Quote:The mean would take a lot of time to calculate since it's not just a straight average; different QBs threw different amount of passes so they would all needed to be added up and then calculated through the ANY/A formula ... all while being sure to adjust for era (i.e. the league average for ANY/A in 2013 is much, much higher than when Plunkett and Archie were rookies).

 

I think the sensible conclusion is that there is no correct method, and each QB should be judged on an individual basis. Gene Smith seemed to realize that Gabbert and his pocket presence issues were a huge work in progress back in 2011, but he abandoned all of that way too early into the process. Caldwell seems much more disciplined and is telling the fanbase exactly what they should be hearing.