NFL teams with indoor practice facilities averaged 4 more wins in 2010

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

According to Forbes, Dan Snyder has run the NFL's most profitable team in the past decade, with an average operating income of $78 million. That's $780 million in operating profits. Forbes ranks the Redskins #4 among the world's most valuable sports teams, with $1.55 billion value.

Instead of winning, Snyder & Co. have been making money. Meanwhile, by failing to invest money in a world-class training facility, Snyder has ensured that the team would lose, or at least never win big. Why? Because in today's NFL, the single most important long-term investment an owner can make in a franchise is a top training facility, specifically one with a large, indoor practice field in a permanent structure. (Not merely a bubble.) Such a facility enables the team to conduct crisp practices for all 16 games and the playoffs, providing "Home Facilities Advantage" for all games.



Consider these statistics:

• 13 of last 14 Super Bowl participants had their own indoor practice facility.
• Last 8 Super Bowl winners had their own indoor practice facility.
• Last 6 Super Bowl winners had a fixed structure indoor practice facility (not a bubble).
• All 12 teams to make playoffs last season used their own indoor practice facility.
• 2010 teams who practiced using their own indoor full-field training facility had a median win total of 10 (10-6 record).
• 2010 teams who practiced outdoors had a median win total of 6 (6-10 record).
• 2010 teams who practiced indoors at own training facility averaged 4 more wins in 2010, compared to those who did not.
• 2010 teams who practiced outdoors and were not located in Florida or California, had the following records: 6-10 (Redskins), 6-10 (Cowboys), 5-11 (Cardinals), 4-12 (Bengals), 4-12 (Broncos), 2-14 (Panthers).

Sure, the Redskins will apparently have a bubble finally for the 2011 season. But, a bubble is a cheap solution, costing as little as $100K. That's a few plays from Albert Haynesworth. These days, the going rate for a world-class NFL training facility is $75 million. That's what the Jets paid for theirs. Dan Snyder & Co are pocketing $780 million and tossing Mike Shanahan a bubble.

The last time a bubble produced a Super Bowl champion was the 2005 Patriots, whose success was more directly traced to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The Patriots have since been beaten in the playoffs by teams with superior training facilities:

2006-07: Colts
2007-08: Giants
2009-10: Ravens
2010-11: Jets

The Patriots are the high-water mark of bubble teams, and they've been outflanked by teams with better training facilities. Other teams with bubbles have done worse: Texans, Titans, Dolphins. All three of those teams have bubbles barely large enough for 100 yards.

The Cowboys introduced their bubble facility in 2003, only to see it blow away in 2009. They have not rebuilt an indoor facility of any kind since, and meanwhile they have underperformed.

The Broncos indoor facility isn't even large enough for a football field. Maybe that's why Denver started sliding in the late season under both Shanahan and McDaniels. McDaniels abandoned it altogether and practiced outdoors. You saw how that turned out.

The Redskins won't play deep into the playoffs until they have a first-class training facility with a full-service practice field under a fixed structure. The bubble will help, certainly. But, it's literally a low ceiling in today's NFL. The Redskins simply lack the facilities investment required for success in the NFL. Until Dan Snyder spends what is required, expect the losing and short seasons to continue.

What are we missing? See stats and photos below.



Indoor Factor: Estimated drop in NFL rank attributed to practice facility effect. (Median drop is 13 slots in record for teams without no full-field indoor practice facilities. Drop per team adjusted for weather factors. Some teams with substandard bubble given a drop rating of 4.)




Facilities Advantage: Combination of practice facility and home stadium effects on NFL rank. Home stadium effect determined by National Football Post ranking of NFL stadiums.




Facilities Efficiency: Facilties Advantage, factored by NFL team value as assessed by Forbes. Teams with high Facilities Advantage and relatively low team value are assessed highest Facilities Efficiency. This is the degree of efficient reinvestment of operating profit by team ownership in team facilities. Redskins rank dead last in NFL, by a wide margin.


What the good teams have:


Green Bay Packers: Don Hutson Center (2 indoor practice fields)



Pittsburgh Steelers: UPMC


NY Jets: field house, part of new $75 million facility


New Orleans Saints: 132,000 sq feet


Chicago Bears


NY Giants


Seattle Seahawks


Philadelphia Eagles: NovaCare Complex


Indianapolis Colts



What not to build


Denver Broncos: No yard markers, tiny field ... No wonder Shanahan and McDaniels hit the wall.


Miami Dolphins: Any more evidence needed that Dolphins are too cheap to win?


Houston Texans: Not quite ready for prime time, much like the Texans


Tennessee Titans: They'll need more than a Music City Miracle to win big from here

[DC9]

Where's the pic of the Dulles Hanger?

All joking aside, Good work! Very good stuff!


HAIL!

[SonnyandSam]

Snyder is not the reason the Redskins have no practice facility. He has made the offer twice to coaches who declined; I know Gibbs was one that turned it down; I forget the other. And a permanent facility is an issue because much of the land at Redskins Park is in a flood plain. The Redskins announced plans earlier this year to heat one of their practice fields and are planning a temporary bubble type cover because Shanahan wants one.

