710 ESPN Seattle
Comments
Print this
E-mail thisBy Dave Wyman
I just got my favorite weekly periodical, the NFL stat book for week 4 of the NFL season. Every week that I get this book from our pre and post game radio show producer Matt Johnson, I grab it out of his hand, quickly retreat to the nearest quiet place, and pour through it looking for relevant statistics. It doesn't exactly read like Dickens and I have to say that I'm not a huge "stats guy" but the stories that unfold within, are fascinating to a football geek like me. My favorite statistic is turnover margin because I've come to realize that it may be the most telling stat as it relates to a team's success.
Turnover ratio* margin….
Check out the top 7 NFL teams in the give-away/take-away category:
1. Green Bay +8
2. Denver +6
3. New York Giants +5
4. Minnesota +4
5. New Orleans +4
6. Baltimore +3
7. New York Jets +3
With the exception of the 2-1 Packers (2nd place in the NFC North), you see teams that are all 3-0, and all leading their divisions. The two missing division-leading teams are San Francisco and Indianapolis and they both have a positive turnover margin (+2 and +1 respectively).
Furthermore, look at the top 7 teams at year-end 2008:
1. Miami +17
2. Tennessee +14
3. Baltimore +13
4. Indianapolis +9
5. New York Giants +9
6. Green Bay +7
7. Carolina +6
Again, Green Bay is the exception but other than that, you're looking at a list of teams that made the play-offs. The two Super Bowl teams, Pittsburgh and Arizona, were + 4 and even, respectively.
The Seattle Seahawks were -7 last year and are -3 at this point in the 2009 season.
Margin for error….
The Seahawks' margin for error, if there were such a statistic, would be 0. When you're down 8 starters, including your all-world left tackle, 3-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and 3-time pro bowl middle linebacker; you have zero tolerance for errors. If you want to win, you can't afford to miss out on an opportunity. Every pass has to be on target. If you're able to get your hands on a ball, it must be caught. If there's a ball lying on the turf, you have to recover it. And, if there's an opportunity to make a field goal, you must split the uprights.
More than anything, I think this is what Jim Mora meant in his post game comments last Sunday. And the same will be true this Sunday as the Hawks go into Indy and play the red-hot Colts and their Peyton Manning-led offensive juggernaut.
More Stats…
Speaking of Olindo Mare, it's too bad he didn't nail those two kicks for more reasons than the obvious. If he had, his scoring total would be 27 points making him the 7th leading scorer in the entire NFL. Add that to the fact that he's tied for 1st in touchbacks (deep kicks into the end zone) and you're looking at a pro bowl kicker. Again with the "what ifs"!
And speaking of special teams, guess who is the leading punter in the NFL? John Ryan leads the league in both gross punting (avg. 52.8 yards) and net yardage (avg. 45.1 yards). Okay, enough about the kickers…. let's talk about a real football player!
David Hawthorne is playing linebacker….
This sounds like an obvious statement but what I mean, is that he's playing the game like a linebacker should. It's not just the stats (22 tackles and the team's only interception). It's that he's making good decisions; he seems to understand the game and well…playing linebacker! I say this because he was a big hit (literally) on the scene during the preseason last year. The difference is at that time, he was more wrecking ball than linebacker. Now, the game is coming to him. He's hitting the right gaps, taking the right angles and appears to be running the huddle and the defense like a leader. The challenge for the Seahawk coaches will be keeping him involved when Lofa Tatupu comes back.
Last Stat…. I promise…
Lawrence Jackson leads the NFC in sacks with 3 and is tied for 4th in the entire NFL. Again…who in the world is Lo-Jack?
*I know that all of you fellow football geeks know what turnover ratio is: The difference between the turnovers (fumbles and interceptions) you get versus the turnovers you give up. But my wife insisted that I explain it. You see she is familiar with the term but that's only because much like the character Eddie Simmons in the movie Diner, I administered her a general football knowledge test before I would even consider marrying her.
Multiple choice…passing grade 60%.
Matt Pitman covers the Seattle Seahawks for 710 ESPN Seattle
and MyNorthwest.com. Matt has reported on Seattle sports
since 2000 and is the host for the Mariners pre and post game
shows on 710 ESPN Seattle. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattpitman
For the past 5 years, David Wyman has been a part of the
Seahawks pre and post game team on KIRO-AM and KIRO-FM. Dave
is a former NFL linebacker. He was a 2nd round draft choice
of the Seattle Seahawks in 1987 and was a 5-year starter for
the Hawks before signing a free-agent contract with the
Denver Broncos in 1993.Copyright © 2010 Bonneville International. All rights reserved.
