Football Basic

Who played who, how it finished, where every team sits.

• W-L-TWin loss tie recordTies included: they quietly decide seeding.
• PCTWinning percentageHow the standings actually sort.
• PFPoints for
• PAPoints against
• DiffPoint differentialA better guide to strength than record alone.
• RestDays of restThursday night against a return off a bye.

Every snap of every game as its own row.

• Down & distanceDown and yards to goThe situation the play started in.
• Play typePlay classificationRun, pass, punt, kick or penalty.
• Air yardsDistance past the line before the ball arrived.
• YACYards after catchGround the receiver gained on his own.
• PersonnelPersonnel groupingBacks and tight ends on the field.
• PenaltyPenalty detailWhich flag, on whom, and what it cost.

A game is really a sequence of possessions.

• DrivesDrive countThe denominator for most efficiency questions.
• Plays/drivePlays per driveWhether an offence is sustaining anything.
• TOPTime of possession
• 3rd down%Third down conversion rate
• RZ%Red zone scoring rateTouchdowns rather than field goals inside the twenty.
• TOTurnoversInterceptions and lost fumbles.

Official per player lines, every position group, game by game.

• CMP/ATTCompletions and attempts
• YPAYards per attemptPassing yards divided by attempts.
• RTGPasser ratingThe league formula: completions, yards, scores, picks.
• YPCYards per carry
• TGTTargetsOpportunity, measured before results.
• SCKSacksCredited to the defender who made it.
• FG%Field goal percentageHeld with distance, so a chip shot is not a fifty yarder.

The official weekly participation report, plus the reporting around it.

• DNPDid not participateNo practice work. The strongest early warning.
• LPLimited participation
• FPFull participation
• QQuestionableOfficial status: genuine doubt.
• DDoubtfulOfficial status: very unlikely to play.
• OOutOfficial status: will not play.
• IRInjured reserveRemoved for an extended stretch or the season.