Are Interceptions a real bad thing?

[Harmer <Canada>]

Its slow time and I thought I would bring up something that has sort of bothered me a bit about interceptions. We all measure a QBs success and failure by Yards/TDs/Int/fumbles. Just to stir the pot a bit I wanted to voice an opinion that would go against the grain. Namely that Int arent necessarilly a bad thing. Here is my thought process. A QB is backed at his 20 and does a few plays get to the opposing 40and throws an interception which is in let say at the 10 - 20 yard line, is it a bad thing? The alternative would be go 3 and out and punting and potentially reach the 20-30 yard line. With the first scenerio you are tiring the opposing defense with the later your tiring your own defense. So as the game goes on and the score is close the int actually plays into your hand.

I believe that the INT stat is misleading cause it really depends on when and where the INT happens. If the QB is able to make 12 - 18 plays then this keeps your defense on the sidelines resting and keeps the oppposing defense on the field. I just go back to most of the games where we would be pinned deep in our zone and couldnt move the ball and would just end up punting the ball.

Any thoughts?

Please take it easy...its slow and im at work bored!!!

[dmauke]

In my opinion all turnovers are bad... really bad. Bad like Bear dumps on face!

[NoClapsPlease]

an interception is a turnover
a turnover is a loss of possession
a turnover is an opportunity for the other team to score
if you dont have the ball, you can't score points

so dont look at it as an interception, look at it as a turnover, since thats what it is

now title your thread: "are turnovers a real bad thing"

then ask yourself if it is.

[Harmer <Canada>]

an interception is a turnover
a turnover is a loss of possession
a turnover is an opportunity for the other team to score
if you dont have the ball, you can't score points

so dont look at it as an interception, look at it as a turnover, since thats what it is

now title your thread: "are turnovers a real bad thing"

then ask yourself if it is.

I guess watching for the last few years of terrible QB play has given me a mental lapse. But you do see my logic?

[raiderArt]

yes they're a bad thing but I kinda get where you're coming from. Going 3 and out should be considered a turnover IMO. Or the defense should get some kind of "credit" - a new 3 and out stat column. Of course when you have Shane Lechler punting that pretty much negates that great defensive stand anyway.

To answer your question though, IMO you're better off punting and playing defense than having your QB throw an interception. Even those INTs before halftime when you're trying to throw a hail mary with time expiring $uck. And to me it's not really because of the bad stat but because it's a momentum changer. The confidence of a defense tends to grow with turnovers so giving them anything extra isn't a good idea.

[MadBomber24]

INTs not only give the other team the ball they change momentum (the mental state of you and your opponent). Momentum is huge in the game of football. Giving another team momentum is deadly even of that other team isnt close to your teams ability.

I get what your saying but the answer is still yes ! INTs are really really bad. Esspecially when you have a punter capable of unleashing a 60-70 yard punt anytime you are backed up and need to punt. Or when you have a kicker who is capable of hitting 60 yard FGs. There is no positive at all to throwing a pick where as punting can lead to positive things sometimes.

[dezcruel]

an interception is a turnover
a turnover is a loss of possession
a turnover is an opportunity for the other team to score
if you dont have the ball, you can't score points

so dont look at it as an interception, look at it as a turnover, since thats what it is

now title your thread: "are turnovers a real bad thing"

then ask yourself if it is.

lol!! This reminds of that commercial last season(beer I think) where the guy hibernates all off season and when he comes to, his friends kinda have to snap him out of a haze.

[dmauke]

yes they're a bad thing but I kinda get where you're coming from. Going 3 and out should be considered a turnover IMO. Or the defense should get some kind of "credit" - a new 3 and out stat column. Of course when you have Shane Lechler punting that pretty much negates that great defensive stand anyway.

To answer your question though, IMO you're better off punting and playing defense than having your QB throw an interception. Even those INTs before halftime when you're trying to throw a hail mary with time expiring $uck. And to me it's not really because of the bad stat but because it's a momentum changer. The confidence of a defense tends to grow with turnovers so giving them anything extra isn't a good idea.

Yea, throwing an interception on 3rd down is not the same as punting. Your offensive personnel aren't specialists, so turnover coverage is basically a read and react. Football has always been about field position, and in today's NFL it's even more important to make sure offenses start off with the worst field position on each drive as you can force. Turnovers more than not tells the tale of the game, and the team with less more than likely has the higher winning percentage.

[MileHighRaider]

an interception is a turnover
a turnover is a loss of possession
a turnover is an opportunity for the other team to score
if you dont have the ball, you can't score points

so dont look at it as an interception, look at it as a turnover, since thats what it is

now title your thread: "are turnovers a real bad thing"

then ask yourself if it is.

