The Best NFL Offenses and Defenses con't

This post is a continuation of yesterdays post “The Best NFL Offenses and Defenses of the past eleven years”. In today’s post I will expand on being the best of the best on offense or defense.

Best Offense and Best Defense

   The Best Offense and Best Defense page on Pro Football Ranking.com takes the teams that scored 100 or less in the PFR.com True Total Offense and Defense method only. Remember the lowest score is the best.

  This page is all about how the Best of the Best fared as far as the playoffs are concerned. One in the most interesting things you will find here is that having a great Offense or a great defense does not mean that you will automatically be in the playoffs.

In fact you might not even get into the playoffs.

   This informative page not only uses the PFR.com Offense, Defense, and Total Scores, it also includes the strength of schedule for each team. Here you can see how far being the best allows your team to go in the playoffs, if you even are in the playoffs, and you can see which teams defeated these Best Offensive and Defensive teams in the playoffs and their PFR.com Scores.

 Once again it appears that spending the kind of salary cap money to build a truly dominating offense or defense may not be money well spent. Out of the twenty four teams listed on this page only four actually won the Super Bowl. Mostly all the rest of the Best lost to mere balanced teams.

   Pro FootballRanking.com is an analytics website, this “NFL Best Offense and Best Defense” section of the website is just another example the kind of statistics you will find on this website.

Please leave your comments.

The Best NFL Offenses and Defenses of the last Eleven Years

Everyone wants their team to have the best offense or defense. We all want them to be the greatest ever. You want your offense to pile up points and gain yards at an alarming rate, in other words to be unstoppable. We all want our defense to be like the “85 Bears defense, to be talked about as being one of the greatest in NFL history.

NFL Best

   We here at ProFootball Ranking.com took a look at the best of the best, on offense and defense for the last eleven years. We used the PFR.com ranking method to choose which teams were the best on Offense and Defense. A PFR.com score of 100 or less was needed to be considered the best.

  There was no team on offense that scored 100 or below in 2008, 2013, and 2014.

There were two teams that scored below 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

   There were no defensive teams that made this list in 2005, 2007, and 2014. There were 2 teams in 2004, 3 teams in 2008, and 3 teams in 2013.

  We compare PFR.com Ranking with the Traditional NFL (Yards Only) Ranking and Points Scored\Allowed ranking method. Remember the Points method is points the offense scored and points the defense allowed. Kickoff and Punts returned for TD are not counted as are Interceptions and Fumbles returned for TD’s  Extra Points or PAT’s are not included. Strength of Schedule is also included.

    It is interesting to see that out of the 24 teams that are on this list of the Best of the Best, that only seven of these teams played in the Super Bowl and only four won the Super Bowl.

    It appears that having a great offense or defense doesn’t guarantee anything.

    If you are interested in churning numbers this is a good page for you to spend some time.

Please leave any comments you might have.

The NFL Playoff's

   The NFL Playoff schedule, on Pro Football Ranking.com., is as unique as our regular season weekly game schedule. Nowhere else on the web will you find as much information in one place for each of the playoff games. We use the same format as the NFL Weekly Schedule

If you have not read the post on The NFL Schedule, I will recap what you will find on the Playoff page on PFR.com.

The NFL Playoffs

The Game Matchup Pages

The Score Card

   The first thing you will see is the names of the away team and the home team on the top of the page. This is nothing new but then comes something you won’t find anywhere else.

You will see what we call our Score Card. The Score Card gives you the Home and Away schedule for the entire season for that team. You will see the win\Loss\ and Tie record under the team’s name. On the bottom of each score card you will find the; Strength of Schedule for games played for the entire regular season, Turn Over stats, and the PFR.com Total score. The most interesting part of the score card is the Offense and Defense Score for each week of the season. This is the score from the Division Statistics Page, where the fifteen stats used for the NFL ranking are found, which is used for Team Rankings on the Team Ranking Page. The weekly Offense and Defense scores allow you to see how your offense and defense preformed each week during the regular season, and how they are trending. If the offense score, for example, is getting smaller each week your offense is playing better. If the offense score is getting larger as the season progresses then your offense is getting worse. A quick look at your opponents score card will tell you how their offense or defense is trending. This kind of information can’t be found anywhere else with out a lot of time consuming work.

Weekly Worksheet

   Just under the score cards for each team is the Weekly Worksheet. This is where the fifteen statistics used on the Division Statistics page for Offense and Defense is displayed.  Included with the offense and defense statistics is the Rushing and Passing attempts per game with the NFL Rank for each and the percentage of Rushing and Passing plays per game. You will also find the PFR.com Offense and Defense Rank on the worksheet.

