tobias funke

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ths/index.html

I thought this was a really good article addressing a couple points that I have long-agreed with, and also bringing up another I hadn't really thought about.

Palm Beach Pats Fan

The stats he uses for the first point are somewhat useless.

If you are a good team, at some point you get ahead, often by a lot, and run the ball like crazy late in the game to keep the clock moving.

If you are a bad team, at some point you get behind, often by a lot, and pass the ball like crazy late in the game to make a desperate attempt to catch up as fast as possible.

His point is valid that being able to run early is not a key, but his stats are skewed by late game conservatism for winners and late game gambling by losers.

Being versatile is the key: able run, pass, disguise each, stop the run, and contain the pass.

I think a stat that could verify that is if you compare team success vs. being the very best in any one of those categories you wouldn't see as good a correlation as you would see with being well above average in all of those categories (run, pass, stop run, stop pass).

unoriginal

You'll need to explain to us again how Lombardi doesn't take all those things into account. Most of what you said Lombardi noted, or it follows naturally from what was said.

tobias funke

I think the key to the run game is that you have to establish the fact that you can run if you want to.

The problem is that announcers assume this means you must have 100 yards on the ground by halftime, even if you're winning by 14.

Leave No Doubt

The one I'd never read about or thought about was the last one-considering a missed FG to be a turnover. Technically and by definition he's right, but I can't say I agree with him 100% on that one, but jmho.
100% agree with him on his last- the only things that matter about turnovers are their location and what's done with them.
Great read, thanks for posting it tf.

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edit...2012 BABY!