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The Patriots have been running a spread offense for a decade, pretty much. But I don't think the big change is anything technical (play-calling); it's simply that coaches and teams are becoming more willing to look for a guy's intangibles, and plug the guy's abilities into the team instead of making the player conform to what the team wants to do. That's all Belichick does: he finds guys who can do something well, and he puts them in position to do those things well. Football is becoming less about megastars (especially on offense) and more about guys who can produce. Aside from Hines Ward, most people probably couldn't name three "skill position" (RB, WR, TE) players on either the Steelers or Packers. The Wes Welkers and Danny Woodheads have a better chance to make it big in this kind of league. Spread out the defense, keep them guessing and off-balance, let your guys run around and do what they do best, and protect your QB long enough to let him make the throws.
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