The Bills Have Hired a Director of Analytics

[Thurmal34]

What part of "It's another layer of information" are some people here having a hard time understanding?

 

Agreed. Additionally, once the department matures, I expect Brandon's comments about salary cap management vis a vis analytics to more clearly come to fruition. Maybe there's a FA WR on the market that runs two routes particularly effectively but struggles at running 3 others. It so happens that the Bills O calls for those two routes far more often than other offenses do, and the Bills are able to sign this WR for pennies on the dollar. They then use him to only run these two routes and nothing else.

 

It can work the opposite way as well. Lets say based on film study they chart that a AFCE rival CB gives up a catch 78% of the time vs a certain route over the course of his career.

 

More info is ALWAYS better, even if you dont use it.

[Hplarrm]

I see no problem with this hiring provided the HC uses it to supplement & reinforce what he already knows. I have no use though for a HC who doesn't have the instincts to make proper decisions on his own in the first place. As an additional tool, OK, providing he's smart enough to take it all with a grain of salt.

 

But as for in here, there are many Bills fans in this thread and on this board who spend an inordinate amount of time researching stats as opposed to actually watching the games. They love to post an often-times inane take that makes no sense & 'support" it by twisting some numbers. Then a fellow nitwit thanks them for posting the "facts". The statement "Stats are for losers" is meant for these people. Just because the Bills have hired a director of analytics doesn't change a thing, they are still losers.

 

I think it was pretty clearly stated in the Brandon generated and heavily quoted PR about Lyons hiring that:

 

1. He will fit into the Bills flow chart working for and answering to Overdorfer. Thus, my sense is that he is there to buttress Overdorfer's duties as lead contract negotiator for the Bills. I expect Lyons work to fall specifically in this area.

 

2. If Merrone was going to make heavy use of Lyons analytics, he more likely would have joined the staff as an assistant coach to Merrone working on quality control.

 

How do people feel the Bills will utilize Lyons and why does it make sense in their analysis for Lyons to be put under Overdorfer's guidance?

[eball]

I think it was pretty clearly stated in the Brandon generated and heavily quoted PR about Lyons hiring that:

 

1. He will fit into the Bills flow chart working for and answering to Overdorfer. Thus, my sense is that he is there to buttress Overdorfer's duties as lead contract negotiator for the Bills. I expect Lyons work to fall specifically in this area.

 

2. If Merrone was going to make heavy use of Lyons analytics, he more likely would have joined the staff as an assistant coach to Merrone working on quality control.

 

How do people feel the Bills will utilize Lyons and why does it make sense in their analysis for Lyons to be put under Overdorfer's guidance?

 

If I missed something about the reporting structure I apologize, but is Lyons really "working for and answering to" Overdorf? It seems to me that Lyons' work with respect to the salary cap would fall under Overdorf, his work with respect to game planning would fall under Marrone (and do you really not know by now it's an "a" not an "e"?), his work with respect to player evaluation would fall under Whaley, and his work on the business and marketing side of things would fall under Brandon.

 

Makes sense, no?

Edited November 3, 2013 by eball

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I think it was pretty clearly stated in the Brandon generated and heavily quoted PR about Lyons hiring that:

 

1. He will fit into the Bills flow chart working for and answering to Overdorfer. Thus, my sense is that he is there to buttress Overdorfer's duties as lead contract negotiator for the Bills. I expect Lyons work to fall specifically in this area.

 

2. If Merrone was going to make heavy use of Lyons analytics, he more likely would have joined the staff as an assistant coach to Merrone working on quality control.

 

How do people feel the Bills will utilize Lyons and why does it make sense in their analysis for Lyons to be put under Overdorfer's guidance?

 

If you're referring to this:

 

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/Bills-launch-analytics-department-with-hire-of-Lyons/3bf96f90-a18a-4845-aaae-2d20cc83d72b

 

you're wrong:

 

“Mike will be leading the department and he will work with different project teams along the way,” said Brandon. “We have a lot of pieces in place already here through the football administrative department through the things we want to do business-wise. We have a long list of things for Mike to start working on.”

 

Lyons’ responsibilities will include analyzing and developing strategic performance initiatives for all functions of the Buffalo Bills organization including – football operations, business development, and marketing. As such he will work with several department heads on both the football and business sides of the organization.

“He’ll work closely with (Senior VP of Football Administration) Jim Overdorf, (Player Personnel Analyst) Kevin Meganck, Stephen Brown, who is the assistant to coach Marrone. In the offseason he’ll work with coach Marrone directly and myself. Then as we broaden the scope of what we want to do he’ll work very heavily with the business department.”

While Lyons’ work will provide additional data to the football department it will be far from the sole determining factor in making football decisions.

 

It doesn't say anywhere that he'll "answer to Overdorf" and I disagree that it even suggests that he'll work mainly with Overdorf.