via i37.tinypic.com
Fresh from the Gamble-Tron 2000, the Week 7 ratings await your perusal. Enjoy!
RATINGS COMPUTATION (for the uninitiated):
At its heart, this is a VERY simple method of calculating ratings, using only two stats. The results aren't supposed to be a perfect reflection of the real world, don't take them too seriously. It's interesting, though, that such a crude algorithm can be as accurate as I've seen it be over the last few years.
Here's how the ratings are calculated. The first step is to calculate two simple stats: Points For per Game, and Points Against per Game, for each team. These two leaguewide data sets for offense & defense both conform to a "Bell Curve", or Normal Distribution, that can be graphed. Depending on where each team lies on that graph, they have a value between 0 and 1. (This isn't something pulled from thin air. It's a very common, standardized statistical analysis technique. The purpose is to more accurately measure each team's position within the population of all league teams.) You now have every team rated from 0 to 1, on offense and on defense. Add those two numbers and you've got a total rating for each team. Last, multiply by 50 to convert the ratings onto a 0-to-100 scale to make them more readable and intuitive. There you go. Simple, right?
What's up with the (cough) beloved Saints? Despite winning, they fell to 4th place! How can this be, you ask? The Saints are a textbook example of how this algorithm skews the numbers. Despite being about as good as an offense can be, the defense is the very embodiment of "average" (by the numbers at least). This effectively puts a cap on their power rating of about 75 or so. The Broncos are a mirror image of the Saints, with the emphasis on defense in their case. Note the teams above them all have a more favorable balance of O and D.
Teams on the rise were led by the Jets (the turd in this week's punchbowl) and Bengals, up 7 slots. Falling furthest were the Falcons (groan) and Bears, down 9 slots.
Hope y'all enjoy, you heah? Your Falcoholic feedback is welcome. You can download the spreadsheet here. Cheers!