   On one page you get he following information; Team win\Loss record, Strength of Schedule, Turn Over Stats, the PFR.com Total Score, a weekly record of how your offense and defense are trending for the entire NFL season, fifteen offensive and fifteen defensive statistics with the NFL ranking for each, and the PFR.com Offensive and defensive rankings. This is all in a quick and easy to understand format and all on one page for both teams. You can easily compare all of this information for each team to see just how your offense stacks up against your opponent’s defense or if their defense is trending better or worse as the season progresses.

If you can find a more informative, easy to read and understand schedule, please use the comment section and tell me where.

The NFL and Team Blogs on PFR.com

   Pro Football Ranking.com is all about NFL Offense and Defense Rankings, but we do some fun stuff also. The Weekly Game Picks and Picks against the Experts are just a couple of the thing we do for fun. We have the most unique NFL Schedule on the web so you can get your game matchups, including all the stats and information you need, with just a quick look on one website on Sunday morning. There is one other thing we do for fun, because we love our teams and have our own opinions about them and the NFL.

The NFL and Team Blogs

   Pro Football Ranking.com presently has three Blogs; The NFL Blog, The Buffalo Bills Blog, and the Kansas City Chiefs Blog. These are presently seasonal blogs only. We start writing them in late August, before the season starts, and continue them until the season is over. Fan comments are allowed and wanted.

   The Buffalo Bills Blog is written by Dave Sturm. Dave lives in Hamburg, NY and is an avid, long time Buffalo Bills fan. He is very knowledgeable about the Bill’s and the NFL.

   The Kansas City Chiefs blog is a once weekly blog written by me, Vic Johnson. I live in Excelsior Springs, Mo. I have been a Chiefs fan since the AFL days when the Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes I am that old!

   The NFL Blog is a joint project, both Dave and I contribute. This is where we sound off about anything to do with the NFL. We are not shy and will say things the way we see them.

These are not the typical daily blogs you will see in so many places because we won’t write every day or use a lot of filler (junk stuff) just to fill up space on the web. We Post our thoughts once or twice weekly when we really have something to say.

   Pro Football Ranking is looking for passionate fans from other NFL teams to write blogs for their favorite teams. If you would like o write a team blog or contribute to the NFL Blog please contact me using the contact form found listed under “More Stuff” on the Pro Football Ranking.com website. If you qualify you could have your own team blog page! You do not need to be a professional writer. You should be knowledgeable about your team, have access to Microsoft word, have basic writing skills, and you will need to keep it clean. If you are interested please contact me and be ready for a trial period.

Next up will be our NFL Playoff’s page

   I hope you have found this series on Pro Football Ranking.com interesting. I would like to hear from you. Things you like, don’t like, or ideas to improve this website are all welcome. Please leave your comments.

NFL Weekly Game Picks and Picks against the Experts

   The weekly game picks page is our fun page. This is where my friend Dave Sturm of Hamburg, NY and I try to beat the PFR.com Total Score method in picking game winners each week. Dave is an advisor to Pro Football Ranking.com as well as a contributor to our NFL Blog and is the sole writer of the Buffalo Bills Blog.

Weekly NFL Game Picks

   Starting with week two of the NFL regular season and continuing through the playoffs, Dave and I will pick every game every week. The Pro Football Ranking.com Total Score method also will pick every game unless the Total Scores are within twenty points of each other in which case it sees the games as being to close to call. The PFR.com Total Score Method is simply the team with he better (Lowest Total Score) Total Score is the team picked to win.

   On the bottom of each weeks page is the results of our game picks. First are the results from the present week. Below the present week’s results is how we did the week before.

Last is the Season Totals where the results for the whole season are given.

Against the Experts

   Dave and I are blue collar people. I am retired from the Telecommunications industry while Dave is still employed in the same line of work. We do not claim to be experts but like many of you we follow the NFL we think we are as good as the proclaimed experts.

   The Experts are going to be “The Experts from ESPN”. These are people who make a living talking and writing about the NFL on a daily basis. Their names will be listed as soon as they are published, probably just before game one.

   Since the number of games picked will be different, the win\Loss records will not total up as the same number of games. Therefore the Win\Loss\Tie percentages will be how we determine the winners.

In my next post will be the NFL and Team Blogs on RFR.com.

   Can a couple of Blue Collar guys pick as good as or better than the experts?   Will the Pro Football Ranking method be any good at picking game winners? Check back weekly during the season to find out.

I hope you are enjoying these posts and have taken a look at our website. Please leave your comments.

NFL Weekly Schedule with Game Matchups

NFL schedules abound seemingly everywhere on the internet. They all will tell you which teams are playing and some other useful information, but not much. Wouldn’t it be nice to have schedules that really gave you all the important information? Well look no farther that the Pro Football Ranking.com Schedule page which includes all the important information in their game matchups.

