Johnny Manziel Sets Worst QBR Mark
One of the great things about analytic numbers is that they can put a value to to observed experiences. Johnny Manziel had a terrible game yesterday and QBR put a number to it. 1.0! According to Adam Schefter that is the lowest Total QBR since ESPN started using the metric back in 2006:
Johnny Manziel’s 1.0 Total QBR Sunday was the worst by any player in his starting debut since 2006 (when QBR data exists).
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 15, 2014
Sometimes analytic numbers don’t match what we think we saw on the field. Many will argue with Pro Football Focus’ approach or results. I doubt many would argue with the poor play of Manziel deserving this 1.0 grade.
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Instead some will argue who is at fault for the grade. Many Manziel supporters have come out and said it is all Kyle Shanahan’s fault while others, many of whom don’t like the Johnny Football personality are in full “I told you so” mode.
What is not arguable is the numbers. Besides the 1.0 Total QBR, Johnny Manziel’s raw numbers are bad. He was 10 for 18, 56% completion, for 80 yards and 2 interceptions. He was also sacked 3 times for a loss of 26 yards. He ran 5 times for 13 yards, a 2.6 yards per carry average.
The conservative offensive play calling didn’t help, nor did the rushing attack setup the play action passing, but outside of just the numbers Manziel looked bad. Many of his throws came off his back foot, instead of driving the ball. He struggled to throw receivers open or even throw it on time as they were coming out of their routes. His footwork was choppy and nervous for most of the game.
The good news is simple: It will be tough for Johnny Manziel to be worse than he was yesterday. Hopefully the Browns coaching staff and Manziel will learn a lot from the film to better prepare him to “Wreck this League” instead of “Wrecking my Sunday.”
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Are you surprised that Johnny Manziel set the Total QBR record for bad play?