What do the 05 Steelers, 06 Colts, 07 Patriots, and 08 Chargers have in common?

by Leukadian on Jan 7, 2009 1:27 PM PST

*title changed to minimize jinx effect*

The SD stats junkies out there might get a kick out of this site: Cold Hard Football Facts Quality Stats

On offense, the Chargers are near, or at, the top in all categories. Particularly interesting is this bit:

Passing Yards Per Attempt has typically produced the greatest correlation to success of any single statistic since we began studying Quality Stats in 2005.

The 2005 Steelers led the league in Passing Yards Per Attempt and won the Super Bowl.

The 2006 Colts led the league in Passing Yards Per Attempt and won the Super Bowl.

The 2007 Patriots led the league in Passing Yards Per Attempt and went 16-0 before losing in the Super Bowl.

Yet this year, the Chargers, at a mere 8-8, lead the league in Passing Yards Per Attempt....

Hope this holds true, since the Steelers rank 20th, and the Titans and Ravens rank 17th and 18th respectively.

On defense, the Chargers are in the top 10 in the overall "Bendability Index," although they rank with in the bottom third when dialing in on the pass defense (Defensive Passer Rating) and run defense (Defensive Hog Index) individually -- go figure.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Bolts From The Blue community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bolts From The Blue editors or SB Nation.

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Comments

Hat tip to super7

for originally posting a link to the site on MHR.

by Leukadian on Jan 7, 2009 1:48 PM PST reply actions

Interesting

Thanks for sharing. I won’t say anything else out of fear of jinxing

by matthewverygood on Jan 7, 2009 1:52 PM PST reply actions

Whoa

Did you just change the title? Scary…

Brady Hoke, Al Borges, and Rocky Long. Aztec football is back!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Jan 7, 2009 2:58 PM PST reply actions

Ah

I see the disclaimer

Brady Hoke, Al Borges, and Rocky Long. Aztec football is back!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Jan 7, 2009 2:58 PM PST up reply actions

lol'd

~~http://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2009/1/7/711710/~~the-chargers-are-going-to

Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you? ◔ヮ◔
Uncommon Sportsman :: Absurdity in play

by Axion on Jan 7, 2009 4:54 PM PST up reply actions

Divide by Zero

Brady Hoke, Al Borges, and Rocky Long. Aztec football is back!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Jan 7, 2009 5:47 PM PST up reply actions

this is awesome

thanks for pointing this out!

pooping not

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Jan 7, 2009 3:08 PM PST reply actions

Fantastic Find

Here are a couple other things that are making me more confident:

-Norv Turner’s playoff record: 4-2 (3-1 with San Diego)
-Mike Tomlin’s playoff record: 0-1

-Pittsburgh had the 23rd ranked rushing attack this season. This mean, now that Rivera has brought more blitzes into the defense, that we can pretty much send the house at Roethlisberger without much worry about the run game. I look for a similar gameplan to what we had against the Colts offense.
-Pittsburgh had the 17th ranked passing attack this season. This, paired with the poor run game, brings me to the same point everyone else is making. If Scifres is pinning them deep over and over, they’re going to have a real hard time putting a long drive together.

by John Gennaro on Jan 8, 2009 5:39 AM PST reply actions

Wow! Its a wonder the Steelers won any games this year. Lets not forget the penalty yards and bogus calls to the Steelers, if not for the shitty refs this game would have been a BLOW OUT !!!!!!

by cavdad on Jan 9, 2009 4:09 PM PST up reply actions

Regarding the defensive stats

I’d be curious to see half (and quarter) season splits. I suspect that the individual pass and run defense numbers improve as the season progresses, and that the Bolts rank considerably higher in the last 4 or 8 games than they do overall.

by Leukadian on Jan 8, 2009 9:11 AM PST reply actions

Regular season records:

2005 Pittsburgh Steelers : 11-5
2006 Indy Colts: 12-4
2007 NE Pats: 16-0

just sayin’

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jan 8, 2009 10:21 AM PST reply actions

ahh but as im SURE you guys know

as well as us (Marty anyone?), its the playoff records that count.

pooping not

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Jan 8, 2009 10:29 AM PST up reply actions

In fairness, the article also makes light of the Chargers' numbers

the rest of the article:

Yet this year, the Chargers, at a mere 8-8, lead the league in Passing Yards Per Attempt, overtaking the Saints, who had pretty much led in this indicator all year, in the last week of the season by the slimmest statistical margin.

Either the trend proves true, and we have a year in which an 8-8 team reaches the Super Bowl, or it simply proves to be a down year for succcesful passing teams, as it’s looked so far.

The indicator is shaky elsewhere, too, as only eight of 12 playoff teams rank in the top half of the league. And three of the most powerful playoff teams (Titans, Ravens, Steelers) all rank in the bottom half.

But right now, I’m sure the Colts, Dolphins, Vikings, and Falcons (in addition to the Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, and Bears) would agree that regular season record doesn’t mean much in the post season. What matters now is who plays, and wins, next week.

by Leukadian on Jan 8, 2009 10:48 AM PST up reply actions