Meet Our NFL Charting Team
Charters that work for Armchair Analysis.com are not just casual fans or college interns — they are a mix of data scientists and fantasy football pro's who know the game inside-and-out.
They also have one important thing in common: they are all partners in the business and each and every one uses the data that we collect for their own endeavors. They have a vested interest in maintaining data quality and a desire to continually push the program forward with the addition of new metrics each season.
Meet Our Custom NFL Play by Play Stats
For the 2020 season, we are charting 53 custom play-by-play stats for every passing and rushing play, all ready for download within 6 days after each game.
Download a Sample of 2019 Data (Weeks 1 and 2)
What's New in 2020
Another 19 stats have been added which will allow you to analyze teams and players like never before
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Extra men on the Line (XLM)
Number of players lined up on either side of the Offensive Tackles — usually a Tight-end.
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Pre-snap Motion (PSMOT)
Pre Snap Motion (0 - No, 1 - Yes).
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Number of DB's in the box (BOXDB)
Provides extra detail beyond the total number of players listed under 'BOX'
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Trick Play (TRICK)
Fake punts, double passes, flea flickers, wildcats etc (0 - No, 1 - Yes).
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QB Run (QBRU)
A designed running play for the QB. These are only marked on runs by a natural QB where he lined up as a QB. Also, sneaks and kneel-downs are not counted.
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QB Sneak (SNEAK)
Quarterback dives ahead directly off the snap for short-yardage. A high percentage conversion but these plays also open up QB's for some physical abuse.
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QB Scramble (SCRM)
Play design is initially a pass but QB elects to run based on pressure; a lack of open receivers, or, simply seeing an opportunity to make positive yardage running himself.
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Time to Scramble (TTSCRM)
Seconds elapsed between the snap and when the QB scrambles.
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Out of Pocket Pass Details (OOPD)
This field helps to expand on why an OOP occurred. When OOP is '1', this field will have a value of 'D' (by Design), 'P' (due to Pressure) or 'C' (QB decided on his own to leave a Clean pocket).
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Physical Ball (PHYB)
Pass target takes significant punishment whether the pass is caught or not. Most 'Contested Balls' will also be a 'Physical Ball'.
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Catchable Ball (CBALL)
This field can have 5 different values.
● BODY: Pass was generally in the region between the players head and thighs.
● HIGH: Pass was at or above the crown of the players helmet.
● LOW: Pass was in the mid-thigh to mid-shin area.
● LEAD: Pass was out in front of a target running across the field.
● TRLG: Pass was trailing/behind a target running across the field. -
Uncatchable Ball (UBALL)
This field can have 11 different values.
● TIP: Pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
● BAT: Pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage.
● AWAY: Ball was thrown away.
● SPK: Ball was spiked.
● MCOM: Miscommunication between QB and target.
● HIGH: Pass was at or above the crown of the players helmet.
● LOW: Pass was at or below players mid-shin area.
● LEAD: Pass was out in front of a target running across the field.
● TRLG: Pass was trailing/behind a target running across the field.
● FELL: Target fell down prior to the ball arriving.
● BRK: Pass was broken up by a defender. -
Avoided Sack (AVSCK)
QB escapes the grasp of a defender in the pocket (can be more than 1).
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First Read (FREAD)
QB passes to the initial receiver he looks at after the snap (0 - No, 1- Yes).
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Pain Free Play (PFP)
Analyze which players are escaping long-term damage. These are cases where the ball carrier is only lightly touched by a defender on the field (ie QB slide) or runs out of bounds with little or no physical contact with the defender or sideline personnel/equipment. Includes TD's.
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Time to Pressure (TTPR)
Seconds elapsed between the snap and when the QB starts to feel pressure.
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Yards Trucking (YTRU)
Number of Yards gained with one or more tacklers grasping onto the receiver or ball carrier.
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Coverage Distance to Defender #1 (COVDIS1)
Distance in Yards to the closest defender at the time the ball reaches the pass target.
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Coverage Distance to Defender #2 (COVDIS2)
Distance in Yards to the 2nd closest defender at the time the ball reaches the pass target.
The Rest of the Line-up from 2019
Number of Players in the Backfield
BACK
This is the number of skill players (WR + TE + RB) that lined up in the backfield on the play.
