The NFL has changed over the last several years.
Every few years, the league winds change and new trends take hold, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The constant punch, counter-punch of teams adjusting to what’s working or what propelled the latest Super Bowl team is part of what makes the game fun and exciting.
In gaming this is often referred to as the META or “Most Effective Tactics Available”. For a while, ground and pound with star running backs like Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson were the NFL meta. Later, with the success of Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones you saw teams chasing big, fast wide receivers on the outside or trying to replicate the freak tight ends like Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski.