Originally Posted by
Preacher
You know it's sad when even sportswriters fall into the stat trap. OMG! forced fumbles, sacks, int's! And the greatest line of all (talking about making plays) "The kind that count most."
No, you idiot. The plays that count the most are the ones that get the team off the field without points on the board, and there were a ton of those plays last year.
Sacks mean VERY LITTLE anymore. Don't believe me? Go look at the the teams over the last few years that have been making the playoffs. (Bolded team names means they are in the bottom of for sacks given up, and sacks on opposing QBs).
2012 Playoff teams with sacks allowed in the top 50%
Ravens, SB champs, 13th in most sacks allowed last year.
San Francisco, SB losers, 10th in most sacks allowed last year.
Colts, 9th in most sacks allowed last year.
Bengals, 7th in most sacks allowed last year.
Green Bay Packers, 2nd in most sacks allowed last year
2012 playoff teams bottom 50% of sacks on opposing QB's (Steelers had 37, which was half a sack above the average, so I'm including teams tied with the Steelers)
Ravens, 37 SB Winners
Patriots 37
Seahawks, 36
Colts, 32
Redskins, 32
Falcons, 29,
2011 Playoff teams with sacks allowed in the top 50%
Vikings, 49
San Francisco, 44
Steelers, 42
Broncos, 42
Packers, 41
Lions slip just outside by haing 36
2011 playoff teams bottom 50% of sacks on opposing QB's
Steelers 35 (just barely in bottom 50%)
Falcons, 33
New Orleans, 33
2010 Playoff teams with sacks allowed in the top 50%
Chicago Bears 56
Eagles, 49
Steelers, 44 SB losers
Ravens, 40
Packers, 38 SB Champs
Vikings, 36
2011 playoff teams bottom 50% of sacks on opposing QB's
Bears, 34
Saints, 33
vikings 31
Falcons, 31
Colts, 30
Ravens 27
FOR INTS . . .
BTW, 2010 5 teams in the lowest 50% for forced INT percentage made the playoffs. (actually amount of picks vs. drop backs).
2011, 5 teams in the lowest 50% for forced INT percentage again made it into the playoffs.
2012, 5 teams again in the lowest 50% for forced INT percentage made the playoffs (three were tied at 50%, the texans, a sixth team, was just barely a step above those teams). Ravens and SF both are in this list.
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So, in almost every season, half the teams in the playoffs, are in the bottom half of the stat percentage AND the defensive INT percentage. In the last three years, 2 of the teams on average have been in the bottom half on both sides of the ball. One of those, the Ravens, are SB champions this year. The Superbowl losers this year were in 1 side of those stats. 2011 had neither the winners or the losers. 2010 featured both the winners and losers in sacks allowed.
What does that mean? Given up sacks does not equate to not making the playoffs and winning SB's and neither does not getting sacks on defense. INT's does not equate to making the playoffs either.
It's time some more people took their ESPNfootball glasses off, including a few reporters.