Jump to content

Football Outsiders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Football Outsiders
Available inEnglish
Created byAaron Schatz
URLwww.footballoutsiders.com
LaunchedAugust 2003; 21 years ago (2003-08)

Football Outsiders (FO) was a website started in July 2003 which focused on advanced statistical analysis of the National Football League (NFL). The site was run by a staff of regular writers, who produced a series of weekly columns using both the site's in-house statistics and their personal analyses of NFL games.

In 2005 and 2006, the site partnered with FOXSports.com to cross-publish many of the Outsiders' regular features, including power rankings based on a "weighted" version of the DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) statistic. In 2007, Football Outsiders content appeared on FOXSports.com (in a reduced capacity) along with AOL Sports and ESPN.com. Since 2008, the site has partnered exclusively with ESPN and provides mostly ESPN Insider content. In 2009, Football Outsiders began analyzing college football using similar statistical principles.

As of 2023, after financial mismanagement,[citation needed] the site seems to have been abandoned by its owners. As of September 1, 2023, the website was no longer accessible. DVOA statistics have been moved to FTN Fantasy, which is owned by FTN Network. Aaron Schatz joined FTN Network as Chief Analytics Officer on August 29, 2023.[1]

History

[edit]

Football Outsiders was launched in August 2003 by Aaron Schatz, with two regular columns, one of which used an early version of the proprietary DVOA statistic. The original purpose of the site was to disprove a statement by Boston Globe reporter Ron Borges that the 2002 New England Patriots failed to make the postseason because they could not establish the run.[citation needed] Over the course of time, the site added more writers, and hosted Gregg Easterbrook for part of 2003.

Between 2004 and 2005, the site introduced new statistics such as Defense-adjusted Points Above Replacement (DPAR, later Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, DYAR) and Adjusted Line Yards (ALY). In 2005, the site began to cross-publish many of its columns on FOXsports.com. In 2005, Football Outsiders also took over publication of Pro Football Prospectus, a book giving a preview of the upcoming NFL season. In 2009, the annual was renamed Football Outsiders Almanac.[2]

Currently, the site has incorporated the 1981–2022 NFL seasons into their statistics.

Key Metrics

[edit]

Football Outsiders has devised a series of proprietary formulas to calculate different advanced metrics.

DVOA

[edit]

DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) calculates a team's success based on the down-and-distance of each play during the season, then calculates how much more or less successful each team is compared to the league average. According to Football Outsiders, DVOA "breaks down every single play of the NFL season to see how much success offensive players achieved in each specific situation compared to the league average in that situation, adjusted for the strength of the opponent. ... Football has one objective -- to get to the end zone -- and two ways to achieve that, by gaining yards and getting first downs. These two goals need to be balanced to determine a player's value or a team's performance."[3]

There is a separate DVOA measurement for special teams, which "compare[s] each kick or punt to the league average for based on the point value of field position at the position of each kick, catch, and return."[4]

DYAR

[edit]

DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) calculates each player's cumulative value above or below a "replacement-level" alternative. DYAR differs from DVOA in calculating a player's total value through the course of a year, and not on a play-for-play rate. States Football Outsiders, "DVOA, by virtue of being a percentage or rate statistic, doesn’t take into account the cumulative value of having a player producing at a league-median level over the course of an above-average number of plays. By definition, a median level of performance is better than that provided by half of the league and the ability to maintain that level of performance while carrying a heavy work load is very valuable indeed."[5]

Adjusted Line Yards

[edit]

Adjusted Line Yards (ALY) "differentiate[s] between the contribution of the running back and the contribution of the offensive line." ALY attempts to "separate the effect that the running back has on a particular play from the effect of the offensive line (and other offensive blockers) and the effect of the defense. ... Yardage ends up falling into roughly the following combinations: Losses, 0-4 yards, 5-10 yards, and 11+ yards. In general, the offensive line is 20% more responsible for lost yardage than it is for yardage gained up to four yards, but 50% less responsible for yardage gained from 5-10 yards, and not responsible for yardage past that. Thus, the creation of Adjusted Line Yards."[6]

Drive Stats

[edit]

Drive Stats calculate a team's average success rate on a possession-by-possession basis: "[E]ach team's total number of drives as well as average yards per drive, points per drive, touchdowns per drive, punts per drive, and turnovers per drive, interceptions per drive, and fumbles lost per drive. LOS/Drive represents average starting field position (line of scrimmage) per drive from the offensive point of view. Drive stats are given for offense and defense, with NET representing simply offense minus defense."[7]

Pythagorean projection

[edit]

Another metric Football Outsiders uses is Pythagorean projection, which estimates wins in a season by a formula originally conceived by baseball analyst Bill James, that takes the square of team points, and divides it by the sum of the squares of team points scored and allowed.

The 2011 edition of Football Outsiders Almanac[8] states, "From 1988 through 2004, 11 of 16 Super Bowls were won by the team that led the NFL in Pythagorean wins, while only seven were won by the team with the most actual victories. Super Bowl champions that led the league in Pythagorean wins but not actual wins include the 2004 Patriots, 2000 Ravens, 1999 Rams and 1997 Broncos."

