How Mike Vrabel wants to use analytics as Patriots head coach

[Rob0729]

I think Belichick's hatred of analytics was one of his biggest downfalls. He not only refused to use them, he mocked them. Meanwhile the teams that have adopted analytics over the last decade have been killing it in the draft and Belichick hadn't had a good draft since like 2013. I am glad the Pats will finally adopt analytics.

 

[Rob0729]

Lame. The variables in football are finite but many.

These metrics will only add one more layer of confusion to coaches who have one main job: making the complex simple.

Whatever these nerds are going to spin out inevitably neglects what the athletes themselves recognize on the field. Even the guy who knew more about it than anyone (Belichick) was often focused on nitty-gritty details which could never actually help the players on the field.

Belichick never used analytics. He hated them. He mocked them. The Pats are one of the only teams in the NFL without a robust analytics department.

Bill Belichick once again claims he's not a fan of analytics

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who cloaks everything he does in mystery, makes no mystery of his disdain for analytics.

www.nbcsports.com

Bill Belichick Dismisses Analytics At GM Summit ... But Does He Really Feel That Way?

The Patriots' head coach participated in a virtual GM summit on Tuesday, and a comment he made about analytics made the rounds on social media. Apparently, Belichick and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid aren't big fans of the use of analytics.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Hyped]

Belichick never used analytics. He hated them. He mocked them. The Pats are one of the only teams in the NFL without a robust analytics department.

Bill Belichick once again claims he's not a fan of analytics

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who cloaks everything he does in mystery, makes no mystery of his disdain for analytics.

www.nbcsports.com

Bill Belichick Dismisses Analytics At GM Summit ... But Does He Really Feel That Way?

The Patriots' head coach participated in a virtual GM summit on Tuesday, and a comment he made about analytics made the rounds on social media. Apparently, Belichick and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid aren't big fans of the use of analytics.

www.cbsnews.com

He had a different name for analytics....Ernie Adams.

 

[Rob0729]

As you suggest BB was into analytics. While it is fair to suggest the cost was too high for the results, including the various gates associated with the collection of data, that level of detail provided a strategic advantage in many situations. At a minimum it set the tone for the players to take their mental preparation seriously. For all intents and purposes Ernie Adams was the analytics department in human form. Teams are looking for ways to get the same information in a form that can be replicated. Whether analytics help or distract is a function of how they are used. If they are used as inputs to the decision process and not used to generate decisions themselves, analytics can continue to help the Patriots gain a competitive advantage.

Belichick was not into analytics. He has disdain for them.

He was into analytics for play calling. Not player evaluation.

 

[Rob0729]

He had a different name for analytics....Ernie Adams.

That isn't the analytics we are talking about. Adams used statistics to determine play calling and what to do in certain situations. They never used it to evaluate players. Belichick thought it was voodoo science.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Yeah, but analytics can be one of the tools in the toolbox. Useful at the right times. For example, Belichick's famous 4th and 2 decision back in...2009-2010-ish when Peyton Manning was at the height of his powers....Belichick made that "analytical" decision before we all ever heard of the term....

So, IOW....analytics have their uses as one of the many tools in a team building toolbox...

I think BB's point was always that analytics lack context of specific situations. Statistics are generated based on averaging out years and years of data. Not all situations are equal though.

Analytics might say that teams running tosses on 4th and 1 convert 90% of the time, but how useful is that information without considering how well your team runs the toss play, how well the defense defends it, whether you've put it on film yet for them to expect/adjust, etc. At the end of the day, historical analysis of what all NFL teams did in that specific situation over the last 50 years isn't really specific enough to help you decide what one team should do against one team.

IMO analytics should be studied and used to educate the person making decisions and challenge their assumptions. But end of the day, they should be making the call based off of what they see as applicable to the specific play call or decision.

 

[upstater1]

Yeah, but analytics can be one of the tools in the toolbox. Useful at the right times. For example, Belichick's famous 4th and 2 decision back in...2009-2010-ish when Peyton Manning was at the height of his powers....Belichick made that "analytical" decision before we all ever heard of the term....

So, IOW....analytics have their uses as one of the many tools in a team building toolbox...

We think we have a very different idea about what analytics is. Decisions like the one you're bringing up and also the one I brought up earlier aren't analytics. Analysis or scouting isn't analytics.

 

[Ring 6]

Lame. The variables in football are finite but many.

These metrics will only add one more layer of confusion to coaches who have one main job: making the complex simple.

