CpuFan
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National Football Post Article:
"I remember watching a postseason press conference on the NFL Network a few years back when a general manager was asked about the awful play of one his offensive lineman. His answer was “according to (insert analytics service they subscribed to), this player was the fourth best player in the league at his position the final eight games of the season”. He used that answer to get away from answering the question asked. The truth is, if you watched tape, the player was awful, he was a revolving door when it came to giving up quarterback pressures but he didn’t give up sacks. Most coaches will tell you that while a pressure isn’t as good as a sack, it still has a positive effect on the play for the defense. That might not show up in the stats, but it does when viewing tape."
"Scouting is an art and not everyone is qualified to do it. Analytics can supplement what a scout/coach sees on tape, but it doesn’t replace what he sees. Analytics is particularly useful when talking about offensive skill positon players. For a receiver, useful stats can be something like drops, yards-after-catch, or the percentage of first downs made on third down receptions. When I used to evaluate receivers, I would keep track of these type of stats while watching tape. Now with the stats right at our fingertips, I don’t have to pay as close attention to those type of things. Still, even with stats, a good report will discuss these areas of the player’s game."
"Stats can be particularly useful when evaluating quarterbacks. I have always charted completion percentage on big plays when I watch quarterbacks. Analytics can give me that and many more stats that are useful in my film study. For instance, what is the completion percentage on throws to the right between 10 and 15 yards? What is the quarterback completion percentage when he makes throws on the run? What stats can’t tell me is ball placement. Ball placement, more so than completion percentage, is a true gauge of a quarterback’s accuracy."
"When studying defensive lineman and linebackers, I always kept a chart for every game I evaluated on tackles, assists, missed tackles, pressures, sacks, and forced fumbles. These stats obviously give you an idea of a player’s production, but what they won’t tell you is anything about the key factors that go into evaluating every player."
"There is a place for stats and analytics in football evaluation, but if anyone thinks that it can replace exhaustive tape study they are getting. There is an old saying in football “the eye in the sky doesn’t lie”. What analytics does is make the tape study a little easier, but it will never replace the old fashioned way.
When I read that an analytics service rates a certain player as the “fourth best player” at his position, I take it for what it is: an opinion. Unless the person knows exactly what to look for on each play, that opinion doesn’t carry much weight. If that same person tells me that a certain player has a certain level of production in certain situations, than I will buy that 100% of the time. Because it is a stat based on context. There isn’t a stat around that can evaluate instincts, competitive nature, decision making on the move, etc."
Read the unquoted portions @
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Analytics-in-football.html
"I remember watching a postseason press conference on the NFL Network a few years back when a general manager was asked about the awful play of one his offensive lineman. His answer was “according to (insert analytics service they subscribed to), this player was the fourth best player in the league at his position the final eight games of the season”. He used that answer to get away from answering the question asked. The truth is, if you watched tape, the player was awful, he was a revolving door when it came to giving up quarterback pressures but he didn’t give up sacks. Most coaches will tell you that while a pressure isn’t as good as a sack, it still has a positive effect on the play for the defense. That might not show up in the stats, but it does when viewing tape."
"Scouting is an art and not everyone is qualified to do it. Analytics can supplement what a scout/coach sees on tape, but it doesn’t replace what he sees. Analytics is particularly useful when talking about offensive skill positon players. For a receiver, useful stats can be something like drops, yards-after-catch, or the percentage of first downs made on third down receptions. When I used to evaluate receivers, I would keep track of these type of stats while watching tape. Now with the stats right at our fingertips, I don’t have to pay as close attention to those type of things. Still, even with stats, a good report will discuss these areas of the player’s game."
"Stats can be particularly useful when evaluating quarterbacks. I have always charted completion percentage on big plays when I watch quarterbacks. Analytics can give me that and many more stats that are useful in my film study. For instance, what is the completion percentage on throws to the right between 10 and 15 yards? What is the quarterback completion percentage when he makes throws on the run? What stats can’t tell me is ball placement. Ball placement, more so than completion percentage, is a true gauge of a quarterback’s accuracy."
"When studying defensive lineman and linebackers, I always kept a chart for every game I evaluated on tackles, assists, missed tackles, pressures, sacks, and forced fumbles. These stats obviously give you an idea of a player’s production, but what they won’t tell you is anything about the key factors that go into evaluating every player."
"There is a place for stats and analytics in football evaluation, but if anyone thinks that it can replace exhaustive tape study they are getting. There is an old saying in football “the eye in the sky doesn’t lie”. What analytics does is make the tape study a little easier, but it will never replace the old fashioned way.
When I read that an analytics service rates a certain player as the “fourth best player” at his position, I take it for what it is: an opinion. Unless the person knows exactly what to look for on each play, that opinion doesn’t carry much weight. If that same person tells me that a certain player has a certain level of production in certain situations, than I will buy that 100% of the time. Because it is a stat based on context. There isn’t a stat around that can evaluate instincts, competitive nature, decision making on the move, etc."
Read the unquoted portions @
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Analytics-in-football.html
