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When it comes to analytics, two Hall-of-Fame coaches are with me. Just sayin'.

On October 21st of this year, I wrote a blog titled, "Common Sense Trumps Analytics," where I criticized NFL coaches for obsessing over the analytics spreadsheet; treating it like a Bible; and using it as an excuse if things go awry - even when the decision made absolute no sense whatsoever. Well, two Hall-of-Fame coaches have just chimed in on the subject, and guess what? They completely agree with me.

Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells said on the subject:

"This analytics stuff, I don't care for it. This is a 'get-off-my-lawn' guy talking. When you start talking about analytics, everybody's an expert. I saw this happen in boxing when they came up with the CompuBox - this guy had so many punches and so many power-punches, so therefore he should win the fight. It made everybody an expert. In reality, there's more criteria than just punching. Like ring gamesmanship. When I was coaching, I went for it on fourth down quite a bit. I wasn't doing it because of the percentages, I was doing it because I had Jumbo Elliott and Mark Bavaro as blockers. They were pretty dominant. You could count on them. But for someone who says you should go for it on fourth-and-one because that's what the book says, what they don't know about are the mismatches. You're a little more reluctant to go for it when Reggie White is over there. Analytics are nothing but statistics. I don't want to sound like I don't believe in statistics. I used statistics. But I don't believe the percentages apply in every situation."

Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson had this to add:

"I think a lot of the decisions are made with analytics and percentages, and they forget about their team and their opponent. Some coaches fall back on analytics too much. I feel like the risk-taking has gone to another level."

Yeah, what they said, which I said.

 

https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2021/10/common-sense-trumps-analytics.html

https://sports.yahoo.com/opinion-bill-parcells-jimmy-johnson-222938227.html

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