We had an article defining choking, that, in the last paragraph, acknowledged that choking could just be a sign of a player’s flaws. When a player has bad playoff performances, we call them a choker. We imply that the moment is too big for them, but it may be more accurate that they simply get […]
Many “Playoff Chokers” Just Have Big Flaws Read More »
They pay attention to their QB’s stats during minicamp, training camp, 7-on-7 drills, and see if he’s thrown any picks. They intently watch the preseason, and get their hopes up if the QB had a good drive. Or, if they are cynical, they’ll nitpick the arm strength or accuracy on a completed pass. “Hmm, it
Things That Fans of Teams Without a QB Think About Read More »
Here at TakeThis, we believe that rings are a reflection of a player’s greatness. That generally speaking, great players tend to win rings, and players that don’t win rings usually weren’t great enough. And as always, the key word is usually. There are always exceptions, which we outlined before: This is because any good theory
The Exceptions to the Ring Greatness Theory Read More »
Back in the 2020 bubble, Jimmy Butler put up an admirable performance, taking two games off the 2020 Lakers, who had Anthony Davis playing at the highest level in his career, and a still spry 35 year-old LeBron James. Many did not give Butler much heat for this series loss, because he managed to outclutch
A 2023 Finals Postmortem for Jimmy Butler Read More »
Generally speaking, rings are a reflection of a player’s greatness. (This mostly applies to the NBA, where an individual player does have a large, outsized impact on his team’s ability to win games, and also for NFL QBs, who also have an outlier impact on a team’s ability to win games.) We can call this
Rings Greatness Theory: Rings Matter, and Define a Player’s Greatness Read More »
Statistics record information about what is happening. This person scored points, blocked shots, caught passes, etc. But they cannot be used exclusively to draw conclusions. They do not actually tell the whole story. This is because statistics – especially basic counting statistics – are inherently vague and blurry. They are not precise because they only
Stats Do Not Tell The Whole Story Read More »
There is often a consensus in sports that some teams are ran terribly, and others are not. Teams that are considered to be dysfunctional include the modern-day Las Vegas Raiders., and the Washington Commanders under Dan Snyder. Good organizations include the Pittsburgh Steelers, and even the Warriors. Well, this is a little bit inaccurate. Yes,
Players Can Be the Difference Between Bad Organizations and Good Organizations Read More »
Yes, wins are a QB stat. I’ll make it simple: Over a large sample of seasons, wins are QB stat. This is because a great QB usually has three big traits: clearly defined skills, great leadership, and consistency (consistent play, and also avoiding injury). And when a QB has those traits, the talent of the
Wins are a QB Stat Read More »
“This player would have won if he had better teammates!” “This guy is lucky to be playing with another good defender” “He only won because his front office is elite”. There’s a lot of variance in the world. Same with sports. The reality is that certain things were meant to be, at least in the
Some Players’ Careers Were Destined to Turn Out the Way They Did Read More »
Many QBs seem like the victim of bad situations. Then they move to greener pastures. Then they excel! But don’t win in the playoffs, and eventually, it fizzles out. The reality is that a lot of these QBs are who they are. Yes, a good coach or team around them can elevate their numbers and
QBs Are Who They Are, Regardless of Situation Read More »
One of the most annoying things in sports fandom and sports discussion – or rather, two of the most annoying things – is people denying that chokers exist, and people misusing choking. To cut to the chase, choking is a real thing. There are players whose quality of play drops in the playoffs, especially as
Choking is Real, And How to Define It Read More »
In the NFL, we use “mid” QBs rather disparagingly. “Mid” QBs aren’t bad. Heck, some of them are actually still good. It’s just that there’s a higher level of QBs in the league that separate themselves from the rest – and there’s also a lower level of QBs in the league that aren’t that good,
What Separates Elite QBs from Mid QBs Read More »