Pro Football Prospectus 2005 : Statistics, Analysis, and Insight for the Information Age (Paperback)

~ (Author), Staff of FootballOutsiders.com (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For the over 14 million people who play fantasy football every year; for the hardcore fan who wants information beyond sports page recaps; for everyone who bets on the NFL; and for the smart, casual enthusiast looking for entertainment and insight comes the essential preseason annual. With numerous statistical measures that go far beyond standard NFL stats, Pro Football Prospectus assesses the DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) of every single skill player and determines how many points better a starting player is over the average bench player; measures special teams; offers advanced offensive line statistics; analyzes teams’ abilities to convert draft picks into quality players; and much more. And like its sister publication, Baseball Prospectus, it’s written with a knowing dry wit that gets under the skin of America’s most popular spectator sport.

Compared by The New York Times Magazine to Bill James, the baseball statistics guru, Aaron Schatz is revolutionizing the world of football statistics. In just two years his Web site, FootballOutsiders.com, is “by a huge margin, the Web’s best independent football site,” writes Gregg Easterbrook of NFL.com. Salon calls it “a must for anyone interested in going beyond ‘This guy has more yards, so he must be better.’” Now Schatz and his team of Football Outsiders are continuing their groundbreaking work with a comprehensive, authoritative book of sophisticated statistical analysis.

It also offers solid predictions: in 2004, the Outsiders predicted six of eight division winners, including the Steelers’ champion season; the fading year of Ahman Green and Jamal Lewis; and the breakout of the New York Jets.

About the Author

Aaron Schatz founded FootballOutsiders.com. He is a regular contributor to Foxsports.com and covers NFL for the New York Sun. He also writes for The New York Times, the Boston Globe, and The New Republic Online. He lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. Other members of the Football Outsiders include: Russell Levine, a football writer who lives in northern New Jersey; Chicago-based Michael David Smith who writes for The New Republic Online and the New York Sun; Michael Tanier, a sportswriter who lives in southern New Jersey; and Will Carroll, an award-winning columnist for Baseball Prospectus.

Members of the Football Outsiders include: Russell Levine, a football writer who lives in nothern New Jersey; Chicago-based Michael David Smith, who writes for The New Republic Online and the New York Sun; and Michael Tanier, a sports-writer who lives in southern New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; First Edition edition (July 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761140190
• ISBN-13: 978-0761140191
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #836,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fantasy Football Prep Guide, July 27, 2005

By	Rich Uncle "stylin and profilin" (san francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Around this time of year, you see so many magazine stands saturated with fantasy guides showing how to draft. Well, if you want that, with actual reasoning and rationale, check this out. One, it's a great guide if you're a football fan to find out how your team or player will do. But from a f-fball perspective, it gives a great guide to players, sleepers AND busts, and projections for the coming year. If you contact their site and make a small donation to their fund, you can even get a handy spreadsheet for easy handling on draft day.
A must-read, as I've reaped the rewards from the baseball prospectus.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary, July 25, 2005

By	K. D. Jennings "stat man" (Tulsa,OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I echo the sentiments of the previous writer. Since the book came in the mail three days ago, I have found it very difficult to put down. In the search for more NFL information, I usually try and catch every NFL show on TV, and I scour the internet. I then usually hear and read such revealing information like "Terrell Owens is on of the best receivers in the game". Really??? Thanks for the inisight!!

Now the search is over. Their statistical analysis is revolutonary. Now you can compare players in specific numerical categories. You can compare offensive lines in several statistical categories. You can also compare the results of defenses guarding the opposing team's #2 WR!! The examples I could use are endless.

They are also thorough. If you play fantasy football, they have stats on almost EVERY skill player that touched the field last year, as well as projections on all of those players this year. For those people that play fantasy football, you know that there are usually a handful of players every year that make a unexpected, significant fantasy impact. These types of players usually get no print in fantasy magazines. Now you have an expansive reference from which you can try and discover the next great unknown. I haven't seen a fantasy football magazine that goes into this much depth.


Words don't do this book justice; You truly have to get the book yourself to see what we're talking about. This book was written for people that can't get enough statistical information, and those that want analysis of that information. If you have an intellectual background, this book will especially appeal to you. The book will also be an excellent reference guide during games. It would be excellent for broadcasters to use as a reference during games. Five minutes after you purchase the book, you will realize that all the other football magazines you have bought in the past are pretty much useless.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without a question, the best fantasy resource I have ever seen, July 22, 2005

By	Silence Dogood "Dr. Patriot" (USA) - See all my reviews

A few days ago, this book came in the mail and has since completely changed the way that I look at football. Inside this 440-paged tome includes new statistics: the DPAR, or Defense-Adjusted Points Above Replacement, which rates skill players on how much better they are overall compared to a replacement-level player, keeping in mind the defenses the player faces; its counterpart PAR, which is not defense-adjusted; the DVOA, or Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, which compares any player or team to the average of the specific type; and its counterpart, VOA.
Also included are the KUBIAK projections, which predict and broadcast the statistics of the star quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, kickers and tight ends. This system comes up with some very interesting ideas, such as a major comeback for Matt Hasselbeck, Kevin Jones as the league's leading rusher, a severe decline for Curtis Martin and Antonio gates overtaking Tony Gonzalez as the best fantasy football tight end.
Finally, various research was included in Pro Football, including thoughts on the Maroon Zone of Gregg Easterbrook fame, the effect of schedule on statistics, how offensive and defensive coordinators actually affect a team, and the 100 best quarterback seasons of all time. Without a question, the book that predicted San Diego's "out of nowhere" offensive surge last year will once again be the greatest resource to any fantasy football player or even for someone who really wants to know how the game truly works.