Packers Ranked 5th At Football Outsiders

[pbmax]

Shawn Slocum, please pick up the white courtesy phone, retire and please let Fritz take over. Offense and Defense, numbers wise, looking good. http://footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2010/week-10-dvoa-ratings

Lions are 21st (26/19/7=Off/Def/ST), Bears are 24th (20/6/2) and Minnesota is 26th (25/21/24).

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/paisans_2006/DVOAweek10.png

These are the Football Outsiders team efficiency ratings through ten weeks of 2010, measured by our proprietary Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) system that breaks down every single play and compares a team's performance to the league average based on situation in order to determine value over average. (Explained further here.)

OFFENSE and DEFENSE DVOA are adjusted to consider all fumbles, kept or lost, as equal value. SPECIAL TEAMS DVOA is adjusted for type of stadium (warm, cold, dome, Denver) and week of season. WEIGHTED DVOA represents an attempt to figure out how a team is playing right now, as opposed to over the season as a whole, by making recent games more important than earlier games. As always, positive numbers represent more points so DEFENSE is better when it is NEGATIVE.

[red]

3rd to last in special teams

thats pathetic

[gbgary]

5th...not too bad. just think what it would be if the o could get out of it's own way. lol

[Joemailman]

I don't think that ST rank is indicative of where the Packers are now though. Masthay is much improved from where he was earlier, and replacing Nelson with Shields looks like an improvement in the return game.

[CaptainKickass]

Shawn Slocum, please pick up the white courtesy phone, retire and please let Fritz take over. Offense and Defense, numbers wise, looking good. http://footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2010/week-10-dvoa-ratings

Lions are 21st (26/19/7=Off/Def/ST), Bears are 24th (20/6/2) and Minnesota is 26th (25/21/24).

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/paisans_2006/DVOAweek10.png

These are the Football Outsiders team efficiency ratings through ten weeks of 2010, measured by our proprietary Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) system that breaks down every single play and compares a team's performance to the league average based on situation in order to determine value over average. (Explained further here.)

OFFENSE and DEFENSE DVOA are adjusted to consider all fumbles, kept or lost, as equal value. SPECIAL TEAMS DVOA is adjusted for type of stadium (warm, cold, dome, Denver) and week of season. WEIGHTED DVOA represents an attempt to figure out how a team is playing right now, as opposed to over the season as a whole, by making recent games more important than earlier games. As always, positive numbers represent more points so DEFENSE is better when it is NEGATIVE.

I hate to be an ass - but the numbers in the highlighted column go 1 2 4 3 6 5 from top to bottom - making GB 6th. Unless I'm coming down with the rare bone marrow disorder know as Dislexic-Lysdexia.

[Pugger]

These rankings are interesting but the most important one is the standing in the division and we ain't leading there.

[sheepshead]

Yeah, that's because all his special teams guys are now starting :0

[ThunderDan]

Yeah, that's because all his special teams guys are now starting :0

I thought we ranked 31st in ST last year with a relatively healthy bunch! How the hell our ST coach doesn't get fired is amazing. We are consistantly the worst in the league and still no changes.

[pbmax]

I hate to be an ass - but the numbers in the highlighted column go 1 2 4 3 6 5 from top to bottom - making GB 6th. Unless I'm coming down with the rare bone marrow disorder know as Dislexic-Lysdexia.

There are two totals in this chart. The total that determines the order is Total DVOA (3rd column). That is the rank for the entire season. Weighted DVOA (the columns you highlight) weights the most recent games higher while discounting earlier season contests.

[ThunderDan]

Yeah, that's because all his special teams guys are now starting :0

Good coaching and GM work to have a deep team to handle the injury issues! Still fix the fucking ST!

[Noodle]

The continued suckness of the STs just confounds me. Given that a number of ST players have stepped in and done a good job when starters went down, I have to think it's not a lack a talent. You have to hope MM will figure out that his ST coach is not doing the Pack any favors.

