There are many keys that can lead to victory in the NFL, with teams utilizing their own particular style to get the job done. However, there is one component to winning that every team can agree on: winning the turnover battle.
"If you don't take care of the football, you can't win in this league," says Baltimore Ravens head coach JOHN HARBAUGH. "That's the most important stat in football."
Last season, the four teams with the best turnover differential -- Green Bay, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Baltimore -- all made the playoffs and combined for a 44-20 record (.688).
For the Packers, who led the league with 40 takeaways against just 16 giveaways, winning the turnover battle does not happen accidently. Rather, it is a mindset the team focuses on every day at practice.
"Taking care of the football is something I think every football team practices and preaches," says Green Bay Packers head coach MIKE MC CARTHY. "We feel that we can't practice it enough, and that leads to good results on Sunday."
The Super Bowl XLIV champion Saints would certainly agree.
The Saints -- second in the NFL in takeaways with 39 -- stressed winning the turnover battle all year. "The team understands how serious I am about every single time in practice, the ball has to be ours," says New Orleans defensive coordinator GREGG WILLIAMS. "If you take that approach, you go out and try and take the ball all the time. It's not something you just do half the time."
This focus was evident throughout the entire year as the Saints' opportunistic defense wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, causing turnovers and getting the ball back to its high-powered offense. This was true in Super Bowl XLIV, where winning the turnover battle helped seal the championship for New Orleans.
"Take care of the football and win the turnover battle, and you can win the game," says Saints head coach SEAN PAYTON.
Here's how some others in the NFL view the turnover battle:
TOM COUGHLIN, Giants head coach
"It's a very, very important part of the game. To me it is the No. 2 stat other than points for and points against. And it has always been that way for me. We pound away at that every week."
MIKE SINGLETARY, 49ers head coach & Pro Football HOF linebacker
"When you turn the ball over, it just takes the breath out of you. The more turnovers you have, the more it lessens your opportunity to be successful."
HINES WARD, Steelers wide receiver
"When you turn the ball over, you lose ballgames. In the games you lose, there is a good chance you lost the turnover/takeaway ratio. It's hard to win ballgames when you do that."
four teams with the best turnover differential (NFL 2009)
Team | Takeaways | Giveaways | Net Diff'l | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL | ||||
Green Bay Packers | 40 | 16 | +24 | 11-5 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 38 | 23 | +15 | 11-5 |
New Orleans Saints | 39 | 28 | +11 | 13-3 |
Baltimore Ravens | 32 | 22 | +10 | 9-7 |
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