Michael Mackelvie Podcast The Best Play in Football, Week 1 Recap, and QB Analysis with Sam Bruchhaus
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Sep 10, 2025 Sam Bruchhaus, a senior data scientist at Sumer Sports, dives into the fascinating world of risk in football. He discusses why risk is inherent in play-calling decisions and explores the overlooked effectiveness of play action. The conversation recaps the thrilling 49ers vs. Seahawks game while unpacking quarterback performance metrics. Bruchhaus highlights trends, such as the caution some coaches take that can hinder game strategy, and analyzes players like Daniel Jones and Caleb Williams. This insightful discussion shines a light on the complexities of football analytics.
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Risk Is Inevitable In Football
- Risk is inherent in every football decision; not taking a risk is still a risk.
- Coaches often misjudge tradeoffs because they focus on appearance rather than win probability.
Seahawks' Playcalling Surprise
- Sam and Michael used the Seahawks-49ers game to show philosophy versus practice.
- Seattle ran often but used play action only twice despite expectations to the contrary.
Play Action Delivers Measurable Gains
- Play action yields substantially higher EPA per play versus non-play-action.
- High-performing coordinators use play action heavily because it consistently confuses defenses.