The Schedule with Game Matchups

   The PFR.com Schedule page lists all the games weekly and gives you each team’s record. This is not a lot different then you can find most anywhere. The difference comes when you click on the game matchup buttons. Each game has its own page filled with all sorts of information in an easy to read format.

The Game Matchup Pages

The Score Card

   The first thing you will see is the names of the away team and the home team on the top of the page. This is nothing new but then comes something you won’t find anywhere else.

You will see what we call our Score Card. The Score Card gives you the Home and Away schedule for the entire season for that team. You will see the win\Loss\ and Tie record under the team’s name. On the bottom of each score card you will find the; Strength of Schedule for games played so far, Turn Over stats, and the PFR.com Total score. The most interesting part of the score card is the Offense and Defense Score for each week of the season. This is the score from the Division Statistics Page, where the fifteen stats used for the NFL ranking are found, which is used for Team Rankings on the TeamRanking Page. The weekly Offense and Defense scores allow you to see how your offense and defense have preformed each week and are trending. If the offense score, for example, is getting smaller each week your offense is playing better. If the offense score is getting larger as the season progresses then your offense is getting worse. A quick look at your opponents score card will tell you how their offense or defense is trending. This kind of information can’t be found anywhere else with out a lot of time consuming work.

Weekly Worksheet

   Just under the score cards for each team is the Weekly Worksheet. This is where the fifteen statistics used on the Division Statistics page for Offense and Defense is displayed.  Included with the offense and defense statistics is the Rushing and Passing attempts per game with the NFL Rank for each and the percentage of Rushing and Passing plays per game. You will also find the PFR.com Offense and Defense Rank on the worksheet.

   On one page you get he following information; Team win\Loss record, Strength of Schedule, Turn Over Stats, the PFR.com Total Score, a weekly record of how your offense and defense are trending for the entire NFL season, fifteen offensive and fifteen defensive statistics with the NFL ranking for each, and the PFR.com Offensive and defensive rankings. This is all in a quick and easy to understand format and all on one page for both teams. You can easily compare all of this information for each team to see just how your offense stacks up against your opponent’s defense or if their defense is trending better or worse as the season progresses.

   You get up Sunday morning and want information on your favorite team’s game. Do you really want to do all the research needed or are you like most of us and just won’t spend the time to find out? Well you don’t need to anything except come to the Pro football Ranking.com Schedule Page, click on the Game Button for your game, and you get all the information you want. We have done all the work for you!  How easy is that?

Next up is the NFL Weekly Game Picks, us against the so called experts.

   If you can find a better NFL schedule, please leave your comments and let me know because I don’t think there is a better schedule anywhere.

Points Scored\Allowed vs Yards Gained\Allowed Rankings on Pro Football Ranking.com.

    The NFL’s versions of Total Offense and Total Defense are the Yards Gained and Yards Allowed statistics. While these are nice and useful statistics they certainly don’t tell anything about the outcome of the games played. You have never heard of a game outcome being reported as Green Bay 457 yards to Minnesota 362 yards. Points scored and points allowed determine who wins each and every game. I am of course talking about Team Points Scored and allowed, which include; Kickoffs returned for Touchdowns, Punts returned for Touchdown, Fumbles and Interceptions returned for touchdowns. These are nice and always exciting but what do they tell you about how your offense or defense are playing? The answer to this question is they don’t tell you much!

   Pro FootballRanking.com does some things you won’t find anywhere else on the internet that I can find. In this post I am going to talk about Offensive (only) points scored and Defensive (only) points allowed.

   Offensive points scored are exactly what it sounds like, points that the offense scores. Defensive points allowed are points the defense allows. This is not the Team Points statistic you find everywhere else.

Special Teams touchdowns, Fumbles and Interceptions returned for scores are not included. Since I consider PAT’s to be special teams they are not included, at least for now, but with the rule changes this year PAT’s might be included in the future.

 The only scoring we use are offensive TD’s and Field Goals, points actually scored by the offense. On defense we only include TD’s and Field Goals actually scored by the opposing offense. This is different then what you find anywhere else because this website is about Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking.

   This brings us to a total of four ranking methods updated weekly on our website; PFR.com’s True Total Offense and Defense, The NFL’s traditional Yards only method, Offensive Points scored and Defensive points allowed method, and the PFR.com Total Score Method.

   Three of these ranking methods are presented to you on one web page in a side by side comparison on our Points vs Yards Ranking page. Where else can you go to find each NFL team rankings, side by side, for three different ranking methods?  If you already clicked on the link to the Points vs Yards page you will have noticed that we have added a fourth ranking method, the Average’s Method. This method is the average ranking of the other three methods.

   This makes a total of four ways to see how your offense and defense are doing on one page. It doesn’t matter which method you prefer, a quick look gives you a lot of information in an easy to understand format all in one place. You won’t find this anywhere else. Remember there is a fifth ranking method, on the TotalScore NFL Team Rankings Page, for those of you that want to see an overall ranking of your team’s offense and defense.

