Off The Charts Football Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Defensive Line Value with the Winner of the SIS Football Analytics Challenge Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome Emmett Kiernan - winner of the SIS Football Analytics Challenge - to the show. The group opens with a brief discussion about opt-outs in the NFL (0:39) before diving into Emmett's contest-winning project, beginning with his background and how he got into analytics (2:37), an explanation of his submission and what led him to pursue the angle he took (9:48), the modeling he decided to use (16:40), his ultimate findings (22:43), an interesting outlier (25:30), and how the findings agree with what we know about analytics (27:55).

You can email the show with feedback at offthecharts@sportsinfosolutions.com and don't forget to follow on Twitter @SportsInfo_SIS and Instagram @sportsinfosolutions. For more, check out: sportsinfosolutions.com footballoutsiders.com sportsinfosolutionsblog.com SISDataHub.com

SIS Football Analytics Challenge Finals Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

On this special edition episode of the Off The Charts Football Podcast, we bring you the finals of the Sports Info Solutions Football Analytics Challenge that aired live on YouTube on July 29. Three finalists were chosen from a large group of applicants. and those finalists presented to an esteemed panel of judges that included Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) and Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) from this podcast along with John Park (@johnpark_52) of the Indianapolis Colts. Proceeds and donations from the event went to the United Negro College Fund. The presentations include work done by the group of Andrew Rogan and Robert Bernhardt (6:58), the group of Zach Feldman, Michael Egle, and Anthony Reinhard (33:42), and solo act Emmett Kiernan (54:12), and the winner is named after all presentations have been given (89:05).

You can watch the video on YouTube at SIS Football Analytics Challenge and don't forget to donate to the United Negro College Fund if you are able. We'll be back next week with a regular episode, and thanks for listening!

First Look at the 2020 Football Outsiders Almanac Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) dive into the 2020 Football Outsiders Almanac, which is now available for purchase. They open with a discussion about what's different in this year's book (2:26), potential updates that were considered for the "Pregame Show" section (5:11), and favorite quotes from "The Year in Quotes" (10:14). They then examine interesting projections from the book, including why the Ravens are a bit lower than expected (11:03), why the Steelers are a bit higher than expected (12:49), the Patriots and Bills atop the AFC East (15:04), the very even NFC West (16:30), the Lions as the biggest surprise (19:29), and the Vikings and Browns as most likely to outperform their projections (25:51). The episode closes with the Random Page Game, which includes talk about the Colts having the easiest schedule (29:41), Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Teddy Bridgewater comparisons (30:50), and NCAA football projections (which are already off due to the schedule changes) (32:55).

Fantasy NFL Primer featuring Scott Spratt Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

Sports Info Solutions head of business development Corey March (@corey_march1) and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome Football Outsiders Senior Analyst Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) to the show to talk all things fantasy football for the 2020 season. The group discusses expectations for rookies (4:00) and roster construction strategies and league changes that could be useful during the COVID era (10:44). They then transition into an explanation of the KUBIAK fantasy rankings (16:27) before looking at under- and overvalued fantasy players at quarterback (21:51), running back (31:33), wide receiver (39:08), and tight end (45:38).

All Mahomes, All the Time Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) devote a full episode to Patrick Mahomes after the Chiefs locked up their franchise QB with a mega-contract earlier this week. The duo discusses what the contract means (1:46), what separates him from other QBs (6:28), if there is an aspect of his game that has been unexpected (10:07), where he stands in terms of injury risk (12:46), what's the best way to try to defend him (15:44), which Chiefs receiver has the most upside (21:32), how good the offensive line is (25:03), the impact of rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (28:33), and if his stardom means anything beyond his on-field performance (32:52).

Football Analytics on TV with ESPN's Evan Kaplan Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome ESPN Stats and Info Research Specialist Evan Kaplan (@EpKap) to the show to discuss how football stats and analytics are represented on TV. The group opens with some Cam Newton discussion (1:01) before transitioning to an explanation of Evan's job at ESPN and how he works with hosts to prepare them for shows (9:00), how he balances serving both analytically-inclined and casual fans at the same time (12:24), how much push-back he gets from ex-players when it comes to analytics (17:26), and what the future holds for football analytics on TV (25:16).

SIS Enters The Basketball Business Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

On this special edition episode, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Sports Info Solutions Director of Basketball, Jake Loos (@Jake_Loos). SIS recently announced that it would be entering the basketball business. Jake, the former director of basketball analytics and technology for the Phoenix Suns will head up our operation. Jake talks about his background, which includes an MBA from MIT and what he loves about basketball and statistics (1:12). He then details the challenges of basketball analytics and trying to explain it to non-analytically inclined fans (7:26). He also explains what SIS will be doing with basketball data and the challenges of trying to do the kind of player evaluation he wants to do (11:18). He also talks about why Joe Ingles of the Jazz is one of his favorite players (20:24), why Stephen Curry and Dwyane Wade’s stats are his favorite (22:24), and gives advice both on how to watch the game smarter (25:48) and how to pursue a career in basketball analytics (26:48).

Back to our usual programming later this week. Thanks for tuning in!

Brady and the Bucs with Thomas Bassinger Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome Football Outsiders Almanac contributor Thomas Bassinger (@tometrics) of the Tampa Bay Times to the show to talk about the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The group opens with an update on the team workouts organized by Tom Brady during the COVID outbreak (0:54) before moving on to how Brady fits into the Bruce Arians offense (4:29) and what to expect from Rob Gronkowski and OJ Howard (14:23). The discussion then shifts to whether the defense can be as good as they were in 2019 (22:22) and which under-appreciated players could jump into the spotlight thanks to increased media coverage this season (28:23).

The Patriots and the Post-Brady Era with Greg Bedard Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome Greg Bedard (@GregABedard) of bostonsportsjournal.com to the show to discuss the 2020 New England Patriots. The group discusses Jarrett Stidham as the potential replacement for Tom Brady (1:59) and some of the issues that led to the breakup between Brady and the team (9:38), whether the Patriots will be more of a running team this season (17:39), and how the defense will replace the talent they've lost from last year's team (24:01).

Talking Eagles with Michael Kist of Bleeding Green Nation Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

Former NFL scout Matt Manocherian (@mattmano) of Sports Info Solutions and football analytics pioneer Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) of Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) welcome Michael Kist (@MichaelKistNFL) of Bleeding Green Nation (@BleedingGreen, @BGN_Radio) to the show to talk Philadelphia Eagles. The group opens with a discussion of the team's decision to draft Jalen Hurts (1:46) and then transitions to the confidence level in the Eagles' decision-makers heading into 2020 (11:05), some offensive tendencies (specifically in the passing game) (17:06), and defensive tendencies to watch for with the secondary (22:12), when blitzing (30:52), and with the off-ball linebackers (34:30).

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Off The Charts Football Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected