For teams that run mostly zone pass defense (cover two schemes, etc.) how do you accurately evaluate a players cover ability? Sometimes it's hard to tell if a CB was burned or if he expected help and it was a blown coverage by the safety. Do you put more emphasis on individual defensive abilities and performance, or performance within the team defensive scheme?
Do you believe football research will ever get close to the level of baseball? With the physical player vs. player aspect of football, it doesn't seem likely to me. The task isn't just to judge how well a player throws, hits and catches a baseball in different situations, but how players block, tackle, throw, catch, run, kick, cover, and do all of that while being physically challenged by other players trying to do the same. It's infinitely more challenging research than baseball. Just knowing the players responsibilities in all cases is hard enough (who to block, who to cover) and that's before any evaluation can begin.