Although Football Outsiders Almanac acknowledges that the formula had been less-successful in picking Super Bowl participants from 2005 to 2008, it reasserted itself in 2009 and 2010.

Furthermore, "[t]he Pythagorean projection is also still a valuable predictor of year-to-year improvement. Teams that win a minimum of one full game more than their Pythagorean projection tend to regress the following year; teams that win a minimum of one full game less than their Pythagorean projection tend to improve the following year, particularly if they were at or above .500 despite their underachieving. For example, the 2008 New Orleans Saints went 8-8 despite 9.5 Pythagorean wins, hinting at the improvement that came with the next year's championship season."

DVOA results

[edit]

Each year, Football Outsiders calculates the best and worst teams, per play, with the DVOA metric (see above). Below is a list of the highest- and lowest-rated teams in the league in each year from 1985 to 2019.

Since Football Outsiders shut down in 2023, DVOA stats have been moved to FTN Fantasy; a historical archive of DVOA rankings dating back to 1979 is available.[9]

= Team Won Super Bowl
= Team Awarded First Overall Draft Pick in following year's draft
Season Best DVOA rating DVOA Worst DVOA rating DVOA Notes
2023 Baltimore Ravens 45.5% Carolina Panthers -35.3% Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII; Panthers finished with worst record, but #1 pick was owned by Chicago Bears[10]
2022 Buffalo Bills 38.9% Indianapolis Colts -29.3% Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, Chicago Bears got #1 pick.[10]
2021 Dallas Cowboys 29.3% New York Giants -31.4% Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI, Jacksonville Jaguars got #1 pick[10]
2020 New Orleans Saints 32.0% Jacksonville Jaguars -31.1% Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV[10]
2019 Baltimore Ravens 38.5% Miami Dolphins -37.4% Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, Cincinnati Bengals got #1 pick.[11]
2018 Kansas City Chiefs 34.8% Arizona Cardinals -37.6% New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII.[12]
2017 Minnesota Vikings 33.0% New York Giants -28.7% Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII, Cleveland Browns got #1 pick[13]
2016 Atlanta Falcons 31.0% Cleveland Browns -33.8% New England Patriots won Super Bowl LI[14]
2015 Seattle Seahawks 35.4% San Francisco 49ers -31.2% Denver Broncos won Super Bowl, Tennessee Titans got #1 pick.[15]
2014 Denver Broncos 32.6% Jacksonville Jaguars -34.2% New England Patriots won Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers got #1 pick.[16]
2013 Seattle Seahawks 35.8% Jacksonville Jaguars -37.5% Houston Texans received #1 overall pick in 2014 draft.[17]
2012 Denver Broncos 35.6% Kansas City Chiefs -40.7% Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl.[18]
2011 New Orleans Saints 28.3% Indianapolis Colts -36.4% New York Giants won Super Bowl.[19]
2010 New England Patriots 45.7% Carolina Panthers -41.2% Green Bay won Super Bowl[20]
2009 New England Patriots 26.7% Detroit Lions -48.3% New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl, St. Louis Rams got #1 overall pick[21]
2008 Philadelphia Eagles 28.9% Detroit Lions -43.9% Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl [22]
2007 New England Patriots 52.3% San Francisco 49ers -35.4% New York Giants won Super Bowl, Miami Dolphins got #1 pick[23]
2006 San Diego Chargers 29.7% Oakland Raiders -31.5% Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl [24]
2005 Indianapolis Colts 30.7% San Francisco 49ers -49.7% Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl, Houston Texans got #1 pick[25]
2004 New England Patriots 35.9% San Francisco 49ers -42.0% [26]
2003 Kansas City Chiefs 27.5% Arizona Cardinals -41.3% New England Patriots won Super Bowl, San Diego Chargers got #1 pick[27]
2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30.7% Houston Texans -39.9% Cincinnati Bengals got #1 overall pick[28]
2001 St. Louis Rams 31.2% Carolina Panthers -24.4% N.E. Patriots won Super Bowl, Panthers had #2 pick (to expansion Houston Texans)[29]
2000 Tennessee Titans 31.2% Cincinnati Bengals -39.4% Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl, San Diego Chargers got #1 pick[30]
1999 St. Louis Rams 36.4% Cleveland Browns -41.0% [31]
1998 Denver Broncos 34.9% Philadelphia Eagles -35.0% Philadelphia had worst record, got #2 pick after expansion Cleveland Browns[32]
1997 Green Bay Packers 33.9% Chicago Bears -31.1% Denver Broncos won Super Bowl, Indianapolis Colts got #1 pick [33]
1996 Green Bay Packers 39.7% New York Jets -30.9% [34]
1995 San Francisco 49ers 39.0% Jacksonville Jaguars -33.9% Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl, New York Jets got #1 pick[35]
1994 Dallas Cowboys 33.9% Houston Oilers -27.9% San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowl, Oilers picked #3 behind expansion Carolina/Jacksonville.[35]
1993 San Francisco 49ers 27.8% Indianapolis Colts -36.6% Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl, Cincinnati Bengals got #1 overall pick[36]
1992 Dallas Cowboys 35.3% New England Patriots -42.5% [37]
1991 Washington Redskins 49.5% Indianapolis Colts -49.5% [38]
1990 New York Giants 29.1% New England Patriots -41.0% [39]
1989 San Francisco 49ers 34.9% Dallas Cowboys -32.5% Dallas had the league's worst record, but forfeited their first round pick [40]
1988 San Francisco 49ers 23.7% Kansas City Chiefs -27.6% Dallas Cowboys got #1 overall pick[41]
1987 San Francisco 49ers 41.5% Atlanta Falcons -34.3% Washington Redskins won Super Bowl[42]
1986 Chicago Bears 30.5% Tampa Bay Buccaneers -42.8% New York Giants won Super Bowl[43]
1985 Chicago Bears 45.8% Houston Oilers -36.6% Tampa Bay Buccaneers got #1 overall pick[44]
1984 San Francisco 49ers 33.8% Minnesota Vikings -35.7% Buffalo Bills got #1 overall pick[45]
1983 Washington Redskins 35.8% Houston Oilers -32.4% Los Angeles Raiders won Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers got #1 overall pick[46]
1982 New York Jets 27.4% Houston Oilers -42.3% Washington Redskins won Super Bowl, Baltimore Colts got #1 overall pick[47]
1981 Philadelphia Eagles 22.3% Baltimore Colts -32.9% San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowl, New England Patriots got #1 overall pick[48]
1980 Philadelphia Eagles 24.6% New York Giants -26.2% Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl, New Orleans Saints got #1 overall pick
1979 Pittsburgh Steelers 30.9% Detroit Lions -25.7%

