We were just kidding about the headline. Sure, it's probably true, but it was our favorite from a great piece by Sports On Earth's Mike Tanier on the "five NFL analysis tropes that need to go away."
A team's running back gaining a hundred yards and that team winning wasn't even one of the main give listed (honorable mention), but I feel like it is the most common type of thing we tend to see in Philadelphia. When Shady carries the ball XX times per game the Eagles are [lots of wins]-[not as many loses].
Tanier writes why he hates this:
If you want to get a math-minded football fan or analyst ticked off,
tell him that some team is 35-2 when their running back rushes for over
100 yards. Everyone knows that teams run more often when they have the
lead, so the statistic above is exactly backwards: the running back’s
yardage is the effect, not the cause. This trope is the speed bag that
stat guys pummel when they are trying to make names for themselves as
football experts (personal experience!).
The other analytical tools he hates are the "Quarterback Is/Is Not Elite" article, Young Quarterback Proved He Was Leader in 13-10 Win piece, and He’s Not the Fastest or Most Athletic, But He’s a Blue Collar Throwback.
Worth a read.
>>Enough Already! [SoE]
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