Whatever these nerds are going to spin out inevitably neglects what the athletes themselves recognize on the field. Even the guy who knew more about it than anyone (Belichick) was often focused on nitty-gritty details which could never actually help the players on the field.

Football statistics should not be treated like baseball statistics. There are far too many more variables, and lesser sample sizes to make them have the meaning people want to associate to them

 

[Stu Pidassle]

Belichick was not into analytics. He has disdain for them.

He was into analytics for play calling. Not player evaluation.

All NFL teams use analytics such as height, weight, 40 time, etc. to evaluate talent, including BB. For example the Patriots have traditionaly placed value in the three cone time from the combine as a measure of a players agility. I believe that BBs disdain was aimed at the newer advanced stats such as tackle probability and rushing yards over expected that are not real measurables.

 

[Rob0729]

All NFL teams use analytics such as height, weight, 40 time, etc. to evaluate talent, including BB. For example the Patriots have traditionaly placed value in the three cone time from the combine as a measure of a players agility. I believe that BBs disdain was aimed at the newer advanced stats such as tackle probability and rushing yards over expected that are not real measurables.

But 3 cone drill isn't analytics as it is used today. It is the most basic form of analytics even 20 years ago. I wouldn't even call Combine evaluations analytics especially how the term is used in the NFL today.

 

[reflexblue]

Belichick was not into analytics. He has disdain for them.

He was into analytics for play calling. Not player evaluation.

BBs analytics was to pick up the phone and call a friend who was a head coach or oversaw the football program and ask him for recommendation

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

I think Belichick's hatred of analytics was one of his biggest downfalls. He not only refused to use them, he mocked them. Meanwhile the teams that have adopted analytics over the last decade have been killing it in the draft and Belichick hadn't had a good draft since like 2013. I am glad the Pats will finally adopt analytics.

From him to not being in BookFace and InstaTok, it’s pretty obvious he was t really a tech guy so not surprised he didn’t use analytics…

 

[Stu Pidassle]

But 3 cone drill isn't analytics as it is used today. It is the most basic form of analytics even 20 years ago. I wouldn't even call Combine evaluations analytics especially how the term is used in the NFL today.

They still meet the definition of analytics. The difference today are the advanced stats/next gen stats that derived via formula. The other new thing is to use algorithms to make determinations based on underlying data, including traditional measurements. If your statement about BB hating analytics is specific to the new school metrics and associated hype, we are on the same page.

 

[XLIX]

Belichick was not into analytics. He has disdain for them.

He was into analytics for play calling. Not player evaluation.

"Analytics" is just a fancy term for statistics and probability and you can bet your bottom dollar that Bill Belichick was looking at a player's statistics (height, weight, 40 yard time, 3 cone time, etc, etc) when he made his draft decisions.

 

[NormZauchin]

Does the Rooney Rule apply to the selection of the analytics staff?

 

[reflexblue]

To me whats strange about his disdain for analytics is that he has a degree in economics which is quite a bit about analytics. My daughter in law is and economist and thats what see does all day long analyse different groups of statistics to forcast an outcome

 

[Huckleberry1]

As you suggest BB was into analytics. While it is fair to suggest the cost was too high for the results, including the various gates associated with the collection of data, that level of detail provided a strategic advantage in many situations. At a minimum it set the tone for the players to take their mental preparation seriously. For all intents and purposes Ernie Adams was the analytics department in human form. Teams are looking for ways to get the same information in a form that can be replicated. Whether analytics help or distract is a function of how they are used. If they are used as inputs to the decision process and not used to generate decisions themselves, analytics can continue to help the Patriots gain a competitive advantage.

Yep. As you said Belichick was into analytics, he just had Ernie do it with pen and paper. All the major European soccer clubs have analytic departments, and the coaches get the information and use it to plan for their next opponent. The difference for the Patriots is that they need to bring their systems into line with everybody else now that Belichick is gone.

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

Maybe Mayo was using analytics when playing cards...needed to know his chances when doubling down and whether or not to hit or stay...

 

[Family]

That isn't the analytics we are talking about. Adams used statistics to determine play calling and what to do in certain situations. They never used it to evaluate players. Belichick thought it was voodoo science.

I remember when Ernie was leaving, when they gave him his last pick, Tre Nixon, and it was not billed like it was his first day in the draft room.

 

[BUSTAMOVE]

Did BB find what he was looking for???.. N'Keal Harry, joeuan Williams, Duke dawsa, Cyrus Jones.. Tyqua..

He wasn’t watching players
He was creeping on his new honey Cheerleader