Tweet
We are one of the big stat killer teams right now.
One of the big stats that most people forget is there is a pretty stable number of plays per drive. So, explosive plays are important because on average, unless you get great field position, your drive will stall on you before you get in the endzone. So, to score, you need an explosive play (to be more productive then average) or better than average field position, or you won't get in scoring position. The Chargers under McCoy tend to do way better than average. That is how we were able to get the TOP. I don't think it means that we don't want the explosive plays, just that we are content to slowly plod down the field and score more slowly.
All those idiots who love the DVOA get it wrong. DVOA assumes that you want to score as soon as possible, and to get the other team off the field as soon as possible. I don't think we are not trying to do those things, but coaches know that most of the time, we aren't going to just score a ton of points and shut them out. If you are being deliberate, controlling the clock, why is being efficient (statistically, making a consistent number of explosive plays) the goal?
We want to keep our defense off the field, even if they are playing well (it is tough for the other team to score if they don't have the ball). We want to eat 5-10-15 minutes off the clock every time we touch the ball, so long as we score, and they don't. The point of the game is not to score as many points as possible, but to have more than the other guy at the END. We can afford to be inefficient (in the statistical sense) and just drive slowly, so long as we actually score.
I still think we need to get the pass rushers and DB to be a lot more aggressive and take more penalties. Not that you want the penalties, just that we want them to be so aggressive/tight in their coverage and jumps off the ball, that it close on every play. In the end, that helps more than it hurts. Nothing is worse than an Derek Cox type of player who is so tentative that he can't even contest a play.
One of the big stats that most people forget is there is a pretty stable number of plays per drive. So, explosive plays are important because on average, unless you get great field position, your drive will stall on you before you get in the endzone. So, to score, you need an explosive play (to be more productive then average) or better than average field position, or you won't get in scoring position. The Chargers under McCoy tend to do way better than average. That is how we were able to get the TOP. I don't think it means that we don't want the explosive plays, just that we are content to slowly plod down the field and score more slowly.
All those idiots who love the DVOA get it wrong. DVOA assumes that you want to score as soon as possible, and to get the other team off the field as soon as possible. I don't think we are not trying to do those things, but coaches know that most of the time, we aren't going to just score a ton of points and shut them out. If you are being deliberate, controlling the clock, why is being efficient (statistically, making a consistent number of explosive plays) the goal?
We want to keep our defense off the field, even if they are playing well (it is tough for the other team to score if they don't have the ball). We want to eat 5-10-15 minutes off the clock every time we touch the ball, so long as we score, and they don't. The point of the game is not to score as many points as possible, but to have more than the other guy at the END. We can afford to be inefficient (in the statistical sense) and just drive slowly, so long as we actually score.
I still think we need to get the pass rushers and DB to be a lot more aggressive and take more penalties. Not that you want the penalties, just that we want them to be so aggressive/tight in their coverage and jumps off the ball, that it close on every play. In the end, that helps more than it hurts. Nothing is worse than an Derek Cox type of player who is so tentative that he can't even contest a play.
Comment