BTB: Beyond Passer Rating: Comparing The NFC East Quarterbacks

[03EBZ06]

Off the top of your head, could you say exactly how the NFL passer rating is calculated?

Probably not. I'm sure you could look it up quickly, but it doesn't matter that much anyway. Because as long as we understand what goes into the rating, the exact formula isn't that important. The passer rating aggregates yards per attempt and completion percentage as well as TD and INT percentages into one more-or-less easy to understand number.

For all its faults, the passer rating does go beyond simple volume stats like yards, number of TDs or number of interceptions. This is a good thing. Yet to this day, it remains perhaps the only advanced stat used to evaluate a passer. That is a bad thing.

So today I'm going to look at some stats out there that help paint a more complete picture of the passer performance than the passer rating or the more traditional volume stats are able to, and I'll use the four NFC East quarterbacks as an example.

Note that in the intro above I used the word 'passer' six times and 'quarterback' only once. This is an important distinction. The NFL passer rating was designed to evaluate the passing game only. It does not account for a quarterback's running game, his ability to read defenses, his competence as a signal caller, his decision making and many other aspects of quarterback play. And the same is true for most of the stats we'll be using below: they are focused on the passing game, not the entirety of quarterback play.

For the rest ---> http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011/...nning-Grossman

[casmith07]

More evidence to support Tony's elite play. Thanks for the post.

[DFWJC]

That's a great article.
You'll never see that discussed in any depth on ESPN TV or NFLNW.

Time and time again, Romo is up near the top. Unfortunately, so is Manning this year.