The Football Outsiders Almanac came out recently, and Bill Barnwell, who is one of the authors of the book, was nice enough to answer some questions about the FO methods and the Titans.  The intelligent questions were submitted by Hal, and the unintelligent ones were submitted by me.

Is there a problem with strategic expectation bias?  The system goes to great lengths to normalize performance based upon the quality of opponent, but one hole I see is that from week to week a given opponent inserts different game planning based up the strengths of the opponent.  This may not be a problem for teams that are somewhat balanced in terms of strengths andweaknesses, but if a team has a great strength anda glaring weakness, it will fundamentally alter the way the opponent approaches the game.  One example from last year might be Sammy Morris from the Patriots.  No one with a straight face is going to claim he is somewhere between the 8th and 5th best running back in the league, as his DYAR and DVOAresults suggest.  But New Englandwasn't seeing any 8 man boxes or run blitzes like teams with imposing running games.  Shouldn't the "defense adjustment" portion of the formula be able to recognize that the defense as it related to New England's run blocking (ranked 3rd) and Sammy Morris was incredibly weak because they were so worried about Moss and Welker?

That's quite the question! I think there's something to be said for any statistic in not totally analyzing every possible twist and turn with regards to how a team or a player is viewed, and certainly, DVOA is no exception.

The issue with the sort of adjustment you're suggesting is that it's not really quantifiable -- you and I know from watching games that it's easier for Morris to get a running lane than it would be for, say, Steven Jackson, but we can't exactly plug in that Morris is only seeing an average of 6.3 guys in the box before each snap.

That's why I wouldn't sit here andtell you that Sammy Morris is, in a vacuum, the fifth-best running back in the league. I'd tell you that given the opportunities he gets in the New Englandoffense with Tom Brady at quarterback, the Patriots offensive line blocking for him, and Randy Moss and Wes Welkeron the outside, he's the fifth-best running back in the league.

Of course, every other football statistic is subject to the same vagaries. I don't believe in reducing players down to a metric or a number, even though I believe that DVOA is a useful tool. You should use it, especially when judging the individual performance of players, as a statistical tool in combination with what your eyes tell you.

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I had the opportunity to ask Rob Bironas some questions. Thanks to Bironas's assistant Mindy Knight for making this possible.

You started off your pro career in the Arena Football League, and had to also work at Best Buy to supplement your pay. How much has your life changed since then? How does it feel when people recognize you in public?

Actually I started in the Arena2 League before the Arena League.  My life hasn't changed too much.  I still try to maintain a reasonable lifestyle and be humble knowing I'm blessed to be in the situation I am.  Obviously, I am no longer working 2 or 3 jobs as I did back then just to get by and pay the bills, but I still set goals for myself and try to accomplish them.  After all, that is how I made it into the NFL...perseverance, determination and hard work! At first, I thought it was weird to be recognized in public.  I am used to it when it happens now...I just smile, say hello, maybe sign an autograph or take a picture.  These are Titans' fans and I think its cool they recognize their players out of the uniform.

What inspired you to be an NFL kicker? How did you discover your gift of kicking?

I wanted to be a professional soccer player when I was young.  In high school, that transpired into wanting to play in the NFL when I began kicking the football and I knew I could become pretty good at it. I always had a big leg on the soccer field, kicking goal kicks, corner kicks and free kicks.  The transition to the football field wasn't too difficult to make.  My younger brother Greg actually practiced with me in our back yard aiming at pine trees as he was my first kicking instructor.

Much more after the jump...

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I had a really neat opportunity yesterday to have lunch with Jacob Ford and his manager at Urban Flatts here in Nashville (really good food by the way).  All of this was brought about when I asked his marketing people to link to us because they were using August's 2008 review of Ford on his official site.  After they did that, they asked if there was anything else they could do, and I asked for an interview with Ford.  I was expecting them to either ignore the request or just ask me to submit some questions via email.  Instead they suggested we meet for lunch and do an interview (and were very flexible in dealing with my schedule). 

Click through the jump to read the interview..

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Donnie Nickey was nice enough to answer some questions I sent him via email:

What was the biggest factor in you deciding to stay with the Titans?

I love Nashville and being a Titan. The biggest factor was if they would bring me back. I am grateful for the years I have spent here and would love to play my entire career in Nashville.

What do you think of your new D Coordinator Chuck Cecil? How different will the defense look under him?

Chuck is an intense competitor and will bring an aggressive style to our defense. Chuck was the kind of player I try to model myself after and it is a lot of fun to play for him.

A lot has been made in this offseason about the loss of Albert Haynesworth. Do you think the Titans have the guys on the roster to fill the huge void from his departure?

I dont think we will have trouble replacing the production of Albert. It might take more than one person, but I think the talent of our defense is going to be a lot for teams to handle.

What is your favorite memory from your 6 seasons with the Titans?

My favorite memory is going to be winning a super bowl this year!!

What team were you a fan of growing up?

I was born in Akron, Ohio so I was a die hard Browns fan. My favorite player was Ernest Byner so it is really cool to have him as a coach.

A huge thanks to Donnie for doing this, and I like his optimism!