Thread: Numbers game: What statistics matter most to NFL coaches?

I thought this was a pretty interesting little article

[size=13pt]Numbers game: What statistics matter most to NFL coaches?[/size]

By Ira Miller
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Special to NFL.com

Nice find, nothing surprising though.

...We surveyed 10 current and former NFL head coaches, and the numbers that concerned them varied widely:

» Yards per pass attempt. Pro football is a passing game, no question, and the proposition is that if you win the passing game, you win the game.

» Field position after kickoffs. Not the yardage on the returns, but the actual starting position of each drive. Call this "hidden yardage."

» Red zone scoring efficiency. We all know what that means -- completing a drive by scoring, preferably a touchdown. Not just scoring in the red zone, but how many points.

» Big, or "explosive," plays. Not all coaches define them the same, but in general, it's a run of at least 12 yards and a pass play of at least 20. The bigger the chunks of yardage a team can gain, the fewer chances there are to mess up on a long drive.

» And, very significantly, tendencies. As in what a team is likely to do on second-and-long or third-and-short ... or, more refined, what's the specific play or pass route that creates success or causes trouble?...