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| Chapter 1: The Real Number
System
Numbers in the Real World |
Stat the Quarterback
In football at any level, the position that gets the most attention is
the quarterback. The NFL has developed a rating
system to evaluate the performance of quarterbacks. Since the
primary focus of a quarterback is passing, the rating is based on the results
of passing: attempts, completions, yardage, touchdowns, and interceptions.
The rating system is outlined below.
| Quarterback Rating System |
| Step 1: Complete passes divided by pass attempts. Subtract
0.3, then divide by 0.2
Step 2: Passing yards divided by pass attempts. Subtract 3, then divide by 4. Step 3: Touchdown passes divided by pass attempts, then divide by .05. Step 4: Start with .095, and subtract interceptions divided by attempts. Divide the product by .04. |
| The sum of each step cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero. Add the sum of Steps 1 through 4, multiply by 100, and divide by 6. |
Below are the stats for Elvis Grbac, Kansas City Chiefs QB, for the
first 4 games of the 1997 NFL season.
| Pass Attempts | Pass Completions | PassYardage | Touchdown Passes | Interceptions |
| 126 | 71 | 830 | 6 | 2 |
Use the steps listed above to compute his rating.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Quarterback Rating
Find the stats of your favorite quarterback and compute his quarterback rating. You can find quarterback stats on the statistics page for individual players at the Sporting News site.
As a class, have each student choose a quarterback and continue to compute the quarterback efficiency rating every week.