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I have calculated the final Total Accuracy rankings for the 2014 NFL season.
As a refresher, this statistic weighs a quarterback's Pro Football Focus Accuracy Percentage (completion percentage's smarter big brother) ranking against his average depth of target (aDOT) ranking. It was borrowed from the PGA Tour's "Total Driving" metric that ranks golfers by the same two stat categories.
The goal with Total Accuracy was to get a clearer picture of how truly accurate a quarterback is relative to how far he throws the football down the field on average. To me, it's "unfair" to look at the low completion or Accuracy percentage of a signal-caller in, say, Bruce Arians' system and call him "less accurate" than a signal-caller operating a West Coast-based offense that prominently features short passing.
Quarterbacks who've taken at least 25% of their respective team's snaps were counted, and aDOT ties are broken by better AP rank.
Accuracy Percentage is counted twice so it "weighs" more than aDOT because a signal-caller's accuracy is more important than simply how far he throws the ball down the field.
Rank | Name | AP Rank | aDOT Rank | AP x 2 | Total Accuracy |
1 | Tony Romo | 10 | 9 | 20 | 29 |
2 | Drew Brees | 1 | 32 | 2 | 34 |
2 | Ben Roethlisberger | 10 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
4 | Philip Rivers | 9 | 17 | 18 | 35 |
4 | Carson Palmer | 12 | 11 | 24 | 35 |
6 | Matt Ryan | 5 | 29 | 10 | 39 |
7 | Teddy Bridgewater | 4 | 34 | 8 | 42 |
7 | Russell Wilson | 6 | 30 | 12 | 42 |
7 | Aaron Rodgers | 8 | 26 | 16 | 42 |
10 | Alex D. Smith | 2 | 39 | 4 | 43 |
11 | Robert Griffin III | 3 | 38 | 6 | 44 |
12 | Ryan Tannehill | 7 | 31 | 14 | 45 |
13 | Kirk Cousins | 15 | 18 | 30 | 48 |
14 | Tom Brady | 13 | 24 | 26 | 50 |
15 | Joe Flacco | 16 | 19 | 32 | 51 |
16 | Andrew Luck | 20 | 12 | 40 | 52 |
17 | Colin Kaepernick | 23 | 10 | 46 | 56 |
18 | Shaun Hill | 17 | 27 | 34 | 61 |
18 | Eli Manning | 24 | 13 | 48 | 61 |
20 | Peyton Manning | 21 | 20 | 42 | 62 |
21 | Jay Cutler | 14 | 35 | 28 | 63 |
22 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 25 | 15 | 50 | 65 |
23 | Austin Davis | 22 | 22 | 44 | 66 |
24 | Nick Foles | 31 | 6 | 62 | 68 |
25 | Charlie Whitehurst | 33 | 4 | 66 | 70 |
26 | Andy Dalton | 19 | 33 | 38 | 71 |
27 | Kyle Orton | 18 | 36 | 36 | 72 |
28 | Josh McCown | 34 | 5 | 68 | 73 |
29 | Mike Glennon | 36 | 2 | 72 | 74 |
30 | Geno Smith | 26 | 23 | 52 | 75 |
31 | Mark Sanchez | 28 | 21 | 56 | 77 |
31 | Jake Locker | 35 | 7 | 70 | 77 |
31 | Drew Stanton | 38 | 1 | 76 | 77 |
34 | Zach Mettenberger | 32 | 16 | 64 | 80 |
35 | Brian Hoyer | 39 | 3 | 78 | 81 |
36 | Matthew Stafford | 27 | 28 | 54 | 82 |
36 | Cam Newton | 37 | 8 | 74 | 82 |
38 | Derek Carr | 30 | 25 | 60 | 85 |
39 | Blake Bortles | 29 | 37 | 58 | 95 |
Russell Wilson analysis: Wilson finishing 7th in Total Accuracy is a testament his under appreciated precision as a passer, especially considering no quarterback was pressured on as high of a percentage of his drop backs in 2014. Though his aDOT was pretty low, anytime you're more accurate than Aaron Rodgers, you're doing something right.
If you want to discuss these rankings further, head to the comment section, or hit me up on Twitter @ChrisTrapasso.