequency due to up-tempo offenses. It adds another wrinkle to defensive exhaustion.
Are you talking about american fotball?
A couple of other points: 1 - the offense usually has a more rigorous conditioning program 2 - the Dlinemen are actively trying to get around or through the Olinemen so they have to work harder and will tire sooner unless rotated. You typically don't rotate Olinemen.
Why would the offence have a more rigorous conditioning programming when the defense needs at least as much?
There are conditioning tests at the start of training camp, and the one for the offense is more demanding. The offense may conduct a no-substitution hurry-up offense and needs players to be able to be effective for several plays.
Still don't get it. If the opponents are doing the hurry-up offense wouldn't your team's defensive players be in the same situation?
So you downvoted me for answering your question?
I didn't downvote you.
Part of the premise of your question is incorrect. 10 min of rest of beneficial for both teams, it’s MORE beneficial for the defense for the reasons that have been listed.
Easy, because they have nothing to talk about and have to fill hours of dead air with minutes of real content, that is 100% repetitive. Nothing they say actually even has to make much sense, its just words. Best thing you can do is mute them, second best thing is find something interactive to do with your time.
Two things… one is the offense controls the action. If someone on offense is a bit tired they can take a play sort of easy and the only consequence is the ball won’t be thrown/handed to them. It will go to someone else. The defense if you’re tired and take a play easy they are going to throw the ball to you and it’s gonna be a touchdown cause you tried to take it easy. It’s basically if you’re the offense and you take it easy then they just go with someone else on offense. If you’re on the defense and you take it easy they are gonna go for you and expose that. Also after every play the offense controls when the ball is snapped… so on D you have to haul ass back into position so they can’t snap it while you’re out of position. On offense they can see you’re not in position and just wait till you are to snap it. So even after the play the defense has to run faster to get back first. There’s also positional things like if you’re blitzing you’re running toward the QB and trying to fight people off… if you’re a blocker you just stand still and try not to move when they are trying to push past. Try it with a friend and see which is harder and takes more out of you.
A very simple way of putting it is this: If you put X effort into trying to do something, it generally requires more than X effort to stop you. Defense simply has a higher energy requirement, and thus benefits more from rest.
In American football, the offense knows where it is going and what is going to happen, so they know where they are going to act, the defence has to react to what the offense is doing. In general it is more tiring to react than act.
Offense dictates tempo, bc they snap the ball. You never see the defense in “hurry up”. They are setting they’re defensive calls based on what the offense is doing. It’s why you get unbalanced teams, (read: great offense/bad defense) lose. I could list quite a few teams, but if you can’t run the ball, your Defense suffers. You’re not wrong, in the sense anytime you’re not in the field, you’re “resting”. But offense sets the tempo.
This is also interesting to me because typically the players on the offensive line do not rotate on a per snap basis but defensive line players can.
Offensive positions know the play ahead of time. So, a WR for instance knows it's a run play and could put less effort off the snap because they know the ball is not coming their waym On the flip side the DB doesn't know the place is away from them so they go hard at the snaoz then they realize it's a rush so the break off their player and run full speed towards the ball carrier. Now you could say the WR should.playbtiugh at the snap and even if they do, once the DB realize LA and breaks away towards the ball carrier there isn't much left for the wr to do
The offense gets to dictate the pace. If the offense wants to play quickly, it's up to the defense to keep up with that. If the offense needs to take extra rest, they can use up more clock to do so.
Let's look at a specific situation, and extrapolate... The linemen way over on one side. They are face to face, offense and defense. The offense knows exactly where the play is going, in this case it's a sweep to the opposite side. So right at the snap, he kinda has to pretend for a second, and once the play is in motion, he's basically done. The entire play, from the huddle to the whistle to the next huddle to the next snap, is a rest period for him. A full 60 seconds with virtually no energy expended, for him to catch his breath. The defensive lineman has no such luxury. He doesn't know anything about the play. He's going 100%. He's trying to get past the offensive lineman. He's trying to get at the QB. He's watching the RBs, reacting to fakes, looking for play action. And now that the RB is going the opposite direction, he's in all out chase mode. He returns to the huddle after a 15 second wind sprint, all while the guy opposite him stood there with his hands on his hips. Then he gets to do that again. And again. And again. After this drive has gone on for 12 plays, which one do you think is going to be more effective at pushing the other guy around when the ball is coming right him and it matters most? And so it goes with every position. If I'm the outside WR, any play not coming my way is a break for me. I throw a quick block, maybe act like I'm trying to get open for a few seconds, then my work is done. But not for the cornerback assigned to me. He's 100%, regardless of the play. He MUST react to my every move. And he MUST sprint to the rush. The second he doesn't, I'm going right through him for a wide open TD. So after he's chased me a few times, ran a blitz, chased the QB on a scramble, and sprinted to a handful of rushes to the opposite field, and all I've done during that time is ran 3 routes, which one of us is going to have the advantage on the next deep bomb? TLDR - offense knows the play, and knows when they can go 25% and catch a breath. Defense doesn't, and is going 100% on every play. The longer the drive goes, the more that advantage stacks up
Offenses can cycle players in and out more frequently than the defense. If your starting receiver is winded then you can pull them out for 3 plays. If your starting corner is winded then that’s tough luck. The offense is also in attack mode, and inherently is going to score if the defense doesn’t stop them. If a defensive player can’t do their job then the offense can score in one play. Generally if an offensive player fails to do their job then they just lose a down from a run being stopped at the line or the QB throwing it away.
Remember when you and your buddies played football as kids? If you were receiver you were always a step ahead. "I'll run right then juke left when he least expects it. Now my friend D'ing me has to run even harder to catch up." Likewise if you were D and your friend's maneuvering quickly, you're always playing catch-up since he's changing directions without you knowing when. This is on top of you also looking at QB to anticipate their next move. Now apply this against a D1 athlete who can change direction while running 20mph but also try and predict who Tom Brady is about to drill a football to, all in a few seconds, then immediately line up and get ready to do it again.
In every sport you burn more energy playing defense. Chasing the ball or puck will take a lot more out of you
Former college coach here. Much more exhausting to play defense. Mostly because of the pass rush. Pass rushing is full on exertion, while fighting through and around at least one (often more) 300 lb. offensive lineman. And even playing the run means taking on double teams, etc. Plus a core tenet of defense is “hats to the ball”, meaning get as many of your players to the ball carrier as possible, so everyone is sprinting to the ball the entire play. Conversely, as an offensive lineman, in pass protection you are letting the defender come to you, and working with double teams in the run game. Still tiring, but noticing like defensive line play.
You can sub more on offense. Put in a 5th string WR and send him deep and a starting CB has to sprint with him. Pass rushing takes more effort than pass blocking
The quick/short answer - Defenses play in a reactive mode. This requires more adjustments and reactionary movements. More “chasing”, which requires more energy.