How Jon Gruden became America’s football coach.
www.newyorker.com
But Gruden abhors the “stats sluts” who try to replace the judgments of a trained eye with mathematical formulas. He says, “You know what I hate, man? Guys that you know haven’t seen the film: they just quote a bunch of statistical bullshit.” Of course, there’s something absurd about a man who loves data railing against “statistical bullshit.” As Gruden demonstrates every Monday night, it’s not possible to assess football without statistics. If anything, his voluminous appetite for game film suggests that football needs more and better statistics: a way to measure all the things that Gruden notices when he is watching and rewatching plays.
I used to be a "stats slut" myself, but I'm fighting my addiction.
My problem now? I watch so much game film, I've got hair on my palms.
(h/t SportsGrid)
