SB Nation User Blog: farris6659

Marriage helps players?

farris6659 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:18:07 -0000

This story had me thinking about how marriage might have altered the stats of some QB's throughout history and today.

I went through the dates of marriages (and several divorces) and just wanted to see if there was any statistical evidence relating marriage and a loss of "competitive edge." These findings do not take into account what team each quarterback played for, what players were lost around the same time, or significant rule changes which could alter the numbers.

AVERAGE GS Win% Comp. % Yds. TD INT RAT.

(Pre) Dan Marino 14 85% 60.6% 3810 33 15 96.3

(Post) Dan Marino 14 57% 59.1% 3566 25 15 84.6

1. (Pre) T. Bradshaw 12 54% 46.7% 1852 10 19 51.4

1. (Post) T. Bradshaw 9 89% 49.4% 1183 10 15 54.5

2. (Pre) T. Bradshaw 10 72% 50.3% 1339 12 9 69.5

2. (Post) T. Bradshaw 12 69% 54.0% 2301 18 15 84.1

(Pre) Peyton Manning 16 54% 60.4% 4096 28 19 85.5

(Post) Peyton Manning 16 71% 66% 4168 31 14 99.5

(Pre) Eli Manning 14 53% 53.7% 2824 19 16 70.6

(Post) Eli Manning 16 81% 60.3% 3238 21 10 86.4

(Pre) Brett Favre 15 61% 62.6% 3706 27 16 86.9

(Post) Brett Favre 16 63% 66.4% 3869 27 19 85.5

Possible Findings

Dan Marino might have focused less on football after marriage.
Terry Bradshaw could not have been luckier in the team that drafted him. Without the Steelers defense, no one else would be able to carry him.
Brett Favre was not affected at all by his marriage as far as the statistics say.
Perhaps marriage helps quarterbacks with decision making skills or another attribute as all showed significant increases in their statistics afterwards (Marino being the exception.)
The maturing could also just be adapting to the game or maturing as a person individually.

NOTES

A trend of marriage is seen after 2-3 years of a starting job in the NFL. All players in this post followed this trend.

Eli's post marriage numbers are so high because he had a good year last year. It was first season since marriage.

Peyton is not coincidentally the best overall quarterback shown.

All stats are taken from Pro Football Reference.

A recent Tony Dungy Story: Good Samaritan in Indy

farris6659 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:26:56 -0000

Please rec this FanPost! Special thanks to farris6659 for forwarding this enjoyable story to us. I edited the title so folks would get a better idea of the story's subject, and I placed the forwarded email into our quotes box. Enjoy, and thanks again to farris6659. --bbs

I received this e-mail from one of my Vikings friends. Thought I would share it. It seems to be gaining steam as a forward.

Last Friday I was going through the Indianapolis Airport .

People in the Security Check line were grumbling about what nonsense the process was, blah, blah, blah. An elderly lady (in a different line) was struggling with her luggage, pocketbook, etc.
She was also confused about what to do, how to do it, couldn't get her shoes off (and a host of other things).
The Security Officials weren't helping the situation either (they can be mighty callous at times).

I started to move her direction, but before I could get out of the line I was in, a gentleman (close by) sat down all of his stuff, and began to help the lady. I thought he looked familiar, but it didn't register; it was fascinating to see him come to her aid (nobody else was making a move to help!).
He was talking to her, making conversation, helping her untie her shoes, putting her things in one of those bins, and making sure she was AT EASE. He helped her through the screening gate, then calmly put his things on the belt, went through and immediately began to help the lady put her shoes back on, gather her belongings, etc. In the meantime she had reached in her purse to show him pictures of her family.
He made a big fuss over the photos, then asked for a wheelchair so he could get her to her gate. Honestly, it was a Hallmark script. They disappeared down the concourse together... he was pushing the wheelchair and she was jabbering with him. It made me smile....

NOW HERE'S THE KICKER: I got through security and went to get something to drink. Just beyond the little restaurant was a group of people gathered, all excited, shaking hands, etc., and in the center of them was THIS KIND GENTLEMAN who had been helping the lady.

And, guess who it was?
TONY DUNGY, retired coach of the Indianapolis Colts! I looked at his hand and, SURE' NUFF there was the HUGE diamond Super Bowl ring.

