It’s a future National Football League AFC Championship game, and the Baltimore Ravens have the ball at midfield, needing less than a yard for a first down against their arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it’s fourth down, and the game is tied late in the final quarter. Should the Ravens go for it in hopes of continuing a potential game-winning drive? The risk, of course, is if they don’t make it, the Steelers will get the ball in excellent field position and have a great chance to win the game. Maybe the Ravens should just play it safe and punt the ball deep into Steelers’ territory? It’s a big decision, possibly a season-defining decision. Who knows what to do? The Ravens’ quarterback? The offensive coordinator? The head coach? Or is this a question for Charles “Sandy” Weil (TPR’96)?
If such a scenario were to happen, Weil may very well have the most impact on the decision because he was hired earlier this year to be the Ravens’ first-ever director of football analytics. The team’s front office is relying on his statistical analysis to help make the right call, both on the field and in player selection during the NFL draft.
—Emmett Zitelli (HNZ’01)
