Unverified Voracity Swings Really Hard At Tee Ball Comment Count

Brian

I think it's really happening. Mike Babcock-to-Michigan rumors have just been turned up to 11:

That is quite a statement: "eh, if I don't continue to coach one of the most storied franchises in the NHL I'll just go be Red's assistant." If Michigan sticks to the plan that would be a one-year apprenticeship before the job came open.

Oh really. Paging Captain Renault: Mitch McGary's drug test won't impact his draft stock.

"No, not really, because you know what, probably 70 percent of the league does that (smokes marijuana)," the scout told MLive, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

But what about the spirit of sport, NBA? What about the spirit of sport?

"Appropriate." Matt Hayes walks up to the unionization issue on a tee and takes a Casey-like swing:

So if we’re going to do this; if we’re going to call athletes employees (or whatever you want to call them) and expand benefits and increase their ability to market and make money off themselves, the consequences for violating rules must be swift and appropriate.

Gone are the days where Troy Smith can take $500 from a booster, sit out a bowl game, get reinstated and two years later finish his career by winning the Heisman Trophy.

If you take $500 from a booster now, you lose eligibility. Permanently.

Hayes, prone on the ground, cartoon birds circling his head. The tee, untouched.

The average Troy Smith is still going to get the money, but will not be punished. Ramping up penalties for infractions that 99% of offenders will not get caught for is like throwing people in jail for speeding.

I mean, who cares? Who cares that Troy Smith now has 500 dollars? Level playing field, you say?

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Indeed.

Meanwhile:

Gone are the days of second, third and fourth chances as it relates to— take your pick— arrests (and convictions), academic failure, failed drug tests (performance enhancing or recreational), or any behavior that harms a university’s reputation.

Let me just direct you to the quote above about Mitch McGary. Or, you know, society. The society in which those first time arrests and convictions generally result in probation or diversion so that people can have a second chance. If people were held to the standards Matt Hayes is advocating for newly professional-ish college athletes, unemployment would run around 50% and include Matt Hayes.

Let's goooooo. The News profiles now-critical Mark Donnal, collecting the various encouraging quotes about him that have been dropping in the past couple months:

“He’s definitely displayed a couple of specific skill sets,” Alexander said. “Mark is a tremendous passer, both in traffic and on the perimeter. His shooting range makes him a capable and reliable pick-and-pop jump shooter on the perimeter.

“He has a great face-up game in the post. The thing he discovered through added strength is the ability to rebound the ball in traffic.”

With sufficient three-point range to drag posts out to the perimeter, Michigan's post guys are liable to find shotblockers absent when they get by their guys. It'll be interesting to see what happens Walton and LeVert's shooting percentage at the rim when Donnal is out there providing Beilein his first shooting five since his arrival in Ann Arbor. I'm more concerned about his defense and rebounding—by the end there, Jordan Morgan was in beast mode.

Bacari is at least making the right noises about where he's headed:

“The thing that really excites me as his position coach is that nasty edge that he brings to the table, as well.”

He also has an interesting quote about how at Michigan "you are who you can guard," and the offense takes care of itself. Donnal will start at the five—out of necessity now—and has some ability to move out to the four as he "continues to improve his conditioning and lateral quickness." Given the composition of Michigan's roster the next couple years it doesn't seem like he'll be spending much, if any, time at the 4.

How much thing X irritates coaches, officially. Michigan's defensive grading system seems a little out of whack to me:

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Like… forcing a fumble—hit the ballcarrier with enough force to make him drop the ball—is way harder than recovering one—get lucky, fall down. And what counts as a "missed tackle"? Missed tackles come in all shapes and sizes: you can let someone outside of you for a huge gain, which is super super bad, or you can not quite get a guy down but delay him enough that the cavalry rallies to stop him a yard after you would have. I'm guessing that latter probably counts as a tackle and the former gets a CRITICAL ERROR added to it.

Even so, it seems like "missed assignment" is the worst of all possible things. Missed assignments are touchdowns waiting to happen. When I do the UFRs some guy doing something that doesn't make any sense gets a serious downgrade and most of the coach types who have commented seem to agree with that assessment.

But being a coach is always a compromise between what you actually think in your head and what you think is the best way to get 85 guys doing a complicated thing well. See: the entire concept of "coachspeak." Or "Devin Gardner might start."

