Len Pasquarelli writes embarassing article about new Cowboys defense

[viman96]

Drunk post by LP?

 

[Mind_Liberator]

Sheesh, that's embarrassing. Bush league journalism right there. Not to mention his terrible take on the D-line and their new responsibilities in the 4-3. *facepalm*

 

[IrishAnto]

Only 2 stats I'm even concerned about points allowed and turnovers. If the defense can do well in both then we will win more than we lose. Yards allowed really is a meaningless stat.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[xwalker]

How do you overcome this kind of career blunder?

You don't.

He went from ESPN to the NationalFootballPost. That can't be a career advancement.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Lenny P is a lot like Goose. Great at cultivating front office sources that he's developed over a gazillion years as a gumshoe beatwriter and regurgitating fed info, but when he tries to wade into analysis ... particularly analytics ... it brings epic lulz.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I do expect teams to test our interior run defense, but really ... how many good power run teams are in the NFL currently? San Francisco..... and San Francisco. What few teams run the ball well typically run a outside zone base.

 

[superpunk]

This is what editors and proofreaders are for I guess.

 

[DFWJC]

WOW!
I guess they don't have fact checkers anymore.
But to write an entire article based on having you data totally upside down...well, I have never seen a blunder that big anywhere.

 

[JBond]

The amendment in the comments section was so milquetoast. Not quite a double down by certainly damage control. In reality the entire case he presented was off base. And if he didn't just stat mine to do his articles, he would understand that the tampa 2 defense is a very bend but don't break style of defense. It gives up a lot of yards underneath to the passing game, but doesn't give up anything deep. This forces the offense to have to pass constantly in order to convert first downs. This means the defense has more chances at turning the ball over, especially if they're predominantly in zone coverage. The zone coverage also makes them better against the run.

Normally the weakness of zone coverage is that the quarterback has all day to pass, but that is why in the Tampa 2 that kiffen runs, you want the best 4 pass rushers you can find for your defensive line. That defensive line has to be able to get after the quarterback.

Ware no longer has much responsibility in the running game, and none in coverage. He is now a full time pass rusher. The responsibility to shut down the run belongs to Bruce Carter now. Which is why the weakside linebacker is such a key position.

I would fire him over this. He barely would make it as a forum poster let alone a journalist... I'm not sure what they're paying him for.

The amendment in the comments section was so milquetoast. Not quite a double down by certainly damage control. In reality the entire case he presented was off base. And if he didn't just stat mine to do his articles, he would understand that the tampa 2 defense is a very bend but don't break style of defense. It gives up a lot of yards underneath to the passing game, but doesn't give up anything deep. This forces the offense to have to pass constantly in order to convert first downs. This means the defense has more chances at turning the ball over, especially if they're predominantly in zone coverage. The zone coverage also makes them better against the run.

Normally the weakness of zone coverage is that the quarterback has all day to pass, but that is why in the Tampa 2 that kiffen runs, you want the best 4 pass rushers you can find for your defensive line. That defensive line has to be able to get after the quarterback.

Ware no longer has much responsibility in the running game, and none in coverage. He is now a full time pass rusher. The responsibility to shut down the run belongs to Bruce Carter now. Which is why the weakside linebacker is such a key position.

I would fire him over this. He barely would make it as a forum poster let alone a journalist... I'm not sure what they're paying him for.

That would require very good to excellent d-line play. I have serious questions regarding the switch. We need pressure. It is a long season. Our studs that are aging need more relief.

 

[OhSnap]

I know I'm late to the party here but can't help but wonder if this was a result of being eager to pile onto "anything Cowboys is negative" bandwagon. Things like Spencer being bad against the run seems like pretty basic stuff to miss on. Sounds like he read an article then wrote his article based on how he remembered it.

 

[coult44]

How do you overcome this kind of career blunder?

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFP-Sunday-Blitz-1730.html

Those results might not show up in Dallas’ league-wide ranking versus the run and the pass, but most notably in scoring defense. Kiffin’s units have traditionally been more about points surrendered (or, more accurately, lack of) than standing against the run and pass. In his 15 seasons as an NFL coordinator, Kiffin units have ranked just once in the top 10 in total defense, and that was way back in 1995, with the New Orleans Saints. Somewhat stunningly, in his celebrated 13 seasons in Tampa Bay, the Bucs never statistically ranked higher than 16th in yards allowed and 11 times were 20th or worse. Yet the Bucs were in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in all but one of Kiffin’s seasons there, and never gave up more than 22.1 points per outing. Dallas, by comparison, allowed 25.0 points per game in 2012, ranking No. 24 in the league.

Said Kiffin, whose defenses permitted an average of only 17.8 points per game during his NFL tenure: “Those (points) are the numbers that count the most.”




Then a rebuttal to the article from a Bucs website:

http://www.bucsnation.com/2013/7/7/4500614/len-pasquarelli-buccaneers-monte-kiffin


Actually, the 1995 New Orleans Saints ranked 22nd in total defense. But that's not even the biggest mess in that first sentence, and it's just one sentence mind you. Here are the rankings, in order, for the Bucs' total yards allowed from 1996 to 2008 -- Monte Kiffin's tenure: 11th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 6th, 1st, 5th, 5th, 1st, 17th, 2nd, 9th.

Kiffin's defenses have ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed in all but three seasons, and one of those seasons was cited by Pasquarelli as a top 10 defense. In fact, the Bucs allowed the fewest yards in the entire league twice during Kiffin's tenure. Twice!
.........................

I know what Pasquarelli did, though. He reversed the rankings for total defense, somewhere. I don't know where or how, but he did. He thought that being ranked 1st meant allowing more yards than the rest of the NFL. Because, fun fact, if you simply reverse Pasquarelli's numbers for league rankings, everything he says is true. Of course, we don't live in opposite world, so everything he says and his conclusions are a bunch of ignorant wankery instead of an interesting column

Here is his response.

lennypask

Jul 8, 2013
thanks for all the feedback, painful as it's been. apologies to readers, and monte kiffin, for error. clearly misread the order of some nfl stats, and that's inexcusable. the point remains the same -- that monte's units often are far better than some of the stats -- but the argument gets weakened some by the errors. will do far better. thanks to the readers for being so alert. and for clearly proofing more carefully than i did. LP

Funny he still tried to justify his lame excuse for journalism...