Football coaches always stress how important field position is, but sometimes it’s difficult to quantify what impact good (or bad) field position has in a game. Thanks to Snohomish High head football coach Mark Perry, we can take a closer look.
After his team beat Cascade in Week 1, Perry talked about how excellent field position was crucial in Snohomish’s 27-14 victory. The Panthers’ offense took advantage of several favorable opportunities and they generally made Cascade start deep in its own territory. Perry cited a statistic that says teams that start a drive inside their own 20-yard line score just 3 percent of the time.
Coaches often seem to pull stats like that out of nowhere, but Perry backed up his claim by showing reporters a sheet with the title “How Important is Field Position?” It came in a coaching packet Perry ordered several years ago, and he strongly believes in its message.
According to the sheet, here’s how important field position is in football. When a team starts a drive:
*inside its own 20, it scores 3 percent of the time.
*inside its own 40, it scores 13 percent of the time.
*at the 50, it scores 20 percent of the time.
*inside its foes’ 40, it scores 33 percent of the time.
*inside its foes’ 30, it scores 50 percent of the time.
*inside its foes’ 20, it scores 66 percent of the time.
Based on that information, solid special teams — kickoffs, punts, etc. — are special indeed.
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