[Schneed10]

I like these statistics but they definitely need to be interpreted carefully. The adage that statistics can prove anything you want is completely false, if you're thinking about them carefully, including what the statistics are NOT telling you, then they can only tell you one thing.

1) These stats do not take into account the distance the ball travels downfield. Obviously the shorter your passes the easier it is to be accurate. I don't think Griffin was just dinking and dunking all the time but he wasn't bombing it either.

2) These stats measure only your success rate when you threw the ball. Holding onto the ball too long due to missed reads and bailing out early due to pressure were Griffin's biggest problems. The worst part of his game isn't captured by these metrics - missed opportunities. He misses the opportunity to make throws because he's not getting through his progressions fast enough. He double clutches, he second-guesses, and he takes lots of sacks. Those don't show up as throws.

3) It does show that when he throws the ball, he's accurate. But you can't directly compare his accuracy numbers here to those of the other QBs, because he's throwing more of his passes when the 1st or 2nd read is open. Obviously when you drop back and your first read gets open, it's very easy to hit the target. Other QBs are throwing the ball when the 3rd or 4th option is open, which reduces accuracy because by the time you get to the 3rd or 4th read the defense is bearing down on you. Where other QBs are giving their teams a chance on the 3rd or 4th read, Robert is busy taking a sack.

It says this: he has no shortage of arm talent. He's plenty accurate enough and has plenty of arm strength. That we knew. His issues are mental.

Good stats if interpreted correctly. Of course, if you're watching the game you don't need the stats. You can see the problem is mental.