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Because its such a dead time for the next month I though it MIGHT be interesting to revive an old debate. In this case it's about Pro Football Focus. Few topics evoke more passion from our fan base than discussing the power of analytics in general and PFF in particular.
When PFF first started showing up about a decade ago it was hard to take seriously. It was essentially a group of European hobbyist/ fans who had the temerity to grade American football players individually on each play. How could we take seriously an analysis based on the SUBJECTIVE opinion of some guy from England. Back then, it should be noted, I was among the loudest voices who mocked their results. IIRC one of the most famous of which ranked Brady as an "average" QB in a year he was tearing it up.
But PFF has come a LONG way since then. Chris Collingsworth bought a controlling interest and brought the company to Cincinnati and now employs over 500 people, has contracts with all 32 NFL teams as well as 60 NCCAA teams (and is hiring IT guys if you are interested)
While Peter King is on vacation, he has had guest writers come in to do his Monday column. This week it was 7 guys from PFF. And while some of the column smacks of self promotion, there are enough insightful observations that go beyond the debate of PFF itself, including one that helps explain the success of the Pats defense during the playoffs. Enjoy......or not.
FMIA Guest: PFF On How Data Is Changing NFL’s Present And Future
When PFF first started showing up about a decade ago it was hard to take seriously. It was essentially a group of European hobbyist/ fans who had the temerity to grade American football players individually on each play. How could we take seriously an analysis based on the SUBJECTIVE opinion of some guy from England. Back then, it should be noted, I was among the loudest voices who mocked their results. IIRC one of the most famous of which ranked Brady as an "average" QB in a year he was tearing it up.
But PFF has come a LONG way since then. Chris Collingsworth bought a controlling interest and brought the company to Cincinnati and now employs over 500 people, has contracts with all 32 NFL teams as well as 60 NCCAA teams (and is hiring IT guys if you are interested)
While Peter King is on vacation, he has had guest writers come in to do his Monday column. This week it was 7 guys from PFF. And while some of the column smacks of self promotion, there are enough insightful observations that go beyond the debate of PFF itself, including one that helps explain the success of the Pats defense during the playoffs. Enjoy......or not.
FMIA Guest: PFF On How Data Is Changing NFL’s Present And Future
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