Charles Woodson 1997 vs. Eric Berry 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Last night Eric Berry got screwed out of the Thorpe Award. Which left me wondering how his stats compared to Charles Woodson's stats from 1997--aka the year that Peyton Manning got screwed by ESPN. Let's check out the numbers.
In 1997 Woodson had 8 interceptions that he returned for a grand total of 7 yards (with no touchdowns), 47 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. On offense and special teams he had 12 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns, and 36 punt returns (for an average of 8.1 yards) with 1 returned for a touchdown. Here are the stats for your own perusal.
In 2008 Eric Berry had 72 tackles, 8.5 of those were tackles for a loss, 3 were sacks. He had 7 interceptions which he returned for a total of 265 yards, and two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns. On offense Berry rushed 7 times for 37 yards and had 1 catch for 3 yards. He returned no punts and just one kickoff. Here are Berry's stats.
So comparing these two performances, Woodson had one more total touchdown than Berry, one more interception, and returned punts--one of which went for a touchdown. Berry finished with 25 more tackles, 3.5 more tackles for a loss, 2 more sacks, and, most significantly 258 more return yards on those interceptions. So even if you add in the receiving yardage that Woodson had in 2007 (238 total yards), Berry still outgained Woodson by 20 yards simply by returning his picks. Plus, and this may or may not be key, Berry is a sophomore and Woodson was a junior in these respective seasons.
Now, the only real distinguishing factor is the punt returns. Woodson returned 36 for an average of 8.1 yards with a single touchdown. Which, to be honest, is not that impressive. Don't believe me? Gerald Jones averaged 10.0 yards per punt return for the Vols this year. Do we really believe that if Berry had returned 36 punts he would have done any worse than Woodson? I don't.
So statistically these two seasons are a wash. Berry was every bit the player in 2008that Woodson was in 1997. Michigan fans may argue that Woodson's team was better, and this is indisputable, Michigan won the co-national title in 1997. But was Michigan's defense actually better? Because otherwise you're rewarding Woodson for Michigan's offense of which he had but limited participation. Tennessee's defense finished ranked 4th in the nation in total defense. Where was Michigan in 1997? I can't find it online. But even if Michigan had the best defense in the country the fungible difference between 1 and 4 is inconsequential.
Conclusion: Charles Woodson's 1997 season was no better than Eric Berry's 2008 season.
So at the very least Berry was invited to New York for the ceremony, right?
Of course not. Labels: charles woodson vs. eric berry comparison 1997 vs. 2008
Posted by Clay Travis at 12:36 PM
3 comments
 
Permalink
Digg this Post
Email this Post
Previous Posts
Archives
| |
Travis has become enamored of several objects, phrases or events which he frequenly references in the column. Among the most frequent:
'Bama Bangs - a term coined by Travis to refer to southern men's hairstyles that feature prominent bangs for no apparent reason. Brodie Croyle and John Parker Wilson are oft-cited violators of 'Bama Bangs rules.
Read More...
When Clay Travis, acclaimed author of Dixieland Delight, decided to spend the 2008 season up close and personal with UT football, he—and every other college football aficionado—thought he was in for a rollicking ride with one of the leading contenders for the national title. After all, when the Vols kicked off the season on September 1, the defending SEC East champions were ranked 18th in the country. As head coach Phillip Fulmer prepared for the game, he reflected upon a coaching career that included an astounding 147 victories, two SEC championships, and a national title. With 34 years at UT under his belt as both a player and coach, the Tennessee native had just signed a contract extension that projected to keep him at the university long enough to become the winningest coach in program history.
Read More...
There is no college ball more passionate and competitive than football in the Southeastern Conference, where seven of the twelve schools boast stadiums bigger than any in the NFL and 6.5 million fans hit the road every year to hoot and holler their teams to victory.
Read More...
The newly favored man is not really a man at all, but a hairless, effeminate, germ-fearing, non-meat-eating, exfoliating, wristband-wearing woman of the worst order. We as men are told that we must embrace the sacred feminine in ourselves, even if it doesn't actually exist, and become the very quintessence of woman, plus penises. This situation is untenable. This trend must stop.
Read More...
Clay Travis is the only former student manager in the history of college athletics to marry an NFL cheerleader. He managed to pull this off despite an irrational affinity for the television shows Dawson's Creek and My Super Sweet 16. While being raised in Nashville, Tenn., Travis developed a healthy obsession with college sports and Alyssa Milano. As a teenager his greatest accomplishment was taking a doo-rag wearing Luke Duke (balling as Tom Wopat) to the hole at the Nashville YMCA.
In the midst of a stellar legal career during which he specialized in rewarding the unjust and punishing the oppressed, Travis began writing for CBS Sports's SPiN section in September 2005...
Read More...
|
