Lane Johnson sounds off on stat nerds, Pro Football Focus
Eagles lineman and brick shit house Lane Johnson rarely minces words. When asked about receiving criticism from fans and outlets like Pro Football Focus on Barstool Philly’s FTLT podcast, he kept with tradition.
Johnson let everyone listening know he’s fine with fan criticism, but stat nerds like PFF can kick rocks:
Our website’s stance on the recent trend towards analytics-based discourse is well-documented, and we support Johnson 100% in his crusade against statsexuals. It’s a noble fight.
In all honesty, I’m not totally against analytics in specific contexts. I have never been. They can be handy across pretty much any sport.
My biggest issue with the analytics movement is that people see these numbers as infallible. Some may say they’re looking for concrete meaning in a cruel, chaotic world. I say they’re weak-minded people who can’t form their own opinions unless a nerd signs off on them.
In fact, my actual biggest issue with the analytics is how these people act when their all-holy numbers are even slightly brought into question.
Here’s just one screenshot of statsexual replies to the clip on Twitter:
Trust me. There are hundreds more.
This happens every time someone remotely criticizes analytics. It’s freaky.
I get it if some dumbass like me says it, I’m in debt and live with my parents. But when they try to discredit a professional athlete’s opinion because they denounce blindly following stats, it really makes them come off stupid.
If you believe that a player’s PFF grade directly correlates to their skill level, then you might as well just sit down and sim games on Madden. That’s the only reality in which numbers actually dictate anything because the whole thing is made up of ones and zeros.
Analytics is a tool used to understand the game better. They’re not some magic set of formulas that perfectly reflect reality. Moreover, while the people that made these functions up are nerds, they’re still human, and humans are prone to error.
Especially when they think they know better than everybody else.
