Al Saunders Helping 'SHAPE' Raiders and Jason Campbell

[SirClintonPortis]

Al Saunders Helping 'SHAPE' Raiders and Jason Campbell - Silver And Black Pride

As much as this seems like a memory lane thread, it is not. The only thing important about this article is that it just shows how batshit stupid using stats as the end-all-be-all of gauging a player's performance and the insight on how one OC actually evaulates how well his QB is performing.

• Site: Did the QB recognize the pre-snap defense?

• Hot: Did he direct the "hot" receiver where to go?

• Alert: Did he correctly alter the play at the line of scrimmage?

• Progression: Did he correctly read the defense and locate his options?

• Execution: How were the mechanics on his drop and throw? What was the result?

Generally, Saunders expects his starting QB to be close to 100 percent, assignment-wise, and to receive A's on efficiency. The genius of the Coryell offense, from which Saunders, Joe Gibbs, Mike Martz and others descend, is that, in theory, it has an open receiver on every play. Many of today's offenses -- those of the Colts and Pats, especially -- place a lot of emphasis on "conversion routes," patterns that are adjusted on the fly depending on the coverage. You need a great QB to direct those schemes.

...he groups the stats according to different facets of the game. For instance, if he wants to judge his QB's effectiveness on third down against seven-man pressures, he can pull every grade from every play under those circumstances. Once there, he can view stats such as completion percentage and yards per attempt in the proprietary context of the play's intent. If his QB's SHAPE stats are subpar -- 80 percent, C -- Saunders will spend more practice time on those situations.

"That's how you use statistics to help QBs play better," he said. While it may sound complicated, it's just another way to stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly stat-driven—and pass-happy—league.