5) Write 800 words or more on something that interests you. It could be related to statistics, to a league issue you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 800 words about your team’s Werewolf server. Be warned that freedom comes with risk, and this category will be judged especially stringently for anyone trying to spew complete nonsense.
I’m here to talk about the correlation between certain statistical success and team success. In today’s NFL, passing is seen as king by almost every single analytical group. PFF, PPF, and ESPN Analytics all favor a heavy dose of passing in a game to advance the ball and correlate to team success. Players like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers have made this statistical revolution fall in love with the pass. The running game has been left in the dust when it comes to success. Teams frequently refuse to pay running backs with many even coming up with the monicker “running backs don’t matter”. However, going through the statistics in ISFL Season 13, I found a stark contrast between success in ISFL vs NFL.
In ISFL Season 13, the top 4 regular season teams were the San Jose Sabercats (12-2), Orange County Otters (9-5), Philadelphia Liberty (8-6), and the Colorado Yeti (8-6). Using the analytical analysis of the NFL, you would think that these 4 teams would all be near the top in passing yards and touchdowns. However, when you take a deeper dive into the statistics, you find some damning evidence. 3 of the top 4 teams (Sabercats, Liberty, Yeti) are in the top 3 of total rushing yards and TDs. The Sabercats finished with 2126 yards and 18 TDs. The Liberty finished with 2068 yards and 21 TDs. The Yeti finished with 1720 yards and 21 TDs. Each of these teams’ running success translated to success during the season. By current analytics this would be an anomaly and not the entire explanation for team success, that the passing game must be tops too. However, when looking at the passing statistics of the top 4 teams, something else interesting is found.
Out of the top 4 regular season teams in the ISFL, only 2 of them are in the top 4 of passing. The Otters were the best regular season passing team: 4877 yards with 30 TDs and 23 INTs. The Yeti were the 4th best passing team: 3964 yards with 23 TDs and 14 INTs. The other two teams, Liberty and Sabercats, were near the bottom in yards. However, those two were tops in terms of Passer Rating. Even though they didn’t throw a lot, with a monster run game and an efficient but not overpowering passing game, they were able to lead their teams to the top. The stats show that they leaned on their run game, but complemented it with an efficient pass game. Analytically, this is much different from the NFL but I believe that it is vital to have a great run game with a pass game that compliments it, not necessarily overdoes it. While this may seem like just a regular season trend, it continued into the playoffs of ISFL Season 13.
In the ISFL Season 13 Playoffs, the Liberty faced off against the Yeti, and the Sabercats faced off against the Otters. In the first game, Liberty vs Yeti, the trend of leaning on the run game to succeed reigned true. While the Liberty out-passed the Yeti 248 to 230, the Yeti ran for 210 yards compared to 155 for the Liberty. The Yeti ran for 3 TDs vs 1 for the Liberty, and blew them out 50-27. However, the trend was momentarily bucked by the Otters, who used their powerful passing game to slip by the favored Sabercats by a score of 31-21. The Otters threw for 334 yards compared to 259 by the Sabercats. They were outgained running wise, but prevailed with their passing attack. Statistically, I believe this was more of a “1 game wonder” type of scenario in the playoffs where a team won off the back of their passing attack. As I had thought, in the championship game the trend went back on track.
In the Season 13 ISFL Championship game, the team with the dominant running game prevailed. Although the Otters used their dynamic passing attack to make the championship game, they leaned on their run game to finish it. Although they were outgained in the passing game by 50 yards, they outgained the Yeti 91-63 on the ground. However, the more telling stat is they had 8 more attempts. In a close 24-21 game, clock management is key. The Otters had less yards and more interceptions yet still won on the back of their clock management and running game. Although NFL analytics believe the passing game is king, it is clear throughout history that the ISFL can be heavily influenced by the run game, which is reflected in both the statistics and the records.
