| You
won’t find “Fumblitis”
in any medical journal, but it is an unfortunate
ailment. It occurs in the fall along with
the onset of winter, just like colds and
the flu. It is a very series affliction,
too, one that will bring migraine headaches
to coaches and offensive coordinators. At
times fumblitis can be fatal – to
an offense. It will also turn wins into
losses.
Fumbles can kill an offense
and even turn around games. Sunday saw one
example, with the Vikings getting out-gained
405-137 at the NY Giants, yet somehow squeezing
out a 24-21 victory! 5 turnovers were the
difference, which included one fumble. A
fumble turned around the Patriots/Dolphins
game, too. With Miami driving late in the
second quarter and already up 7-0, TE Randy
McMichael fumbled at the 9 after a long
gain. Instead of a Miami 14-0 or 10-0 halftime
lead, the Patriots marched down and kicked
a field goal to get back in the game.
Fumbles can take the life
out of an offense. Here is a current list
of the team with the most lost fumbles in
the NFL: New Orleans (14), Chicago (12),
Washington (12), NY Jets (11), St. Louis
(9), San Francisco (9), Tennessee (9), Arizona
(9), Minnesota (8), Miami (9). Two of those
teams have a winning spread record (Bears,
Redskins) and the combined spread records
are 35-53 ATS.
Sometimes more fumbles can mean the team
likes to run the ball more. This would be
the case with the Bears and Redskins, who
are actually decent teams. But the others
have stumbled badly this season, both straight
up and against the number, and too many
fumbles are a huge reason why.
Let’s go back to 2004.
The teams that ended up with the most fumbles
were the Bears, Browns, 49ers and Bucs.
Those teams didn’t even come close
to the playoffs, with the Browns and 49ers
battling for last place in the NFL. Holding
onto the football is about concentration
and effort, and those teams lacked it in
2004.
Turnovers can change everything.
Take a look at the Jets/Carolina box score
from Sunday. Total yards: NY 214, Carolina
220. The Jets held the edge in rushing yards
137-101. Looks like a defensive game, maybe
a 13-10 final score? Note quite. Try Carolina
30, Jets 3. You can guess what’s coming
next: 6 Jet turnovers, including 2 fumbles.
The Panthers didn’t fumble at all.
Bryan Leonard is a documented member of
The Professional Handicappers League.
Read more of his articles and get his NFL
Wagering Predictions & plays here. |
