[EricH]

Originally Posted by jpmittins

Well, of course defense shouldn't be the only factor in a game, but I really think it should be important. Some teams just don't realize that the ability to take a robot out for the entirety of a match is important, which I think is silly.

What exactly do you mean when you say this year defense wasn't key? I think it was the most important this year than is has been in the past three. When 423 started playing defense in Philly, we won all of our matches hands-down.

Simple, really. You HAD to score to win. Even playing defense, you had to score to win. Scoring is offense, at least in this game. (It isn't always; 2005 is a prime example of defensive scoring...) So if you're playing defense most of the time, you have to be a) pinning, b) hoarding, c) harassing, or d) blocking most of the time, not scoring or loading, which the offensive robots did a lot. This takes you away from scoring-type things and may make you an easier target, depending on conditions.

Or, as an example of how defense doesn't win matches, 330. They played defense most of the time in many of their matches. But, they spent automode loading up, and gulped down any ball they happened to drive over. Once or twice a match, they stopped playing defense (or delayed starting) and SCORED. Scoring is offensive, remember?

Defense was also important in 2007. Keeping opponents from scoring, blocking them from doing the same to you, that's defense. Lots of it happened in 2007.

And, one final note: When a great offensive machine meets a defender, the defender merely slows the pace of the offensive machine. It cannot stop the offense, unless it is a truly great defender. There are still a few offensive machines that WILL BEAT A DEFENDER. Lots of teams played defense against 330 in 2007. Lots of teams also lost to said team, even 3 vs 1 against 330. Same with 1114 in 2007. Same with 67 this year. Same with 25 in 2006. The thing that most scares me is an offensive machine those drivers know when to play defense.