Analytics in the NFL

Story from yesterday's USAToday. I found it very interesting although it's a long read:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...s-nfl/2164723/

Couple extracts:

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"That's the value of it," Banner says. "It's one thing to say a guy had nine sacks. How many times was he blocked by the tight end, rather than the right tackle?"

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On trading up to get Julio Jones

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"We knocked off statistic after statistic," Dimitroff says.

He says the offer didn't hinge on the first- and second-round picks dealt. "Everybody understands the first- and second-round picks," he says. "We needed to figure out the value of the other picks."
What did the research reveal? Less than 15% of fourth-round picks become starters.

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Thanks! That is a really interesting article. Great post :thumbup:

Yeah, thanks for that enlightenment.

There's no doubt that BIG DATA is here when it comes to most NFL teams. I find it interesting that the same companies like SAP, Bain and Company are getting into this market.

Quote:

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It's no wonder that 18 NFL teams — including already-established analytics-influenced operations such as the 49ers and Falcons — were represented at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston in March.

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