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Q: I saw your write-up on the long drives and the reference to John Elway and Joe Montana, but I have noticed another NFL phenomenon which I call the "Randall Cunningham" effect: that year Randall was with the Vikings it seemed like every time they got the ball in good field goal position, two plays later he was hitting Moss for a forty-yard touchdown! Which teams/QB's were the best last season when given a head-start to the endzone?
A: We'll define a short drive as one where a team gets the ball at midfield or better field position (eg the team will need to go 50 yards or less to reach the end zone):
OFFENSE
| Team |
Yds per
Play |
Yds per
Drive |
TD % |
FG % |
Punt% |
T/O % |
Points |
| SF |
5.5 |
24 |
56% |
21% |
8% |
0% |
55.3 |
| SD |
4.1 |
22 |
42% |
42% |
0% |
15% |
50.7 |
| STL |
5.2 |
28 |
50% |
21% |
10% |
15% |
49.5 |
| GB |
4.6 |
25 |
45% |
30% |
10% |
0% |
48.5 |
| MIA |
4.2 |
19 |
39% |
34% |
17% |
8% |
45.3 |
| PHI |
4.2 |
19 |
42% |
25% |
17% |
7% |
45.0 |
| NO |
4.0 |
18 |
40% |
29% |
11% |
7% |
44.8 |
| IND |
3.7 |
16 |
30% |
45% |
15% |
5% |
41.4 |
| CLE |
3.6 |
15 |
31% |
37% |
13% |
6% |
39.7 |
| TEN |
4.4 |
21 |
38% |
19% |
19% |
0% |
38.8 |
| BAL |
3.6 |
16 |
32% |
32% |
21% |
7% |
38.5 |
| DET |
2.5 |
16 |
37% |
18% |
18% |
12% |
38.2 |
| DEN |
3.7 |
16 |
32% |
29% |
19% |
9% |
37.5 |
| NYJ |
4.0 |
19 |
31% |
31% |
18% |
9% |
37.5 |
| NE |
3.5 |
14 |
34% |
23% |
15% |
23% |
37.3 |
| PIT |
3.5 |
16 |
38% |
9% |
23% |
19% |
35.4 |
| NYG |
4.2 |
20 |
30% |
26% |
13% |
17% |
34.9 |
| OAK |
4.0 |
17 |
26% |
34% |
13% |
17% |
34.4 |
| BUF |
2.1 |
6 |
33% |
16% |
33% |
16% |
34.0 |
| KC |
2.8 |
12 |
27% |
27% |
5% |
22% |
33.3 |
| ATL |
3.4 |
16 |
23% |
38% |
26% |
3% |
33.2 |
| CAR |
3.7 |
17 |
26% |
30% |
6% |
13% |
33.2 |
| TB |
2.6 |
11 |
25% |
28% |
28% |
11% |
31.8 |
| JAX |
3.5 |
16 |
28% |
20% |
24% |
12% |
30.7 |
| ARI |
3.0 |
16 |
19% |
38% |
19% |
14% |
29.7 |
| SEA |
5.0 |
20 |
23% |
16% |
33% |
6% |
25.6 |
| CHI |
2.2 |
14 |
13% |
37% |
20% |
6% |
25.2 |
| CIN |
2.4 |
12 |
21% |
17% |
21% |
17% |
24.5 |
| MIN |
3.5 |
16 |
11% |
35% |
11% |
23% |
22.5 |
| WAS |
2.1 |
8 |
13% |
30% |
23% |
16% |
22.0 |
| DAL |
2.7 |
12 |
12% |
21% |
37% |
12% |
18.3 |
ANALYSIS: Yowza! Would you believe that Kurt Warner and the Rams weren't quite the best in this department? It was actually the Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens connection that really brought out the chattering teeth amongst defenders when they were in their own half! Flutie managed to call forth some of that Hail Mary college magic, and then Warner and Favre round out the top guns.
It figures as well that some of the teams that struggled in 2001 were unable to fully capitalize on their chances and thus wind up on the bottom of the table above. Interestingly the Bears were again one of the worst offenses (just like in the Long Drives), but they were far and away the best in "short drive defense" incredibly allowing only 5% of drives opponents begun at midfield or better to reach the end zone!
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