The point:
The elderly lady didn't know who he was, or care WHO HE IS, of would even have known had she been told. HE DID THE RIGHT THING FOR THE RIGHT REASON. Important people serve others with a sense of purpose.

These kinds of things are still THE BEST LESSONS EVER. . . . . .

On a non-free agency note....

farris6659 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:00:50 -0000

According to Perezhilton.com and Us Weekly, Tom Brady got married Thursday night to the insanely hot Gisele Bundchen. There had been rumors of this happening several times before but apparently it happened at a small reception in California.

Here's hoping to a new child, wife, QB controversy, and a bum knee distracting Brady enough that the Colts can maybe pick him off a couple times when we meet this season.

Brady's Past

Brady's Present

Poll

Do you think Brady will have a rough next season?

Yes

32 votes

No

13 votes

45 votes | Poll has closed

How to Work the Combine

farris6659 — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:44:31 -0000

Recently, my friends and I attended the NFL combine. I searched forever online and only found a few tips. I even emailed Kravitz, Phil B, and some other local/national sports writers. All to no avail, so we decided to go down there with our camera and wing it. Here's what we learned.

Everyone uses the Skywalks. I never understood how the combine could survive in Indy with this weather. I thought coaches would hate it, but these Skywalks have probably been the main factor for the combine staying. You can see everyone you would want to in these hallways.
All the Skywalks connect hotels to the convention center. It's real easy to just drift around and look for people of interest. In the Skywalks, we met John Clayton (who just stood around talking ALL DAY, it's no wonder he has so much insider info).
Upstairs at the convention center is where most of the formal meetings happen. You can't go into the conference rooms, but you can catch coaches to and from. That's how we got a picture with Jim Caldwell.
Downstairs is usually more quiet than upstairs, so if there are going to be any formal interviews, it's going to be down here. That's how we got a picture with Brad Childress. Also, some players use these long hallways to warm up and practice before they are tested. We were able to see University of South Caroline TE, Jared Cook. He was practicing the 40 yard dash. According to Rotoworld, he ended up leading all TE's in the 40 time, vertical leap, and broad jump.
Around lunchtime, if you are able to afford Shula's or other similar restaurants then I would advise eating there. Unfortunately for my friends and I, we are college students so we settled for the dining court. We caught John Fox enjoying some Jody Maroni's Sausage Kingdom there.
Early in the morning I think there might be some overall conference that everyone attends in the Luke, so we waited outside and caught John Harbaugh.
Hotel Lobbies are also a hot spot. We caught Jim Schwartz there and barely missed Andy Reid.
Look to avoid professional autographer seekers. They usually only focus on players, but I don't think NFL execs appreciate them.
We generally avoided bother players though as a rule of thumb because we figured that they would need to concentrate on their chance to get their names out.

Overall, it was great. The Combine was really fan friendly and all the coaches were happy to take pictures (I secretly think Jim Schwartz was even happy to be recognized). From what I could tell we were the only people there looking to see coaches so you don't have to worry about competing with other fans. I would suggest this to anyone who wants to meet NFL coaches and others.

All the Pictures

Kelvin Hayden Resigned

farris6659 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:27:42 -0000

Rotoworld.com is reporting via NFL.com that we have resigned Kelvin Hayden to a 5 year 43 million dollar contract. There is reportedly 22.5 million guaranteed.

This really changes things because before, Adam Schefter (the only viable inside reporter) said that we would cut Marvin to make room for the franchise tag. Does anybody know if this contract would put us over the cap limit? Maybe Marvin restructured? I'm just glad that we got this done becuase Hayden will be an NFL star one day.

MVP debate

farris6659 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:57:47 -0000

I'm glad that Peyton, who was the only real candidate for MVP, won it. But, around the league several people were pulling for Pennington, Rivers, or Turner.

Turner- 2.3 YAC, longest carry 13 yards, 7 yards receiving

Rivers- 20 of 36 for 217 yards, 55.6% completion, 1 interception, 61.9 QB rating

Pennington- 25 of 38 for 65.8% completion, 4 interceptions, 53.7 QB rating

Manning- 25 of 42 for 59.5% completion, no interceptions, 90.4 QB rating

In what world could people argue with those numbers?

