motife
12-08-2007, 01:13 PM
Crunching the Numbers: Packers and penalty flags
Posted: Dec. 7, 2007
Greg A. Bedard
E-MAIL
Nary a Green Bay Packers game has gone by this year without some substantial rumbling among the masses about the officiating.
You wouldn't believe how many e-mails, chat questions and blog comments I receive about a perceived bias against the Packers.
Actually, maybe you would.
There have certainly been some questionable calls along the way. The Bubba Franks force out against Chicago. Mark Tauscher's holding penalty against Washington that wiped out a touchdown. And the latest examples were Al Harris' non-interception on the opening drive against the Dallas Cowboys, and Tramon Williams' long pass interference penalty.
But have the Packers' been victimized more than other teams? While it's impossible to know for sure - that would take a lot of game watching to determine - there are some statistics we can look at gauge the big picture.
The Packers are tied for second in the NFL - with the Cleveland Browns - with 95 total penalties called against them. The Arizona Cardinals rank first with 108 penalties for 875 yards. The Packers are second in penalty yardage with 852.
But Packers opponents - with the same officiating crews making the calls - have been penalized 83 times, which is the fourth highest total in the league. Their 668 yards are fifth highest in the league.
So the number of calls against the Packers and their opponents have been comparable.
With their press, bump-and-run coverage in the secondary, the Packers obviously play more physical than most teams in the league. That is illustrated by the fact that the Packers penalties have given their opponents first downs 39 times. That is by far and away the highest number in the league.
But it's not as though the Packers don't get any of those calls themselves. Green Bay has gotten first downs by penalty 21 times, a total that has only been exceeded by four other teams - and none of them are from New England, Indianapolis or Dallas, the perceived sacred cows in the league right now.
Here are some other numbers that show the Packers haven't been officiated tighter than their opponents.
- While Green Bay has been penalized after offensive gains seven times for 65 yards, its opponents have been hit with 10 penalties for 119 yards. And the Packers have only had one first down called back by a penalty, where as their opponents have had six;
- Six times the Packers' defense has been penalized on third or fourth down to keep drives alive for the other team. Opponents have been called eight times;
- And opponents have also had more punt and kick returns called back (10 for 109 yards) than the Packers (8 for 105).
So for every call you think goes against the Packers on this Sunday, or any other, keep in mind that nearly as many go against the other team and many of them are more costly.
Sure, there are big plays that stick out in your mind, but that does happen to every other team in the league. There's no bias against the Packers. There's no conspiracy to keep Green Bay from hosting a playoff game on the Frozen Tundra in January or any other scenario you can think of.
It's just the rub of the game. Everybody gets rubbed the wrong way during the course of a 16-game season. Just ask fans in Cleveland, Baltimore and a handful of other places, where questionable calls have cost their teams games.
Deciphering the digits
Sunday's game will feature a matchup of two of the hottest running backs in the league.
Since Week 8, Justin Fargas of the Oakland Raiders leads the NFL with 591 rushing yards, while Green Bay's Ryan Grant is second with 561.
While both had three 100-yard games in that six-game span, Grant has arguably been more impressive and explosive.
Grant has 20 fewer carries than Fargas so Grant's 4.9 average beats Fargas' 4.4.
And Grant's 62 yard long run dwarf's Fargas' 29-yarder. In fact, Grant has five runs over 20 yards during the six-game span. Fargas has just two.
Posted: Dec. 7, 2007
Greg A. Bedard
Nary a Green Bay Packers game has gone by this year without some substantial rumbling among the masses about the officiating.
You wouldn't believe how many e-mails, chat questions and blog comments I receive about a perceived bias against the Packers.
Actually, maybe you would.
There have certainly been some questionable calls along the way. The Bubba Franks force out against Chicago. Mark Tauscher's holding penalty against Washington that wiped out a touchdown. And the latest examples were Al Harris' non-interception on the opening drive against the Dallas Cowboys, and Tramon Williams' long pass interference penalty.
But have the Packers' been victimized more than other teams? While it's impossible to know for sure - that would take a lot of game watching to determine - there are some statistics we can look at gauge the big picture.
The Packers are tied for second in the NFL - with the Cleveland Browns - with 95 total penalties called against them. The Arizona Cardinals rank first with 108 penalties for 875 yards. The Packers are second in penalty yardage with 852.
But Packers opponents - with the same officiating crews making the calls - have been penalized 83 times, which is the fourth highest total in the league. Their 668 yards are fifth highest in the league.
So the number of calls against the Packers and their opponents have been comparable.
With their press, bump-and-run coverage in the secondary, the Packers obviously play more physical than most teams in the league. That is illustrated by the fact that the Packers penalties have given their opponents first downs 39 times. That is by far and away the highest number in the league.
But it's not as though the Packers don't get any of those calls themselves. Green Bay has gotten first downs by penalty 21 times, a total that has only been exceeded by four other teams - and none of them are from New England, Indianapolis or Dallas, the perceived sacred cows in the league right now.
Here are some other numbers that show the Packers haven't been officiated tighter than their opponents.
- While Green Bay has been penalized after offensive gains seven times for 65 yards, its opponents have been hit with 10 penalties for 119 yards. And the Packers have only had one first down called back by a penalty, where as their opponents have had six;
- Six times the Packers' defense has been penalized on third or fourth down to keep drives alive for the other team. Opponents have been called eight times;
- And opponents have also had more punt and kick returns called back (10 for 109 yards) than the Packers (8 for 105).
So for every call you think goes against the Packers on this Sunday, or any other, keep in mind that nearly as many go against the other team and many of them are more costly.
Sure, there are big plays that stick out in your mind, but that does happen to every other team in the league. There's no bias against the Packers. There's no conspiracy to keep Green Bay from hosting a playoff game on the Frozen Tundra in January or any other scenario you can think of.
It's just the rub of the game. Everybody gets rubbed the wrong way during the course of a 16-game season. Just ask fans in Cleveland, Baltimore and a handful of other places, where questionable calls have cost their teams games.
Deciphering the digits
Sunday's game will feature a matchup of two of the hottest running backs in the league.
Since Week 8, Justin Fargas of the Oakland Raiders leads the NFL with 591 rushing yards, while Green Bay's Ryan Grant is second with 561.
While both had three 100-yard games in that six-game span, Grant has arguably been more impressive and explosive.
Grant has 20 fewer carries than Fargas so Grant's 4.9 average beats Fargas' 4.4.
And Grant's 62 yard long run dwarf's Fargas' 29-yarder. In fact, Grant has five runs over 20 yards during the six-game span. Fargas has just two.