Five different ranking methods for offense and defense on one website

    If you want to know how your team stacks up against the rest of the NFL. The answers are at Pro Football Ranking.com.

Up next is our one of a kind NFL Weekly Schedule.

I hope you have taken a good look and like what you see, remember to check out the past years archived. Please leave your comments.

NFL Team Ranking "The Total Score Method"

   Pro Football Ranking.com is a website devoted to NFL Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking only. This is an area of concern for many people, year after year, since in the past the only ranking has been the NFL version which is yards only. While this is an important statistic, it does not tell you very much about how your team is actually playing. This is demonstrated by the continued use of the term; “Bend But don’t break” which refers to a defense that gives up a lot of yards but not a lot of points. Another thing we hear a lot about is; “They move the ball well between the 20’s but can’t score“. This is why yards only may not be a good barometer of how your team is playing.

   In my previous 14 posts we discussed this problem and its solution. We built the PFR.com Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking method and looked at how easy it is to understand and follow on a weekly basis. If you have not read about this method, now would be a good time, you can find them all by following me on Twitter and here on Blogspot.com. You can find the links to these blogs also on the Pro Football Ranking.com home page.

   Today I would like to add another dimension to this ranking method.

Total Score NFL Team Ranking

   Pro Football Ranking.com is the only place on the web that has anything like this ranking method. Total Score Team Ranking is an extension of the PFR.com “NFL Offense and Defense Team Ranking” method. This ranking method simply is the sum of the Offense and Defense scores found on the Team ranking page and of course on the Division statistics Page. Since winning games requires both offense and defense by combining these scores it gives you way to see how your team is doing overall, minus special teams.

   Is your team a playoff caliber team? How do you know? In the past you looked at the win\Loss records, while this is nice because it will tell you if you are going to be in the playoffs, does it really tell you if your team can win in the playoffs? The answer is not really.

The PFR.com Total Score method is a very good way to see if your team is a playoff caliber team. Take a look at the past years Total Score Archive and you will see that this method is very good at predicting playoff teams.

   The Total Score Ranking method is fun to use when predicting weekly game winners. It is used on the Weekly Game Picks section on PFR.com. I will talk about this in a later post.

I said earlier that PFR.com is all about NFL Offense and Defense Ranking. I have now mentioned two ranking methods that are exclusive PFR.com and remember that we also use the NFL’s Yards only ranking method, shown on the Team Ranking page. That makes a total of three ranking methods used on this website, and I am not done yet.

   In my next post I will add two more ways to rank NFL offenses and defenses. Remember the all important, Points! If you think you can get this information just anywhere you need to read my next post!

  I hope you have read enough about Pro Football Ranking.com to peek your interest and maybe you have taken a good look. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

NFL Team Ranking and Division Statistics

   In my previous posts on “The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense” parts 1 – 13, I discussed the NFL’s one statistic method which uses only the total yards gained and yards allowed statistics. While this is easy to follow and understand it does not give you a very clear picture of how your offense or defense is actually playing. There needs to be a better method which is why I created the Pro Football Ranking.com True Total Offense and Defense ranking method. I discussed the fifteen different statistics used in this method and explained why I thought they are important for any all inclusive method of ranking.

   You might think that one statistic is easy to follow each week but fifteen different statistics would be hard and confusing to follow every week for all thirty two NFL teams. In this post I intend to show you how easy it actually is, I have done all the work for you. One quick look at our ranking chart is all you need to do.Please click on the link below to see the actual ranking chart for the end of the 2014 regular season.

  

 2014 Team Ranking Chart

   In the chart above the Offense is on the left and the Defense is on the right. The teams are listed according to how they rank form best to worst. The score is the Pro Football Ranking.com offense and defense score derived from the fifteen statistics used in our method. The NFL Yards only ranking is shown in the box. How simple is that! Just go to our NFL Offense and Defense Ranking page to see where your team ranks each week during the regular season.

   You can easily find out what these numbers mean and how we determined them by going to the Division Statistic page. This page also has a glossary of the abbreviations used and a description of what they mean. If you are an avid NFL fan you will want to come here every week. Just click on the division button of your choice and the fifteen offense and defense statistics used in our ranking method for each team in that NFL division are displayed.

   Included on the Division pages are the fifteen statistical categories, the average or season total and NFL rank for each statistic. Ranking number 1 is better then ranking 32^nd. The score, the sum of the ranking for each statistic, is used on the ranking chart. The lower score is the better score.Please click on the link below to see the actual season ending 2014 Division chart for the AFC West.

