California: The professional sports title capital (state) of the world!
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Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
The Super Bowl victory of the New York Giants gave the state of New York their 21st professional sports title (Major League Baseball, the NBA, NFL and NHL) since 1966. Those 21 titles, however, is second to the state of California, which has 29 titles.
Following are the states which have the most professional sports titles in the four major sports since 1966 (1966 was chosen due to the start of the Super Bowl).
BA=Baseball (MLB)…FB=Football (NFL)…BK=Basketball (NBA)…H=Hockey (NHL)
STATE BA…FB…BK…H…TOTAL
California 8…….8……12…..1……..29
New York 9…….5…….2……5……..21
Massachusetts 2…….3…….9……3……..17
Pennsylvania 4…….6…….2……5……..17
Texas 0…….5…….7……1………13
Illinois 1…….1…….6…….1………9
Michigan 2…….0…….3……4………9
Florida 2…….3…….1…….1……….7
Missouri 5…….2…….0……0……….7
Maryland 3…….2…….0……0……….5
Wisconsin 0…….4……..1……0……….5
Also: Colorado (4), District of Columbia (4), Ohio (3), New Jersey (3), Minnesota (2), Arizona (1), Georgia (1), Indiana (1), Louisiana (1), North Carolina (1), Washington (1), Oregon (1).
Note: Canada has 20 professional sports titles… two World Series wins by the Toronto Blue Jays and 18 NHL titles.
Did you know? Looking at the most professional sports titles since the start of the 21st century, California still holds the lead with 8. Second place, however, goes to Massachusetts with seven.
20 best performances by players whose team lost the Super Bowl
Jake Delhomme-Best performance by a player from a team that lost in the Super Bowl?... Image via Wikipedia
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
We all remember Joe Montana, Dwight Clark and “The Catch.” Or Joe Namath’s guarantee. Or Lynn Swann’s great catch. Or how about Jerry Rice… Bart Starr’s two MVP awards. Yes, we remember the great performances from the teams that won the Super Bowl.
But what about the great performances from players whose team lost? Here’s my list of the 20 best (offensive) performances from players who were on the losing side of the Super Bowl. Had things been a little different, some of these listed may have been hoisting an MVP trophy.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Who would be at the top of your list?
1. Jake Delhomme, Carolina, QB (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) 16 of 33, 323 yards, three TDs, no interceptions. 113.6 passer rating. Nine of 13 in the fourth quarter for 212 yards and two scores.
2. Thurman Thomas, Buffalo, RB (Super Bowl 25; lost to New York Giants 20-19) 15 rushing attempts for 135 yards, one touchdown. Five receptions for 55 yards. Had 68 yards on four carries in the fourth quarter.
3. Kurt Warner, Arizona, QB (Super Bowl 43; lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) 31 of 43, 377 yards, three TDs and one interception. 112.3 passer rating. Fourteen of 19 in the fourth quarter with two TDs. Second most passing yards in a Super Bowl game.
4. Antonio Freeman, Green Bay, WR (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Also returned six kickoffs for 104 yards.
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, WR (Super Bowl 43, lost to Pittsburgh 27-23) Seven catches for 127 yards and two scores. Six of his seven catches came in the fourth quarter.
6. Eddie George, Tennessee, RB (Super Bowl 34; lost to St. Louis 23-16) Rushed for 92 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Two receptions for 35 yards.
7. Dan Ross, Cincinnati, TE (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Eleven receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Six of his 11 catches and his two TDs came in the fourth quarter. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
8. Andre Reed, Buffalo, WR (Super Bowl 27; lost to Dallas 52-17) Eight catches for 152 yards. Tied for fifth on the all-time list for most receiving yards in a Super Bowl.
9. Tom Matte, Baltimore, RB (Super Bowl 3; lost to New York Jets 16-7) Eleven carries for 116 yards. Two receptions for 30 yards. Second-most rushing yards for a player from the losing team.
10. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis, RB (Super Bowl 44; lost to New Orleans 31-17) Thirteen carries for 77 yards and a touchdown; seven receptions for 58 yards.
