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Since we have hit the slowest part of the offseason -- there is literally nothing going on -- I will finally begin a series I have been meaning to over the last couple of weeks.
Since Pro Football Focus has been running a series on all quarterbacks and breaking down stats, I thought I would use that to give you the numbers of Palmer alone.
So today will be the numbers based on the down it was in 2013.
1st down:
Palmer dropped back to pass 231 times on first down. He was sacked 17 times (of the 41 times he was sacked). He scambled once.
His numbers: 140/213 for 1741 yards (65.7 percent complete), eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. 754 of those yards came after the catch. His yards per attempt was a solid 8.2. His QB rating on first down was 87.8.
The average distance of his throw was 10.8 yards past the line of scrimmage. That's actually pretty high. The only guys to attempt deeper throws on first down? Michael Vick, Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon, Jay Cutler and Jake Locker.
His dropback was an average of 7.3 yards
2nd down:
He dropped pack 201 times on second down, scrambling once and getting sacked nine times.
His throwing stats: 127/191 (66.5 percent complete) for 1299 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. His QB rating was 85.4 and yards per attempt was 6.8.
He dropped back an average of 7.2 yards on those throws and threw the ball on average 8.6 yards past the line of scrimmage.
3rd down:
Palmer dropped back 181 times on third down. He was sacked 15 times and scrambled three times.
He was 94/163 (only 57.7 percent complete) for 1233 yards, nine scores and nine picks. He averaged 7.6 yards per attempt and his throws averaged 9.8 yards past the line of scrimmage. His QB rating was 77.1.
His dropbacks were an average of 8.1 yards.
4th down:
He dropped back five times on fourth and was sacked one. He was 1/4 for one yard and one touchdown. Obviously, the yards per attempt will be low, but he averaged 9.5 yards of distance on those four throws.
He dropped back an average of 7.8 yards.
Commentary:
You can see that his numbers are pretty even on all downs except fourth down, which is a pressure down.
On all of the downs, you can see the Bruce Arians philosophy -- push the ball down the field. He averages a five-step drop on all downs and his yards per attempt was solid. Plus, on average, his throws are down the field. His shortest per throw average was on second down, where his throws went 8.6 yards past the line of scrimmage on average.
Based on these numbers, you can also tell that the team was more likely to take a shot down the field on first down, which makes sense because if the play fails, you still have two downs to get the first down.
But when it comes to production, like Palmer's demeanor, it is very even. He is not significantly better on any particular down, although he completed a lower percentage on third down.
He was not, by down, a clutch thrower, but he wasn't "unclutch." There was nothing about the down that made him better or worse.
Like much of his career, he has been consistent -- something an above-average quarterback is.
Do you find any hidden meaning in these numbers or are there any other takeaways?
Discuss it in the comments.
