Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Stupidity of Sports Statistics

I know the film Moneyball illustrates how stats changed MLB, but honestly in our 24/7 media saturated world some people  (namely the folks who run the website Pro Football Facts) simply have too much time on their hands.

Here is an example:

"Dalton was responsible for taking nine sacks last season, according to PFF. That ranked as the third-most in the NFL last season behind the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and the Seahawks'Russell Wilson. In comparison, the rest of the starters in the AFC North -- Joe FlaccoBen Roethlisberger and Brandon Weeden -- combined for one fewer than Dalton."

Now, I can tell you that Dalton takes far too many sacks. That's legit. Anyone who watched the final NFL Network Thursday night games when Cincy beat Philly knows this.

But the ludicrousness in that post is laughable. Is it so bad for Dalton be behind Rogers and Wilson (all of whom led their teams to the playoffs) In terms of sacks? And is it really that big of a deal that every quarterback in the AFC North took one ONE fewer sack?

I'm not trying to stick up for Dalton. He has a lot to improve on for his third season, but to highlight such foolish stats as Pro Football Facts often does is ludicrous.

Maybe the good old days when the NFL was just covered during the actual season - and not when fans with websites can scrutinize and break down every second of film - wasn't such a bad thing.

No comments: