Football Outsiders

15 Nov 2004, 01:14pm by Michael David Smith

MMQB: AFC's Best are Balanced

Peter King this week tells us that the best teams in the AFC are able to succeed because they have a balanced attack.

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10 Nov 2004, 02:40pm by Michael David Smith

Surprised by Sorry State of League

I get so sick of stuff like this. Jeffri Chadiha lists his 10 biggest surprises of the season, and No. 3 is "the sorry state of the league." He writes, "Every time I peek at a schedule, I'm stunned at how many bad games are on tap for the coming week. Part of that has to do with parity -- it's impossible to know who's any good anymore except for a handful of teams."

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10 Nov 2004, 12:09pm by Aaron Schatz

Football Commentary: Week 9 Strategy Review

William Krasker's weekly rundown of strategy questions takes Ed Reed to task for running back his interception for a touchdown in the final minute against Cleveland, and analyzes Herm Edwards' decision to take the wind instead of the ball after the initial coin toss. Also worth reading: William's article suggesting that losing teams stop the clock with an intentional penalty if, before the final minute, they give up a first down that would otherwise allow their opponent to kneel and taste victory.

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09 Nov 2004, 02:07pm by Aaron Schatz

TMQ: Unbelieveable

Our man Gregg Easterbrook channels both Joe Theismann and EMF this week, rightfully complains about the hideous Bengals uniforms, and prints an email from a fellow named Mark Schatzman who is not, in fact, related to me. Plus the usual sweet plays, sour plays, teams chickening out, and so on.

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08 Nov 2004, 03:05pm by Aaron Schatz

Snap Judgment: Midseason Review

The latest from me and the rest of the gang at ESPN Page 2's Snap Judgment column. This week we review the best and worst quarterbacks of the first half of the season, look ahead to the second half, and ask: "Who in the heck was Aaron Brooks throwing to?" Also, DPAR ratings for every quarterback for Week 9, including a detailed explanation of why opponent adjustments were really strong this week.

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1 comment, Last at 31 Jan 2007, 9:15am by appetite suppressant

08 Nov 2004, 02:47pm by Aaron Schatz

MMQB: Downright Dominant

The latest from Peter King celebrates Pittsburgh. Now, the Steelers are very good, but I think they've passed from underrated to well-respected to a stage called "let's not get carried away here." They are not the 1985 Bears. I will point out, however, that the Steelers were the consensus FO pick for AFC North champion in the preseason.

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06 Nov 2004, 03:55pm by Aaron Schatz

Ron Borges Needs to Put Down the Crack Pipe

OK, that's not the actual title of the article. The actual title of the article is "At Midseason, Falcons' Vick is Clear MVP."

Heh heh.

(giggle)

Wait, you mean he's not kidding?

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05 Nov 2004, 10:56am by P. Ryan Wilson

Ask Vic: It's All About Quarterbacks

Following Aaron's cue, Vic Carucci answers questions about Drew Brees' future in San Diego. He also addresses why the NFL babysits quarterbacks, how long the coach and quarterback can communicate via radio prior to the snap, and Mike Sherman's future as the Packers' playcaller.

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03 Nov 2004, 02:29am by Aaron Schatz

Most Halftime Adjustments Are Hot Air

Phil Simms is feeling cranky. "In fifteen years of playing I can't even remember even two adjustments we made at halftime... You have spent a hundred hours in that week preparing for the game, drawing out detailed plans, and you have a contingency plan that basically covers almost every scenario in the game. Why would you need to make a lot of adjustments at halftime? After our 1986 Monday Night Football game in San Francisco, a lot of people asked me what adjustments we made to account for climbing out of a 17-0 hole at halftime to beat the 49ers 21-17... Well, I tied my shoelaces tighter.

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03 Nov 2004, 02:01am by Aaron Schatz

Football Commentary: Week 8 Strategy Review

The latest strategy analysis from our friend William Krasker looks at Houston's fake field goal against Jacksonville, Tennessee's first half-ending touchdown attempt, and Detroit's unfortunate choice to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the Dallas 37-yard line with 11:44 remaining. Right choice, stupid play by center Dominic Raiola, who tried to draw an offsides and ended up getting Joey Harrington hammered.

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