Pro Football Prospectus and Football Outsiders Almanac
From 2005 through 2008, Football Outsiders published the Pro Football Prospectus book each year before the football season began. It included an essay for each team analyzing the previous season, evaluating off-season moves, and projecting future performance.
In 2009, Football Outsiders did not publish a Pro Football Prospectus volume, but instead produced the self-published Football Outsiders Almanac 2009. The reason for this is explained in the book:
So why the name change, and why aren’t we in bookstores?
For those who don’t know, our first four books were published through an agreement with Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, the company that owns Baseball Prospectus (as well as the expansion projects Basketball Prospectus and Puck Prospectus). It was PEV that had the publishing contract (first with Workman, then Plume). This year, for various reasons, Plume decided they no longer wanted to publish books related to other sports besides baseball. Other publishers were interested in doing our book, but by the time Plume made their decision, it was too late to get on the publication schedule for 2009.
Each Football Outsiders Almanac begins with a "Pregame Show," which "gives a basic look at some of the most important precepts that have emerged during seven years of Football Outsiders research." These observations are trends which have developed over time, and sometimes defy conventional wisdom. Some observations Football Outsiders have noted are:
- You run when you win, not win when you run.
- A great defense against the run is nothing without a good pass defense.
- Running on third-and-short is more likely to convert than passing on third-and-short.
- Shotgun formations are generally more efficient than formations with the quarterback under center.
- A running back with 370 or more carries during the regular season will usually suffer either a major injury or a loss of effectiveness the following year, unless he is named Eric Dickerson.
- Championship teams are generally defined by their ability to dominate inferior opponents, not their ability to win close games.
The full list is posted on the Football Outsiders website.
Read more about this topic: Football Outsiders
Famous quotes containing the words pro, football, prospectus and/or almanac:
“The upbeat lawyer/negotiator of preadolescence has become a real pro by now—cynical, shrewd, a tough cookie. You’re constantly embroiled in a match of wits. You’re exhausted.”
—Ron Taffel (20th century)
“People stress the violence. That’s the smallest part of it. Football is brutal only from a distance. In the middle of it there’s a calm, a tranquility. The players accept pain. There’s a sense of order even at the end of a running play with bodies stewn everywhere. When the systems interlock, there’s a satisfaction to the game that can’t be duplicated. There’s a harmony.”
—Don Delillo (b. 1926)
“The past is only so heroic as we see it. It is the canvas on which our idea of heroism is painted, and so, in one sense, the dim prospectus of our future field.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It is not the purpose of literature to purvey news. For news consult the Almanac de Gotha.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)