Norm Tables the Norm in NFL

Quality Progress, April, 2007 by Anonymous

Normalized, or norm, tables are valuable tools quality control coaches and those who research the players and the games use to present comparative information on a team's or a player's tendencies.

For example, one simple, widely accepted norm table known throughout the league gives a team's probability of completing a third down play. Over and over, teams have watched each other and tallied the number of times plays succeed on third down and how many yards are gained on each down. The percentage of times a team converts on third down has also been calculated (see Figure 1 and Table 1).

"Third and four is the formal benchmark; it's pretty much even money. The offense wins half of the time and the defense wins half of the time," says Mike Eayrs, the director of research...

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