Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Webster defines semiprofessional as "engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation." But wouldn't this definition make the early NFL a "semiprofessional" league instead of a professional league? In PFRA parlance, what is the guidance for using the term...

Who might be the greatest quarterback of all time despite the coach he played for? This isn’t meant to take anything away from Tom Brady or other greats, but it does seem like good quarterbacks have good coaches. Is there any quarterback that would even be in the conversation for GOAT if he’d played...

When I hear about these younger head coaches, I wonder how much of it has to do with team culture and how today's players expect to be treated differently. Last February, when Mike Tice quit his position as offensive line coach for the Raiders, he quipped that "players no longer want to be coac...

The other day, I was reading newspaper accounts of the second-ever Vikings vs. Packers game in 1961, and there was a lot of anxiety about whether Paul Hornung would have to exit the season to serve in the Army. Of course, Lombardi and Hornung and everyone around him gave a brave face and said Hornun...

There was speculation that Mike Zimmer was on the hot seat, with people questioning his focus on defense at the expense of offense, but that all disappeared with the firing of De Fillipo. Besides, Zimmer’s temperament suits Minnesota culture perfectly, where a great performance is seen as “not too b...

I think yardage is the core data point, especially when you think about the origins of the game and how teams used to punt on earlier downs to gain field position. So many factors affect how many points might be scored, but the field is always 100 yards long.

There’s an interesting article in The Athletic (subscription required) about Kirk Cousins being a perfect passer, but he’s TOO PERFECT and it’s the reason defenders can bat so many of his passes at the line.

“establish the run” First, rushing is an essential part of the game and it’s expected, so you don’t need to establish it. Second, the inevitable idea that you run so you can pass has been disproven by Pro Football Outsiders relative to the modern game: most rushing yards now come late in the game by...

Running backs who can also catch the ball well may be more valuable than wide receivers. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/one-day-nfl-players-will-thank-leveon-bell/2018/11/16/f211c944-e9a6-11e8-bbdb-72fdbf9d4fed_story.html?utm_term=.67d8f0d44c47 Thanks. I'll check out the article. Ye...

As for now, the key positions in football are, in no particular order, quarterback, wide receiver, pass rusher, and defensive back with ball skills. Just a few years ago, like as in, well, 2017 or 2016, I would not have listed wide receiver as a Mount Rushmore position. I believe it currently is on...