Bill Barnwell's blog

FO's managing editor is moving on to the next step in his career.

Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason have some, shall we say, strong feelings about statistics in football.

In this PFT story on the Panthers requesting additional game footage on Cam Newton from Blinn College, there's a note on the bottom I'd like to share:

Northwestern student Keith Goldner is working on an Expected Points metric that has some promise; here, he attempts to measure the impact of each facet of the game.

This week's ESPN Insider feature looks at the 40-yard dash times of players who run at both the Combine and at Pro Days to note how "field effects" likely exist for different schools.

I shared some actually-positive stats about the Texans with Steph Stradley, including two places where their players led the league in this past season.

Chad Pennington apparently tore his ACL playing basketball recently, an injury that should keep him out for the 2011 season.

Auburn's big back Mario Fannin sets a new Speed Score record at this year's combine. Plus: Speed Score smiles on DeMarco Murray and frowns on Mark Ingram.

The Saints have locked up running back Pierre Thomas, giving him a four-year deal. No word yet on terms.