11. Brett Favre, Green Bay, QB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Completed 25 of 42 passes for 256 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 91.0.
12. Dorsey Levens, Green Bay, RB (Super Bowl 32; lost to Denver 31-24) Nineteen carries for 90 yards; six receptions for 56 yards. Had four runs of 10 yards or more. Had five catches in the fourth quarter.
13. Terrell Owens, Philadelphia, WR (Super Bowl 39; lost to New England 24-21) Nine catches for 122 yards.
14. Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina, WR (Super Bowl 38; lost to New England 32-29) Four receptions for 140 yards (three catches for 117 yards in the fourth quarter).
15. Tony Dorsett, Dallas, RB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pittsburgh 35-31) Ninety-six yards on 18 carries. Five catches for 44 yards.
16. Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB (Super Bowl 13; lost to Pitsburgh 35-31) Seventeen completions in 30 pass attempts for 228 yards. Three TDs and one interception. Passer rating of 100.4. Rushed for 37 yards on four carries. Completed 11 of 16 with two scores in the final period.
17. Vance Johnson, Denver, WR (Super Bowl 21; lost to New York Giants 39-20) Five receptions for 121 yards. Had catches of 47 and 54 yards.
18. Bill Miller, Oakland, WR (Super Bowl 2; lost to Green Bay 33-14) Had a pair of 23-yard touchdowns. Five catches for 84 yards.
19. Kenny Anderson, Cincinnati, QB (Super Bowl 16; lost to San Francisco 26-21) Completed 25 of 34 passes for 300 yards with two TDs and two picks. Passer rating of 95.2. Rushed for a TD. Completed 10 of 12 with two touchdowns in the fourth qaurter.
20. Wes Welker, New England, WR (Super Bowl 42; lost to New York Giants 17-14) Had 11 catches for 103 yards. Also returned a punt 15 yards. Tied with three other players for most receptions in a Super Bowl game.
Will Patriot’s four-win regular season margin over Giants be a repeat curse?
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Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
Not only is this year’s Super Bowl a rematch of Super Bowl 42, but another interesting thing about this rematch is that one of the teams playing in the game won four or more games more than their Super Bowl opponent during the regular season. When New England and the Giants met in Super Bowl 42, New England was coming off a perfect 16-0 season, while New York was 10-6 in the 2007 regular season, a difference of six wins. That six-win difference is the biggest between Super Bowl opponents in the history of the game.
This year’s game features the Pats who won 13 games and the Giants who won nine, a difference of four wins.
Will the result of the game be the same, with the team with fewer wins during the regular season coming out on top?
Here’s a look at the Super Bowl match-ups that featured opponents with the largest margin of wins during that regular season.
Season Teams Win diff.
2007 New England 16-0/New York Giants 10-6 6
1985 Chicago 15-1/New England 11-5 4
1967 Oakland 13-1/Green Bay 9-4-1 4
2011 New England 13-3/New York Giants 9-7 4
1972 Miami 14-0/Washington 11-3 3
1979 Pittsburgh 12-4/L.A Rams 9-7 3
1986 New York Giants 14-2/Denver 11-5 3
1989 San Francisco 14-2/Denver 11-5 3
2001 St. Louis Rams 14-2/New England 11-5 3
2003 New England 14-2/New England 11-5 3
2008 Pittsburgh 12-4/Arizona 9-7 3
Note: Of the 10 times previous to this year’s Super Bowl (where one of the Super Bowl teams won three or more games than their opponents during the regular season), seven of the teams with the better record during the regular season won the Super Bowl. The other three times when the team with fewer wins in the regular season won the Super Bowl: the 2007 Giants (10-6) over New England (16-0); 2001 Patriots (11-5) over the St. Louis Rams (14-2); and the 1967 Packers (9-4-1) over the Oakland Raiders (13-1).
15 regular season stats that may determine this year’s Super Bowl champion
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Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog that is published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
What’s your prediction for this year’s Super Bowl?
Football analysts, commentators and just plain fans all have an opinion. For some, it’s a gut feeling; for others, they have analyzed, studied, and even watched game film.