[denverYooper]

ST has improved from last year! 2 spots! Hot diggedy! If we keep Slocum around for 15 more seasons, we might make #1!

2009 week 17 DVOA:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fd9p7rXoxi0/TOayc7L8h3I/AAAAAAAAAH8/CT4OEN01HLw/s800/GB_DVOA_wk16.jpg

[Fritz]

I will be interested to see where they end up this year. If they're still in the dregs, then I think Jokem's got to go, and I need to be promoted.

[MichiganPackerFan]

TWe found Bretsky. Found KYPack. Found Lurker.

Found OS PA (abbr. rt.) and I hadn't even started to look for him.

Who else should we look for?

HARLAN!!!

[Fritz]

Newsbruin.

[Guiness]

The continued suckness of the STs just confounds me. Given that a number of ST players have stepped in and done a good job when starters went down, I have to think it's not a lack a talent. You have to hope MM will figure out that his ST coach is not doing the Pack any favors.

That's actually an excellent point. The only thing you could ask is if the guys on ST were more suited to 'regular' downs, but I don't think anyone would buy that.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Personally, I think our STs are looking better than they have in awhile.

KICKING
Mason Crosby is always going to look bad statistically because McCarthy trots him out there for long FGs regularly and he kicks in Lambeau. We have a built in disadvantage there. I'm convinced that he's a good kicker. Stat to think about: Crosby is 21 of 23 indoors (91.3%) in his career while Ryan Longwell is 113 of 129 indoors (87.6%). Also, think about the fact that a larger percentage of his kicks have been from 40+ or longer in his career (because of his leg strength) and you can see why his FG% is going to be lower than a lot of kickers. That's going to hurt the STs overall ranking.

PUNTING
Tim Masthay struggled badly early in the season, but he may have turned the corner. He's put in three strong games in a row. Let's hope that continues.

PUNT COVERAGE
As Masthay has gotten better, so has the punt coverage. In the last three games, the Packers have given up only 17 punt return yards on 4 returned punts--while also forcing four fair catches with just one touchback.

KICKOFF COVERAGE
Hard to evaluate. The Packers are middle of the Pack in kickoff return yards allowed. I think Crosby has actually struggled on kickoffs compared to what we are used to. Not sure if they are asking him to directional kick or kick for hang time.

PUNT RETURNS
Tramon Williams is a solid returner, but the blocking hasn't been there. This is the one phase I think we need to improve the most. I think Williams is capable of being a good punt returner.

KICKOFF RETURNS
Sam Shields has a chance to spark this unit.

I see hope amongst this unit--although Minnesota will be tough. I think the rank at or near the top in overall special teams play.

[pbmax]

Agree about Masthay (he has looked better recently). Crosby has to improve in the middle distances (covered in Patler's thread (http://packerrats.com/showthread.php?20959-Crosby-an-83-kicker)). Previously, it was the right hash issue, but that seems not to have carried over to this season. Regardless of use, a missed FG presents field position problems, esp. with long kicks. I have not seen the odds dissected on deciding where to kick recently. At some point, the points you will score (kicks*completion% at that distance*3) do not make up for the field position you surrender on misses (several sites have determined certain yardages/field positions to be worth a point value based on the overall odds of scoring from a specific spot on the field).

Kickoff coverage varies between good and abysmal. This is unfortunate, but Quarless on coverage after Lee was promoted was a step back. There may be others. Ignoring Crosby's OOB kickoffs (another great question to ask his coordinator), there are still too many drives started past the 30. But the unit looks like it had potential compared to last year when someone starting behind their own 20 meant that the returner had tripped.

Punt coverage has been improved with Masthay's upward swing, but like KO coverage, returners still escape too frequently with players in position to make a play.

There looks to be room to run on KOs. I agree, Shields has a change to make this unit above average. But that chance will be competing with the chance for a muff or turnover by the inexperienced Shields. Punt returns are hard to judge Tramon just loves to make two moves where one would be better. I don't see the PR blocking being as effective as on KO.