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Statistical Analysis & Zips Football


Dave in Green

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A previous discussion in the basketball forum crossed over into football when Dr Z brought up the subject of Bill Belichick's philosophy on statistical analysis. I just had an opportunity to delve into this a little deeper, and have posted my findings in that basketball thread.

I thought there might be some Zips football fans here who don't read the basketball forum, and might be interested in how statistical analysis has been a cornerstone of Belichick's and the Patriots' great success, so I'm including a link below.

I wonder how much of a statistical analysis guy Coach Ianello is, and how it might benefit the Zips football team?

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at least this is all in one thread so we can avoid it ;)

Absolutely! Those who believe that statistical analysis plays no role in formulating winning game plans, and who are totally close-minded to any data that might suggest otherwise, should avoid this thread like the plague. There's nothing here that will be good for those folks' health and well-being, and it will only make them upset and angry over the perceived challenge to their fundamental belief systems. ;)

This thread was started for the purpose of providing an example of how one winning NFL coach and team put a high priority on statistical analysis in helping give them an edge over teams that don't. It's intended to provide data to those who are curious and open-minded about learning new things. In the basketball forum, the best example cited was Brad Stevens, who coached his surprising mid-major Butler team all the way to this year's NCAA national basketball championship game. Like Bill Belichick in the NFL, Stevens is a leading practitioner of using statistical analysis to gain an edge over other teams.

Statistical analysis is only one part of a successful sports program. There are many other better known factors, such as physical conditioning, etc. But so many coaches and teams have tried to optimize so many other factors that they're now looking beyond the obvious to find a competitive edge. Statistical analysis is just the newest and least known and understood factor.

It's a subject that will be of more interest to nerds than jocks.

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at least this is all in one thread so we can avoid it ;)

Absolutely! Those who believe that statistical analysis plays no role in formulating winning game plans, and who are totally close-minded to any data that might suggest otherwise, should avoid this thread like the plague. There's nothing here that will be good for those folks' health and well-being, and it will only make them upset and angry over the perceived challenge to their fundamental belief systems. ;)

This thread was started for the purpose of providing an example of how one winning NFL coach and team put a high priority on statistical analysis in helping give them an edge over teams that don't. It's intended to provide data to those who are curious and open-minded about learning new things. In the basketball forum, the best example cited was Brad Stevens, who coached his surprising mid-major Butler team all the way to this year's NCAA national basketball championship game. Like Bill Belichick in the NFL, Stevens is a leading practitioner of using statistical analysis to gain an edge over other teams.

Statistical analysis is only one part of a successful sports program. There are many other better known factors, such as physical conditioning, etc. But so many coaches and teams have tried to optimize so many other factors that they're now looking beyond the obvious to find a competitive edge. Statistical analysis is just the newest and least known and understood factor.

It's a subject that will be of more interest to nerds than jocks.

I'm just kidding. I enjoy reading your stuff Dave ;)

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I'm just kidding. I enjoy reading your stuff Dave ;)

No problem at all. I didn't take your remark as a zinger. But I know there are others on this forum who nodded and said "amen" when they read your comment. :D

Hey, I understand we're all different. Some people don't want to read about stats on ZN.O, and others don't want to read about politics, religion, and the mating habits of dinosaurs. But it's all here -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Getting everyone to agree on which is which is the hard part. ;)

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Coaches use stats and probabilities CONSTANTLY during a game to make decisions. They just don't know it.

Third and 8. What's the probability our running game can get us eight yards? What's the probability our passing game can get is eight yards? Who is our better 3rd down back? Which receiver is the better possession-type receiver? Who do we want him matched up with in the secondary? What are the completion percentages to the right, midfield, left?

Player evaluations, they look at 40 yard times, 60 yard times, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone time, bench press. They've been looking at school grades and IQ since Paul Brown started using them. With quarterbacks, they look at release times, arm strength, accuracy. All numbers.

So Coach Bill had a numbers geek in the background crunching out numbers to help make those decisions. Not a bad idea if you ask me. Maybe it was that dork who finally convinced him that running Metcalf up the middle 50 times for 60 total yards wasn't working...

Fear of stats doesn't make them go away...

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A previous discussion in the basketball forum crossed over into football when Dr Z brought up the subject of Bill Belichick's philosophy on statistical analysis. I just had an opportunity to delve into this a little deeper, and have posted my findings in that basketball thread.

I thought there might be some Zips football fans here who don't read the basketball forum, and might be interested in how statistical analysis has been a cornerstone of Belichick's and the Patriots' great success, so I'm including a link below.

I wonder how much of a statistical analysis guy Coach Ianello is, and how it might benefit the Zips football team?

ZN.O Link

This is very good thinking on your part. I focus on threads involving club baseball and gun shooting myself and I believe over 90% of the board only reads the basketball threads. The good news, however, is that the other 90% only read football threads.

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A previous discussion in the basketball forum crossed over into football when Dr Z brought up the subject of Bill Belichick's philosophy on statistical analysis. I just had an opportunity to delve into this a little deeper, and have posted my findings in that basketball thread.

I thought there might be some Zips football fans here who don't read the basketball forum, and might be interested in how statistical analysis has been a cornerstone of Belichick's and the Patriots' great success, so I'm including a link below.

I wonder how much of a statistical analysis guy Coach Ianello is, and how it might benefit the Zips football team?

ZN.O Link

This is very good thinking on your part. I focus on threads involving club baseball and gun shooting myself and I believe over 90% of the board only reads the basketball threads. The good news, however, is that the other 90% only read football threads.

Agree 110%

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A previous discussion in the basketball forum crossed over into football when Dr Z brought up the subject of Bill Belichick's philosophy on statistical analysis. I just had an opportunity to delve into this a little deeper, and have posted my findings in that basketball thread.

I thought there might be some Zips football fans here who don't read the basketball forum, and might be interested in how statistical analysis has been a cornerstone of Belichick's and the Patriots' great success, so I'm including a link below.

I wonder how much of a statistical analysis guy Coach Ianello is, and how it might benefit the Zips football team?

ZN.O Link

This is very good thinking on your part. I focus on threads involving club baseball and gun shooting myself and I believe over 90% of the board only reads the basketball threads. The good news, however, is that the other 90% only read football threads.

I tried to verify your numbers, but ran out of fingers and toes.

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