Lionbackers.com

I got this link from Football Outsiders. It is NFL content, but shows the stats that mean the most, and least, to coaches. Yards per completion, field position and red zone efficiency figure highly. link here

The Yards per Pass Attempt was an intriguing read.

I wish it had gone into more detail about how they calculate it.

Do they include passing plays that get broken up? Or is it only if they actually throw the ball?

I would estimate that as a coach I would want to know how many times we tried to throw the ball and how many yards did we gain on those plays that were designed to be passing plays. In other words, if we dropped back to pass but got sacked, then that would count as a Pass Attempt but 0 or negative yards. Also, if we dropped back to pass and the protection broke down and the QB scrmbled picking up 15 yards - how do you count that? Because I am looking at trying to rate my passing efficiency and effectiveness, I wouldn't count the positive yards gained, but I would count it as one more pass attempt.

Unfortunately I don't think the CFL stats gives us that kind of detail. What I did do was the most basic of the calculations and summed up the # of pass attempts divided by the amount of yards gained for the Lions (all persons registered with a pass attempt).

This is what I got
436 Pass Attempts
3396 Yards Gained
7.79 average yards per pass attempt.

J. Jackson = 7.9 yards per pass attempt
B. Pierce = 7.8 yards per pass attempt
D. Dickenson = 7.4 yards per pass attempt
G. Guidugli = 2.25 yards per pass attempt
I. Smart = 0 yards per pass attempt

Now just for interests sake I looked at the yards per pass completion

As a Team we are at:
244 completions
3396 yards
13.9 yards per pass completion

J. Jackson = 15.14 yards per pass completion
B. Pierce = 12.48 yards per pass completion
D.Dickenson = 12.05 yards per pass completion
G. Guidugli = 9 yards per pass completion (only completed 1 pass)

Do they include passing plays that get broken up? Or is it only if they actually throw the ball?

The teams themselves keep both statistics LFITQ!

The first shows the teams success in attempting to pass the football overall, regardless of whether the quarterback is sacked, pressured, the pass is knocked down, the quarterback fumbles, the pass is incomplete, dropped or complete.

The seccond stat shows their own (or the opposition team's) success in throwing the football when they actually get the pass off and doesn't count sacks or quarterback fumbles.

It's a much more relevant way for teams to look at their passing game success. They.. then break both those stats down into yards per pass based upon passing attempts.

Of course, individual statisticians on NFL teams can break it down into even more detail, including pass drops by receivers etc.

The NFL generally bases their stats, to the best of my knowledge, based upon throws that actually get off and don't count sacks or quarterback fumbles.

I disagree with the article stating that sacks are an overrated statistic. I'd say a defence that makes lots of sacks is a great one.

I disagree with the article stating that sacks are an overrated statistic. I'd say a defence that makes lots of sacks is a great one.

I don't robbie. Often depends on when they happen in games. I prefer pressures to sacks. Sacks can come from your front four but a defense can also bltiz often to get a lot of sacks but also be burned badly as well.

I prefer pressures to sacks because constant pressure, especially from the front four breaks a quarterback down!!

No doubt that a key sack, especialy on a secon down, ends a drive and a sack on a first down puts the offence in a big hole. However, it's not that sacks are not important but sometimes they are overrated...just as pass completion percentage is overrated.

Like Wally said on TSN...a quarterback who dumps the football and throws a lot of high percentage passes looks good statistically. However, it's what you do when a game is on the line, that separates good quarterbacks from great ones!!

The same is true for defensive lineman. Getting sacks against easy opponents or at non-key times is not the same as getting a huge sack when the game is on the line against a very tough opponent!

Well, let's just say both sacks and pressure are important defensive plays. Pressure forces the QB to make errant throws, leading to incompletions and possibly interceptions. But not only do sacks halt a drive on second down, it can also force the offence out of field goal range. The best example would be in the 2005 Grey Cup on Montreal's possession in the second overtime. Already being forced 10 yards back because of the illegal forward pass, Calvillo was sacked for a 13-yard loss on 1st and 20. That definitely forced them out of field goal range to at least attempt one to tie the game.

I would rather have 10 good pressures than 2 sacks, but of course pressure leads to sacks.

Some pass rushers are relentless, others seem to take plays off and then make a few brilliant plays a game. Those are the guys who pad their stats in garbage time, or against replacement tackles, etc. Sort of like those guys who score two goals in the third period of a blowout.

Unfortunately for good defensive players who put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, QB pressuring is not an official recorded statistic unlike sacks. Someone who really pressures the quarterback without sacking him will not have any statistics to "prove" his fine play.

Exactly Robbie - conversely, someone can have one or two good plays a game, and it looks great in the stats sheet. Coaches know the real story, some fans and media will, some won't.