Happy Birthday Laura!!

Today is too perfect for griping!!

Just a special Happy Birthday message to my wonderful wife...

Happy Birthday Laura!!  

I hope you have a great day!!

Poll #1 - 1985 Bears...best ever by the numbers

I feel as though I have come up with a fairly simple methodology for figuring out the best team in NFL history.  My hope is that it does not come off as too complicated.  The basic premise is to pick a handful of NFL team statistics, average the statistics to a percentage, and average those percentages to one overall power value.

Here are the 5 quantitative factors I used to determine the best team in NFL history, with the 1985 Bears used as the primary example.

1.  Wins from Average
- number of games played per team divided by two -
Example: 15(Bears total wins) - 8(average NFL team wins)= 7

2.  Turnover Differential 
- takeaways minus giveaways -
Example: +23

3.  Offensive Yards Per Game from Average
- team average offensive yards per game minus average NFL team yards per game -
Example:  365 (Bears average yards per game) - 329 (NFL average team) = 35

4.  Defensive Yards Per Game from Average -
- team average defensive yards per game minus average NFL team yards per game -
Example: 329 (NFL average team) - 258 (Bears average yards per game) = 71

5.  Average Margin of Victory
- number of points scored minus number points allowed divided by number of games -
Example: 456 (points scored) - 198 (points allowed) / 16 (games played) = 16.13

After I inputted all of the data from the SuperBowl winners and losers for these 5 factors, I realize that each factor did not carry an equal weight.  Each factor was given a 100% maximum possibility based on historic data.  Each team was then given a percentage based on that maximum possibility:

Maximums (1985 Bears %)
1.  Wins from Average - 8 (7/8=88%)
2.  Turnover Differential - 30 (23/30=77%)
3.  Offensive Yards Per Game from Average- 100 (35/100=35%)
4.  Defensive Yards per Game from Average - 100 (71/100=71%)
5.  Average Margin of Victory - 20 (16.13/20=81%)

The average of these five percentages represent a team's Power Quotient:

1. 1985 Bears - 70.24% = ( 88+77+35+71+81 / 5 )
2.  1972 Dolphins - 69.63%
3.  1983 Redskins - 67.66%*
4.  2007 Patriots - 64.22%*
5.  1991 Redskins - 61.41%
*did not win SuperBowl 

See the results file to view the Power Quotients' for all of the past SuperBowl Winners and Losers.
The full data/results file will be located in the Documents Box^ (right side of blog). 
^I will be updating this file periodically with results and data for every NFL team by year.

Poll #1 - Best Team in NFL History?

I stumbled upon the above YouTube clip of Joe Theismann and John Riggins' discussion of the current Redskins about three weeks ago.  Theismann stating that the 1983 Redskins were the best team in NFL history (even though they didn't win the SuperBowl that year) got me thinking about some of the greatest teams in NFL history.  Most of the great teams were SuperBowl winners, but is it possible for a team to be considered the best ever if they were not even the best team during one particular year?  I guess the quick counter would be that the best team does not always win the SuperBowl in a given year. 

I've devised a simple formula that uses basic NFL game statistics to calculate which team should be considered the best ever...and I'll share it in my next post.

But before I share my simple methodology (remember: advanced methods are a waste of time), I'd like to know which team is the best ever in your mind...

My guess for the best team in NFL history before looking at historical NFL statistics was the 2007 Patriots.

In your opinion, which team was the best ever?

Social Gripe #3: Egocentrics - Part C: In Public

In Public - in such a way as to be visible to the scrutiny of the people, such as malls, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, etc...

Any human-being that has disturbed, inconvenienced, or bothered you in any manner while in a public setting would be considered Egocentric.  Egocentrics are highly visible to the common bystander and tend to make themselves visible even during your dullest state of mind (day-dreaming for instance).  I want to share with you some Egocentrics types that I have had past experiences with In Public:

1.  Space Hogs:  These people will always be in your way when you are walking through malls/stores/places with limited walking space.  I'm not sure what their problem is, but they insist upon taking up as much room as possible and they will always make you move drastically to avoid bumping into their sprawling body.   
Future Goal:  Ram into a Space Hog intentionally in an attempt to bruise their body and their precious ego.

2.  Cellular-Beings:  These are people who love their cell phone more than actual human beings.  There seems to be one of these people in every group, but you probably don't realize they exist.  You want to know why?  Their constant talking, texting, sexting, pexting means you never get to interact with them even though they are physically next to you (they just don't exist mentally around you).  
Future Goal:  Take a Cellular-Beings cell phone extra appendage and smash it into a million pieces.

3.  Parchment and Quill Users:  At one time or another, you have probably had to deal with these people in a store - they are ones that waste your time by continuing to use the outdated method of CHECKS.  The extreme Parchment and Quill Users have the nerve to write CHECKS in the Express Lanes.  These people must have never been told that Debit Cards do the same thing as CHECKS, but in a lot less time.   
Future Goal:  As a Parchment and Quill User is wasting my time in a store line, I will pry the checkbook from their stupid, inconsiderate hands and light it on FIRE!!

4.  Loud-Toothers:  These people think they are so important and cool because of their cell phone blue-tooth earpiece.  Their coolness means that everybody else around them needs to hear their whole cell phone conversation.  It is very confusing and awkward at first when you see a person talking to themselves in a public place because you can't tell whether they are talking to you or just plain crazy.  Moments later, however, you look at their ear and realize they are a Loud-Toother - instant relief (this situation is unfair to the rest of us that aren't as cool douchey as you).   
Future Goal:  Stare a complete Loud-Toother stranger straight in the face and ask them multiple questions as they are talking on their blue-tooth.

5.  Indecent Exhibitionists:  Public Displays of Affection or PDA are allowable to a certain extent - eating-face or groping would be considered a Indecent Exhibitionist act in my book.  The Indecent Exhibitionists usually find the most central and public location for their extreme PDA.  The most distributing part is that the worst and highest occurring cases of PDA are usually being performed by abnormal characters - examples include the creepy, damaged, and unstable types (use your own imagination if you dare).   
Future Goal:  Block a set of Indecent Exhibitionists from the public view by placing a big cardboard box over them.

Road Rage #6: Arrogant, Stupid, or Selfish?

Stick-Family Sticker Users

I don't care about your family, and I would venture to say that most of the people driving around you don't either.  Please remove these stickers from the back of your car.  In all likelihood, they represent more of how fake your family is on a daily basis, rather than how perfect or "nuclear" your family is in your warpped mind.

Simple Message: Lose the Douche-Bag Stickers!!

The Morning Sprinters of Silver Hill Road

Many residents of Suitland, MD use the metro as their primary method of transportation - all well and good.  But the problem is that these metro users insist upon walking to the Suitland Metro Station in the morning by crossing Silver Hill Road without using crosswalks or lighted intersections.  There have been numerous occasions when I was very close to hitting one of these pedestrians sprinters (morning darkness makes it very difficult to see them) - nobody needs/wants hitting a pedestrian on their conscience.   

What makes the situation worse is that I when I went to look for a picture of this stupidity in action, it was on clear display in Google-Map's street-view picture (see below) of Silver Hill Road at the Suitland Metro.  You don't even want to get me started on the fact that CHILDREN (as seen below) are usually accompanying them during this illegal activity!!

Simple Message:  Use the Crosswalks!! 
***Crosswalks appear every 200 yards on Silver Hill Road.

What's your opinion of the Stick-Family Stickers and The Morning Sprinters?