Cornerbacks, how do we know if they're effective?

Why is that the interception number is always the main statistic looked at to measure performance?

I mean, I think its one of the more misleading stats used to measure how good a corner back is. One year a corner back can get 6 interceptions and have 2 the next...but does that indicate he had a down year?

Let's take a look at Richard Sherman for instance:

2013: 8 Interceptions

2014: 4 Interceptions

2015: 2 Interceptions

[Per NFL.com]


Richard Sherman has managed to grab half of the interceptions subsequent to the year prior, however, every football fan knows that this is in no way indicative of a regression. 2 weeks ago against the Jets, Sherman managed to pick off the Jets (guarding Brandon Marshall) 2 times. Just because Sherman didn't grab as many interceptions in 2015 as years prior, doesn't mean he had a down year. I think it's also ridiculous to expect your corner back to consistently have high interception numbers year in and year out; what if he doesn't get thrown to a lot? or what if the smarter move on a particular play was to bat it down opposed to making a catch on it?


This leads to my recommendation of which statistics should be considered when truly evaluating a corner back's performance for the NFL Season. I believe the Pass Deflection number should be weighed more. Also, the number of times a QB has thrown in the direction of that corner back should be reviewed against the number of passes thrown within the game. I think these stats are important because there might be instances where a corner back may not have had as many pass deflections due to a low number of passes thrown his way OR because the ball thrown into his direction was out of reach in order for him to make a play on the ball. With that being said, maybe ESPN can create some sort of metric measuring the amount of playable passes thrown in the corner back's direction.


Don't get me wrong, there are a number of ways to skew any type of statistics. But I believe that pass deflections, # of balls thrown to, and the interception stat should be reviewed in conjunction when measuring the performance of a particular Corner back. Maybe these sports analysts can create some sort of metric measuring how many throws were playable out of the number of balls that were thrown in their direction.

All in all, I just think as sports fan we need to approach our review of certain stats with a "outside the box" methodology. Again, many may think my impression of the interception stat is stupid. Some might even have other recommendations... well let me know what they are.



Thanks for reading The Word Around Town ... Sports Talk, for the Average Joe. 


- HP 

What's Up Everyone!

I figured the best way to start off with my first official post is to talk about my New York Giants. I'll begin to give my thoughts on the off-season signings/draft picks, and then sort of dive in to the Eli, OBJ, and the strength/weakness of the upcoming 2016-2017 schedule. Now as most of us know, the Giants had a very busy off-season acquiring new key pieces to help both the defense and offense. The signings of Snacks Harrison, Olivier Vernon, as well as Jenoris Jenkins were definitely key additions the Giants needed. Although I think the signings were great, I am not so sure how well they will translate on the field. Jenoris Jenkins is notoriously known for giving up big plays and gambling on defense. Also, he did play across from another talented CB in Trumaine Johnson, whom the Rams elected to extend an offer to.  I'm a fan of Domonique Rodgers-Cromoartie, but he is getting up there in age, which causes a concern for me. I don't think our secondary is ready to make the plays/stops that we need them to. Furthermore, there is no proven Safety in the backfield.. now don't get me wrong, I love Landon Collins, however, he's more stronger playing the Nickel than he is dropping back in coverage (perfect example: the missed interception against the Patriots last year).

I think Snacks will provide the block that we need up the middle. In the event JPP can come back to his old form,  the Olivier Vernon signing will work out. Vernon only had 7.5 sacks last year in which 2.5 of them came in week 10 (against Baltimore). Other than that, he threw up doughnuts for about half of the season. JPP showed the ability to continuously bring pressure to the Quarterback. Now that he has gotten his surgery with an accommodating glove, we can only hope that the JPP of 2014 will show up. 

