The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan's Guide to All-Time Player Rankings - Hardcover

Lahman, Sean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592289401 ISBN 13: 9781592289400

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2007

Synopsis

In The Pro Football Historical Abstract, author and sports statistical genius Sean Lahman presents a revolutionary new approach to football statistics. Using methods he’s developed over years (such as “adjusted yards” and “Q ratings”), he looks at football in an all-encompassing way and rates the best players throughout the history of America’s most popular team sport.

 

Lahman sets forth new all-time rankings of players in each position. He also discusses how the game has changed from decade to decade, and how these changes must be considered when comparing modern players like Tom Brady, Dan Marino, and Emmitt Smith with players of past eras, such as Sammy Baugh, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas.

 

Following the success of The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Lahman now establishes himself as the Bill James of football. Setting a new gold standard in books on the NFL, The Pro Football Historical Abstract is a must for all those for whom football is a passion and more than just a game.

About this title

About the Author

Sean Lahman, a pioneer in the field of sports statistics, is the author of the annual Pro Football Prospectus 2002 & 2003 and the Pro Football Forecast 2004. He is a contributor to the ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia and a football columnist for The New York Sun. Lahman’s Web site, www.seanlahman.com, receives 55,000 visitors per month. He lives in Rochester, New York.

From the Back Cover

A revolutionary new approach to football statistics?with all-time rankings of nearly 1,000 players through the history of the NFL.

Author and sports statistical genius Sean Lahman takes analytical methods he s developed over the years to look at pro football in a groundbreaking, all-encompassing way?and sets forth new rankings of the best players in each position from the 1920s to the present day. He also discusses how the game has evolved, and how this must be considered when comparing modern players with players of past eras.The Pro Football Historical Abstract is a must for everyone who considers football more than just a game.

From the Inside Flap

Do football teams need a franchise quarterback to win? Who is the best running back in pro football today? How can we objectively rate the performance of individual defensive players? Such questions have engaged Sean Lahman throughout his career. As Bill James did with baseball, Lahman now takes the next step with The Pro Football Historical Abstract. Taking the analytical methods he s developed over the years in his annual football preview books, he applies them to past players going back to the earliest days of the NFL. The result is an exhaustive and revolutionary new look at the history of pro football.

Beginning with an overview of how the game has evolved from the 1920s to the present day, Lahman examines changes in playing styles and rules, and how other external events affected pro football on the field from decade to decade. And he discusses how all this must be considered when comparing modern players like Tom Brady, Dan Marino, and Emmitt Smith with players of past eras, such as Sammy Baugh, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas.

Lahman then moves to the book s centerpiece: his rating and ranking of the players in each position throughout the same period. Using his tried and tested methods (such as ?adjusted yards and ?Q-ratings ), he takes a detailed look at nearly 1,000 players?yielding new insight into their playing styles and their strengths and weaknesses on the field. Next he looks at the history of each NFL franchise, examining how each team functioned collectively and the extent to which management, venue, or ownership affected its performance. A section on coaches looks at the men who had the most success on the field and the most influence on the game.

What makes a coach? What variables determine his success? Including biographical essays on more than 500 players and coaches, the book closes with detailed statistics for the game s best players, including some never before published stats for defensive players and offensive linemen.

Setting a new gold standard in books on the NFL, The Pro Football Historical Abstract is a must for everyone who considers football more than just a game.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1592289401
• ISBN 13: 9781592289400
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 567