Just don't advertise it during games. Michigan Stadium is now open for prom:

Michigan Stadium is getting ready for prom season as part of a push to use the home of Wolverines football for more events during the offseason.

About 230 students from Durand High School, about 45 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, will take the field May 10 — the first time the Big House has hosted a prom, The Ann Arbor News reported (http://bit.ly/1mQvHXn ). And Dexter High School's prom is there May 17.

Hooray incremental revenue, as long as incremental revenue is not flogged at my ears during the games. See also: weddings, facebook, twitter, nonrevenue sports.

Everywhere, all the time. Ramzy on Ohio State's version of creating the future is worth your time:

Ohio State does not belong to you. You just happen to work there at this moment - you're stewards for a rich inheritance you're passing along to someone else that no one will ever cash. That's what Ohio State is. You did not build this brand. You can only damage or improve it.

And you should find as many ways as possible to give it away for free. Businesses do this all the time because it gives them a great return and it's terrific exposure for future buyers. Future buyers. This is where we talk about the children who don't have wealthy parents or opportunities to embark on a wallet-crushing fall Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

Also in this genre is a post from Get The Picture, a Georgia blog:

It’s not like money is a problem in Athens.  It’s just that there seems to be little thought to spending it in a way that makes the fan base content.  I think back to the shameful way North Campus was treated before Michael Adams had his hissy fit and essentially shut down the tailgate experience; much of that could have been resolved with better security, more restroom facilities and a reasonable amount of attention paid to trash removal.  None of that is exactly back-breaking from a financial standpoint for a school with Georgia’s resources.  It’s just that no one in a position to improve things could be bothered with it.  And that’s a story you could repeat in many other ways.

Instead, we’re offered enhanced wi-fi, ever more intrusive piped in music and goofy sideshows like yesterday’s mascot abomination as a solution.  But I don’t weigh the prospect of live attendance on the basis of my short-term attention span.  The home experience is about greater comfort and convenience.  I don’t wait to go to the kitchen for a drink, my bathroom smells nice and I can always find a place to park.  This is the lesson I’m afraid McGarity and his AD peers are missing.  I want what I got yesterday – a feeling that the money I’m shelling out is somehow being spent to benefit my experience in a way that gives me what I have at home, while making me feel glad I came.

I also recommend the comments, this one in particular:

UGA AA for so long thought that buying a ticket was the only way to gt a good view. Then 27 inch crt color television gave ay to 60′ HD home theaters and the Butts-Mehre suits haven’t yet figured out how to compete without creating something to sell.

Georgia fans are basically the Michigan fans of the SEC and they're experiencing the same things, albeit with less of a swoon with their football program. The comparison they're making here is to the Masters, which is a fantastic example of an organization successfully creating a culture of otherness that makes it in fact special. While that comes with costs—see women and minority membership—they're holding onto their fanbase because they make it feel good to be a fan. I can't say I remember the last thing Michigan did that was a step in that direction.

That reminds me of a thing I think I failed to relate when it happened: before the Nebraska game this year I was walking to my family's tailgate. As I neared the stadium the jumbotron was showing me the previous week's game… against Michigan State. Devin Gardner got annihilated and intercepted and I was like "feels bad, man."

It was the previous week's Not Michigan Replay, it turned out, and I just thought to myself "is there literally no one in the athletic department with the common sense to not show Michigan fans highlights of a game in which they rushed for –48 yards?" People are just in charge of things for no reason.

The ultimate Pandora's Box question. Oh, man. As scaremongering anti-union/reform questions go, this is the best/worst:

Could boosters treat recruiting like the Wild West?

oh no what would that look like

Etc.: Why the O'Bannon case is a duel to the death. At least everyone hates the way the McGary thing went down. More evidence that Michigan's upper reaches are inappropriately secretive. Jordan Morgan report card. Talking with Ricky Doyle. The Big Ten basketball powerhouse.

Comments

Space Coyote

April 29th, 2014 at 3:40 PM ^

Such as:

Forced Fumble + Tackle = 7

Missed Assignment + Critical Error = -5

-----------

Anyway, the grading system at different position group meetings is likely much, much more in-depth (which is what you're talking about), whereas this is something that they'll use for "defensive film study" as a group for motivational purposes.

