Don Banks is an Idiot (mistake in Pats article)
 

In a neverending race to the bottom, this clown has joined TMQ and Peter King as writers that can't spot simple factual mistakes in their brief (or in TMQ's case, overlong) pieces:

"But over the course of their last six games, the Patriots average margin of victory has shrunk to a modest 6.1 points, despite playing only two teams with a winning record: the Steelers and Giants. They've had three games decided by the margin of a field goal, and a sluggish 10-point win against a pesky Jets team -- in a game played in less than ideal weather conditions."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...atriots/1.html

The Pats average margin of victory over the last 6 games is actually 10.1 points (61/6). But Banks didn't let that bothersome fact get in the way of his larger point, i.e., the Pats are vulnerable.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

I give the guy a pass. Making a mistake is different than having an agenda. He doesn't have an agenda.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

I agree, I think he's been pretty spot on with the Pats during the year.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

Apparently the OP is upset that he had some statistical numbers wrong in his column today and that he said they will need to turn it up a notch to win it all. I'm not so sure why the latter is so offensive.

I'd also note that it was Banks who was writing fair about the Pats earlier in the year in the wake of spygate when nobody else was. I think he's one of the best, not just at CNNSI, but overall.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

I like Banks. The guy knows football and is one of the more rational journalists out there.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

Its clear he divided the 61 by 10 instead of by 6. Pretty dumb mistake. You'd think someone would have caught that in proof reading.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

Don Banks is just as bad a writer as TMQ and King, and his columns are filled with just as many examples of factual errors and misguided rationale as the other two, he is just a Pats homer, so I guess that earns him a pass in some people's eyes.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

That's a huge mistake to be making when the argument is about how a team is winning.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

Exactly. It's the statistical evidence that backs up his "point."

I hope they continue to win games by double digits throughout the playoffs.

Re: Don Banks is an Idiot
 

Guys make mistakes and Banks shouldn't be lumped with Easterbrook.

Where's his editor/proofreader/fact-checker? That's who this really falls on.

Though it does sound a little silly if you correct him, saying that winning by an average of 10 points in bad weather makes you vulnerable.