Pro Football Prospectus and Football Outsiders Almanac

[edit]

From 2005 through 2008, Football Outsiders published the Pro Football Prospectus book each year before the football season began. It included an essay for each team analyzing the previous season, evaluating off-season moves, and projecting future performance.

In 2009, Football Outsiders did not publish a Pro Football Prospectus volume, but instead produced the self-published Football Outsiders Almanac 2009. The reason for this is explained in the book:

So why the name change, and why aren’t we in bookstores?

For those who don’t know, our first four books were published through an agreement with Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, the company that owns Baseball Prospectus (as well as the expansion projects Basketball Prospectus and Puck Prospectus). It was PEV that had the publishing contract (first with Workman, then Plume). This year, for various reasons, Plume decided they no longer wanted to publish books related to other sports besides baseball. Other publishers were interested in doing our book, but by the time Plume made their decision, it was too late to get on the publication schedule for 2009.[49]

Management

[edit]

Editor-in-Chief: Aaron Schatz
Senior Editor: Vince Verhei
Senior Writer: Mike Tanier

Books

[edit]
  • Pro Football Forecast 2004[50] (ISBN 1574886584)
  • Pro Football Prospectus 2005 (ISBN 0761140190)
  • Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177)
  • Pro Football Prospectus 2007 (ISBN 0452288479)
  • Pro Football Prospectus 2008 (ISBN 0452289734)
  • Football Outsiders Almanac 2009 (ISBN 1448648459)
  • Football Outsiders Almanac 2010 (ISBN 1453671188)
  • Football Outsiders Almanac 2011 (ISBN 978-1-4662-4613-3)
  • Football Outsiders Almanac 2012 (ISBN 978-1-4782-0152-6)

General references

[edit]

See also

[edit]
[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Schatz, Aaron (August 29, 2023). "Announcement". Twitter.
  2. ^ (ISBN 1448648459)
  3. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA explained
  4. ^ Football Outsider: Special Teams
  5. ^ Football Outsiders: DYAR explained
  6. ^ Football Outsiders: Adjusted Line Yards explained
  7. ^ Football Outsiders: Drive Stats
  8. ^ Football Outsiders Almanac 2011 (ISBN 978-1-4662-4613-3), p.xviii
  9. ^ NFL Archives - FTN (For the Numbers)
  10. ^ a b c d Total Team DVOA: NFL Football Stats | FTN
  11. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2019
  12. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2018
  13. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2017
  14. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2016
  15. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2015
  16. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2014
  17. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2013
  18. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2012
  19. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2011
  20. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2010
  21. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2009
  22. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2008
  23. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2007
  24. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2006
  25. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2005
  26. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2004
  27. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2003
  28. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2002
  29. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2001
  30. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 2000
  31. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1999
  32. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1998
  33. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1997
  34. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1996
  35. ^ a b Football Outsiders: DVOA 1994
  36. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1993
  37. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1992
  38. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1991
  39. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1990
  40. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1989
  41. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1988
  42. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1987
  43. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1986
  44. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1985
  45. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1984
  46. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1983
  47. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1982
  48. ^ Football Outsiders: DVOA 1981
  49. ^ Allen, Bruce (July 29, 2009). "Football Outsiders Almanac 2009 Interview With Aaron Schatz". Boston Sports Media Watch.
  50. ^ Much of this volume was written by Football Outsiders (FO) authors, but the book itself is not officially a FO publication. See "Pro Football Prospectus 2004: The Lost Year".