The fact that PG County is exploring the economic feasibility of hosting a Redskins training facility suggests the Redskins are considering moving Redskins Park; presumably so they can build an indoor facility.....although the Redskins have not confirmed this.

It's not like Snyder does not like to spend money on the team. He has the highest coaches payroll; often the highest or one of the highest player payrolls; and the Skins stay at first class locations and fly/train in first class fashion.

The problem has been the money has not been well spent; not that Snyder won't spend money. He spends plenty of money on the football operations.

And I can't believe you are implying that an outdoor practice facility is more important than quality players and quality coaches. LOL

[Popeman38]

Shocking, an ASF thread bashing Dan Snyder. How original. Broad Run Flood Plain - that is all.

[DieselPwr44]

Horse hockey.

Talent level means more on a team than the practice facility.

So when the Saints were sucking, how much did the indoor facility factor into that?

The Redskins and Dolphins, with all that bounty of talent you see when you look up and down their rosters( ) ,can't win because either they have no indoor facility or what indoor facility they do have is inadequate?



How in the world did Joe Gibbs ever make the playoffs in his first stint here without an indoor practice facility??

What a bunch of bunk..........

[NLC1054]

Hasn't Mike said they're looking into building an indoor practice facility anyway?

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Am I right in recalling TK saying there was an issue with building an indoor facility with the County?

Boss Man?

Hail.

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

How in the world did Joe Gibbs ever make the playoffs in his first stint here without an indoor practice facility??

You do understand that competitive dynamics change over time, yes? The single wing didn't work in the 1980s, but counter-trey did. Counter-trey did not work for Gibbs the second time around.

When most NFL teams do not have world-class indoor practice facilities (as they did not in the 1980s), it's not a disadvantage not to have one. When the best teams do have such facilities, it becomes a disadvantage to lack one.

Almost all the best facilities were built in the past 15 years. The league is changing.

Having a great facility does not ensure success, but failing to have one can now prevent teams from practicing at top efficiency all 16 games and the playoffs, leading to worse records and shorter seasons. This is the inevitable effect of facing teams with similar talent and coaching, and better preparation through efficient practices.

World-class training facilities are now a necessary, but not sufficient, foundation for success in today's NFL.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I'd be interested to know just how many days a year we lose to the weather. For a team that trains in the same elements we play in, I'd wager it's minimal.

Hail.

[Atlanta Skins Fan]

I'd be interested to know just how many days a year we lose to the weather. For a team that trains in the same elements we play in, I'd wager it's minimal.

Half the games are played away, after practicing at home. Average away stadiums today have better climate conditions than Ashburn.

Rain, snow, cold or wind on Wednesday and Thursday does not help preparation for Sunday at home, when Sunday is likely to have better weather on average. Even if elements are the same, it's debatable if being miserable all week makes playing in miserable weather more productive. Greater factors would be having a strong running game and run defense.

[McD5]

Love the train of thought ASF. Your threads are always interesting, and divert from the masses. It's hard to say this is the main reason for failure, but Dan can certainly be accused of being cheap over the years. (No jumbotrons until recently)

[NLC1054]

You do understand that competitive dynamics change over time, yes? The single wing didn't work in the 1980s, but counter-trey did. Counter-trey did not work for Gibbs the second time around.

When most NFL teams do not have world-class indoor practice facilities (as they did not in the 1980s), it's not a disadvantage not to have one. When the best teams do have such facilities, it becomes a disadvantage to lack one.

Almost all the best facilities were built in the past 15 years. The league is changing.

Having a great facility does not ensure success, but failing to have one can now prevent teams from practicing at top efficiency all 16 games and the playoffs, leading to worse records and shorter seasons. This is the inevitable effect of facing teams with similar talent and coaching, and better preparation through efficient practices.

World-class training facilities are now a necessary, but not sufficient, foundation for success in today's NFL.

And as many have mentioned, Snyder has offered his coaches indoor facilities before and has been turned down by his coaches (actually deferring something to his coaches instead of just DOING it), and you can't just build an indoor facility because 1.) there's not a lot of space to do it and 2.) the whole facility is on a flood plain.

The Redskins are looking to move facilities as has been reported several times, and Mike Shanahan has said several times they will build a temporary indoor practice bubble while they look to build a permanent indoor facility.

Not sure what else you want except for Cosmo and Wanda to show up and just magic one up.

[jwpanic]

So you're saying JC and Zorn would have thrived if the skins had an indoor facility? Me thinks not.

It's about the personnel. That's all.

[NLC1054]

Also, you called the Seahawks a good football team. This invalidates your argument.

[MLSKINS]

Snyder is not the reason the Redskins have no practice facility. He has made the offer twice to coaches who declined; I know Gibbs was one that turned it down; I forget the other. And a permanent facility is an issue because much of the land at Redskins Park is in a flood plain. The Redskins announced plans earlier this year to heat one of their practice fields and are planning a temporary bubble type cover because Shanahan wants one.

The fact that PG County is exploring the economic feasibility of hosting a Redskins training facility suggests the Redskins are considering moving Redskins Park; presumably so they can build an indoor facility.....although the Redskins have not confirmed this.

What he said.

When PG County and the Redskins come together on an agreement, the new practice facility will be built with an indoor practice field. Until then, the bubble would just have to suffice.