Well, it's been a while since I posted any statistical analyses, but here's one I've been curious about researching for a couple of years. With excitement ramping up for the upcoming college football season, I thought it was the right time to post this analysis of how the top conferences stack up against each other. If any new BTSC readers enjoy this post, you may want to review my RB Analyses (Part 1 and Part 2), WR Analysis, or QB Analysis.

For years now, I've been hearing the SEC touted as the best college football conference, particularly by fans/alum of SEC schools. Being from an ACC school and spending the early part of my life in northwestern PA, I'm not one to just agree that the SEC is axiomatically the best conference without question. So, I wanted to research the conferences to see how each one really stacks up against another. Now, before I get into this, I'm going to say that I really wanted to get more details particularly about each conferences' non-conference schedule, but for the most part I'm forced to rely on a couple of ratings systems that I have found on the web, plus a few other websites with articles and statistics about how the conferences rate against each other.

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I was just checking out some finals on ESPN.com, when I stumbled upon this page, showing how voters chose the best players of each NFL franchise's history. I was actually just going to throw it up as a FanShot, but then I stumbled on this excellent entry at Hogs Haven discussing the Redskins' choice in this very poll, so I decided to write up a FanPost on the Steelers' choice, as well as throw out some other points of interest (to me at least).

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I don't know if anyone else saw the NFL Network show on the Top 10 SB Performances, but I caught it this past Tuesday night and there were a couple of things that I wanted throw out there on BTSC and hear the community's thoughts. These are mainly random thoughts, so I apologize in advance if it's kind of scattered.

• First, Lynn Swann's SB X performance was ranked number 5, which was the only Steeler performance. This got criticism from some on the show because he "only had 4 catches." Considering the style of game at the time, and the fact that 2 of the 4 catches are considered among the greatest feats of grace and athleticism in NFL history, I think his performance is deserving of top 10, even top 5, recognition.
• Joe Namath's performance in SB III was ranked 8th. Again, there were the haters who said his stats were very average (even below average), but I thought this deserved to be included. Sure, as games go, this was probably one of the most boring SBs to watch, but this was the greatest upset ever. The historical significance and the pressure of Namath's guarantee should certainly be factored into his performance in the game. But, here was the clincher for me. QB's still called their own plays back then, and Namath directed that game to victory. They also pointed out that Namath was the kind of guy who loved to sling it all over the field, but in this game, he put aside his ego and called his halfback's number more often than not.
• For anyone that was watching, I don't know if you noticed, but Terrence Moore's commentary was the most annoying throughout the show, at least to me. Tim Curran's smarmy looks were up there, too. One thing that was particularly questionable to me was the inconsistency that he showed. He called Timmy Smith's performance (ranked 6th, I believe) in SB XXII the biggest fluke ever. Then, he called Doug Williams' performance (their top pick) in the same game the greatest SB performance ever, without question, and not even close. Both were great performances by backups. The only real difference that I can see is that Williams had been a starter in the past, while Smith was a rookie, but neither ever really did anything else after that game. So, how is Smith a fluke, while Williams, who surely benefited from Smith's running and the Hogs' blocking, is the greatest SB performance ever? Why is Williams not just as big a fluke? He didn't start most of that season. Personally, I don't think either is a fluke, just great performances on the biggest stage. Maybe they didn't do much afterward, but nobody can take that day from them.
• I don't remember all of the top 10, and their website doesn't have them listed. I do remember they had Jerry Rice's SB XXIII performance at 10, Steve Young's 6TD passes was in there (2 or 3?), Marcus Allen in SB XIX, John Riggins in SB XVIII, Vinatieri's two game-winning FGs was ranked 4, and I can't remember the last one. Maybe Larry Csonka in SB VII.
• I was a little surprised that Franco's performance in SB IX didn't get any love. I don't think it was even included in the "Best of the Rest."

Well, that's pretty much it. Those were some things that I found interesting about the show. Particularly, I was curious whether you at BTSC agree or disagree with me on Namath and what I saw as the inconsistency in how Terrence Moore treated Smith and Williams. What do you think?

The NFL has decided to give all incoming rookies a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The idea is to give them a sense of what they may be playing for, and hopefully turn the tide of recent incidents involving the likes of Odell Thurman, Chris Henry, Michael Vick, and Pacman Jones.

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WolfPackSteelersFan continues to impress with his exhaustively thorough research and ideas for interpreting the statistical greatness of players by position in different eras. I think one would be hard pressed to find all this nifty and informative data consolidated in one place on the internet. BehindtheSteelCurtain is blessed to have him in its community. Click through for some oustanding data compiling, objective interpretation, and accessible writing. Enjoy. -Blitz-

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So far I've analyzed the top RBs in NFL History here (Part 1) and here (Part 2), and I've looked at the top WRs in NFL History. So, I have decided to turn my attention to the top QBs in NFL history. 

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