Now for the draft picks.  I was upset that Reese picked Eli Apple with the 10th pick. Essentially, Apple was projected to go in the mid-to-late teen rounds. As such, Reese should have traded up to receive a Player as well as a mid-round pick and should have selected Apple then. I'm not big on Apple, but I do think that with the leadership of DRC and Jenkins, he'll be able to learn a lot. Also, let's not forget the latest pick up in Leon Hall (seasoned veteran who adds a lot of knowledge as well). I have been reading (from twitter feeds, giants training camp summaries), that Eli Apple has been getting burned on plays on a number of occasions. Also, it was pointed out that he also has a high tendency of using his hands too much. The pick I am excited about the most is the 2nd round pick, Sterling Shepard (WR out of Oklahoma). He runs routes just as fast and sharp as Cruz and OBJ. He's played for 4 years in the most competitive Conference in college. I believe he'll be NFL ready and will make an impact immediately. Let's all remember folks, Eli makes all of his receivers better; Plaxico, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Cruz, and OBJ. The thing I love most about Shepard is that he can potentially be the 2nd OBJ on our team. He can run routes anywhere on the field; wing or slot. Darian Thompson  (Safety out of Boise State), our third round pick is also going to be a promising player. He is an absolute BALL HAWK. I can potentially see him with the leadership and ball skills to the likes of Antrel Rolle. Thompson and Collins can become that great safety tandem the Giants have been missing for a long time.

Eli has flourished in McAdoo's system and I don't see that changing anytime soon. However, I am concerned about the running game, as Reese has failed to make any material improvements in our running game-- whether it was to add key pieces to the OL (we could have grabbed Tunesil for the 10th pick..) or possibly pursuing a good Running back in free agency. I still think that Eli and the offense will be forced to put up big gains/points via the pass game, as the running game will continue to hinder the progress of our offense. It concerns me only to the effect that we will have trouble slowing the game down. I also think that it will hurt us on short-yard conversions. There were multiple opportunities in the past where the Giants were unable to convert short yardage situations due to them having a lackluster running game. Let's hope we can see some improvements this year. As for OBJ, I can see him having another great year (90-100 Receptions, 1400 Yards, and 10-13 TDs). Fans may not want to hear this, but I don't have any hopes for Victor Cruz. It's been reported that he hasn't been running routes as sharp/fast as he used to. The guy hasn't played in 2 years. We've been competitive with and without him. I think McAdoo and the Giants have got a gem in Shepard who will probably be the 2nd option on the team. Don't get me wrong, I think Cruz will be a serviceable player, but not as effective as we would hope. 

Lastly, I'd like to conclude this post with my win-loss prediction for the Giant's upcoming football season. I predict the Giants to go 10-6. I think they'll lose against the Saints, Redskins (1x), Vikings, Packers, Cowboys (1x), and Steelers. I see the Giants Sweeping the Eagles in the Season (2 wins), as well as splitting the season with the Redskins and Cowboys (2 wins). For the competitors outside of the division, I have strong faith that the Giants can beat the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, Browns, Lions and the Bears. 10-6 may be bold, but the Giants were competitive in almost every single game last year. It was due to their lack of production on defense which caused a lot of last second losses. I can only imagine how well we can do during the season if we become even a fraction better on defense than what we were last year.

Please share my post! Comment on whatever is on your mind! If you think this post makes no sense, then comment on that as well! Thanks for reading the 1st post of The Word Around Town...Sports Talk.. For the Average Joe.


- Hp 

What's Up Everyone! My name is Herpal Pabla and I am a huge sports fanatic! From time to time, I'll be using this blog as a means of expressing my ideas about various sports topics/issues (Football, basketball and baseball). This blog is meant to connect with the everyday sports fan. I'll never bore you with statistics.. I mean seriously, who can't read a chart ?. I'm here to tell you what I think. Also, I'd like for you guys to tell me what you think as well. You don't like my ideas? Shit on them. You don't like my writing? Shit on it. You disagree with my stance, then tell me why!


I want to utilize this blog as a way to connect with the average Joe... You and I. Are you tired of hearing the same old stuff on ESPN? Are you tired of all the different shows repeating/discussing the same topics time and time again? If you are, well this is the new outlet for a sports discussion. You'll now have someone new to either Agree with, hate on, argue with, or even Ignore.



Hope you guys enjoy... the Word Around Town... Sports talk, for the Average Joe. 



Ps.. I'm a New York Giants fan, Boston Redsox Fan, and Phoenix Suns fan. So prepare to read subjectivity here and there.




Herpal Pabla