ShareThisKNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Math always has been a foreign language to me. Calculate a quarterback rating? Right. I might as well tackle Einstein's theory of relativity.
So when I brought up quarterback ratings earlier this week at the Tennessee football practice, I could to relate to Vols coach Derek Dooley's answer.
"I think there's some merit to it," said Dooley, "but you can get a little bit lost on it, depending on what kind of offense a guy plays.
"I'm not smart enough to figure it out so I create something that's pretty simple."
A little lost? Even given the precise formula and a calculator, I couldn't make Tyler Bray's freshman stats come out to a 142.73 rating, which is the official tally.
There are two simpler ways Dooley prefers to judge his quarterbacks: touchdowns vs. interceptions, and yards-per-attempt.
"In our offense," he said, "if you've got good numbers in those two spots, you're playing pretty good ball."
Bray, the stoical Californian, takes an even more simplistic statistical approach.
"I don't pay attention to that at all," said Bray. "The win or loss column is all that matters to me."
On that scale, Bray is 4-1 as a starter.
But there are those who would prefer a finer calibration.
I was able to decipher Bray's yards-per-attempt average in 2010 at 8.25, which compares favorably with Peyton Manning's 8.27 career average. It's better than the career mark of two other decorated UT QBs -- Casey Clausen (7.64) or Erik Ainge (7.19).
I bring up those three predecessors because, like Bray, they each won the starting job at some point in their freshman seasons and went on to be career starters.
As for the quarterback rating, you devoted stat wonks no doubt wonder how Bray's 142.73 stacks up?
Clausen's freshman number was 145.5 and as a sophomore he improved to 150.0, the best of his career.
Ainge rated 135.89 as a freshman but plunged to 89.94 as a sophomore before David Cutcliffe returned as offensive coordinator and revived his career.
I couldn't find Manning's year-by-year breakdown in the old media guides, but he is listed at 147.1 for his career.
The NCAA career mark (FBS) is Sam Bradford of Oklahoma at 175.6, followed by none other than Tim Tebow at 170.8.
Kellen Moore of Boise State led the nation last year at 182.63, nipping Heisman winner Cam Newton's 182.05.
But the point Tennessee fans are pondering is whether Bray improves as a sophomore -- especially since this time he will have to do the heavy lifting against the best SEC defenses.
Ainge's sophomore woes are well documented. Clausen moved forward as a sophomore. So did Manning. As a freshman Manning threw 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a sophomore it was 22 and 4, an exponential jump.
Bray's freshmen numbers were 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions. That's a ratio he hopes to improve -- not that he's consciously thinking about it.
"If you start thinking about throwing picks," said Bray, "you're going to throw 'em."
So Tennessee fans prefer he thinks about throwing touchdowns. Presumably the maxim works both ways.
Dooley, meanwhile, anticipates Bray will step forward as a sophomore.
"Tyler," he said, "is doing a good job. He's really working hard. I'm hoping the results will show."
No matter how you choose to quantify them.
(Contact Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel at strangem(at)knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange.)
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