Summary: <br> Charles McDonald of Football Outsiders and SB Nation joins Matt Waldman's RSP podcast to discuss his presentation on stats and film at MIT's Sloan Analytics Conference.<br> If you don't know McDonald (Twitter @FourVerts), he's a frequent guest of the RSP Film Room and writes the <a href="https://www.footballoutsiders.com/author/Charles-McDonald">Four Downs and Futures columns at Football Outsiders</a> and he recently accepted a full-time role at SBNation.<br> <br> This week, McDonald and I discuss his presentation on stats and film that he gave at the <a href="http://www.sloansportsconference.com/">Sloan Analytics Conference:</a><br> <br> * A closer look at how writers should analyze defenders in the box pre-snap.<br> * How the Jaguars, Saints, and Chiefs' ground games thrived and faltered due to the manipulations of box counts and movement.<br> * The Chiefs' debt to Urban Meyer and debunking the analysis that the option game wouldn't work in the NFL.<br> * Why the Bills' offense explosive ground game in 2016 plummeted in 2017 and Tyrod Taylor had little to do with it.<br> * DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) explained.<br> * The Cleveland Browns offensive line and why sack rates can be misleading.<br> * A short tangent on DeShone Kizer and quarterback development.<br> * Matt Ryan's statistical decline is a misleading way to judge the quarterback.<br> * The effect of sack distribution of the Steelers and Jaguars defenses — the top two units in sack rate — and why one unit should have more sustainable success than the other.<br> <br> This is an excellent conversation that reveals the importance of context for analysis of any kind.<br> <br> For analysis of skill players, get the 2018 <a href="http://www.mattwaldman.com/"> Rookie Scouting Portfolio</a>. If you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2018 RSPs at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the <a href="http://www.mattwaldman.com/">Rookie Scouting Portfolio </a>for just $9.95 each.
