Football analysis and NFL stats for the Moneyball era - Authors of Pro Football Prospectus 2007

Links (8)

Off Season Plan: 2007
Published 2/8/2007 by John Morgan at Field Gulls: Front Page Posts
... In 2005 Seattle had the best 3rd best rush defense in the NFL. They did it with mostly the same players on the defensive line as they had in 2006 when their ...

2006 Season Review: Julian Peterson
Published 2/23/2007 by John Morgan <info@fieldgulls.com> at Field Gulls: Front Page Posts
... Peterson also improved his run defense. He recorded a near career high in tackles to go along with his career high in sacks. Peterson is considered an excellent coverage linebacker, but Seattle found a way of getting worse at defending TEs. They fell from 20 in 2005 to ...

Know thy Enemy: Pittsburgh Steelers - Sunday, September 23
Published 6/29/2007 by Fooch <ninersnation@gmail.com> at Niners Nation: Front Page Posts
... The Steelers enter the 2007 season with only their 3rd coach in 38 years, Mike Tomlin.  While there have been other changes on the team, this is clearly the biggest considering the rock that Bill Cowher was in the organization.  After a great run as defensive backs coach for an excellent Tampa Bay defense, Tomlin dramatically improved the Minnesota defense in his one year as defensive coordinator.  In 2005, the Vikings ranked 19th in Defensive DVOA.  2006 saw the team improve to ...

NFL 30 to Watch: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach
Published 7/11/2007 by Ryan Wilson at FanHouse
... After assistant gigs at the college level (1995-2000), and a five-year stint with the Buccaneers as the defensive backs coach (thanks Tony Dungy!), Tomlin was named the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2006. All he did was improve Minnesota's defense -- with basically the same personnel -- from 19th in efficiency in 2005 to ...

Around the NFC West: San Francisco
Published 8/17/2007 by John Morgan <info@fieldgulls.com> at Field Gulls: Front Page Posts
... Also noteworthy: The Broncos recorded 11 rushing first downs and, without a single rush of more than 20 yards, a 5.2 YPC average. At the same time, the Niners scored one sack. Welcome to running the 3-4 without the right personnel, the Houston Texans can give you a quick recap.

Five Players to Watch: Brandon Mebane
Published 12/14/2007 by John Morgan <info@fieldgulls.com> at Field Gulls: Front Page Posts
The love for Mebane around this blog is palpable. And, why not? He's an eminent run stuffer that mixes in some pass rush. That's a rare and valuable asset on any defense. For the Hawks he's been something of a godsend. After Marcus Tubbs busted his knee in the first quarter of the final preseason game, people could be forgiven for giving up on the 2007 season. Seattle had the third best rush defense in 2005, a widely appreciated difference maker on a team that was 9/10ths the same as Seattle's slew of offense first, paper tiger playoff contenders, that inevitably withered under ...

Coaches, coaches everywhere and not a contract to ink
Published 1/14/2008 by Skin Patrol <info@hogshaven.com> at Hogs Haven: Front Page Posts
... 2004 Redskins 3rd yards, 5th points 2005 Redskins 9th and 9th 2006 Redskins 31st and 27th 2007 8th yards, 11th points FO ranks comparably. In 1998 prior to Gregg Williams taking over the defense in Tennessee, they were 28th in the league. In 1999 they jumped up to 18th, by 2000 they were 2nd to just that dominating Ravens defense of legend. In 2003, prior to Williams, Redskins were 27th defensively. They were 4th in '04, 4th in '05, a bad 32nd last year, but rebounded to 6th this year. When all is said and done, it ...

Adam Archuleta joins the ranks of the unemployed
Published 5/7/2008 by VanRam at Turf Show Times: Front Page Posts
... Big free agent deals can come back to haunt a team, and Adam Archuleta's seven year, $35 million deal became a flashpoint for the Redskins in 2006. I paid little attention to what happened there at the time, but in as much as his abilities were in obvious decline, the Skins made him the scapegoat for their troubles. Archuleta replaced Redskins SS Ryan Clark, and the Redskins defense went from the 4th best unit in 2005 (-14.4% DVOA) to the ...