Yeah but I see where the OP is going... we're sitting on the opposing 40-45 yard line. 3rd and 15 (damn Barnes). Palmer drops back and heaves the ball to Moore at the 5. Let's say (making things up here): 25% chance he catches it for a 1st and goal or even touchdown, 25% chance it falls to the ground or out of bounds, 25% chance there's a pass interference (1st and goal again), and 25% chance it's picked inside the 10 likely without a measurable return. Yeah, there are risks involved but...

If it's a pick in this case, you still had a 50% chance of having a huge gain and a first down. And a 25% chance you get the same result as running the ball up the middle. You end up punting anyway. Relatively small chance of an interception, and if it does happen it's probably as good as the punt you end up making anyway (little chance of a significant return).

Put another way, you're using the bomb as a punt with a reasonable chance of retaining the ball and relatively low risk. If you do give up the INT, is that really all that bad?

Now... the majority of Palmer's picks aren't in this category, so I'm just being argumentative... but...

[Raiders Baby!]

Any time you turn the ball over it's a bad thing.


That said, I see your point. In many ways, I'd rather have a QB that throws an int once in a while because he takes calculated risks to move the game forward. For instance, in the SD game week 17 Palmer threw a drive ending pick on third and long when we were trying to get back into the game. It was mostly because Ford slipped, but even if it was a bad throw by Palmer I wouldn't have been too miffed because he had to make something happen. If we didn't get the first, the game was over anyway, same result as him throwing a pick.

Another example: I played QB for my flag football team last year, and one of the turning points in our last game (we lost) was when I threw a costly int in our own redzone. We were down by two scores, time was running out and we were penalized into a 3rd and 20 situation. I threw the ball 20 yards towards the sidelines, but the safety jumped it. I don't regret making that throw. I had to try for something in that situation. And in similar situations, I would hope the Raiders' QB would make the same choice. The int is frustrating, but in some situations you have to forget your reservations and make the throw.

[signal]

The correlation between who wins the turnover battle and who wins the game is strong. Turnovers is one of the strongest indicators of who will win a game. Yes, the OP does make a case that not all interceptions are equally bad. If a team is on third down and twenty and they throw a long bomb that is intercepted - at times it pretty much is the same as if the team punted the ball next down while interceptions that yield touchdowns the other way or interceptions in the red zone are game changers that usually amount to a collective punch in the gut for a team and kills whatever momentum they may have been building.

[raiderArt]

Yea, throwing an interception on 3rd down is not the same as punting. Your offensive personnel aren't specialists, so turnover coverage is basically a read and react. Football has always been about field position, and in today's NFL it's even more important to make sure offenses start off with the worst field position on each drive as you can force. Turnovers more than not tells the tale of the game, and the team with less more than likely has the higher winning percentage.

ah very true. How many times have we seen an O-lineman get blindsided trying to tackle the guy who made the interception? Or a free shot taken on the QB cuz now he's on defense. Too many bad things can happen better to have your specialists out there.

[TonyHighRoller]

C'mon!

[dmauke]

Any time you turn the ball over it's a bad thing.


That said, I see your point. In many ways, I'd rather have a QB that throws an int once in a while because he takes calculated risks to move the game forward. For instance, in the SD game week 17 Palmer threw a drive ending pick on third and long when we were trying to get back into the game. It was mostly because Ford slipped, but even if it was a bad throw by Palmer I wouldn't have been too miffed because he had to make something happen. If we didn't get the first, the game was over anyway, same result as him throwing a pick.

Another example: I played QB for my flag football team last year, and one of the turning points in our last game (we lost) was when I threw a costly int in our own redzone. We were down by two scores, time was running out and we were penalized into a 3rd and 20 situation. I threw the ball 20 yards towards the sidelines, but the safety jumped it. I don't regret making that throw. I had to try for something in that situation. And in similar situations, I would hope the Raiders' QB would make the same choice. The int is frustrating, but in some situations you have to forget your reservations and make the throw.

I throw the ball because I think I can complete it. I never throw it with the thought that an interception is worth the risk. No matter the situation, I never see an interception as a good thing, or worth a throw. Instead of throwing a 20 yard pass to the front down marker thinking it may be intercepted, but that's ok because of the game situation. i'd rather check it down and give a player a better chance to make a play.

[Raidermofojeff]

All great points by the responders thus far.... I would add that any interception caught by an opposing DB cleanly
while on his feet has strong potential to be a long run back or TD....Offensive players are usually not good defenders and tacklers..

I would agree that some interceptions are not as bad as others and that there are proper situations for gambling.

Two of the biggest measuring sticks for quality of QB play are W-L record and TD to int ratio.....I expect my QB to be around 3 to 1.....the standard should be high if you wish for excellence..........