2014 Division Chart

    The chart above is the 2014 regular season final for the AFC West. You will also find some extra information on this chart. The average per game rushing and passing attempts and rank for each are shown just for more information only. Denver, for example, Rushed the ball 27.7 times a game or 42.2% of the time with a rushing attempts rank of 12th (12th most rushes per game) in the NFL.

   Once you are familiar with the PFR.com ranking method I hope you will agree that it is far superior to the NFL’s Traditional method of using only the yards statistic for ranking Total Offense and Total Defense. Where else can you get all this information so quickly and in a format that is easy to understand and follow each and every week of the NFL regular season?

In my next post I will discuss another ranking method found only on Pro Football Ranking.com.

Please leave your comments.

Thr Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 13

   We are finally coming to the end of our discussion on The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense. In my previous twelve posts I have been building the ProFootball Ranking.com method of True Total Offense and Total Defense ranking. I have tried to explain why the NFL’s version is incomplete and leaves a lot on important information out whereas the Pro Football Ranking.com method is all inclusive.

   So far we have built a ranking method that includes Interceptions, Fumbles, 1^st Downs, 3^rd Down conversion Percentage, Time of Possession, Red Zone TD scoring Percentage, Sacks, QB completion Percentage, Rushing Yards per game, Rushing Yards per attempt, and Rushing TD’s scored. Today I will add the final two pieces to complete our fifteen statistic ranking method.

Passing Yards per Game and Passing Yards per Attempt

   A great passing offense is certainly fun to watch. It is very exciting to watch your favorite team complete passes for long yardage and score from anywhere on the field. It is hard to stop a very good passing team from gaining a lot of yards per game and scoring a lot of TD’s. Very good passing teams can pick up yardage in large chunks and usually will rank highly in Yards per Attempt.

   A defense that can stop the passing attack is very important. If they can shut down the long ball they will usually rank high in these two important statistics. Shutting down the passing game usually leads to your opponent going three and out often, scoring few points, and keeps their defense on the field.

   All teams are not great passing teams, some are great rushing teams. Very good passing teams gain a lot of yards per game, very good rushing teams will not! This is why the passing yards statistics and rushing statistics must be accounted for separately in any all inclusive ranking method

   This concludes my series on the Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense.

I have demonstrated why the NFL’s one Statistic (yards only) is a poor ranking method because it does not tell you very much about how your teams offense or defense is actually performing. I have explained the fifteen statistics used in the Pro Football Ranking Method and have demonstrated why they are important.

In some of my earlier posts I mentioned Phil Simms in what might seem to be a critical fashion. Once again I would like to say that I have the highest respect for him. I may not always agree whim him but I do know that he is a very intelligent person and a very excellent announcer. When he talks about the games you know he is very knowledgeable.

But!!!

Please get it right about Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking! Don’t say that this team is number one in total offense or defense without explaining you are only talking about yards gained or yards allowed. Some people believe that Points Scored is a better ranking method. I believe that the Pro Football Ranking.com is the best method.

In any event please try not to mislead your followers!

   In my next post I will talk about how the Pro Football Ranking.com method of Total Offense andTotal Defense Ranking is presented in an easy to understand format.

Please leave your comments on this series of posts.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 12

   Well I am getting close to ending this series on the Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense. By now we should all know exactly what that is, of course, the dreaded yards only statistic. I don’t mean to imply that yards gained or yards allowed are not important. They are important, but they do not tell the full story, which is why I have devised an all inclusive method of Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking.

   Pro Football Ranking.com’s method includes fifteen statistics, thirteen of these statistics are ignored by the NFL’s version (yards only method). We have included the following eleven statistics so far in building our comprehensive method of ranking NFL offense’s and defense’s; Interceptions, Fumbles, Penalties, 1^st Downs, 3^rd Down Conversions, Time of Possession, Red Zone, QB Completion Percentage, sacks, Rushing TD’s Scored, and Passing TD’s Scored. I am not done yet! In today’s post I will add two more statistics to this all inclusive list.

Rushing Yards Gained and Rushing Yards Average

   A great rushing offense may not seem glamorous. It will not put up a whole lot of points and, is not as exiting as a great passing game. It won’t gain nearly as many yards as a dynamic passing attack. It will keep the other teams offense off the field of play, take a lot time off the clock, and keep their defense rested allowing them to be fresh late in the game. A good rushing team usually will be good in the Red Zone and this means they will be good in scoring rushing TD’s. I want my team to lead the league in total rushing yards for all of the above reasons. A really good rushing team will win a whole lot of games!

   A really good rushing team needs to be able to gain around five yards on first down, to break longer runs often, and pick up third and short or score that Red Zone TD. A running back like Jamaal Charles who has a career per attempt rushing average of 5+ yards is a perfect example. Without a very good yards per attempt statistic you probably won’t have good Total rushing statistics!

   These rushing statistics are just as important to the defense, but for opposite reasons.