It's basically a blackboard material that is used as motivation, thus all the points positive and negative for things like effort and not being stupid due to lack of composure and such. This is why there is also more emphasis on the positive, because generally they want players to be motivated to be more in the positive, not to just break zero.

Olldunclej

April 29th, 2014 at 9:22 PM ^

This makes sense to me. If you hit someone so hard you knock the ball out great, but if you do not recover the fumble it means nothing! When you recover a fumble as the poster above said it means you had great effort, but most importantly you stop the opponent from having a chance to score, and give your offense a chance to score! This is huge.

WolvinLA2

April 30th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^

But that's not how it works.  Sure, the guy who recovers the fumble is likely hustling (like every other player on the field), but would you say he's "hustling" more thant the guy who got to the ball carrier and stripped the ball?  And most fumble recoveries are a "right place, right time" type of thing.  You're the guy the ball bounced too.  Usually the guy who recovers the fumble did little other grab the ball when it bounces his way.  Obviously, that's better than not grabbing the ball when it bounces your way, but not as important as causing the fumble in the first place.

The guy who recovers capitalizes on a situation.  The guy who forced it caused the situation.

snowcrash

April 30th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^

A fumble recovery is usually less impressive than a forced fumble or interception, but I can see why the coaches would try to get players to just pounce on the loose ball for a near-sure recovery instead of trying to scoop it up and run with it. A lot of times a defensive guy will try to pick it up in stride and just bobble it out of bounds or back to an offensive player.

Olldunclej

April 30th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^

As much as I understand the "he was in the right place" argument, or was he really "hustling" more than other people, the fact remains it is WAY more important to get the offense the ball, so the coaches emphasize it more by assigning more points to it. 

Studies have been done, good teams fumble, national champs (auburn fumbled 30 times last season they lost 11 of those), as much as bad teams 1-11 Purdue types, who had 19 fumbles losing 9 of them.  Balls are going to hit the ground, so you have to take advantage of them when they do happen, you need to scrap at the bottom of the pile, you need to do whatever it takes to get the ball when it hits the ground. 

 

Thats why it is worth more when you recover a fumble than causing them.  It is more important to fall on it. 

matty blue

April 29th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^

i dont' think i could parse out the relative values of the events on the grading charts, but it's probably worth remembering that the charts in question probably have less to do with "true" value of a specific event (as in UFR) than with motivating the players in the room during a team or group meeting.  i'm guessing, too, that a recovered fumble probably does more to pick up a sideline than a forced (but unrecovered) fumble.  same with a sack vs. a hurry - the hurry is hugely important but doesn't light up a sideline as much.

ish

April 29th, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^

missed assignment probably = -2 because it's hard to learn all of your assignments as a college football player.  that's why they have the "critical error" adder.  if you should've known your assignment but blew it, it becomes a -5.  if you're a new starter, young and confused and make an honest mistake, well, it sucks, but the coaches have to be realistic.

Gameboy

April 29th, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^

Hmmm... Brian, you do know that NBA (and pretty much all sports) tests for weeds, right? I mean, NBA testing is a joke, but still, the do test for it.

wolverine1987

April 29th, 2014 at 5:03 PM ^

in any way Brian. Regardless of the dumbness of the NCAA rule (which we can all agree on) to say "what about the spirit of the sport" jokingly is off base--the NBA is precisely WHY people get emotional (wrongly or not) about the spirit of the sport or other emotional non substantive romantic notions. Because the NBA is borderline unwatchable, with play never worse, and the pros trying maybe every other game or so, if that, before the playoffs. It's precisely because of that that people foster these notions of college basketball in their heads, and I for one don't blame them.

Needs

April 29th, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^

Yeah, you don't watch the NBA, do you? 

In watching Michigan, you're watching one of about 4 college teams that play basketball that's actually enjoyable to watch. 

Whereas the NBA is in the midst of its best opening round of the playoffs ever. After a season where, in the West at least, the level of play was incredibly high throughout the entire season. 

wolverine1987

April 29th, 2014 at 5:29 PM ^

I'm glad you enjoy the NBA, and I've been reading how the playoffs this year are great-but of course they almost always are. That does nothing to take away from my point, which was that it is borderline unwatchable with terrible play other than the playoffs. Many other people with more credibility than I agree with me, starting with Charles Barkley and many other former players. But hey, enjoy the games, glad you do.

bronxblue

April 29th, 2014 at 3:31 PM ^

Grading kinda, sorta makes sense.  There are so few fumbles compared to missed tackles and TFLs that I doubt they'll skew the results, but if you screw up an assignment to the degree a bunch of guys fiugre out it is you, you'll get a ding.

