Bill Polian on Moneyball in the NFL

[ChrisPozz]

Polian thinks Moneyball won’t work in NFL | ProFootballTalk

 

[tomikcon1971]

The dude has way more experience than me but folks told Billy B it wouldn't work either.......obviously the model will have to be modified for NFL but I believe stats could be applied to football.

The big variable to me is you have different players on offense and defense. Also offensive and defensive styles vary much more in football than baseball. I think it can be done....just more complex for NFL.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

I've seen "Moneyball" interpreted in many different ways, but this seems to be a rather limited definition of its meaning. The main point of the term, as far as I can tell, is exploiting undervalued types of players, players with skill sets that are not appreciated by other teams. The use of stats isn't the entire concept, but simply a method of evaluating the players.

For instance, short QBs have been dismissed for years. Brees was an elite talent but he fell to the 2nd, and Russell Wilson came out of college as the best QB prospect by some measures, but was ignored till the 3rd round. I think that is an example of an undervalued type of player that has only recently begun to be accepted.

Even the use of multiple and/or versatile tight ends could be considered a Moneyball-type concept, a position that was largely dismissed as recently as a few years ago (remember the endless debates on the ESPN boards about whether or not a TE could possibly be the focal point of an offense and justify a high pick). The inexpensive (in terms of draft picks) acquisition of TEs has been a huge benefit for a few teams over the past few years.