Latest news with #AaronSchatz
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Vikings' Greatest Position of Need – Per Mr. DVOA
During their busy offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have reconstructed their roster through a gangbusters free agency class, a short-handed NFL Draft class and a strong crop of UDFAs. Now that the bulk of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's offseason work is over, it's time for head coach Kevin O'Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores to mold this new-look squad into something that can build on a surprising 14-win campaign from 2024. Aaron Schatz calls out MN Vikings cornerback room Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images But should Kwesi be sitting on his hands between now and the start of training camp? Or, is there more work on the 2025 roster that still needs done? That's exactly what Aaron Schatz — an ESPN analyst and creator of the popular advanced football metric DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) — believes. Advertisement Schatz points to the departures in Minnesota's secondary this offseason, in veterans Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin. He likes the Byron Murphy Jr. extension, but Mr. DVOA believes the Vikings will need more than the newly aqcuired Isaiah Rodgers and Mekhi Blackmon, who's coming off injury. But per that will not be enough. 'Byron Murphy Jr. is back after a fabulous season in which he ranked seventh in the league in my coverage DVOA metric. But you need three starting cornerbacks in the NFL, plus depth behind them. Right now, the other two starters would be Mekhi Blackmon and Isaiah Rodgers. Blackmon missed last season with a torn ACL and had a below-average 9.8% coverage DVOA as a rookie in 2023. Rodgers was good with the Eagles last season but started only three games. Behind them are Jeff Okudah, a onetime high draft pick who played only 7% of Houston's defensive snaps last season, and Tavierre Thomas, a 29-year-old slot corner who played only 4% of Tampa Bay's defensive snaps in 2024.' Aaron Schatz – ESPN After skipping the position during the NFL Draft, it seems logical that the Vikings go pay for a free agent to join the starting lineup, but who would that be and what caliber CB do they desire? Options for the Minnesota Vikings at CB… The Minnesota Vikings played a game of chicken with Stephon Gilmore, finally getting a deal done just before the season started. He was pretty good, but he's now 34 years old and has even contemplated retirement. 2024 CB Shaq Griffin is still on the open market, but he 30 years old and he's been flirting heavily with Seattle. There are other options available on the open market for Minnesota, including Asante Samuel Jr., who's name has been floated to the Vikings recently, but he's also fighting a shoulder injury. Schatz doesn't mention newly acquired Jeff Okudah, but while talented, he can't be trusted for major reps entering the season, either. Advertisement Related: MN Vikings QB JJ McCarthy Reminds TJ Hockenson of Who…? Thus, Mr. DVOA is urging the Vikings to do more at CB, and he's probably right. Could that be a depth signing, like last year when the Vikings brought in Fabian Moreau? Would that be enough?
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Interesting stat shows just how good Lavonte David has been for so long
Interesting stat shows just how good Lavonte David has been for so long Was playing around with some old defensive numbers and thought I would share this list of the most defeats in a season since 1994. @JJWatt was the king. Defeats add together TOs, TFLs, and plays to prevent conversion on 3rd/4th down. — Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) April 7, 2025 Bucs fans have always had a sincere appreciation for future Hall of Famer Lavonte David from the day he was drafted out of Nebraska. He played a major role in their Super Bowl win in 2020, has been a leader for several defensive units over the year, and is one of the team's captains. All of those things are visible on the field, but Aaron Schatz of ESPN found another way for everyone to appreciate David even more. Schatz shared on social media Monday the collection of a stat he described as "defeats." He explains them as "Defeats add together TOs, TFLs, and plays to prevent conversion on 3rd/4th down." He tracked these from the 1994 to 2024 season and the results were very telling. When we consider David's two-year run from 2013 to 2014, it is clearly among the best in the NFL's history. The team is lucky to have him back in 2025 after agreeing to him on a one-year deal in March.
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How do Commanders rank among 59 Super Bowl Champions?
How would you rank the 59 Super Bowl Championship teams? Well, of course, it is an impossible task to undertake, and of course, in publishing your list, you will accomplish the result of upsetting many NFL fan bases. Yet, Aaron Schatz of ESPN took on the task of ranking all 59 Super Bowl winners. I credit Schatz with not randomly ranking them according to his memory or opinion. Schatz is the creator of DVOA, DYAR, and Adjusted Line Yards, so he attempted to have some guiding statistical force in this impossible task. His best Super Bowl winner of the 59 champions? The 1991 Washington Redskins! That's right, Commanders fans. Why the top ranking? The 1991 Redskins were first in points scored and second in points allowed. They were second in Offensive DVOA and third in Defensive DVOA. Most impressive, Schatz states the 1991 Redskins were the only one of 1,309 teams dating back to the 1981 season that ranked in the top 50 in all three phases of offense, defense and special teams. Here are Schatz's DVOA Top 5 Super Bowl Winners: 1991 Washington Redskins 1985 Chicago Bears 1989 San Francisco 49ers 1996 Green Bay Packers 1992 Dallas Cowboys What about Washington's other two Super Bowl championship teams? 45. 1982 Washington Redskins 56. 1987 Washington Redskins
NBC Sports
05-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Why Comeback Player of the Year is controversial
FTN Fantasy Chief Analytics Officer Aaron Schatz joins BTE to discuss the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award betting market, and how to analyze "best comeback" vs. "best player" when weighing the criteria.
