Which Team Has Set the Blueprint for Success in Today's NFL?

What makes an NFL team successful?

I mean, what makes a team really successful? What are the qualities that build a team up from the doldrums of the NFL into a lean, mean, fighting machine? How can a team set itself up for success not only in the short term but also for years to come?

Where does true and lasting success stem from in a league filled with coaches, personnel men, analysts, stat gurus and Monday morning quarterbacks?

So often, we speak of a blueprint to beat a team. The New York Giants apparently have a blueprint to beat quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It's not clear where they keep this blueprint—hopefully hidden on a bookshelf or in a safe behind a painting—but they have it.

Instead of a blueprint on tearing a team down, how about a blueprint to build one up? Which team has that blueprint, and how can other teams emulate it?

A lot of analysts provide simplistic maxims for team-building success: "Run the ball and stop the run" or "pass the ball and rush the passer." High-paid commentators extol the necessity of drafting a franchise passer, as if their listeners didn't realize that quarterbacks are important in today's NFL.
It's easy to weed out the teams that barely have any coherent plan or have plans in such infancy that it's impossible to foresee how well they will stick to them.

Take, for instance, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Want proof that Smith never had a great plan? He rolled with David Garrard at quarterback for quite some time and then had to reach for Blaine Gabbert in draft-day desperation.

The Jaguars spent years with little to no success under former general manager Gene Smith. Not only did Smith draft the wrong players, he often did so with little regard to overall team building—as if every draft or free-agency move was in a vacuum.

The paradigm for teams with zero plans is, of course, the Matt Millen-led Detroit Lions. While Millen led the team for far too long, his tenure was punctuated by near constant upheaval of coordinators and coaches. This led to wild swings in draft strategy, as the players who fit one system were quickly made obsolete.

Thus, instead of focusing on the teams in the NFL with no plan or those that are just starting, let's take a long look at the teams that have a plan in place.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots have strong general managers and talented coaching staffs. However, all of those teams have roots in an NFL of the last decade to some extent.

In the cyclical nature of the NFL, teams must continue to evolve. Each of those franchises can continue to be successful, but they have to show they can adapt heading into the future.

Under general manager John Schneider, the Seattle Seahawks have an impressive plan in effect. While the plan is not in its infancy by any means, it is still a few years from fruition. The quarterback is in place with Russell Wilson under center, and the offense looks to be shaping up nicely.

The defense, however, is the big story in Seattle, where a cohesive plan has allowed the Seahawks to grab talented players who fit their system—even in the middle rounds. This astounds draft analysts (including yours truly) year in and year out.

That happens because the analysts from ESPN, NFL Network, Bleacher Report, etc., don't have the Seahawks' battle plans on their desks. We have a loose approximation of what they're doing, but it was hard to divine the purpose of a pick like defensive end Bruce Irvin in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft when we didn't know the Seahawks were looking for a one-dimensional pass-rusher.

Finally, the San Francisco 49ers are probably the most perplexing team when considering franchise blueprints. General manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh have put a remarkable system in place. With the talent and depth they've amassed, the 49ers have the ability to contend for Super Bowls for many years to come.

The problem, however, with both the Seahawks and the 49ers is that neither is king of the mountain. A successful blueprint assumes getting to the pinnacle of success and staying there until the forces of parity allow. While I (and many others) are bullish on these two NFC rivals' chances, one team sticks out both in terms of ultimate success and longevity.
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