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Sean Lahman

The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan's Guide to All-Time Player Rankings Hardcover – September 1, 2008

by Sean Lahman (Author)

13 ratings

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Following the success of the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Sean Lahman establishes himself as the Bill James of football by revitalizing the way that football statistics are used to evaluate the best players in the history of the most popular team sport in America.

Print length

576 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Lyons Press
Publication date

September 1, 2008
Dimensions

7.5 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1592289401
ISBN-13

978-1592289400
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Do football teams need a franchise quarterback to win? Who is the best running back in pro football today? How can we objectively rate the performance of individual defensive players? Such questions have engaged Sean Lahman throughout his career. As Bill James did with baseball, Lahman now takes the next step with The Pro Football Historical Abstract. Taking the analytical methods he’s developed over the years in his annual football preview books, he applies them to past players going back to the earliest days of the NFL. The result is an exhaustive and revolutionary new look at the history of pro football.

Beginning with an overview of how the game has evolved from the 1920s to the present day, Lahman examines changes in playing styles and rules, and how other external events affected pro football on the field from decade to decade. And he discusses how all this must be considered when comparing modern players like Tom Brady, Dan Marino, and Emmitt Smith with players of past eras, such as Sammy Baugh, Jim Brown, and Johnny Unitas.

Lahman then moves to the book’s centerpiece: his rating and ranking of the players in each position throughout the same period. Using his tried and tested methods (such as “adjusted yards” and “Q-ratings”), he takes a detailed look at nearly 1,000 players—yielding new insight into their playing styles and their strengths and weaknesses on the field. Next he looks at the history of each NFL franchise, examining how each team functioned collectively and the extent to which management, venue, or ownership affected its performance. A section on coaches looks at the men who had the most success on the field and the most influence on the game.

What makes a coach? What variables determine his success? Including biographical essays on more than 500 players and coaches, the book closes with detailed statistics for the game’s best players, including some never before published stats for defensive players and offensive linemen.

Setting a new gold standard in books on the NFL, The Pro Football Historical Abstract is a must for everyone who considers football more than just a game.

From the Back Cover

A revolutionary new approach to football statistics—with all-time rankings of nearly 1,000 players through the history of the NFL.

Author and sports statistical genius Sean Lahman takes analytical methods he’s developed over the years to look at pro football in a groundbreaking, all-encompassing way—and sets forth new rankings of the best players in each position from the 1920s to the present day. He also discusses how the game has evolved, and how this must be considered when comparing modern players with players of past eras.The Pro Football Historical Abstract is a must for everyone who considers football more than just a game.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1592289401
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592289400
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,216 in Sports History (Books)
- #3,537 in Football (Books)
- #5,657 in Deals in Books

Customer Reviews:
13 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		50%
4 star		13%
3 star		7%
2 star		22%
1 star		7%

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Adam

Very Disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book doesn't come close to living up to its billing. Sean Lahman is clearly a baseball guy, as his ignorance about football is on full display here. His player ranking lists are all based on a metric called "Q Rating", which is marred by one glaring and fatal flaw - using total stats without any consideration given to efficiency. This is particularly troublesome for the quarterback rankings, as QB's who accumulate the most total yards often do so in losing efforts. According to Q Rating, throwing for 4,000 yards on 650 passes (6.2 YPA) is the same as 4,000 yards on 400 passes (10.0 YPA). The system rewards mediocre stat compilers who throw a ton of passes for losing teams, while penalizing the efficient QB's on winning teams who don't throw as many passes. It's been proven many times that efficient passing (high YPA) correlates much stronger with winning than total passing yards. I can't believe Lahman doesn't understand this basic concept, and IMO it invalidates the results of all his rankings.

Steve McNair is #15, while Dan Fouts is #54? Brett Favre over Steve Young, Peyton Manning, and Roger Staubach? Brad Johnson and Kordell Stewart higher than Kurt Warner? Come on.

Lahman's method for era-adjustment is also horribly flawed, as he calculates Q Rating in relation to the highest ranked player in any given season, creating a system where every player's Q Rating can be greatly distorted by one single outlier performance during that season. According to Q Rating, Dan Marino in 1984 = Mark Brunell in 1997. How the hell does that make any sense? That's a rhetorical question, because it doesn't. Some of his player bios are interesting, but his statistical analysis and players rankings (which make up the heart of the book) are such a joke that I couldn't even bear to read through them all. I'll give Lahman an A for effort, but an F for execution.

Save your money, and leave this book on the shelf.

Helpful

C. Burford

rankings very subjective

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2009

Verified Purchase

As a former player familiar with most of the players from the 50's and 60's, some outstanding players were left out and some that were good but not outstanding were included. The writer obviously never saw many of them play and must have been influenced by someone else's hyperbole. Knowing any rating system has its flaws, the book brings back memories of many great players but is certainly not a conclusive or definitive study. Seems like the author really doesn't know the differences in the eras and who got the job done day in and day out. Some players are included and highly rated based on what? A good try, but needs alittle more depth.

