Gearing up for the 2010 Season in Many Ways

Most of the sports stores in Texas display the stuff from the Texas teams. Some friends finally found a store that had all types of Oakland Raiders gear.

All I can say is that it is time to shop, because the regular season is so near.

It is time to gear up in many ways to get ready for the 2010 regular season.

Next, a good sports bar with lots of big screens was identified. And, while reading the menu we saw "fried pickles" and all types of tasty dishes.

The game between the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers was in full view on the screens in the sports restaurant.

There May Be More Patterns

Having done a so-called "stamina" study of the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos, it was time to do pattern recognition for the Browns and Green Bay. The temptation to make connections was rising up in the spirit of this researcher.

Once a good model is developed and tested, this researcher and other colleagues like Dr. Rod just might be onto something in discovering new ways of looking at the NFL data.

Here is the data similar to the article published on yesterday. Are there correlations? If not, all it means if that the model needs to be tweaked, revised, extended, and so forth.

The model is descriptive.

Yes, there is an awareness of probabilities and stochastic processes, but that type of stuff can be added later after collaboration with some other sports enthusiasts.

Testing the Model on Other Teams

The search to characterize what is happening on the field is an ongoing process, and lazy thinkers cannot endure the task and challenge. The chart below is for the last four games of the seasons from 2005 to 2009.

Green Bay

2009     2008     2007     2006     2005

5          0          5          5          5

0          0          5          5          0

5          0          0          5          0

5          5          5          5          5

===========================

15         5         15         20        10         65

Cleveland Browns

5          0          5          0          0

5          0          5          0          5

5          0          0          0          0

5          0          5          0          5        

==========================         

20         0         15         0         10         45

Now during the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers, it was evident that the teams were going back and forth, leading and lagging.

A Very Brief Summary Near the End of Game

At 14:29 in one quarter the score was 14-14.

At 9:21 in one quarter the score was 21-21

The process and pattern was somewhat like this:

Cleveland ahead, Green Bay caught up.

Cleveland ahead, again, Green Bay caught up, again.

Green Bay ahead, then Cleveland caught up.

Field goal during the last few minutes gave Cleveland the victory.

Now would this model have given any indication of the almost evenly matched Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers during today's football battle.

Maybe? Here is the pattern that shows up:

First assign the value five to a win; and zero to a loss.

During the past three years, from 2007 to 2009, the sequence for the Green Bay Packers is 15, 5, 15. This means that during the last four games of 2009, 2008 and 2007, the Green Bay Packers had three wins, one win, and then three wins in 2009.

During that same three years, from 2007 to 2009, the sequence for the Cleveland Browns is 20 (2009), 0 (2008), 15 (2007).  Both of these sets of numbers are in reference to the last four games of the indicated seasons.

Note that the totals are the same, a tie.

15 + 5 + 15 = 35

And,

20 + 0 + 15 = 35.

Also note that the Browns were very intense and had excellent stamina during the last four games of 2009. Green Bay, on the other hand, fell short, a little bit.

In 2008, when you compare the Browns with the Packers, you can see that the Packers only won one game of the last four games of 2008. They increased in 2009, and won three out of four games, focusing only on the last four games of 2009.

And yet there is evidence of great intensity and transformed behaviors of the Cleveland Browns from 2008 to 2009. The Browns went from four losses to four wins when you look at the last four games of 2008 and 2009.

It looks like that same type of intensity and stamina was demonstrated in the preseason game on Aug. 18, 2010.

During the last few minutes, the Browns mustered up the wit and energy to get close enough to the endzone for their kicker to get a successful field goal and break the tie.

Let's just say that this model and type of analysis is being field tested and piloted, among other strategies of studying the patterns, trends and performance of NFL teams.

Will this type of thinking make a difference? Who knows?

When, however, the Browns are compared with the Raiders certain biases enter the analysis. Nevertheless, after gearing up with the Raider t-shirt, cap, pencils, mugs and more, the Raider Nation is ready for the Oakland Raiders to have a showdown, throw down the gauntlet, and make some touchdowns.

The Stamina Was Demonstrated on Aug 12

Even if those touchdowns or field goals are made during the last few minutes of the fourth quarter as was done in the Raiders-Dallas game, to the Raider Nation it means that the intensity and stamina of the Oakland Raiders have returned.

Commitment to Excellence, Continuing to study NFL teams

And, we have got to do more self-studies, studies of the Raiders' opponents, and get ready for a showdown, throw-down, and more touchdowns.

Some may wonder why the Raider Nation has begun to study. Well, just say that we learned this from Al Davis. Many of us are aware of the fact that Davis studied his opponents, and studied military strategies, too. So, we are learning to do what our leader Davis did to build his career in his prime.

Go Raiders!