The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 4

   In this continuing series on why the NFL Total Offense and Total Statistic is wrong and misleading, by using only the yards gained and Yards allowed statistics to determine Total Offense and Total Defense rankings, I have discussed Turn Over’s (Fumbles and Interceptions) in part three. yards gained\allowed in part two, and Points Scored or Points Allowed in part one. This post is about another statistic that should be used in determining Total Offense and Total Defense ranking.

Penalties

   Penalties are called “Drive Killers” on offense. What writer or TV commentator has not used this term? We hear it all the time.

 Your team has a nice drive going; you started on your twenty, picked up a few of first downs. You are now in your opponent’s side of the field, say on the 47 yard line. It is first down and your right guard moves early, a flag flies and it is now 1^st and 15.  Or it is 3^rd and 6 and your tackle gets called for holding and it becomes 3^rd and 16. In either case it is very likely you fail to pick up another first down and are forced to punt. If this kind of thing happens often your offense will not score a lot of points, but they may gain a lot of yards!

   You are on defense; the ball is on your opponent’s 35 yard line. It is 3^rd and long. The pass is incomplete. A defensive back that is on the other side of the field away from the play gets called for holding. This gives the opposing offense a first down and they go on to score what turns out to be the winning touchdown. Wow, how many times have we seen that happen?

   Penalties are a very important factor in every game! How can they be ignored in determining Offensive and Defensive ranking? Once again it is sad to say but the NFL does not care, the only thing that is important to them is yards gained or allowed! Further more the sports media doesn’t even question this oversight, they just report what the NFL tells them?

   Pro FootballRanking.com does care! Penalties are just one of the fifteen statistics they use in their ranking method.

   In this series on the Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense I have been critical of sports writers and TV commentators, especially Phil Simms. They are just reporting it the way the NFL presents it to them. The truth is that there has not been a website that sets things straight, until now! I think Phil Simms is one of the best commentators on TV. He has a great understanding of the game and tells it the way it is, but he needs to check out Pro Football Ranking.com to get the truth about who has the best offense or defense.

Next up in Part 5  – The Red Zone

Well what do you think? Leave a comment and let me know.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 3

   You are watching a playoff game and you hear Phil Simms say this team has the number one offense or that team has the number one defense. You believe what he is saying. I wonder if he actually believes what he is saying. Sure the NFL official stats say he is telling the truth, but is it true! If you read about the NFL to any extent you have probably read something from various coaches like this; The yards only (Total Offense\Defense) stat is misleading or it is a bad barometer to use in ranking a NFL offense\defense. If the coaches don’t believe it why should we? In this post I will give you another reason to not believe what you hear.

Fumbles and Interceptions

   The truth is simple. A team that fumbles the ball a lot will not win many games! A quarterback that throws a lot of interceptions will probably be on a losing team! A defense that causes a lot of fumbles or intercepts the ball a lot is probably going to be a very good defense!

And

   The NFL doesn’t think these things should be considered in determining offensive and defensive ranking. The only statistic the NFL cares about is yards gained on offense and yards allowed on defense. What good is gaining a lot of yards only to fumble the ball away? What about the  “bend but don’t break defense”. A defense that may give up a lot of yards between the 20’s but takes the ball away a lot. Who dosen’t love to see their defense intercept he ball in the end zone.

   It is Yards Only (Total Offense\Defense) for the NFL but not for

Pro Football Ranking.com. Which would you rather use, the NFL one stat ranking method or a method that uses fifteen stats (includingFumbles and Interceptions) to rank NFL offensive and defensive teams?

   It is time to tell Phil Simms and the others that we want the truth! That we Question Everything and we think for our selves! We know the truth!

Next up in Part 4 - Penalties

If you agree with me let me know. Better then that let all those sports writers and TV commentators hear from you. That you want the truth!

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 2

   This is part two of this series on “The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense. This week I will explain why the NFL’s version is misleading, and it is simple.

   We all have heard that the NFL is a passing league, and for the most part it is. If your team is lucky enough to have a QB like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, or one of the other top quarterbacks in the NFL, your team is probably a passing first team. Teams that are predominantly passing teams will, and do, gain a lot of yards per game.

   If your team is a running first team you will not gain the kind of yards that a passing first team gained. If you are successful running the ball you will use the clock and be dominate in “Time of Possession” and keep the opposing teams offense off the field. This is great! You not only keep the opposing offense off the field but you keep the opposing defense on the field and can wear them down. This is a very good way to score points for your team and keep your opponent from scoring. You will not lead the league in yards gained.

Examples

2014

The (7 – 9) 2014 New Orleans Saints are a very good example, ranked as number one in total offense (yards gained only) by the NFL, but ranked number seven in points scored.

The (12 – 4) 2014 Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, were a run first team. Dallas ranked number seven in total yards and ranked number three in points scored.

The two examples above seem to be opposites, so which was the better offense?

   This is the problem when using just one statistic to determine which team is best!

This is exactly why Pro Football Ranking.com uses fifteen statistics (not just one) to rank NFL offensive and defensive teams.

Next up in Part 3 of this series will be Turn Overs.

https://twitter.com/profootballrank

Please feel free to comment.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 1

   You hear, or read,  the terms Total Offense and Total Defense used all the time buy sports writers who write about the NFL. Just turn on a NFL playoff game and you will hear the announcers, like Phil Simms, saying this team has the number one Offense or the number one Defense in the NFL. It seems incredible to me that there are so many people who say they do not know what this really means. These are people that watch NFL games all the time. If Phil Sims, or any other announcer says that New England has the number one offense people, just accept it as the truth. Is it really true?

   The answer to this question is Yes and NO! How can it be both yes and no,you ask? Well it really is no, let me explain.

The Yes

    The NFL defines Total Offense as yards gained and Total Defense as yards allowed. So when you read or hear about the number one offense it means that Denver, for example, simply gained the most yards or Seattle, for example, gave up the fewest yards on defense.
So when you read or hear about the NFL number one offense or defense they are telling the truth according to the NFL's version (Total Offense = Yards gained).

But is it really true?

The NO

    If you are an avid NFL fan you have heard about teams that move the ball with ease between the 20 Yard Lines but seem to have trouble scoring Touch Downs. This is why we hear about Red Zone statistics every game. Is not scoring points more important then just how many yards you gained? I have never heard of a game outcome being reported as
Indianapolis 425 yards to San Francisco 374 yards! It appears that points scored or allowed just might be more important than yards gained in determining which team has the number one offense or defense.

    I believe in trying to determine the Number One Offense or Defense that using just one statistic does not tell the whole picture. I believe that these writers and announcers are not lying but they just have not found a place where the full truth is told, But I HAVE!

Pro Football Ranking.com

    A website that uses fifteen stats on offense and fifteen stats on defense to determine the ranking of all thirty two NFL teams each week. A website that also compares points scored\allowed rankings, yards gained\allowed, rankings , and their ranking method all in one place, and more.

   In my next post, Part 2,  I will discuss other statistics that are important to use in determining which team ranks as number one and why they should be considered.

Phil, if you read this, please try to get your facts right!

https://twitter.com/profootballrank


   Well am I right or what? Let me know!