2007 Bendability Index

The Bendability Index is the first and only stat on Planet Pigskin to quantify the phenomenon of the "bend but don't break" defense. But as we've long noted, it is not a measure purely of defensive efficiency. Instead, with a very simple figure, it takes into consideration many, many team-wide factors, including special teams proficiency, turnover differential, red zone defense and a variety of other factors, and tells you which teams force opponents to work the hardest to score points.

 

As we've noted at various times during the season, the Bendability Index, one of our earliest Quality Stats, has routinely been one of our stats most indicative of team-wide success.

 

This year has been something of a down year for the Bendability Index. Oh, sure, it still has a direct correlation to winning football games, far more correlation than total defense. But it's shown not nearly the correlation to team-wide success as it has in past years.

 

That's not to say that there is a flaw with the Bendability Index. There is not. It is still as beautiful, near perfect, easy to understand and indicative of success as probably any stat ever created. It's just that stats don't always move in perfect lock-step. There are ebbs and flows. So this year there is a bit of an ebb.

 

Sure, five of the top six teams in our measure of defensive efficiency, along with eight of the top 10, are heading to the playoffs. But the list is topped by San Diego and Seattle. Hardly teams that seem poised to capture the Super Bowl. Plus, non-playoff teams like Minnesota (No. 3) and Philadelphia (No. 7) are firmly implanted in the Top 10.

 

Dallas, meanwhile, is the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Yet they're just No. 17 in Bendability. In our years of tracking the Bendability Index (since 2004), we've never seen a No. 1 seed ranked so low.

Of course, it could be the Bendability Index remains perfect and that the teams themselves are flawed. Dallas could be a prime example. We've contended for much of the season that the Cowboys simply aren't as good as their record would indicate.

 

We know have two indicators that tell us this is true. Our premier and all-power Quality Standings tell us that Dallas has feasted upon inferior competition and will be troubled under the white-hot klieg light of playoff competition. They are just 4-2 against Quality Teams this year and have been outscored in those six games by an average of 1.0 PPG - hardly indicative of a Super Bowl champion-caliber team.

 

And here in Bendability, the Cowboys aren't even in the top half of the league.

 

So maybe it is that our stats, even our plucky Bendability Index remains perfect and the teams that themselves that seem like contenders are flawed.

 

FINAL 2007 BENDABILITY INDEX (playoff teams in italics)

	Team	Yards	Points	YPPA
1	San Diego	5124	284	18.04
2	Seattle	5149	291	17.69
3	Minnesota	5410	311	17.40
4	Green Bay	5013	291	17.23
5	Indianapolis	4475	262	17.08
6	New England	4613	274	16.84
7	Philadelphia	4982	300	16.61
8	Jacksonville	5021	304	16.52
9	Tampa Bay	4454	270	16.50
10	Buffalo	5807	354	16.40
11	Chicago	5675	348	16.31
12	Pittsburgh	4262	269	15.84
13	Washington	4884	310	15.75
14	Tennessee	4665	297	15.71
15	Kansas City	5111	335	15.26
16	San Francisco	5539	364	15.22
17	Dallas	4922	325	15.14
18	Cleveland	5753	382	15.06
19	Carolina	5197	347	14.98
20	NY Jets	5310	355	14.96
21	Cincinnati	5580	385	14.49
22	New Orleans	5570	388	14.36
23	Houston	5507	384	14.34
24	NY Giants	4880	351	13.90
25	Atlanta	5688	414	13.74
26	Oakland	5466	398	13.73
27	Detroit	6042	444	13.61
28	Arizona	5283	399	13.24
29	Denver	5376	409	13.14
30	Baltimore	4825	384	12.57
31	Miami	5475	437	12.53
32	St. Louis	5457	438	12.46