As a data analytics major, statistics and analytics in sports has always been a huge interest of mine. I hope to be able to do more analysis of the ISFL and how different team building styles and player strengths can lend to success.
I’m here to talk about the correlation between certain statistical success and team success. In today’s NFL, passing is seen as king by almost every single analytical group. PFF, PPF, and ESPN Analytics all favor a heavy dose of passing in a game to advance the ball and correlate to team success. Players like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers have made this statistical revolution fall in love with the pass. The running game has been left in the dust when it comes to success. Teams frequently refuse to pay running backs with many even coming up with the monicker “running backs don’t matter”. However, going through the statistics in ISFL Season 13, I found a stark contrast between success in ISFL vs NFL.
In ISFL Season 13, the top 4 regular season teams were the San Jose Sabercats (12-2), Orange County Otters (9-5), Philadelphia Liberty (8-6), and the Colorado Yeti (8-6). Using the analytical analysis of the NFL, you would think that these 4 teams would all be near the top in passing yards and touchdowns. However, when you take a deeper dive into the statistics, you find some damning evidence. 3 of the top 4 teams (Sabercats, Liberty, Yeti) are in the top 3 of total rushing yards and TDs. The Sabercats finished with 2126 yards and 18 TDs. The Liberty finished with 2068 yards and 21 TDs. The Yeti finished with 1720 yards and 21 TDs. Each of these teams’ running success translated to success during the season. By current analytics this would be an anomaly and not the entire explanation for team success, that the passing game must be tops too. However, when looking at the passing statistics of the top 4 teams, something else interesting is found.
Out of the top 4 regular season teams in the ISFL, only 2 of them are in the top 4 of passing. The Otters were the best regular season passing team: 4877 yards with 30 TDs and 23 INTs. The Yeti were the 4th best passing team: 3964 yards with 23 TDs and 14 INTs. The other two teams, Liberty and Sabercats, were near the bottom in yards. However, those two were tops in terms of Passer Rating. Even though they didn’t throw a lot, with a monster run game and an efficient but not overpowering passing game, they were able to lead their teams to the top. The stats show that they leaned on their run game, but complemented it with an efficient pass game. Analytically, this is much different from the NFL but I believe that it is vital to have a great run game with a pass game that compliments it, not necessarily overdoes it. While this may seem like just a regular season trend, it continued into the playoffs of ISFL Season 13.
In the ISFL Season 13 Playoffs, the Liberty faced off against the Yeti, and the Sabercats faced off against the Otters. In the first game, Liberty vs Yeti, the trend of leaning on the run game to succeed reigned true. While the Liberty out-passed the Yeti 248 to 230, the Yeti ran for 210 yards compared to 155 for the Liberty. The Yeti ran for 3 TDs vs 1 for the Liberty, and blew them out 50-27. However, the trend was momentarily bucked by the Otters, who used their powerful passing game to slip by the favored Sabercats by a score of 31-21. The Otters threw for 334 yards compared to 259 by the Sabercats. They were outgained running wise, but prevailed with their passing attack. Statistically, I believe this was more of a “1 game wonder” type of scenario in the playoffs where a team won off the back of their passing attack. As I had thought, in the championship game the trend went back on track.
In the Season 13 ISFL Championship game, the team with the dominant running game prevailed. Although the Otters used their dynamic passing attack to make the championship game, they leaned on their run game to finish it. Although they were outgained in the passing game by 50 yards, they outgained the Yeti 91-63 on the ground. However, the more telling stat is they had 8 more attempts. In a close 24-21 game, clock management is key. The Otters had less yards and more interceptions yet still won on the back of their clock management and running game. Although NFL analytics believe the passing game is king, it is clear throughout history that the ISFL can be heavily influenced by the run game, which is reflected in both the statistics and the records.
As a data analytics major, statistics and analytics in sports has always been a huge interest of mine. I hope to be able to do more analysis of the ISFL and how different team building styles and player strengths can lend to success.