A defense that can stop that 1^st down rush for very short yardage will make the opposing offense one dimensional. This usually leads to a lot of Three and outs and lots of sacks. A defense that ranks high in yards allowed per attempt will rank high in total rushing yards allowed.

   The Rushing Yards Gained and Yards per Attempt statistics are important in their own right and should not be lumped in with the Passing statistics which is why at ProFootball Ranking.com we treat these statistics independently from the passing statistics. The NFL doesn’t agree!

   We have now covered 13 of the 15 statistics used in our ranking method. Next up in Part 13 will be the Passing Yards Per Game and Yards Per Attempt statistics.

How do you feel about Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking? Leave a comment and let me know

.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 11

   This series is about why the NFL’s version of Total Offense and Total Defense ranking is a poor excuse for a ranking method. In the past eleven seasons the Offense that led the league in yards gained (NFL version of Total Offense), let the league in Offensive Points Scored only five times. This works out to be only 45.5% percent of the time. Since it is points scored, not yards gained, that determines which team wins every game it would seem apparent that yards gained is not the best barometer in determining which offense should be ranked higher.

   I would agree that there can be no perfect method since there are other factors that affect each team’s performance. One example is Strength of Schedule. Some teams play a schedule against a lot of bad teams while other teams have much tougher competition.

This makes it even more important to have as much information, as is reasonably possible, as you can get when ranking an offense or defense. Pro Football Ranking.com

includes fifteen statistics, while the NFL uses only one.

So far in this series I have included the following nine statistics used in the PFR.com method; Interceptions, Fumbles, Penalties, Red Zone, Time of Possession, 3^rd Down Percentage, 1st downs, sacks, and Quarterback completion Percentage. I will now add two more to this list to bring our total up to eleven statistics.

Rushing Touchdowns and Passing Touchdowns

What good is an offense that can’t score touchdowns, or a defense that gives up a lot of touchdowns?

Offense’s that can’t score touchdowns usually kick a lot of field goals and usually lose a lot of games, while a defense that does not give up a lot of touchdowns usually forces their opponent to kick a lot of field goals and will win a lot of games.

Offense’s that can score rushing TD’s in the red zone are to be feared,  just as great passing attack is a wonder to behold because they can score TD’s from anywhere on the field.

I am not saying that field goals are not important to the game of football, they are,  but they are not included in our ranking method because an offense that relies on field goals is not a good offense. A defense than denies their opponent TD’s is a good defense.

We have all heard the saying;”Knowledge is power”. Well doesn’t knowledge require information? The NFL’s one stat version of Total Offense and Total Defense does not give much information whereas Pro FootballRanking.com’s fifteen stat method gives you a lot of information!

We have now included eleven statistics used in our ranking method and you may have noticed that the “yards” statistic has not been included. Never fear we have now reached the point I saved for last. In my next two posts we will add the yards statistics to our all inclusive method of Ranking Total Offense and Total Defense.

Next up in Part 12 will be Rushing Yards per game and Rushing Yards Average (per attempt).

Well are you convinced yet? Please leave a comment so we can get a discussion going.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 10

   In this continuing series on why the NFL’s version of ranking teams on offense and defense is a flawed and meaningless method I have been building the  Pro Football Ranking.com comprehensive Total Offense and Total Defense ranking method, statistic by statistic. If you have been following my posts you will already know that I have discussed Interceptions, Fumbles, Penalties, Time of Possession, Red Zone, 3^rd Down Conversion Percentage and, 1^st Downs. In my last post I started on the Passing stat’s used in this analytical ranking method by adding Sacks. Today I will continue with another important passing statistic;

Quarterback Completion Percentage

  You are always reading and hearing about the QB rating stat, but who really understands this confusing and misleading stat. In fact there seem to be more than one QB rating stat.  

How confusing is that?

   Quarterback Completion Percentage, on the other hand, is very simple. It is nothing more than the pass completions per attempts. A high pass completion percentage usually means your teams offense can keep drives going. A low QB completion percentage is what all defense’s want. Incomplete passes on 1^st down puts pressure on the offense and makes it harder to pick up 1^st downs. An incomplete pass on 3^rd down means the defense has done their job, stopped the offense, and can get off the field.

   The more details, information, you can get on any subject means you will be more knowledgeable on that subject. This applies to Total Offense and Total Defense as much as any other subject!

   If I am driving across the country starting in Boston and going to Oakland and I tell you that I have traveled 800 miles, you know I have traveled 800 miles. You do not know how fast I was driving, how long it took to go that 800 miles, or when I will get to Oakland. If I tell you that I driving 800 miles a day and the driving distance between Boston and Oakland is 3100 miles you can figure out that I will be in Oakland on the fourth day. The more information you get the more accurate you can be.

