Before a big game like the Super Bowl, there are many heated discussions not only as to who the better team is, but also who the better players are and how these players compare to the other players in the league. These discussions typically have no conclusive end to them because most of the statements are based on opinion.
This is why discussions of this type are well-suited for the bar and why they sometimes end up in arguments. Discussions of this type are very frustrating mainly because most of the statements cannot be substantiated.
The problem here is that typical football player checklists only show accomplishments of a few players. Usually the statistics relate to the successful passing percentage of the quarterback, the number of passes caught by a receiver and the number of yards gained by a running back.
Few if any statistics relate to the number of missed tackles by player or how many times a lineman was unable to block his player on a pass rush or not allow a hole to open up at his position.
There are no statistics that I know of that relate to how many times a quarterback throws the ball away (out of bounds), how many times a receiver does not catch a legitimate pass or how many times a runner (or receiver) can elude or outrace his defender.
Statistics from these football player checklists would relate to how good a performer the player is. In this way we can distinguish between the elite athlete and what I would call a mediocre athlete that plays on the professional level. If you have the right statistics they can tell you how well the player is capable of executing the skills of his position.
Following were some of the items on the checklist.
Offense:
• Missed tackles (or inability to take down the ball carrier when arms are around the runner).
• Missed or poorly thrown passes that ended up being complete
• Passes thrown out of bounds.
• Passes thrown for less than 10 yards
• Passes thrown for more than 20-30 yards.
• Lineman unable to protect quarterback
• Lineman allowing holes in the line.
• Quarterback capable of eluding onrushing lineman
Defense:
• Receiver eludes defender to receive or catch pass.
• Defensive back stops all runners on his side or prevents passes from being caught.
- Number of missed tackles (or inability to take down the ball carrier when arms are around the runner).
- Defensive back prevents passes from being caught.
- Lineman not able to protect quarterback (block)
- Lineman not able to contain opposing player
These are some of my favorite football player checklist statistics to evaluate players and teams. Feel free to add or subtract some of these items in regard to what you believe is most important. The main point here is that you gather some statistics that are typically not provided but which indicate how well the individual athlete does in regard to carrying out his skills or responsibilities.
After the Super Bowl
The game brought out a couple of good points and some major deficiencies. Most of the stats that I recommended on the checklist proved to be of little value mainly because the game was atypical. However a few of the stats were illuminating.
For example, Manning threw far more very short passes of less than 10 yards than he did of longer 10 to 20 yard passes. It was about a 3 to 1 ratio. As shown on the stats related to linemen being able to protect the quarterback, the Bronco line was unable to hold off the defenders long enough for Manning to throw effectively. This does leave several possible solutions for the coaches.
Wilson on the other hand threw approximately the same number of long as well a short passes. And the Seattle offensive line was far superior to the Broncos in relation to successfully protecting Wilson.
It was interesting to note that Manning set a Super Bowl record for number of passes completed. But when most of the passes are less than 10 yards there was very little progress made by the team. Is this indicative of a great quarterback?
The other outstanding stat was the high number of poorly thrown passes executed by Manning. It was more than twice those of Wilson.
In conclusion it appears that I will need to come up with several different kinds of checklists. Perhaps when the football season starts again, we can experiment with different questions to see if we can come up with a bona fide checklist that would be indicative of why a team won or lost, one that looks at technique and skill execution that is objective and less subjective.