What stats do you find most significant?

[bubba9497]

it depends what you are looking to find out, no one stat by itself tells the whole story

[Califan007 The Constipated]

over the last two seasons were 17-16. dominance i say!

Actually it was "more losses than wins" that you said lol...and we were 17-15, not 17-16 (regular season)

but aside from W/L, its definitely points allowed and points scored. everything else just goes to the root of why we did or didnt allow or score points.

And that, in a nutshell, is exactly why some stats are important. Things like wins/losses, points scored and points allowed tend to be improved when you know which areas of the team need improvement and which areas are already working. Stats, in connection with game film analyzation, help isolate problem areas and identify successful ones. That's why relying soley on "Wins and losses" gets you nowhere because you're not looking at how to improve, you're only looking at whether or not there WAS improvement.

Or put another way, since we've gone 17-15 over the past two years as compared to going 15-17 over the two years prior to those two years, we've improved. So everything is working well, don't need to analyze beyond that...keep going ahead with what whatever we've been doing over the past two years since it has lead to an improvement in the win/loss record. Right?

[Vicious]

W's and L's can also be argued that it is not the most important stat. If there are a high number of injuries in the back end of the year, your chances in post season dwindle.

[Thinking Skins]

This is the kind of thread that a math major would have a field day, trying to prove that one stat was more important than another one, and trying to find the correct combo of stats to predict how players will do.

I personally like stuff like bulldozing hits. The kind that Sean Taylor laid on that punter at the Pro Bowl. But I don't see those recorded in any sports alminacs, so I've got to make use of youtube.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

This is the kind of thread that a math major would have a field day, trying to prove that one stat was more important than another one, and trying to find the correct combo of stats to predict how players will do.

I don't think stats can predict anything concerning how well a player will do...they can only reflect how well a player has already done .

[Thinking Skins]

I don't think stats can predict anything concerning how well a player will do...they can only reflect how well a player has already done .

You won't get an argument from me, but I don't think that you'll ever be able to stop some of the young Einstein's of the world from thinking they've discovered the formula to revolutionize sports.

I remember there was a guy on CNN because he had a web site that predicted like a whole lot of major events correctly (not just sports but political elections too) and they had him on to ask about something like the Final Four or something. I don't remember how he did though. I should check it out though.

And every year, there are a ton of new math papers on thsi stuff - Mathematicians trying to find a way to make the sports team.

[usapatriot]

Just because we don't get them so often I would say that TDs is the most important stat. Especially the Red Zone TDs. Second to me would be the turnover ratio.

[The Waterboy]

Punting hang time

[NoVaSkins21]

Wins

Losses

Without question. Teams could have the best offense or defense, in terms of points per game or points allowed, but if the record sucks, it doesn't mean a thing.

[Oldfan]

Just because we don't get them so often I would say that TDs is the most important stat. Especially the Red Zone TDs. Second to me would be the turnover ratio.

Well done. Fans typically forget the TD stat because it seems so obvious.

Since the extra-point is almost automatic, the TD is worth about seven points. the average turnover leads to about four points, about the same as a big play (40+ yards or more) and settling for a field goal rather than scoring a TD in the red zone.

[Oldfan]

I don't think stats can predict anything concerning how well a player will do...they can only reflect how well a player has already done .

If they were accurate at all, they would have some value as prediction because if player A performs at a 90 level over a long enough period, it's likely that his performances in the near future will grade out about the same.

But, individual stats are pretty useless in football since it's very much a team sport. Most of the team stats are deceptive for that matter.

[Est.1974]

W / L in the post-season

[AAARedskin]

Win-Loss record of a STARTING QB. In other words, does a team have a tendency to win or to lose when QB "John Doe" is out there under center?

[thedevilhimself]

Win-Loss record of a STARTING QB. In other words, does a team have a tendency to win or to lose when QB "John Doe" is out there under center?

That tells me absoultly nothing except to feed the monster that is the QB is the only thing that matters ... Looking back in history guys like Troy Aiekman and Payton Manning had horrible W-L records earlier in their careers . Steve Young did too but they went on to lead powerhouse offences to superbowls . Reading more into that Ben Roethlisburger was not the best QB for all kinds of reasons last year but the Steelers won the superbowl . Trent Dilfer was a horrible QB for the Ravens and won a superbowl, Rex Grossman was the QB of the Bears in XLI but was terrible, Eli Manning is and always has been inconsistant but in each of those cases the team and in particular the D has been phenominal . To me there are three stats that meen something in a game Turnovers, time of possetion and 3rd down conversions .