ESPN - Fins setting standard in ball protection - AFC East We might break our record for fewest turnovers this year. Good to see.
I like the part which said that the three previous teams with the same amount of turnovers through 12 games, ALL made the playoffs. You can do great things when you don't cough it up. Our turnover differential would be even better had our d-backs not dropped some really easy INT's, but you have to like how we are protecting the ball.
This statistic is a combination of hard work and luck. Credit Pennington for a lack of interceptions. Credit luck for the fact that we've fumbled the ball 11 times, but we've recovered our own fumbles 8 times (link FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Football analysis and NFL stats for the Moneyball era - Authors of Pro Football Prospectus 2008). The ability to recover a fumble is almost completely based on luck. The ball bounces this way, its a turnover. If it bounces the other way, your offense stays on the field.
I think the awareness of all offense players is also a big factor. I regcognized that when one of the ball carriers fumbled every fins-player in the vincinity is going hard for the ball. Especially the Linemen. Not the lazy guys we had in the past who were just standing and watching.
While I have a lot of respect for Football Outsiders, I tend to side the feedback that overseas gave in this thread. Awareness is also a key factor in determining which team recovers the football. Like for example, Chad fumbling the snap and/or exchange but falling on it, or lineman that recover fumbles because they're aware of what's going with the play, or wideouts that fumble while they're going out of bounds, etc...
I like the fact that Pennington was the QB on one of those record-setting teams; gives us even more hope, doesn't it? I can't wait for Sunday!!!
It should have been 9 if Martin just went down last week. Oh well great stat and shows how well our team is excecuting the fundamentals of a winning team. Chad has been excellent and given us a shot to win almost every week.