Why the obsession with offseason stats makes no sense

I imagine for some that the fascination with sports statistics began as a child collecting cards. Baseball, in particular, tracks so many metrics that the science of analytics changed the game.

However, in football, we’re always looking for the next big thing to sink our teeth into. With a 17-game season, there’s not enough to occupy our attention from the end of one season to the next. That’s how free agency, the NFL Draft, and even the schedule release has become milestone events.

The first practices of the season also build anticipation for fans waiting to see if their team is a contender or pretender. For some, we understand that OTAs, minicamps, training camp, and even preseason exhibition games should be taken lightly. However, there’s a growing concern with how some observe and report on (keyword here) practice.

That concern should be the pressure placed on young athletes in a space where they are trying to improve their craft. Such is what I saw on social media the other day: be it true or not, a random X user posted Pittsburgh Steelers sixth round rookie quarterback Will Howard’s passing stats.

There is several reasons why this should be borderline disturbing, the least of which is how a nearly anonymous username got into closed, or highly guarded, offseason workouts. Then they took it upon themselves to track pass attempts and completions, then post it on X.

It’s deplorable from a journalistic viewpoint, but it should be from a fan’s perspective too. Even though we’re salivating for content – anything that can whet our appetites for the upcoming season – that information should be private. As mentioned, these are young athletes under pressure, but it’s also an area of respect where office staff, coaching staff, players, other personnel and the media live in harmony within the football community.

Break that trust, and you’re likely out. And if you’re out, then you’re grasping at straws to make comments, which ruins credibility or creates false narratives.

We see this all of the time during the season, particularly with some former players – some disconnected from team activities for years – spouting off about old coaches or teammates. In our kneejerk reaction world of news reporting, some of these stories are taken as gospel and held in high regard, damaging psyches and reputations.

I’ll never forget several years ago when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan fielded a question during a training camp press conference about one of his quarterback’s passing stats. Shanahan’s snarky remark fit my sentiment as well: are we tracking practice stats now?

Think of how ridiculous that statement sounds and then think about how those stats are collected. Is SocialSteeler1234 on X someone you trust to give a blow-by-blow account of how a rookie quarterback is performing?

When the Steelers report to Saint Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for training camp, anyone can track anything, at any time. You might think that the X user has an inside scoop at OTAs, but more than likely they were not granted credentials to practices and are gathering second-hand information, at best, or fabricating the numbers entirely.

Why would someone do this? Because they crave the attention that bloodthirsty fans are willing to give them. It also boosts their shares and likes, inflating their self-importance, whether they’re trying to be a reputable member of the Steelers beat or not.

Similarly, what drills or personnel are these stats being tracked during? A popular drill during training camp is “Seven Shots” which sees a near-game goal line situation unfold between the offense and the defense. The offense gets seven opportunities against the defense, but in these situations, we’re not always seeing starters against starters.

Heck, we’re not even seeing players in pads. Still, someone will report that a Mason Rudolph or Will Howard went 1-of-2 with a touchdown over so-and-so, and we’ll gleefully crown the Steelers the next Super Bowl champions. Or something like that, right?

Then there are drills where some players may sit, resting or giving the staff a chance to see a younger player perform in specific situations. During these moments, it’s more important to see how these players react than if someone busted a 50-yard run when there’s no live tackling and the defense stopped pursuing 35 yards earlier.

So as the dog days of summer roll around and random stats start to popup on social media, I implore smart fans to take all of these factors into consideration before crowning the camp phenoms and future Hall of Famers… in June and July.