Gladwell on moneyball for the NFL

[playstation]

http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2009/11/more-on-quarterbacks.html

I like it. Also means that Cardinals are better off stockpiling late-first and 2nd rd picks rather than the early 1st rd stuff (that worked so well lol) from days of yore

 

[football karma]

I will give you one of the key reasons high firsts arent worth it:

they have a "heads I win, tails you lose" quality to them.

Our own Larry Fitz as case in point: The Cardinals were going to pay him lots, even if he couldnt play in the NFL.

Now clearly he could -- so what happened? His rookie contract had escalators requiring the Cardinals to pay him even more.

Thus -- all the risk for a high draft choice monetarily is with the team.

Down in the middle -- our own DRC for example -- the Cardinals are getting near Pro-Bowl level play at a premium position for a couple million a year. BARGAIN, and its in place for at least two more years --

 

[Mitch]

Malcolm Gladwell is a superb writer. If you haven't read his latest book, The Outliers, The Story of Success, do yourself a favor. He theorizes---while chronicling the success of such greats as Bill Gates, The Beatles, etc.---that 10,000 hours of work in a field will often result in marked success. It's a great read...and he furthers his point by revealing that most of the best pro hockey players were born in January, February and March...does anyone know the reason why? Take a guess. Hint: the answer feed into his theory...in fact he provided the rosters of some the all-time great hockey teams and it's uncanny as to how many of the players were born in January, February and March. But...there is a feasible reason.

 

[Fiasco]

how many of the players were born in January, February and March. But...there is a feasible reason.

They had 6-8 months of physical development time over other same grade kids who they competed with for position/playing time in school sports?

 

[Duckjake]

They had 6-8 months of physical development time over other same grade kids who they competed with for position/playing time in school sports?

Kids with those birthdays do have an advantage over other kids in youth league sports that are divided by age group. In fact their have been teams that would not pick up any kid who isn't an early year birthday.

The coaches wanted the older kids. 6-10 months can be huge at the 10-16 year old levels.

 

[Russ Smith]

Kids with those birthdays do have an advantage over other kids in youth league sports that are divided by age group. In fact their have been teams that would not pick up any kid who isn't an early year birthday.

The coaches wanted the older kids. 6-10 months can be huge at the 10-16 year old levels.

Yeah but parents outsmart themselves later and hold kids back a year so they'll be older in highschool. then they get to to college and find out the pro teams consider them old for their class if they don't turn pro early.

It gets ridiculous in states like Texas and California with all the holding back.

 

[Pariah]

Gladwell=brilliant.

I'm going to the store tomorrow to pick up the compilation of his NYer essays, "What the Dog Saw" (or something like that).