How LA Rams analyst Sarah Bailey promotes success on draft day

Imagine a scenario where the LA Rams are at the 2021 NFL Draft and are preparing to go on the clock to make their first selection at 57. Instantly, the phone starts ringing off the hook, as nine NFL teams rush to make trade offers for the Rams 57th pick. Now imagine that the Rams can instantly evaluate each package offered, anticipate the target prospects likely to be available with each different trade, and even the likelihood of successfully drafting an NFL starter from each of the nine different offers.  That is the reason why data analytics is such a blossoming aspect in the NFL today.

We’ve talked about the LA Rams‘ use of data analytics, and have touted how the team remains on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest in the NFL. Now it’s time to hear from someone on the inside. From measurablespod, we have a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on an interview of LA Rams Football Statistician Sarah Bailey.  Sarah’s official title is Data and Analytics Analyst. But she is so much more.

While the interview is a bit dry early on, it does touch base on the diverse collegiate background that builds a sufficient resume capable of launching a career in data analytics and how the techniques of mathematics and statistics are employed in the sports industry. Surprisingly, Bailey was originally rooted in major league baseball studies and cites a number of analysts who were instrumental in aiding her development in the field of data analysis.

The interview turns sharply towards Bailey’s role with the LA Rams at the 8:40 mark of the interview.  She explains that she was originally hired to help with the sports performance, medical group, and how players responded to various therapies and strategies. While she was hired to help with the medical and sports performance group, she has found that her role has expanded significantly from that hire.

How does Sarah Bailey help the Rams succeed?

Her duties are now approximately 50 percent on player personnel – both professional and collegiate players – and 40 percent with sports performance.  The remaining 10 percent involves coaching. While that area of interest is minor at the moment, it is definitely a growing discipline among the Rams tools to evaluate inputs and outputs.

Of course, some key insights gain tremendous clarity during this interview. One use of data analytics is to analyze historic data and then project what is known of that past towards what the team can expect going forward into the future. Even as Sarah Bailey explains that limited sample sizes restrict how much foreknowledge can be gained with this process, her ability to talk to the topic seamlessly is a clear indication that the Rams go there with personnel decisions.

Bailey also introduces the fact that coaching changes and player changes will influence the metrics used to normalize the data.  But she indicates that everyone is communicating and evaluating on an ongoing basis.

How does the Nerd’s Nest work?

Bailey describes the staff as three people called the ‘Nerd’s Nest‘.  Ryan Garlisch, Manager Software Development, is the front-end scouting department contact, and he is the software developer to process the data. Jake Temme, Manager Data and Analytics, is the data integrity architect. He collects and cleans up the data. He does analytics reporting. Sarah Bailey does the deep dive into data research.

So how much of this effort actually impact the LA Rams’ success on draft day? Is this something that the Rams risk losing if an executive defects? Does Sarah Bailey actually make any difference to the team’s chances of success?

Yes, she does. In fact, she helps the team quite a bit actually. While some fear that the Rams may have lost their ability to draft successfully, the real juice to the process is primarily done behind the scenes by these three tech-savvy data analysts.

The data warehouse is the key

The key to the Rams organization is not just HOW the team processes the raw data, but the ocean of raw data accumulated in the data warehouse. You see, even as executives take on new roles elsewhere, they are forced to leave behind the incredible amount of data owned by the LA Rams to make their decisions.

So when Brad Holmes and or Ray Agnew left the team for the Detroit Lions, all the Lions truly acquired was the personal experiences and abilities of two persons. The data and software used to compile and present that draft data remains with the LA Rams.

Of course, the interview is loaded with programmer and data analysis jargon.  But some of the key insights are available as you sort through the descriptions of applications usage. At 19:30, Sarah Bailey describes the interest of connecting consumers with live data. One example cited is the use of practice data used by the strength and conditioning department.

At the 23:00 mark, Bailey cites survival analysis. What is that?  Survival analysis refers to a branch of statistical analysis domain that evaluates the effect of predictors on time until an event, rather than the probability of an event, occurs. Impressive, but not much use to NFL draft preparation is it?  Well, don’t be so hasty. Survival Analysis is a predictive technique. That means that it may be a key instrument to evaluate draft prospects, as well as when to part ways with veteran NFL players.

In the end, data analytics is just one method of evaluating and valuing athletes. But as the opportunities to meet directly with prospects and players fade, data analytics offers ways to compensate for a differing data stream, and how to become better decision-makers based on that data.