Passer rating Information & Passer rating Links at HealthHaven.com

Passer rating (known as passing efficiency or pass efficiency in NCAA football) is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football. Passer rating is calculated using each quarterback's completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdowns and interceptions.

[edit] CFL and NFL

The NFL's current passer rating (also known as quarterback rating) system was conceived by Pro Football Hall of Fame's retired vice president Don Smith in 1973. The system is a sliding scale design, where outstanding performances meet diminishing returns faster than sub-par ones. The best passer rating that a quarterback can obtain is 158.3, while the worst is zero. The architects of the passer rating had 66.6 in mind as the "average" score, but as styles of play have changed, so have average passer ratings. The cumulative league-wide average passer rating for the years 2000 through 2003, all inclusive, was 78.9 (the figure is typically rounded to the nearest 1/10 of a point); however in 2004 the league average was 82.8. In 2007, the average was 83.5. Passer rating has been applied to all seasons.

[edit] Calculation

Passer rating is determined by four statistical components, each of which is computed as a number between zero and 2.375. The benchmarks for these statistics are based on historical averages. If any of the raw components are beyond the limits of zero or 2.375, the component is set to limiting value of zero or 2.375 as the case may be.

The component for completion percentage, C, is calculated as: ${{{COMP \over ATT} \times 100 - 30} \over 20}$

The component for yards per attempt, Y, is calculated as: $\left( { YDS \over ATT } - 3 \right) \times { 1 \over 4 }$

The component for touchdowns per attempt, T, is calculated as: ${ TD \over ATT }\times 20$

The component for interceptions per attempt, I, is calculated as: $2.375 - \left( { INT \over ATT } \times 25 \right)$

The four components are then added, divided by 6, and multiplied by 100. Thus, the formula for passer rating can be given as:

${(C + Y + T + I) \over 6}\times 100$ .

The Canadian Football League uses the same formula as the NFL. [1]

[edit] Alternative calculation method

The sum C + Y + T + I can be rewritten as:

${ {1 \over 20} \times \left( {{COMP \over ATT} \times 100 - 30} \right) + \left( { YDS \over ATT } - 3 \right) \times { 1 \over 4 } + { TD \over ATT }\times 20 + \left( {19 \over 8} - \left( { INT \over ATT } \times 25 \right) \right) }$

${= { \left( {5 \times {COMP \over ATT} - {3 \over 2}} \right) } + \left( { 1 \over 4 } \times { YDS \over ATT } - {3 \over 4} \right) + 20 \times { TD \over ATT } + \left( {19 \over 8} - \left( 25 \times { INT \over ATT } \right) \right) }$

${= { {\left( 5 \times COMP \right) + \left( {YDS \over 4} \right) + \left( 20 \times TD \right) - \left( 25 \times INT \right) } \over ATT} + {1 \over 8} }$

${= { {COMP + \left( {YDS \over 20} \right) + \left( 4 \times TD \right) - \left( 5 \times INT \right) } \over ATT} \times 5 + {1 \over 8} }$

Multiplying this by 100/6 gives a final rating of:

${= { {COMP + \left( {YDS \over 20} \right) + \left( 4 \times TD \right) - \left( 5 \times INT \right) } \over ATT} \times {250 \over 3} + {25 \over 12} }$

In other words, this is a modified completion percentage, counting every 20 yards as one completion, each touchdown as four completions, and each interception as -5 completions.

Note that there are "caps" as to the values used for completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions, in order to keep the values within the 0 to 2.375 ranges in the original formula:

Completions are limited to at least 30% of attempts and at most 77.5% of attempts

Yards are limited to at least 3 yards per attempt and at most 12.5 yards per attempt

Touchdowns are limited to at most 11.875% of attempts (no fewer than 160/19, or 8.421, attempts per TD)

Interceptions are limited to at most 9.5% of attempts (no fewer than 200/19, or 10.526, attempts per interception)

[edit] Perfect and Zero NFL passer ratings

Since each component of passer rating can be at most 2.375, the maximum passer rating is

${4 \times 2.375 \over 6}\times 100 = 158.3$ .

A perfect passer rating therefore comprises all of the following:

a completion percentage of at least 77.5%: $2.375 \times 20 + 30 = 77.5$

at least 12.5 yards per attempt: $2.375 \times 4 + 3 = 12.5$

at least 0.11875 touchdowns per attempt, or at most 8.42 attempts per touchdown: ${2.375 \over 20} = 0.11875$

and zero interceptions: ${ATT \times (2.375 - 2.375) \over 25} = 0$

A zero passer rating comprises all of the following:

a completion percentage of at most 30%: $0 \times 20 + 30 = 30$

3 yards per attempt or less: $0 \times 4 + 3 = 3$

zero touchdowns: ${0 \over 20} = 0$

at least 9.5 percent interceptions: ${ATT \times (2.375 - 0) \over 25} = 0.095$

A passer who does not throw an interception has a minimum rating of 39.6.

[edit] NCAA

Passer rating, known formally in college football as passing efficiency or pass efficiency, is based on player performances. The NCAA passing efficiency formula is far simpler[2] than the NFL formula, as it lacks limits on the four components:

${(8.4 \times YDS) + (330 \times TD) + (100 \times COMP) - (200 \times INT) \over ATT}$

The NCAA passer rating has an upper limit of 1,261.6 (every attempt is a 99-yard completion for touchdown), and a lower limit of -731.6 (every attempt is completed, but results in a 99-yard loss). A passer who throws only interceptions will have a -200 rating, as would a passer who only throws completed passes losing an average of 35 $\tfrac{5}{7}$ yards.

[edit] Records

[edit] CFL

In CFL football Dave Dickenson of the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions has produced some of the highest professional passing efficiency numbers. Although limited by injuries in 2005, he set two regular season records with a 74 percent completion percentage and an efficiency rating of 118.8. His numbers for the year were: 253-of-342, 3,338 yards, 74% completion rate, 21 touchdowns, five interceptions.

[edit] NFL

Steve Young currently holds the NFL record for the highest career passer rating for any player with at least 1500 attempts with a mark of 96.8. The highest passer rating for a complete season is 121.1 set by Peyton Manning in 2004. Also in 2004, rookie Ben Roethlisberger posted a mark of 98.1, setting a record for first-year passers. There have been 34 quarterbacks to complete a game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 (and only six to have accomplished this more than once).

[edit] NCAA

In NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly division I-A), the career record for passing efficiency is held by Ryan Dinwiddie of Boise State, who had a career mark of 168.9 between 2000 and 2003. The single-season record belongs to Colt Brennan of Hawaii, who amassed a passer rating of 186.0 over the 2006 season, while the freshman record belongs to Michael Vick of Virginia Tech, whose rating during the 1999 season was 180.4. Current NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision passing efficiency ratings can be found here.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links and references

Contents

[edit] CFL and NFL

[edit] Calculation

[edit] Alternative calculation method

[edit] Perfect and Zero NFL passer ratings

[edit] NCAA

[edit] Records

[edit] CFL

[edit] NFL

[edit] NCAA

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links and references