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The use of advanced metrics by NFL teams has sparked heated debates in recent years.
Mark Schlereth, a three-time Super Bowl winner and FOX Sports NFL analyst, shared his thoughts on the controversy. Schlereth, who played in the NFL long before the introduction of analytics, expressed his disapproval of relying on metrics.
“There’s one thing for me. It’s the analytics people. … (They) become gospel,” Schlereth said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me w/ Dan Dakich.”
All 32 NFL teams had a designated analytics employee on their staffs last season.
ESPN conducted an anonymous survey of these staffers in 2024 to gain insights into how teams utilize analytics. The findings revealed that the Cleveland Browns were the NFL franchise that most frequently incorporates analytics in decision-making processes related to football matters. Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who holds a master’s degree from Harvard in computer science, collaborates with Paul DePodesta, the Browns’ chief strategy officer.
Before joining the Browns, DePodesta worked in the front office of several MLB teams and was featured in the film “Moneyball.”
Schlereth also recounted a time when he engaged in a heated debate over the use of analytics.
“I got into an argument with a guy that was extolling the virtues of going for two points every time. …. So, I asked the guy, ‘Let me ask you a question, how many two-point plays do you think we go into a given (game) with?’”
Schlereth then explained that two plays were the standard during his playing days. He elaborated on how his teams would practice these plays and the coach’s strategy for implementing them in a game.
“You have no idea how the game works. You have no idea what we talk about. You have no idea how we practice. You have no idea the number of plays we have in or how we run those plays or what we’re trying to exploit.”
Schlereth described analytics as mere “fluff.”
“The analytics don’t mean anything in football. It’s just a bunch of fluff to make us feel important, like we as ‘analytics analysts’ really know what we’re talking about.”
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