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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... 0f31a.html
By Jeff Gordon
Is Rams poster boy Sam Bradford really the worst starting quarterback in the NFL?
Tipsheet thinks not, but we concede the statistics to this point of his career aren’t pretty. His won-loss record as a starter is gruesome, too.
On ESPN.com, the Football Outsiders took a withering look at Bradford and ranked him among the league’s most overrated players. Those analysts crunched the numbers and disputed Bradford’s ESPN Insider ranking as the league’s 17th-best quarterback.
Wrote Vince Verhei:
Public perception is that Bradford regressed following his rookie campaign. In reality, Bradford has put up lousy numbers now for two seasons in a row, ranking 39th or lower in DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) both seasons.
You could make a strong case that Bradford is the worst starting quarterback in the league. Of the 30 quarterbacks with at least 500 passes in the past two seasons, Bradford ranks last in yards per completion, yards per pass attempt, yards per pass play (including sacks), touchdowns per pass and NFL passer rating. Obviously, his receiving corps is about as bad as any in the league, but there has been little on-field evidence to justify Bradford's 17th-place ranking.
On the other hand, Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis ranked among the NFL’s most underrated players. His numbers suggest he deserves better than the No. 25 linebacker rating he got from ESPN Insider.
Wrote Verhei:
It's difficult to separate the performances of offensive players from their teammates, but it's even harder to do it for defenders. The responsibilities for two players at the same position can vary radically from team to team, or even from play to play. Still, however you want to measure defenders, Laurinaitis' name shows up at the top of our list of undervalued players. Play-by-play stats show that Laurinaitis made 148 plays (the sum of tackles, passes defensed, interceptions and fumbles forced and recovered) in 2011. Only five other players were more active. Laurinaitis also tied for fifth in the league with 30 Defeats (plays that result in a turnover, loss of yardage or third- or fourth-down stop), and he was the only man in the league with at least 15 Defeats against both run and pass. So he made the little plays and the big ones. Our game-charting project shows Laurinaitis to be elite in both tackling (only two broken tackles in 2011) and pass coverage (fourth at his position in Success Rate). In other words, the numbers don't bear out that there are 24 linebackers better than Laurinaitis in the league.
Plenty of food for thought there. Consume it as you wish.
By Jeff Gordon
Is Rams poster boy Sam Bradford really the worst starting quarterback in the NFL?
Tipsheet thinks not, but we concede the statistics to this point of his career aren’t pretty. His won-loss record as a starter is gruesome, too.
On ESPN.com, the Football Outsiders took a withering look at Bradford and ranked him among the league’s most overrated players. Those analysts crunched the numbers and disputed Bradford’s ESPN Insider ranking as the league’s 17th-best quarterback.
Wrote Vince Verhei:
Public perception is that Bradford regressed following his rookie campaign. In reality, Bradford has put up lousy numbers now for two seasons in a row, ranking 39th or lower in DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) both seasons.
You could make a strong case that Bradford is the worst starting quarterback in the league. Of the 30 quarterbacks with at least 500 passes in the past two seasons, Bradford ranks last in yards per completion, yards per pass attempt, yards per pass play (including sacks), touchdowns per pass and NFL passer rating. Obviously, his receiving corps is about as bad as any in the league, but there has been little on-field evidence to justify Bradford's 17th-place ranking.
On the other hand, Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis ranked among the NFL’s most underrated players. His numbers suggest he deserves better than the No. 25 linebacker rating he got from ESPN Insider.
Wrote Verhei:
It's difficult to separate the performances of offensive players from their teammates, but it's even harder to do it for defenders. The responsibilities for two players at the same position can vary radically from team to team, or even from play to play. Still, however you want to measure defenders, Laurinaitis' name shows up at the top of our list of undervalued players. Play-by-play stats show that Laurinaitis made 148 plays (the sum of tackles, passes defensed, interceptions and fumbles forced and recovered) in 2011. Only five other players were more active. Laurinaitis also tied for fifth in the league with 30 Defeats (plays that result in a turnover, loss of yardage or third- or fourth-down stop), and he was the only man in the league with at least 15 Defeats against both run and pass. So he made the little plays and the big ones. Our game-charting project shows Laurinaitis to be elite in both tackling (only two broken tackles in 2011) and pass coverage (fourth at his position in Success Rate). In other words, the numbers don't bear out that there are 24 linebackers better than Laurinaitis in the league.
Plenty of food for thought there. Consume it as you wish.