I started this post with the statement that “the NFL’s version of ranking teams on offense and defense is a flawed and meaningless method”. Flawed because you are getting a very limited amount of information and meaningless because it tells you very little about how your offense or defense is playing.

Don’t you really want more information? Try Pro Football Ranking.com!

   So far we have covered nine different stats used in our ranking method. This leaves Yards and points to be discussed. I will start with points (TD’s) in my next post. Part 11

How am I doing, are you convinced yet. Leave a comment.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 9

   The NFL’s version of Total Offense and Total Defense is Yards gained and Yards allowed only. In this continuing series I am attempting to show readers that yards only does not tell the whole picture. The Pro Football Ranking.com’s comprehensive method of Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking uses fifteen stats, not just one. In this series I have discussed Turn Over’s (Fumbles and Interceptions), Penalties, The Red Zone, Time of Possession, Third Down conversion Percentage, First Downs and why they should be considered to truly determine Total Offense and Total Defense ranking.

   Since the NFL is considered to be a passing league PFR.com uses six passing statistics in their ranking system.  Interceptions have already been covered in Part 3 of this series on Turn Over’s. This post will add the next passing stat to our ranking method.

Sacks

   Sacks, everybody likes to talk about sacks! They are one of the biggest game changers in football along with being very exciting.

   Offense’s that allow a lot of sacks usually have a very long season. Offense’s that do not allow a lot of sacks are usually very successful.  Peyton Manning is a great example

(pick a team). He gets rid of the ball fast to avoid sacks and pressures. A Peyton Manning passing attack is always among the league leaders in passing statistics including (fewest) sacks.

   A defense the gets a lot of sacks also gets a lot of Quarterback pressures. Even Peyton Manning can’t complete a lot of passes if he gets sacked or is running around the backfield to avoid being sacked. A defense that gets a lot of sacks will usually get a lot of pressure on the QB which makes it difficult to put together long drives, score points, and win games.

   Offense’s can even put nice drives together, gain a lot of yards but be stopped in their tracks by a perfectly timed sack. We see this happen every Sunday!

   I don’t understand why the NFL uses just yards gained\allowed to rank offenses and defenses. Sacks seem to be to important to be forgotten about!

In my next post, Part 10, I will discuss another passing statistic that is used in the Pro Football Ranking.com Total Offense and Total Defense ranking method;

Quarterback Completion Percentage

How am I doing? Do you think that the NFL Total Offense\Defense ranking method is needs to be replaced by a more comprehensive ranking method?

Leave your comments.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 8

   This post continues to build on the statistics used in Pro Football Ranking.com’s fifteen stat ranking method. We have already talked about Interceptions, Fumbles, Penalties, The Red Zone, Time of Possession, and Third Down Conversion Percentage. Today I will add statistic number seven to this list.

 I would like to point out that all of the statistics used in this ranking method are valued equally; I am presenting them randomly, not in any order of importance. Since the NFL version of Ranking Total Offense and Total Defense is yards only I am saving the Yards stats for last. My Intention is to show that there are other statistics, besides yards, that are important.

1^st Downs

   I apologize if I repeat myself, but this seems so obvious that I can’t understand how it can be ignored. This is another NO Brainer!

   Offenses that can’t pick up first downs are simply no good! Offenses that pick up first downs a large percentage of the time are very good! Which would you rather have an offense that goes three and out often or an offense that can put drives together? If it is the second choice then 1^st downs are very important.

   A defense that allows the opposing offenses to rack up a lot of 1^st downs is a bad defense! The defense has to be on the field for a long time and gets tired which leads to nothing good. On the other hand a defense that ranks high in this category, one which allows few first downs, gets to rest and watch their offense work. This usually leads to everything that is good for your team.

   A no brainer, you bet! I want my team to rank high in this stat both on offense and defense!

And Still

The NFL, in all of their wisdom, thinks that the “yards stat” is the only important statistic to use in ranking Total Offense and Total Defense.

We at Pro Football Ranking.com don’t agree with the NFL one stat version! Do you?

Next up in Part 9 will be Sacks.

Leave a comment, how do you feel about Total Offense and Total Defense rankings.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 7

   Today I will continue to build on our comprehensive Total Offense and Total Defense ranking method. In each post of this series I am adding one statistic that I think should be considered if you want to correctly rank each NFL Teams Offense and Defense. I have already included Fumbles, Interceptions, Penalties, Time of Possession, and The Red Zone, and I have talked about Yards gained\allowed and Points  Scored\allowed. I have not included these last two into our ranking method as of this time I will add them later.

Third Down Conversion Percentage

   This is another no brainer!

An Offense that scores high in this statistic stays on the field. If your team is successful on third down your offense can continue to drive down the field, take time off the clock, wear down opposing defenses, gain yards, and score points. Isn’t that what an offense is supposed to do?