Here’s my contribution to the madness. I’ve looked at 15 regular season stats from the past 45 Super Bowl champions. In some cases, there is a strong case for a particular team winning based on how they performed in the regular season. In other cases, the regular season stats don’t reveal much.
Following are 15 regular season stats that may help determine who will win on February 5.
1. Wins. Thirty-nine of the 45 Super Bowl champs won 11 or more games in the regular season. Only twice in Super Bowl history did a team with less than 10 regular season victories win the Super Bowl: 1967, when the Packers were 9-4-1, and 1982 when the 8-1 Washington Redskins won the title in that strike-shortened season. In case you didn’t know, New England won 13 this year, the Giants won nine. If the Giants win, they would become the first team with less than 10 wins from a 16-game NFL season to win a Super Bowl.
2. Turnover Ratio. Thirty-nine of the 45 Super Bowl champs had a positive turnover ratio; 21 of the 45 had a +10 or more turnover ratio in the regular season. The Patriots were a +17 in turnovers this year, New York was +7.
3. Offensive rank by points. Thirty-eight of the 45 were in the Top 10 in offense based on points. New England was third, New York was ninth.
4. Offensive rank based on yards. Thirty-five of the 45 were in the Top 10 in offense based on total yards. New England was second, New York was eighth.
5. Defensive Rank by Points. Thirty-five of the 45 were in the Top 10 in defense based on points. Won’t happen this year… New England was 15th, the Giants were ranked 25th. The lowest ranked defense (by points) to win a Super Bowl were the 2006 Colts who ranked 23rd.
6. Defensive rank based on yards. Thirty-eight of the 45 ranked in the Top 10 in defense based on total yards allowed. Won’t happen this year… New England was ranked 31st, New York was ranked 27th. This year’s Super Bowl champ will establish a new “low”… Previous to this year, the lowest ranked defense (by yards allowed) to win a Super Bowl were the 2009 New Orleans Saints who were ranked 25th.
7. Offensive yards per play. Thirty-six of the 45 Super Bowl champs averaged 5.0 or more yards per play during the regular season. Twenty-one of the 45 averaged 5.5 or more yards per play. This year in the regular season New England was at 6.3 yards per play, New York was at 6.0.
8. Three-game losing streak. Only three teams that lost three straight games during the regular season went on to win a Super Bowl that year: Baltimore in 2000, Pittsburgh in 2005 and New Orleans in 2009. New England did not lose three straight games this year; the Giants did lose three straight this year.
9. Winning streak to start season. Thirteen of the 45 won five straight games to start the season; 22 won three straight games to start the season; 30 of the 45 won their first two games. New England won their first two games of the 2011 regular season; New York lost their first game of the year.
10. Away wins. Forty-four of the 45 won four or more games on the road in the regular season. The 2011 Green Bay Packers are the only team to win a Super Bowl and win three or less games on the road that regular season. Thirty-six of the 45 lost none, one or two away games during the regular season of their Super Bowl year. New England won six away games this year, New York went 5-3 on the road.
11. 1,000-yard rusher. Twenty-seven of the 45 had a 1,000-yard rusher during the regular season. Neither team in this year’s Super Bowl had a 1,000-yard runner.
12. 1,000-yard receiver. Twenty-four of the 45 had a 1,000-yard receiver during the regular season. Both teams in this year’s game had two 1,00-yard receivers.
13. More passing TDs than running TDs. Thirty-two of the 45 had more passing TDs than running TDs for the regular season. Both teams this year had more passing TDs than rushing. The last time a team that had more rushing TDs than passing in the regular season won a Super Bowl were the 1995 Dallas Cowboys.
14. Losses by eight points or less. Thirty-nine of the 45 lost half or more of their defeats by one score (eight points or less). The three games New England lost this year were all by eight points or less. Of the seven games the Giants lost, only three were by eight points or less.
15. Point differential rank. Thirty-eight of the 45 ranked in the Top 3 in point differential in the regular season. New England ranked third in the 2011 regular season, the Giants ranked 17th. Only one team has ranked outside the Top 10 in point differential and won the Super Bowl: the New York Giants of 2007 ranked 13th in point differential when they won the Super Bowl later that year.
