Weather Effects in Football

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Does anyone here have some insight or data into how weather affects a football game? I'm specifically curious about soggy conditions and rain versus dry conditions.

Obviously, there's a ton of "conventional wisdom" out there, but it seems like the conventional wisdom is wrong a little more often than it's right.

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fwiw, Belichick was just talking about this on the radio. he said on balance a sloppy field helps the passing game b/c it's so hard to get a pass rush. the downside is the ball handling is harder

he mentioned that in the Snow Bowl game, which was played in a complete blizzard, they were in shotgun for much of the time.

I looked, and Brady was 32/52 for 312 yards, which were very big #'s for that year. attempts, completions, and yards were all Brady's 2nd highest of the year.

with so few grass fields actually left, it seems like this is less of a factor now

[grando]

this article is the epitome of unsubstantiated conclusions

(nit: do people actually write A.F.C. instead of AFC?)

[VarlosZ]

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this article is the epitome of unsubstantiated conclusions

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My own research (read: gambling system spreadsheet), using completely different methodology, confirms the article's conclusion that dome/warm weather teams have a harder time in the cold.

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(nit: do people actually write A.F.C. instead of AFC?)

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The NY Times style guide does, I'm sure. They also use Mr., Mrs., etc., whereas almost every other U.S. paper just gives the last name unadorned. I find their formality to be pleasingly civilized.

[VarlosZ]

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fwiw, Belichick was just talking about this on the radio. he said on balance a sloppy field helps the passing game b/c it's so hard to get a pass rush. the downside is the ball handling is harder

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I've also heard it said that a sloppy field helps WRs get open, since they know when and where they're going to make their cuts, and can therefore better prepare for the difficult change of direction than the defensive back. Sounds reasonable enough, but might be total bunk for all I know.

[Jack of Arcades]

Yeah, that does sound good, but how often have we seen QBs simply not be able to grip the ball, or wrs not be able to catch it?

[VarlosZ]

Right, in spite of all these advantages that allegedly accrue to the offense on a sloppy field, bad weather games sure do seem to be low scoring.