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Showing posts with the label go for it

Common Sense Trumps Analytics

Tell me if you've heard this before: a coach goes for it on 4th-and-short early in a tight game, in his own territory; fails; and the announcers say something along the lines of, "It was the right call. Don't judge the coach on the results; judge him on the decision. It's what the analytics said to do. He's just going by the book." "Analytics" has become like the Bible in football - a supposedly infallible guide, which continually gets edited; interpreted; and used as a perfect excuse if things should somehow go awry: "Hey, it's what the Bible said to do!" In other words, it's just laziness of the human mind and unwillingness to critically-think and take responsibility for one's own actions: "It's not my fault! It was the analytics!" Newsflash: common sense trumps analytics. This past weekend, when the Los Angeles Chargers trailed the Baltimore Ravens 14-0, 1st-year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley decided to go ...