Author Archives: kevinmeers

Debunking the Trap Game and Letdown Game Myths

Posted on November 22, 2012 by kevinmeers

Yesterday, Aaron Schatz issued a challenge to his readership to prove the existence of a “trap game” or a “letdown game”. Both terms are thrown around in the media for almost every sport all the time, but I have not … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | 22 Comments

Why Any NFL GM Who Reads Bleacher Report Should Be Fired: A Response to “Why Any NFL GM Who Uses the Harvard NFL Pick Value Chart Should Be Fired”

Posted on May 29, 2012 by kevinmeers

In April, a writer for the Bleacher Report (BR) attempted to critique a new pick value chart for the NFL draft that I created and that HSAC published. There are many legitimate criticisms of my work in that article that … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Don’t Trade Up in the NFL Draft

Posted on April 25, 2012 by kevinmeers

As the draft looms tomorrow night, NFL teams are (hopefully) finalizing their draft boards and trying to make plans for every conceivable contingency. Whether or not they want to trade, and in which direction, is surely one of those considerations. … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Optimizing Draft Strategies in Fantasy Football: Abstract

Posted on April 13, 2012 by kevinmeers

This is the abstract from the paper “Optimizing Draft Strategies in Fantasy Football” by Papa Chakravarthy. Please find the full text here. Data was collected from ESPN.com and Pro Football Reference to determine a conditionally optimal auction draft strategy contingent on correct … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy Sports, Papers | 1 Comment

Salary Allocation and Risk Preferences in the NFL: Abstract

Posted on April 11, 2012 by kevinmeers

This is the abstract from the paper “Salary Allocation and Risk Preferences in the National Football League: The Implications of Salary Allocation in Understanding the Preferences of NFL Owners” by Papa Chakravarthy. Please find the full text here. The study of risk … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, NFL Football, Papers | Leave a comment

Brandon Morrow’s Supposed Struggles From the Stretch

Posted on April 10, 2012 by kevinmeers

Please follow this link to read HSAC contributor Sam Waters’s analysis of Brandon Morrow at http://www.baseballanalytics.org. Quick preview: Heading into this year, many still view Morrow as a breakout candidate, but the narrative has changed a little. No one has … Continue reading →

Posted in MLB Baseball | Leave a comment

Follow Up: Redskins Trade for RGIII

Posted on March 12, 2012 by kevinmeers

After I posted my analysis of the Redskins’ trade for Robert Griffin III, a few readers asked how good Robert Griffin III would have to be if the Washington Redskins more properly valued their future draft picks. In my previous … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Evaluating the Redskins Trade for Robert Griffin III

Posted on March 10, 2012 by kevinmeers

On Friday night, reports emerged that the Washington Redskins had agreed to give the St. Louis Rams their first and second round picks this year, along with their 2013 and 2014 first round picks in exchange for the second overall … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 60 Comments

Does the NFL Combine Matter: Defense

Posted on February 28, 2012 by kevinmeers

Like yesterday’s post, this study examines the predictive value of some of the measurements taken at the NFL combine: height, weight, 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, cone drill, bench press repetitions, vertical leap, and broad jump. I used these metrics to … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Does the NFL Combine Matter: Offense

Posted on February 27, 2012 by kevinmeers

[Update: For defense, click here] With the National Football League combine starting, people are sure to get excited about the players that run the fastest 40-yard dash times, bench the most, and put up numbers that match the “physical specimen” … Continue reading →

Posted in NFL Football | Tagged , , | 29 Comments