5 people found this helpful

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MShub

The Pro Football Historical Abstract

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2008

Verified Purchase

Great book with history of Pro Football back to the beginning of the 1900's. Ranking of players for each decade are good. Missing a couple of players in rankings which I think should be included, Archie Manning for example is not among the top 100 QB's. Interesting read for those who like football history and stats.

One person found this helpful

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R. Montrose

What a marvelous book

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2011

Verified Purchase

I don't know that I could have enjoyed this more. If you're looking for rankings, they're here, but...you're not going to agree with all or maybe most of the rankings. But as another said, it's not the point. The great part is the comments about the players. Sure, I'm as much a stat head as anybody, and I love rating systems, but I've learned that they are to stimulate discussion, not necessarily settle arguments. Sean's methodology is intelligent and well reasoned, but we have to remember one important question--are we rating the best career or are we looking for the guy we would want to start a Super Bowl if our lives depended on it? Sean is going more with career, but his comments also enlighten as to who's bulb burned the brightest over a shorter span. A thoroughly enjoyable read that I highly recommend, even given that it's a few years old.

One person found this helpful

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WDX2BB

Somewhat worthwhile

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2013

Add a new cliche to the list when it comes to literary efforts: You can't tell a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot by its white space.

That may not catch on, but it applies to "The Pro Football Historical Abstract," an attempt by football writer Sean Lahman to apply the techniques used by baseball author Bill James in his similarly named book to a different sport.

One quick look at the football version when it first arrived at the bookstores said that this would never be a "best buy." While checking in at 548 pages, only the first 290 pages are actual written material; the rest is reference matter on the players discussed at the front of the book.

Each player mentioned gets a page, with a line of stats devoted to each year. Since each season is a line of type, it would take about a 25-year career to fill up a particular page. Most of the careers listed here are closer to a dozen or so years. That leaves a great deal of white space. I'm not sure why players weren't placed two to a page when possible. That means you probably are paying for about 100 pages that have nothing on them, so the $39.95 price tag for the reference book is a little steep.

A while after release, the price of the book came down in the secondary market. That makes it worth a look. The result is a classic mixed bag of material.

Lahman, the author of several football books and by the judge of things reader of dozens and dozens more, has put together a four-part look at the game. The first is devoted to each decade, which will be familiar to those who read James' book. The decade gets the once-over -- best team, worst team, all-decade team, stadiums, franchise changes, etc. There's an essay or two about each particular decade, but there probably should have been more.

Part two is about the players. Lahman introduces us to adjusted yards and other means to evaluate the greats of the game. Coming up with such formulas is never too easy to do or to read about, and that's the case here. But it's easy to speed through and get to the good parts.

The author starts with quarterbacks, ranking the top 100 of all time. The first 75 have short biographies, and there's some good information on careers there. The ratings system has its quirks -- Kordell Stewart somehow comes out #63, ahead of Bert Jones -- but it does have Montana, Marino, Elway, Favre and Unitas at the top. Besides, it's just a way to introduce the players and review their careers. We sail through the various other positions in the same manner. If you are young enough to hear the name of, say, Paul Warfield and wonder what all the fuss was about, this will give you a fine, short look at what made him great. This even includes kickers, and two-way players from the past.

Part three rates the coaches. Lahman gives extra credit to postseason success and innovation and comes up with Paul Brown as the greatest coach in history, followed by George Halas and Vince Lombardi. Sounds rational. Part four has the previously mentioned record section.

The player and coaching ratings are obviously the most interesting part of the book, even if you don't take them all that seriously. I'm not sure the author does, really. They are just a launching point for discussion, and that's fine. Names from the past come up in sports a great deal, and this will help many fans gain perspective.

In looking over the baseball book, it's easy to see what make it so entertaining. All sorts of aspects of baseball history were explored, especially in the decade and player review section. Relatively speaking, this is "football lite." "The Pro Football Historical Abstract" has some value, but it definitely has a "buyer beware" sign on it.

One person found this helpful

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DB

Long overdue American football equivalent to Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2009

Verified Purchase

The book is a straight copy of the classic Bill James Historical Abstracts transfered to American Football. It says that's what it intends to be and it is. The main part of the book is a list of the best players at each position along with a commentary. As with BJHBA, the commentaries are a mix of statistics and trivia. I haven't finished the book yet but I can safely say I will read every word in it. It's ideal for dipping into for ten minutes at a time (can we use the term 'toilet book' on Amazon?).

It's got so many stats in the book that there are probably mistakes. And you won't agree with all the listings but its a fun read. I suspect it's something I will go back to many times over the years. Hopefully there will be future editions so when Tom Brady wins another two or three Superbowl rings, he will leap past John Elway, Joe Montana etc.

I'd be quite happy to see similar works for all other sports that interest me. Will someone do one for football? Any maybe cricket. And basketball?

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The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan's Guide to All-Time Player Rankings Hardcover – September 1, 2008

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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

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