Value of Things: a primer in Houston Texans statistics

There is a general concept in the radio business that probably should also apply to the blog business as well. The general idea is that the radio audience turns over every 15 minutes. People get to their destination. They might be going to the store, going to work, or driving home. When those folks leave other folks will get into their car and the whole process starts over.

So, radio deejays find themselves resetting the conversation. We should really do that here too. We have new readers all of the time. Expectations for the Houston Texans are higher this season and when that happens there will be new readers. So, the folks that skipped last season will have no idea what “Value of Things” is all about.

I honestly haven’t googled myself in while, but I’m sure if you did you will eventually find out I am a published author. Most of my work was in baseball generally and baseball statistically. Football fans have a different relationship with statistics than baseball fans. So, we have to marry the qualitative approach most fans use with the more analytical approach that many baseball fans use.

That’s really what this is space is dedicated to. I bring a more analytical approach to football than most people. It’s just how I’m wired. The title came from a concept that is usually used in baseball. For most people the term “value” is a generic term, but in statistics it is very focused. Every player brings a certain value to the team. Players are usually paid based on that perceived value.

The Bill O’Brien era failed ultimately for the same reason that every era ends. The value assigned to certain guys was skewed. We ended up having veterans on the team that were drastically overpaid. We could identify them by name, but there is really no point. If you have been a fan of the Texans for awhile then you know who we are talking about. I don’t feel the need to drag those guys through the mud at this point.

Every fan blog enjoys snark and I am no different. I have a biting sarcasm that usually finds itself in the Hair of the Dog feature we do every week. I usually avoid snark here. Players generally do the best they can and they deserve to be treated with a level of respect and dignity that we might not do in other features on this page. Player A might be overpaid and might be an inferior player, but that is more a reflection and shot directed at management and not the player.

What we will do is break down the performance of the team and certainly the performance of the key players to help determine what their value actually is. Some will be underpaid and some will be overpaid. Some will underutilized and others utilized too much. The mark of good management and good coaching is figuring out how to best utilize the talent they have and to be as efficient as possible so you can accumulate as much talent as possible. In this case football is really no different than baseball, basketball, or we can assume hockey. All things have value, but they have a specific value. We want to make sure that we assign that value accurately. That is the value of things.