Friday, Nov. 12, 1999

By the numbers

A look at QB statistics

By Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

This week I am taking a look at statistics for quarterbacks:

• When I think of Steve Beuerlein, the word "journeyman" comes to mind, but you have to give him credit. He’s having a pretty solid season. He is fourth in the NFL in passing yardage (2,097), which puts him ahead of players who are receiving a lot more hype such as Brad Johnson (2,093), Brett Favre (2,055) and Doug Flutie (1,952). Beuerlein also ranks second in the NFL in percentage of first downs on third-down passes (33/71, 46.5%). Beuerlein has been much better at home this season than on the road. His passer rating at home is 97.0, while it is only 69.8 on the road. Beuerlein has been a bit of a slow starter out of the locker room this season. His first- and third-quarter passer ratings are only 67.2 and 62.3, but he then warms up in the second quarter (100.9) and fourth quarter (84.0).

• Chris Chandler’s strength is throwing the deep ball, but he lost his best deep threat in Tony Martin during the offseason. Furthermore, Chandler has not had RB Jamal Anderson to take the pressure off the passing game. These two factors make it all the more impressive that Chandler is leading the NFL in percentage of first downs per attempt (55/137, 40.1%). Not surprisingly, a pair of rookies are in the basement in this category. The Bengals’ Akili Smith is worst in the NFL (35/153, 22.9%), while the Browns’ Tim Couch is second-worst (51/217, 23.5%). Another rookie, the Bears’ Cade McNown, is fifth-worst in the NFL (36/135, 26.7%).

• Seattle’s Jon Kitna has been a perfect fit for Mike Holmgren’s offense. Kitna is second-best in the NFL in percentage of touchdowns per attempt (12/191, 6.3%). In the same category, Charlie Batch ranks fourth (11/196, 5.6%), which is truly amazing when you consider the injury to WR Herman Moore and the fact that RB Barry Sanders’ retirement has put so much extra burden on Batch.

• I’m not saying that Damon Huard should replace Dan Marino, but here are some numbers that are sure to get Jimmy Johnson’s mind going. Huard ranks third-best in the NFL in percentage of passes intercepted (2/120, 1.7%), while Marino is an uninspiring No. 19 (5/143, 3.5%). Furthermore, Huard ranks sixth in the NFL in percentage of first downs on third-down passes (19/43, 44.2%), while Marino ranks seventh-worst in the league (11/37, 29.7%). When you think of Johnson’s philosophy, he wants to win with the running game, which means he wants his quarterback to avoid mistakes at all times and move the chains on third down. Huard has been better statistically than Marino on both counts this season.

• I sure hope Browns rookie QB Tim Couch gets out of this season in one piece. He has been sacked 29 times, the most of any quarterback in the NFL.

• This week’s quiz question, to which I’m betting you can’t guess the correct answer: Which quarterback leads the NFL in passer rating inside the opponents’ 20?

• You live by the sword, you die by the sword. Packers QB Brett Favre is a riverboat gambler who can make amazing things happen, especially with the game on the line. But you also have to live with mistakes when Favre is your quarterback. Favre has thrown more interceptions inside his own 20-yard line (four) than any other quarterback in the league.

• Bills QB Doug Flutie is at his best when the game is on the line, which I think goes a long way toward explaining why his passer rating is only 59.2 in the first halves of games but 85.8 in the second halves of games this season.

• Redskins QB Brad Johnson has had a passer rating of over 110.0 in four of his seven games this season.

• Seahawks QB Jon Kitna has been much more accurate in the first halves of games this season than in the second halves of those same games. He has completed 63.5 percent of his passes in the first and second quarters of games but has connected on only 52.6 percent of his throws in the third and fourth quarters of those contests.

• Colts QB Peyton Manning is much more effective throwing to the right side of the field. His passer rating is 102.4 on passes to the right side, compared to 80.8 on the left side and 65.9 in the middle of the field.

• Is the pressure of the hometown fans getting to Steelers QB Kordell Stewart? In three games at home this season, his passer rating is a woeful 45.2, compared to an impressive 87.3 in five road games.

• For those naysayers out there who think Rams QB Kurt Warner is coming back down to earth, consider the fact that his numbers were still very good during the club’s recent two-game losing streak. In those two games combined, he threw six TD passes, compared to only two interceptions. His passer rating in the loss to Tennessee was 106.1, and it was 85.9 in the loss to Detroit. Those are still very strong passer ratings. He also threw for more than 300 yards in each of those two losses.

• Answer to this week’s quiz question: Kansas City’s Elvis Grbac (137.7), who is well ahead of runner-up Neil O’Donnell (118.6) of Tennessee.

Editor's note: To see the NFL statistical section that Pollack refers to, click here, and to see the NCAA statistical section that is also available, click here.

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