Hayes seems pretty out of touch about corporate life as well, as last time I checked that are LOTS of dudes getting paid oodles of money on Wall St. and in other businesses who have screwed up royally.  Employers are not nearly as draconian as he thinks if the employee still provides real value to them.

As for comparing the in-game experience at Augusta to football, I just don't know.  I guess I'm just not a golfer, but being a place that actively discriminates against women and minorities is pretty rough in any time but especially now, and watching a bunch of rich guys hit golf balls around while drunk people with bad sunburns watch on doesn't strike me as some amazing experience.  

 

wesq

April 29th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^

The biggest thing a university can do to make it feel good to be a fan (besides win) is set their players up for future success.  Jordan Morgan two engineering degrees feels good to root for, guys like Martavius Odoms and Vincent Smith going back and trying to make a difference in their communities feels good.  That stuff is hard to quantify and it is hard to say if Brandon is doing an effective job at it but things like a good player retention rate in football under Hoke and guys moving towards Michigan degrees would seem to be a good sign.

jmdblue

April 29th, 2014 at 4:35 PM ^

Stay out of trouble, and treat the game with respect.  I want them to win.  I want the M game experience to feel like it did from around '73 (when I started to attend games) to about 2005 (well after my student days and about when things seemed to be going off the rails).  What I want is what Kinsella was going for in "Shoeless Joe" (later "Field of Dreams").  We had that when the students could chant "bullshit" back adn forth because the change of quarter prevented our scoring in the north endzone.  We had it when my old man and his buddies met for a quick beer at the golf course at halftime.  We had it when the band and handwalking races were the only non-football entertainment and it was plenty.  We could all wax on about this and I've gone far enough, but I think it's enough to say that every time I hear "Sweet Caroline" I wonder why anyone pays for season's tix.

Sports

April 29th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^

It'll be interesting to see how the whole statium engagement thing plays out. I've said it before, but as intense, tradition-obsessed, rabid fans, we represent a unique section of the overall Michigan crowd. It's hard to continue to provide an experience that will compete with TV for most folks, as I would wager that the majority of the modern population doesn't want to sit in a stadium, exposed to the weather, watching players compete on a field that's so far away that they can barely see.

College football doesn't need to stave off the advance of television and the home experience among the younger crowd, it needs to win these people over. It's not just that TV is more convenient. For many people, it's better. That's where the problem lies.

Newk

April 29th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^

I think what many of believe is that by appealing to the die-hard, tradition-obsessed, quasi-purist crowd, the AD might build the "brand" in such a way as to make the experience more appealling to all. You can't compete with TV by being "better" in terms of the visuals and the convenience. You have to be different from TV, the NFL, etc. You have to cultivate what makes (or once made, if only in our imaginations) Michigan special.

It's sad that the sooges in charge of the AD are so tone-deaf that they can't about the "brand" except in narrow, short-sighted way. 

jmdblue

April 29th, 2014 at 4:45 PM ^

The stadium experience can't compete with TV... It's more expensive, the view sucks, it's time consuming and who the hell knows what the weather is gonna do?  So how to compete?  Brian's "otherness".  We don't need piped-in music we can get at EVERY other sports venue in the country.  We need the kids in teh engineering and music schools to come up with a way to tastefully amplify what the band does.  We don't need complicated and shitty teasers for the kids to get to the games on time.  We do need free, game-specific giveaways for the first 12K kids who show up to show we appreciate both their support and their willingness to brave their hangovoers outdoors.  We don't need uniformz.  We need maize to be maize.   Fuck Dave Brandon.

Yinka Double Dare

April 29th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^

Thing is, the Masters isn't going to lose one ounce of "otherness" feeling with women and minority members of Augusta.  Its appeal is based on

1) History

2) The tournament being on the same course year after year after year (this is one reason why the Masters rather than the US Open is the major that the most people watch)

3) That course being incredibly beautiful when the tournament is played, something that has only been magnified with our fancy HD TVs

4) The course is near-impossible to get on, even by private club standards

5) The course is a wonderful design for tournament golf with its opportunities to make up or drop shots in a hurry on the back 9.

