Yards per carry without context

[nathanq42]

People that live and die by ypc. Tell he how amazing AP did tonight. 10.9 yards per carry. Must be crazy effective and efficient.

[Bot101]

Ha. And take away that 90 yard run you get 9 carries for 8 yards. Ouch.

[PR0v3]

I mean, a 90 yard run is a huge boost to the performance of the team and counts for a lot. Would you be happier with his performance if that drive they fed him 14 straight times for 6.4 yards a pop instead? Then his line would be 20 for 98 except hed have wasted 10 minutes of clock in a game they needed more time. You wouldn’t have made this thread if that happened that’s for sure.

[nathanq42]

I wouldn't have made this thread because he would have been consistently effective throughout the night. Picking up a first down every two plays assuming he actually got 6.4 yards every carry? Yeah that would be awesome, and probably would have helped them sustain drives and March down the field to greater success. But some people bring up ypc to make their argument. Without seeing how effective each play was it means nothing imo. If it was Kapri bibs with 9 for 98 with a 90 yard run no one would bat an eye. But some guys that rely on big plays to sustain their all important ypc get a pass because no one can watch every carry. And people make a big deal between a high 3.something ypc vs a mid to low 4.something ypc... It's literally a foot and a bit difference... People used to bleep in their pants because Melvin Gordon never cracked 4 ypc. But through his first 3 years it was 3.5, 3.9, 3.9... super inefficient right? Fournette through 1 and 3/4 of a season is at 3.9 and 3.5 but no one says anything about Fournette being an inefficient volume dependent RB and I don't think he is, but the same was said about mg3. Point being. Ypc without context isn't terribly useful

[Jigga94]

I agree with OPs point here. It's tough to JUST look at YPC to judge a back. Has a lot to do with the line and defense they're playing and everything to do with long runs and volume.

If someone has 10 carries for 100 it can be misleading. Wheras if someone finished the season with 4+ YPC on 400 carries, it's safe to say they are efficient.

The ding on 100 yards with 90 on one play can mean that a back is big play dependent and not consistent week to week. The only reason we aren't discussing last night more is because it's AP and not Penny or Chubb

Whereas if you look at Gus Edwards right now, it seems every play is a 5-8 yard gain. Terrible skillset and average RB in my eyes, but people are infatuated with him due to his efficiency right now