I'm not going to lie; I've had this project in the back of my mind for a couple of years. The past few football seasons, I've dedicated my time to writing at Pats Pulpit, one of the leading Patriots fan blogs on the internet, but now I feel like turning another chapter in my life as a fan of the NFL.
A little bit about myself: I'm born and raised in the Boston area, went to high school at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and went on to graduate college at Boston College while triple majoring in Finance, Operations, and Leadership. I've always been a Patriots fan, but I never felt the bite of the football bug until my sophomore year in college. It was the season that Tom Brady returned from his knee injury and I really started focusing on the team and how the Patriots were able to become such a successful franchise. Additionally, I was smitten with power rankings and started to apply really broad statistics to try and deduce which team had the best chance to win the Super Bowl.
There was no real foundation to my claims. I weighted winning percentage with point differential, while giving bonus points for beating top teams and subtracted points for losing to bottom feeders. At the end of the season, my rankings almost matched reality for playoff seeds and I was inspired to continue my work. Of course, with such a heavy emphasis on winning percentage, the playoff seeds should have definitely aligned with my projections- but don't tell me that three seasons ago.
Over the years, I've developed my knowledge of the game and have created a deep respect for the calculus behind constructing an NFL roster. Clearly I had an advantage as one of the best minds in the NFL- Patriots coach and GM Bill Belichick- was in my headlights, yet my curiosity grew. How are good teams built? Why do bad teams remain bad? I wanted to examine the flesh and bones of rosters to determine the best way to build a team.
A little bit about myself: I'm born and raised in the Boston area, went to high school at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and went on to graduate college at Boston College while triple majoring in Finance, Operations, and Leadership. I've always been a Patriots fan, but I never felt the bite of the football bug until my sophomore year in college. It was the season that Tom Brady returned from his knee injury and I really started focusing on the team and how the Patriots were able to become such a successful franchise. Additionally, I was smitten with power rankings and started to apply really broad statistics to try and deduce which team had the best chance to win the Super Bowl.
There was no real foundation to my claims. I weighted winning percentage with point differential, while giving bonus points for beating top teams and subtracted points for losing to bottom feeders. At the end of the season, my rankings almost matched reality for playoff seeds and I was inspired to continue my work. Of course, with such a heavy emphasis on winning percentage, the playoff seeds should have definitely aligned with my projections- but don't tell me that three seasons ago.
Over the years, I've developed my knowledge of the game and have created a deep respect for the calculus behind constructing an NFL roster. Clearly I had an advantage as one of the best minds in the NFL- Patriots coach and GM Bill Belichick- was in my headlights, yet my curiosity grew. How are good teams built? Why do bad teams remain bad? I wanted to examine the flesh and bones of rosters to determine the best way to build a team.
