expatriatedtexan
Habitual Line Stepper
- Aug 17, 2005
- 17,232
- 13,074
Oh man, it's totally fine that we disagree.To be accurate though, my main contention was that Girard was not better than Makar or Toews in that series. I said he was ok at first, but got worse after, and made too many turnovers, while Toews and Makar played great IMO.
I agree the eye test is ripe for confirmation bias though.
Totally fine (as I hope you know) that we disagreed, but aside from our conversation, my issue with how public analytics are used in debate, is as argument enders. There's no way to rebut them, because they're viewed as unemotional, objective truths. We know for a fact the conclusions drawn from them are not always accurate, so this just isn't a fair way to present them in intellectually honest discussions IMO.
Like I mentioned in our conversation, what they measure is for sure an objective truth, but it's the conclusion you draw from them that can be inaccurate if you just look at the numbers, and don't think critically about the subject beyond them, because they can be influenced by so many factors that don't involve that individual player's performance.
Especially the public stats. And I think it gets underestimated how big a sample size you actually need for those outside factors to be less impactful.
But I agree, they can still provide a lot of benefit if you view them as one piece to the puzzle, along with a well trained eye, that can set aside bias as much as possible.
And to be truthful, my defense of Girard has become more instinctual than anything. It's an emotional thing. I think he's about what you would expect from a #3/4 LD. I know everyone would like a bit more "more" from him. Whether that be durability, physicality, tenacity, or goal scoring. I get it. But then again, add more of that quality to Girard and we're no longer talking about a 3/4 but a top pairing defender. Also, if we were to go get a #3/4 defender who has those qualities, chances are they probably won't be as smooth at transitions.
I just thought he was overall getting shat on too much by a lot of folks, so I am guilty of selecting your comment to be the one where I entered the chat, so to speak. By showing that he beat Makar in every single advanced stat, except expected goals I wasn't trying to say he was a better defensemen than Makar. I was trying to point out that people were being entirely too harsh on G. But then again, I love G. His acquisition started the transition of this team into what became the 22 Champions. He started the offense begins with the defense structure we have today. Which is also why I brought up the bias thing...because I do realize I am heavily biased toward liking and potentially irrationally defending the guy.