6) If you manage to get a ticket, they treat their "patrons" wonderfully on site.  Food and drink are as cheap as a high school football game.  They make it a real experience, even for people who end up with Monday practice round tickets.  I haven't been but I know people who have and everyone says it was worth so much more than they paid, and these are people travelling from Chicago to Augusta to do it.

College football for most is rich in #1, especially so for Michigan. And we have a wonderful venue. But the people in charge are totally blowing point 6.

Sambojangles

April 29th, 2014 at 5:09 PM ^

#6 is the big issue I have with Michigan at the moment. It used to be a great experience at football games, distinct from other live sporting events--no advertising, the band as the only source of music, etc. Currently, the experience is moving toward minor-league hockey, at professional football prices. 

It would be one thing if the experience sucked but was dirt cheap, especially for students. That includes concessions. It would also be somewhat tolerable, at least to me, if it were pricey to get in, but there were no video board ads, and the gameday experience felt like "pure" college football. The problem is that it costs a ton, and isn't really that much fun to go. The "wow" experience has become mostly just "wow this sucks." And if the team/opponent were good it might be bearable, but they are both so poor it really can't make up for it.

wolverine1987

April 29th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^

A perfect example of a brand with tremendous equity that CONSCIOUSLY DECLINES repeated opprtunities for greater revenue, yet has never been bigger or more successful than right now. Because they understand that being a good capitalist and marketer does not always mean maximizing every possible dollar while at the same time turning off the fan base. It means staying true to the yes, emotional and nostalgic aspects of their brand--understanding that this a a large part of its appeal, and that every person that is lucky enough to enter Augusta is special and will transmit that to their family and friends forever when they leave. 

The Master is antiquated in TV sense--they only allow a start at 2 or 3 on television instead of the all day affair every other tournament has. They only allow three sponsors and limited commercial interruption per hour (I believe approx 3-4 minutes per hour, WAY less than everyone else). And yet they grow larger every year. I ask you, can you imagine Brandon doing any of that? Understanding any of that? THAT is the problem at Michigan Stadium these days.

cobra14

April 29th, 2014 at 4:21 PM ^

Mattisons grading system or Mgoblogs... Hmmmmmm

And I know no one here wants to hear or believe it but Gardner is in a dog fight for the job.

Monocle Smile

April 29th, 2014 at 4:42 PM ^

I know you don't want to hear it or believe it, but trust me, it's 100% true and straight from the horse's ass. Because the only possible reason for you to not believe me is because you're in denial and butthurt.

jmdblue

April 29th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^

1 guy breaks it up for a +5 and 2 others miss on the tip drill for -10.  Keep in mind this play took place at our own 6 after a sixty yard 3rd and 20 heave and we're likely better off fielding the punt anyway.

Guys a Dude

April 29th, 2014 at 5:11 PM ^

I don't think anyone on the field is thinking about field position when a ball is coming in their direction. If you can get two hands on the ball you are going for an interception no matter what part of the field you are on.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

April 29th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^

The problem with Hayes's argument is not that $500 is too petty an amount to punish, it's that nothing would be any more discoverable than it is now, which I think is partly what Brian is saying.

But the problem with the other part of Brian's argument is that it's never just a one-time $500.  Someone who gets $500 once is getting $500 on the very regular.

Plus that picture of Alabama's facilities really undercuts the whole "pay 'em" argument, IMO.  They're spending MILLIONS on these guys, mainly to convince them to come to a particular school, and I don't see one of them, not one single one, saying "gee, I wish they would stop spending money on these facilities."  They LOVE this stuff and they LOVE it every time a uniformz company spends millions on developing them some uniformz.  The cash these guys generate doesn't "line the pockets" of the schools - as shown above, a pretty absurdly significant amount of it goes to benefit those guys.

Personally, if we must go down the route of loosening up the purse strings, letting players make money off themselves, etc., I say go all the way.  The tiniest restriction will drive money underground.  Let them rake in whatever they think they can make on their image, with one exception: none of it can come from the school.  Let 'em pay their own way with student loans and the money they get from the bagmen.  Let 'em sell their own jerseys, if they can.  The bagmen think they're hot shit, so let's see them actually finance the teams.

