Rush For 100 or Pass For 300 - Part Two

One of the things I really am getting tired of in the media these days, and especially the sports media, is the everyday over-hyping over nearly everything that happens. At the end of Week #1 of the NFL season after 14 quarterbacks passed for 300 yards including 4 who passed for over 400 yards, the experts and analysts all talked about how the NFL was now moving (if not already in) an pass-first league with offensive numbers moving toward Arena Football realms.

I think those experts and analysts are just blowhards.
They puff up everything that perspective is lost in minutes and everything from players, to games, to coaches, to champions is skewed so badly you'd think every week of a sports season in Armageddon. 

This is the reason I entitled my take on the sports world as, LoudMouth Sports.
Everyone else is a loudmouth, I just want to fit right in.Hopefully, I will bring a bit of common sense and factual discussion to the conversation.

Onward with my take:

Week #2 of the 2011 NFL season showed a bit of a slow-down in quarterbacks passing for 300 yards. Week #1 had 14 quarterbacks throwing those numbers, while Week #2 only had 9 quarterbacks throwing for those yards. That works out to a 36% decrease in 300 yard passers for the week.

Within those 300 yard-plus passers, two of them threw for over 400 yards (Tom Brady and Cam Newton). Week #1 had 4 quarterbacks passing for 400 yards. That's a 50% decrease in 400 yard passers for the week,

Teams whose quarterbacks passed for 400 yards in Week #2 lead their teams to 1 win and 1 loss. For the season, teams with quarterbacks who passed for 400 yards have a won-loss record of 3-2 (60% winning percentage).

These are the quarterbacks who passed for 300 yards or more in Week #2:

Newton, Carolina: 432 LOSS  Team Record:  0-2
Brady, New England:  423 WIN  Team Record:  2-0
Rivers, San Diego:  378 LOSS  Team Record:  1-1
Hasselbeck, Tennessee: 358 WIN  Team Record: 1-1
Romo, Dallas:  345 WIN  Team Record:  1-1
Dalton, Cincinnati:  332 LOSS  Team Record: 1-1
Bradford, St. Louis:  331 LOSS  Team Record:  0-2
Campbell, Oakland:  323 LOSS  Team Record:  1-1
Rodgers, Green Bay:  308 WIN  Team Record: 2-0

The combined results of these teams works out to a 4 WIN/5LOSS record for the week.
Results for the year is now a 12 WINS/11 LOSSES season record.
That adds up to a 52% winning percentage.
Not very impressive.

Subtract Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady from these results (well, because they are Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady), and we get a Week #2 result of 2 WIN/5 LOSS record.

If we then take Brady and Rodgers out of the results for Week #1, that would give the 300 yard passers for Week #1 a 6 WIN/6LOSS record. The season record for 300 yard passers would then be 8 WINS/11 LOSSES, or sad 42% winning percentage.

To stay on task, we will leave our numbers true for the 300 yard passers, at their                    12 WIN/11LOSS record, complete with 52% winning percentage.


In Week #2 of the NFL season there were 6 rushers who gained at least 100 yards. Week #1 had 7 rushers who accomplished the same feat. That is a 15% decrease in 100 yard rushers in Week #2.

These are the running backs who rushed for 100 yards or more in Week #2:

Peterson, Minnesota:  120 LOSS  Team Record:  0-2
Jackson, Buffalo:  117 WIN  Team Record:  2-0
Turner, Atlanta:  114 WIN  Team Record:  1-1
Thomas, Miami:  107 LOSS  Team Record:  0-2
Tate, Houston:  103 WIN  Team Record:  2-0
MaGahee, Denver:  101 WIN  Team Record: 1-1

The results of these teams works out to a 4 WIN/2 LOSS record for the week.
Results for the year is now a 10 WINS/3 LOSSES season record.
That adds up to a 77% winning percentage.
That is impressive.

Jackson, Tate and Turner all ran for 100 yards in Week #1.
Jackson's Bills are 2-0. Tate's Texans are 2-0. Turner's Falcons are 1-1.
That works out to a 5 WIN/1 LOSS record for repeat/consecutive 100 yard rushers.
That is a 83% winning percentage.
Impressive.

Week #2 had no team with both a 300 yard passers and 100 yard rushers,
Week #1 had one team (Atlanta) with a 300 yard passers and 100 yard rusher.

To calm down the hype of the pass-happy NFL (where did that go after Week #2 all you, experts?), here are the season total results for the 300 yard passers and 100 yard rushers after Week #2:

300 YARD PASSERS
12 WINS   11 LOSSES   52% Winning Percentage

100 YARD RUSHERS
10 WINS   3 LOSSES   77% Winning Percentage

Once again, statistics don't lie.
Wins and losses don't lie, either.
(Statistics from NFL.com)