10 stat factors that could influence the Packers-Giants playoff game
Could Ryan Grant be a key to a Packers win on Sunday? Image via Wikipedia
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday with a bonus “SIX STATS…” posting every Friday.
Here’s a look at some stats that may (or may not) have an affect on Sunday’s Packers–Giants playoff game. Of the four playoff games this weekend, it appears that the Packers-Giants game is the one that most pundits feel could go either way. Which of the following stats may contribute to a Green Bay win… or a New York win? We’ll know Sunday night! (These are listed in no particular order.)
Ryan Grant. In his career, the Packers running back has 12 100-yard games. The Packers are 10-2 in those games. In games where his per-carry average was 5.0 or more, the Packers are 15-4 in his career. In three of his last four games, Grant averaged 5.5 yards per carry or more in the game. Grant has played in three playoff games, gaining 294 yards on 51 carries, a 5.8 average.
The Giants running game in 2011. The Giants averaged 99.7 yards per game in their nine wins; only 75.7 yards per game in their seven losses. They gained 100 or more yards in seven of their nine wins; in only one loss did they gain 100 or more yards on the ground. They gained 172 yards in their playoff win against the Falcons last weekend.
The kickers this season. New York’s Lawrence Tynes was successful on 19 of 24 field goal attempts in the regular season; Green Bay’s Mason Crosby made 24 of 28 field goals. On kicks of 30 yards or more, Tynes was seven of 12, Crosby was 19 of 22.
The kick returners this season. The Giants averaged 6.1 yards per punt return and 23.3 yards per kickoff return. Green Bay averaged 10.9 yards per punt return and 24.5 yards per kickoff return. Green Bay’s Randall Cobb averaged 11.3 yards per punt return and 27.7 yards per kickoff return. Cobb returned both a punt and kickoff for a TD this season; the Giants did not return a kick for a TD.
Turnovers in 2011. In their nine wins, the Giants only turned the ball over seven times; in their seven losses, they turned the ball over 17 times. The Giants “D” forced 20 turnovers in their nine wins, only 11 turnovers in their seven losses. The only game in which the Packers defense did not force a turnover was their only loss of the season to Kansas City. The Packers “D” forced more turnovers at home, 20, than on the road, 18.
Turnovers in the series. The Packers turned the ball over 43 times in their 22 games against the Giants since 1967. In their 14 wins against New York, the Packers turned the ball over 16 times (an average of 1.1 turnovers per game); in their eight losses, the Packers turned the ball over 27 times (an average of 3.4 turnovers per game). In 12 of the 14 wins, the Packers had fewer turnovers than the Giants. The Giants have 56 turnovers in their 22 games vs. the Pack. In their eight wins, the Giants had only 13 turnovers (and average of 1.6 per game). In their 14 losses, they had 45 turnovers (an average of 3.2 turnovers per game).
Sunday games. The Packers have won 13 of the 18 games against the Giants played on Sundays. The Giants are 3-1 in games played against the Packers on non-Sundays.
The last eight match-ups between the two teams. The Packers have won six of the last eight games between the two teams. New York’s wins were the playoff game on January 20, 2008 and an October, 2004 contest.
Close games in 2011. The Giants had five wins by four points or less in 2011. The Packers had six wins of nine points or less this season.
Rodgers vs. Manning. Will the quarterback that has the better game lead his team to victory? Here’s a handful of stats on these two QBs that may determine the outcome on Sunday.
* Manning had 11 TDs and 12 interceptions in the Giants seven losses; he had 18 TDs and only four “picks” in their nine wins. Rodgers had 24 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in eight games at Lambeau Field.
* Rodgers is 4-1 in playoff starts and a 112.6 passer rating in those games. Manning is 5-3 in playoff starts with an 84.9 passer rating in those games. In his five playoff wins, Manning’s passer rating was 117.1, 132.4, 72.0, 87.3 and 129.3 In his three playoff losses, 35.0, 85.6 and 40.7
* Rodgers and Manning have faced each other two times, the Packers winning both games. Manning had five TDs and five interceptions in those two games; Rodgers had eight touchdowns and one interception.
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