but the very first post where Jeff (aka jemanji) elucidated the fact that the pitcher wasn't on defense (he wasn't defending the zone) he was on offense (he was attacking the zone!!!)...I tell ya, pardner, I was pickin' light bulb glass outta my hair for years after that particular gem...
You're absolutely right about O-line vs. D-line roles inverting based on the type of play, which is why you see dedicated Pass Rushers and dedicated Run Stuffers. Brandon Mebane was a run stuffer, an immobile mass of humanity that literally could not be moved off a position he staked out by TWO men of roughly equal size. But that sumo-style implacability came at the price of forward burst and agility. A tree's roots plant it in one place from which it's difficult to move, whereas a snake relies on quickness and precision to bring down its target. Both rely on their millions-of-years-in-the-making strategies to not only survive, but flourish in the ever-competitive biosphere. It's all about specializing for a particular type of existence, then selecting for those specimens that Do It Better than the rest.
Great post :-)