An offense that goes three and out a lot will score low in this category, will simply not do any of the above, in other words they will suck.

   A defense that ranks high in 3^rd Down Percentage will be a good defense. They will not give up a lot of yards or points. Just as a defense that ranks low in 3^rd down percentage will always be a bad defense.

   I don’t understand how the NFL can ignore this statistic. A bad defense that plays an easy schedule, against offenses that have a lot of penalties, for example, might not give up a lot of yards and make the playoffs but against good teams they will be embarrassed.

   I believe that 3^rd down conversion percentage might be the single most telling statistic there is, even more so then the yards gained\allowed statistic. If your offense scores in the mid to high forties in 3^rd down conversion percentage, you have a playoff caliber offense! If your defense scores in the mid to low 30’s in 3^rd down conversion percentage you have a playoff caliber defense.

   The NFL may ignore this statistic but Pro FootballRanking.com does not! It is one of the fifteen stats used in our ranking method.

   In my next post, Part 8, I will continue to build on this comprehensive ranking method by adding the 1^st Downs to our list of stats.

OK, by know you should either be onboard with me or maybe think I am wrong.

Either way leave a comment.

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 6

   In today’s post on why the NFL’s version of Total Offense and Total Defense is a bad way of ranking NFL Offenses and Defenses I will add another statistic to consider. I have already talked about why the yards only statistic does not tell the whole picture in post 2 of this series. In part 3, I started to build my method of ranking.  I started by including Fumbles and Interceptions. In part 4, I added Penalties and in part 5, I included the Red Zone statistics.

Time of Possession

   If your team’s offense is on the field your team’s offense can score points and the opposing team’s offense can not score points. The longer your team has the ball the better it is because it leaves less time for your opponent. The longer your offense has the ball affects a whole range of other statistics such as the number of 1^st downs you have, yards gained, 3^rd down percentage, and more.  Teams that control the clock on offense tend to be playoff teams.

   A defense that is on the field for a long tends to give up a lot of points. A defense that can get off the field quickly stays fresh. A defense that can not get off the field becomes tired. A tired defense is easy to score against.

   This is one statistic where the offenses performance can help the defense. An offense that controls the ball for a large percentage of the game helps keep their defense rested. A defense that can get off the field quickly allows more opportunities for their offense to score.

I can’t understand how the NFL can disregard TOP (Time of Possession) in their Total Offense and Total Defense ranking method! In fact, I don’t understand how you can call the NFL’s one stat version of Total Offense and Total Defense a ranking method at all!

   Time of Possession is very important statistic and should be included in any comprehensive method of ranking a NFL team’s Offense or Defense. It, of course, is included in the Pro Football Ranking.com. method of Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking.

In my next post, Part 7, I will continue to build our comprehensive method of Total Offense and Total Defense Ranking by adding the next statistic.   3^rd Down Percentage

Please feel free to comment!

The Myth about the NFL Total Offense and Total Defense - Part 5

   In this series on why the NFL’s Total Offense (Yards Gained) and Total Defense (Yards Allowed) statistics are totally wrong to use as a ranking method I have discussed Yards vs Points, Interceptions and Fumbles, Penalties, and why they should be considered in a ranking system. Today I want to continue to build our ranking method by adding another statistic that is important in determining how an offense and defense actually should be ranked.

The Red Zone

   There are a lot of teams that move the ball down the field, gain a lot of yards, but when they get into the Red Zone they falter. They can’t score Touchdowns. What good is it to move the ball down the field just to be stopped cold in the Red Zone? The have to settle for a field goal or worse they get pushed back out of field goal range and punt. A team that can’t score touchdowns is usually not very good! A team that scores touchdowns most of the time in the red zone usually is pretty good!

   On the defensive side, a team that is stingy in the red zone is what we all want. Who cares if they give up a lot of yards just as long as they stop the opposing offense from scoring touchdowns? I would rather that my defense prevented them from getting to the red zone at all, but I am happy when they force a field goal attempt. A defense that does not allow touchdowns in the red zone is probably going to the playoffs.

   Once again I am forced to say that the NFL does not consider this important statistic when determining Total Offense and Total Defense rankings. Remember the only statistic they consider important is Yards Gained and Yards Allowed.

   Just how can one statistic tell you how good your offense or defense actually is, how they should be ranked? Well it can’t!

   The red zone statistic is one of the fifteen statistics used in Pro Football Ranking.com’s ranking method.  While yards gained\allowed is important it is just one of the stat’s that is important.

   We at Pro Football Ranking.com think there is more than just the yards stat to be considered when determining how a team should be ranked on offense and defense, the RED Zone is important, which is why it is one of fifteen offensive and defensive stats in our ranking method.

In my next post, Part 6, I will talk about Time of Possession.

Which ranking method do you think is better? Leave a comment and tell the world.

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!