Men In The Box
BOX
Is the offense facing the typical 'front 7' or are there some extra defenders looking to stuff the run? We chart this on both passing and rushing plays.
Play Action Pass
PAP
Play starts with what appears to be a running play, but turns out to be a pass play. We don't consider whether a defense was fooled or not, just that a QB motioned to the RB with the ball and some effort to sell the run occurred.
QB Pressure
QBP
A Pressure is marked on a play where the pocket is breached and the QB is near the breach. Note: Most screen passes don't qualify and the QB also can't already be in the act of passing.
QB Hit
QBHI
QB was brought to the ground or otherwise significantly man-handled. Almost all sacks are hits but hits can also occur after the ball has left. On rare occasions, hits happen without pressure but they usually go hand-in-hand.
QB Hurry
QBHU
A heavier form of pressure that essentially breaks a play. The QB is either forced to leave the pocket and improvise or throws the ball sooner than planned.
Hindered Throwing Motion
HTM
The Quarterbacks throwing motion was hindered in some way by a defender.
Number of Pass Rushers
PRU
Total number of players rushing the passer.
Number of Blitzers
BLZ
Total number of LB's and DB's blitzing.
Number of DB's Blitzing
DBLZ
Number of DB's blitzing. This is included in the BLZ total.
Number of Stunt Pass Rushers
SPRU
These are the number blitzing LB's who replace a DL dropping back into coverage. Included in the PRU total.
Out of Pocket Pass
OOP
Quarterback attempts the pass out of the pocket whether pressured or not.
Available Targets
AVT
Number of skill players (WR-TE-RB) running a route on the play. AVT does not determine whether the target was open or not.
Depth of Target Rank
DOTR
The rank of pass targets according to distance in yards from the QB. #1 is closest to the QB. Targets are ranked at the point the ball is closest to the receiver.
Coverage On Target
COV
Coverage on the targeted receiver: Uncovered is 0, single coverage is 1, double is 2.
Contested Ball
CNB
Passes into close coverage that involve a physical battle between receiver and defender for control of the ball.
Shovel/Touch Pass
SHOV
Passes where the QB palms the football, and "shovels" the pass directly forward to the receiver, usually with a backhand, underhand, or pushing motion.
Sideline Pass
SIDE
Balls outside of the field but catchable when the receiver extends body/arms.
Highlight Pass
HIGH
A perfect pass that only the receiver can reach. Features perfect placement in a tight window.
Created Reception
CRR
Opposite of a drop. Here the QB is being helped by a receiver making a difficult catch requiring exceptional body control; hands; acrobatics, or any combination thereof.
INT Worthy Pass
INTW
Essentially a 'bad pass'. An INTW is not always an INT, perhaps the defender muffs the opportunity. Also, not every INT is a INTW. One example would be a catchable ball bouncing off a receivers chest and into the hands of a defender.
Dropped Pass
DRP
Which QB's are being let down by their receiving core? A dropped pass is a ball that would have been caught by a receiver with league-average skills.
Screen Pass
SCRE
Screens come in many forms. A screen to a running back to either the strong or short side of the field in the flats is often just called a screen. Screens to wide receivers come in four forms: the bubble, middle, slot, and slip.
Missed/Broken Tackles
MBT
The ball carrier either escapes from the grasp of an unblocked defender, or the defender is in good position for a tackle but the ball carrier makes an athletic move (aka juke) to avoid the tackle.
Time To Sack
TTSK
We go beyond basic sack stats to find the exact number of seconds that elapsed from the time of the snap to when the sack occurred.
True Air Yards
TAY
Distance ball travels in the air from point of throw to a receivers hands; back of endzone or sideline.
Depth of Target (Yards)
DOT
Distance from the line of scrimmage to where the ball is caught or comes closest to the target.
Yards After Catch
YAC
The best receivers are thinking beyond the catch and what they need to do to extend the yardage.
Yards After Contact
YACO
Contact can be significant but also more minor in nature. We track this for both rushers and pass catchers.
Defenders on QB Pressure, Hurries, Hits
DEFPR, DEFHU, DEFHI
Player codes for defenders involved in Pressures, Hurries and Hits. Pressures and Hurries may list DEFxx1 and DEFxx2.
Have an idea for something you would like to see in the list?
Drop us a line via the contact form and we will see what we can do.