Yes access to this information this would gain so many more fans, well I don't disagree, OCD or bipolar, schizo typic, autistic, ADHD etc. type fans yes, this type of information would most assuredly attract those types of fans, which is ok, if they have money, all is good! .
Sorry, maybe the better word is just neurodiverse, all in the realm of normalcy, type fans - of course with money!
Two stats I would really like to see reevaluated are completions and interceptions. It is beyond stupid that a QB gets tagged with an interception if it bounces out of an open receiver's hands and into the hands of a DB, or his completion percentage goes down because a receiver or running back misses a pass thrown square into the numbers.
If a receiver drops a catchable pass, it should be listed as a receiver drop. On the QB's stat sheet, receiver drops should be a separate category and not counted in the QB's completion percentage.
I would also love to see "missed blocks" and "beaten on block" as statistics for O-linemen.
An idea for a positive stat: number of tackles shed/avoided for a running back. How many times during a game does the RB make the first tackler miss or shake them off?
I totally agree with your concept and have always found the CFL stats available extremely lacking. I’m not a stats geek so I can’t say what stats are needed, but many more are needed and perennial mistakes need to be corrected.
For years the CFL stats as they appeared in newspapers contained blatant errors, with certain numbers being mismatched to their columns. How hard should that have been to fix? For years as well, up to the present day, I can check game day stats on say TSN ( or anywhere else) and the CFL doesn’t even have the capability to fill the tackles column, when I can easily see the number of tackles on a Canadian site that an NFL player has made that day. At least they managed to muster up interceptions and sacks finally.
The PGA tour I think led the way with providing meaningful and plentiful stats with their Shot Link program. The NHL has done quite well in shifting to meaningful and plentiful stats. No one talks about +/- anymore but rather Corsi and high danger chances and many others, most of which didn’t exist a few years ago, at least outside of individual teams. Don’t even get me started on the stats king sport of all, baseball, which also transformed its meaningful stats fairly recently, sparked by the Moneyball approach. It is also relatively easy to determine which stats are the most important. Just ask teams what stats they are keeping.
I know a guy who is an off ice official for Winnipeg Jets games. I can’t remember if he is paid, but if he is it’s not very much. He attends games and tracks stats such as time of possession and ice time and where shots originate. You can actually see that in real time online. I am sure that it would be easy to find people to attend CFL games to track stats. I think that many would even volunteer to do so. Free beer and popcorn and I ‘m in. And I promise first half accuracy.
Although I don’t know how the CFL stats department is set up, it can’t be that hard or expensive to fix the current bush league operation. Get someone who knows what they are doing to run the show, make a software investment if necessary, recruit qualified volunteers and copy what works in other leagues. I would even speculate that there are many knowledgeable members of this forum that would volunteer to help with in game stats.
I hope that when my stat title naming days are over you'll sign me to a one day contract so that I can retire on this thread. After that you can erect a full sized statue of my likeness outside the CFL Hall of Fame. Nothing too gaudy. Just make sure it's solid gold or I'll pout.
I would like to personally thank the Argo organization for graciously throwing money at me (tens and twenties) allowing me to put off my 'on again off again' retirement as official 'Thread Stat Namer'. My first order of business will be to purchase my way to credibility, following in that great Argo tradition of counter frugality. Soon I will rule this planet.