Mr. Yost

April 29th, 2014 at 7:32 PM ^

You know how people always say "trust the coaches, they're smarter than you are?"

Brian just pretty much shit all over the coaches grading system - and you know what? He's 100% correct.

This is why I think it's bullshit to ALWAYS assume that whatever the coaches are doing, is the right thing to do.

This is just an example, but it goes right with every other instance where someone jumps all over someone else for questioning the all-knowing coaches of Michigan Athletics.

Maybe next time we have an offensive coordinator that wants to run a stretch play on the road at PSU over and over for -2 yards, some idiot won't say "trust the coaches" when someone else has a problem with it.

fergusg

April 29th, 2014 at 7:49 PM ^

Sorry to hijack the comment. However on the union issue, if the footballers are granted employee status, doesn't that mean they will pay tax on their scholarship and benefits?



Also - won't the universities be required to payroll tax?



If true, players are going to find themselves a bit out of pocket, or a true free market will start to take place, requiring salary caps etc

Giordano Bruno

April 30th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^

Nobody pays tax on scholarships.  Nobody pays tax on benefits (health insurance particularly).  Should a form of monetary compensation be devised, that would presumably be taxable and withholding taxes would be taken out.

 

Your comment is the definition of "concern trolling".

Space Coyote

April 29th, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^

And the reasoning behind this is posted in about three places above. This isn't how the position units actually go about grading out their players. This is a cheap and easy way to motivate defensive players, likely the first time they go over the game as an overview/review type function as an entire group.

I honestly don't know what to tell you if you think the extent of their evaluation is on a sign in the locker room and is that simple. Each individual player is evaluated. But for example, let's look at an individual player on the DL.

An individual player on the DL will be evaluated for:

Alignment (0-4), technique on snap (0-4), technique when engaged (0-4), technique in pursuit (0-4), technique at the tackle (0-4), pass rush move (0-4), plugging the hole (0-4), defeating the block (0-4), sack (0-1), hurry (0-1), pursuit path (0-1), solo tackle (0-1), TFL (0-1), assisted tackle (0-1), missed tackle (0-1), forced fumble (0-1), fumble recovery (0-1), knock down (0-1), effort (0-1), penalty (0-1), etc.

0-4 is a scale for technique, with 0 being a critical error, 1 being missed assignment, 2 being completed assignment, 3 being assignment with good technique, 4 being perfect technique.

0-1 is a yes or no.

Then they'll have a point system for some other things, similar to UFR but far more detailed and specific, partially because they know everyone's assignment because of the play call, partially because they know the techniques they're being taught, partially because they are better coaches and evaluators than Brian and people on this site. They do this not only for every play in a game, but every play in practice and many of the drills in practice. 

So Brian put a picture of a motivational whiteboard from the locker room. Explain to me how he "shit" on the coaches. What is he shitting on? You'll probably see another white board that has things like "3 forced turnovers, held opponent under 200 yards passing, held opponent under 50 yards rushing, 4 sacks," and other miscellaneous goals the defense has for each game, and you'll see check marks for the things they were successful in for each game. This is one of the common things that is found in locker rooms and film rooms from the high school level to the NFL. So again, how is this shitting on anyone? Or is it shitting on nearly everyone in the coaching profession because it's a motivational tactic? Or do you know better? How is this such a bad thing, that Brian "shit on the grading system" that is at best a quick motivational tool to be looked at at a high level?

You. Do. Not. Know. What. You're. Talking. About.

"You know how people always say "Trust the coaches, they're smarter than you?"" Trust me, when it comes to football, they're smarter than you and Brian and everyone here on this board, including me. They're also much more informed, both in understand what the players are being tasked to do, what they are tasking the players to do, what they've practiced, amount of times they've seen them in perform, etc. Your ignorance of things, and your willingness to show your ignorance ("It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you're a fool than to open it and remove all doubt"), is a bit remarkable. But this post "shits" on no one (and I'm not sure it was really intended to).

chewieblue

April 30th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^

This would mean a guy was hustling his ass off to chase the ball.  This is an unrecordable stat that almost certainly leads to great defense.  I would think they are trying to place a higher value on pursuing the ball than on a big hit or trying to strip a guy while missing a tackle (one of my major pet peeves).