Suppose three contestants are racing- one is on foot, another is on a bicycle (PEDs optional), and the last is driving a Ferrari. Who wins that race? Not only can you determine the winner based solely on the vehicle, or lack thereof, that each participant is making use of, but you can be confident that the finishes won't even be close. Such is the nature of technology. This playoff season has been a testament to just that. This bodes very well for the Jaguars. How so?
By now, it is fairly well known that the Jaguars plan to implement the use of football analytics in their decision making. In fact, new Jaguars GM David Caldwell recently stated that while analytics wouldn't determine his final decisions (inevitably leading to his replacement being a robot earning twice his salary), they will certainly factor into them. Three of the NFL teams currently most famous for making use of analytics are the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, and the San Fransisco 49ers- each of whom played on championship weekend. This bodes very, very well for the Jaguars.
Not everyone, however, is familiar with the concept of football analytics- the exception being fans who have cut their teeth through hours of film study on the subject (i.e. watching Moneyball). So what exactly is this new fangled dance craze all about? Analytics is a essentially a form of complex analysis using extensive statistical data... Feeling "jiggy" yet? While this may seem like a snooze fest, it's actually quite exciting when examining all the ways this analysis can be put to use. Some of these uses include determining in-game strategy, supplementing roster management, evaluating the most effective practice regiments, choosing needed areas of player development, fortifying player health, enhancing the fan experience, and even deciding what to pay a specific player. Said 49ers Chief Operating Officer Paraag Marathe, "We try to figure out the player's trajectory given his age, the position he plays, his performance trajectory given his first few years in the league his body of work and how long will he stay at that level in the league and you try to structure a contract that captures all of his best years and creates a flexible contract in the years he might start to decline." This is heady stuff, but certainly the Jaguars are capable of handling the transition into the new way of doing business. According to the Jaguars official team website, Tony Khan, son of Jaguars owner Shad Khan, has been operating as Senior Vice President of Football Technology & Analytics for the Jaguars since July of last year. Khan graduated from the College of Business at the University of Illinois in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance. (And yes, ladies, he's single!)
In a world dominated for so long by "football people," the nerd behind the computer screen seems to be having the last laugh once again, which brings up another important point- the untapped resources of the field. For every Matt Millen and "Shack" Harris out there being handed the keys to a franchise (and subsequently driving it into the fence in the front yard), there are a hundred Khans, Marathes and other such bookworms out there who haven't played a down in the NFL, but are equally, if not more qualified to run an NFL team. In other words, there is plenty of talent out there to choose from to enhance the analytics department when the time comes to do so. In fact, a number of universities are now teaching courses on the subject of analytics. This is the wave of the future.
So will the Jaguars be 2013's version of the 49ers, Ravens, or Patriots? It's highly unlikely, at least not until the QB situation is stabilized. But with the team embracing the analytics movement, the Jaguars may be gaining a great competitive advantage moving forward. There is much to look forward to in Jacksonville.