Does it work?

farris6659 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:41:31 -0000

The Colts are one of the most committed teams to the draft only approach. But I'm just going to get right to it, does it really work? Yes, we make the playoffs years after year, but when it comes down to the playoffs would we have different outcomes with experienced tried and true free agents than what Dungy is given to work with?

I'm not saying let's go out and throw cash around for free agents, but let's be honest, we need to bolster a lot of positions on our team and usually drafting leads to players that take 2 or even 3 years to mature into reliable players. I for one, would not be against trading up in the draft to grab a good power running back or a wide receiver with pure speed. If we don't take that route, then maybe we should trade for a big name defensive tackle. If we can find a way to make it work under the cap, then we should.

Flags in the NFL

farris6659 — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:16:03 -0000

Is anyone else sick of how many flags are being thrown in the NFL this season? I understand that some need to be, but the sheer amount I see is staggering. Not that I love Florio, but he has a story about it right here.

It's not even the amount that upsets me, it's when they pick them up and say there wasn't a penaltly. In my opinion, when a ref throws a flag, he better call a damn penalty on something. During the 49'ers Cards game Kurt Warner was flagged for intentional grounding, but the ref decided to pick it up. He literally said that he "conferred with #14 and he said he was throwing it to #34 so there was no penalty on the play." That is absolute bullshit, since when can a player affect a flag like that. Later on in that same game, Singletary threw a challenge flag that the ref let him pick up. Yet again, if you throw a challenge flag, you better challenge something that happened on the damn field.

These flags are slowing down the game and only leading to the ease of throwing more. If you throw a flag, call something god damnit.

Thoughts About WR's

farris6659 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:16:21 -0000

Reggie Wayne- It is obvious to me that the Colts put Reggie through some tipped ball drills this past week because he just knew where they were. After the first half of the season where tipped balls would lead to Peyton picks, they're starting to lead to touchdowns.

Marvin Harrison- Is anyone else pissed off about how hard everyone in the media is on him? It's true that he's been dropping passes, but that doesn't mean he's not the player he used to be. I still believe that the timing between Peyton and him is off. He burned everyone on those 2 drops Sunday. You can teach hands, not speed. Also, I bet come playoff time Marvin's timing is back. Look for him to absolutely erupt.

Anthony Gonzalez- If I remember right, he had a first down grab yesterday. He also had a drop in which he was going to get completely smashed. I think we're going to see more of him going forward.

Pierre Garcon- The one catch he had yesterday showed why we haven't seen him earlier.

Roy Hall- Where is he? I'm just waiting for him to explode on the scene. I think he has the ability to be a Brandon Marshall-esque receiver without the tears.

Madden 09

farris6659 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:01:04 -0000

I went to pick up my Madden 09 at midnight at the GameStop in the Tippecanoe Mall and I've been playing it off and on. Overall all I'd say it's a pretty big improvement over last year's, but there are still some of the same flaws.

As far as the Colts go, I'm pretty happy with a lot of the rankings.

Anthony Gonzalez is an 80, which is sort of low, but I'm sure he'll move up with some roster updates after he proves himself even more this season.
Tony Ugoh is an 88 and at only 24 years old is one of the best tackles in the game to trade for in franchise.
MIke Pollak is our starting right guard over Charlie Johson (Thank God). He's a 78. That's not bad for a 2nd round pick.
Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are almost identical. They're both 95's. Freeney is older and stronger, but Mathis is more agile, aware, and a better tackler. I'm not sure if I agree with the awareness.
Marcus Howard is a 74 with 87 speed.
Ed Johnson is an 86, I would have put him around an 88, but it's fair enough.
Hagler is a generous 81, while Clint Session is only a 75. Obviously the EA guys didn't see the Colts-Chargers regular season game last year.
Phillip Wheeler is a 74.
Both Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden are 87's. They should easily be approaching 90 if not higher. If Dre Bly and Champ Bailey are 89 and 97 respectively, than our cornerbacks should at least be 92's.
Antoine Bethea is a 93 and the reigning Defensive MVP is a 99.
And if you couldn't have guessed, Peyton is a 99, Reggie is a 97, Marvin is a 96, and Addai is a 91.

Just for Humor,

Calvin Johnson is a 91. Can you say overrated?
Jason David is a 73, in my opinion that's the most accurate ranking in the entire game.
Brett Favre retires after one year with the Jets in franchise mode.
Tom Brady's arrogance rating is a 100.