Isn’t the game of football all about situations?
Isn’t it about being successful in those situations?
How do you track the successes in your program?
By wins and losses. (Truly by other things that aren't necessarily field related, but for the purposes here, wins and losses). I don't believe in games within a game. I believe in tracking the things that are part of the process of the performance, not a secondary outcome.
Is a big time stop on 3rd/4th and 1 achieved because the DL have been drilled to get off the ball and maintain pad level and that those things are emphasized as evidenced by weekly reports on THAT or is it achieved because a coach tells kids "hey, if we get 4th down stops it helps us win?" We both know the answer to that one. So the secondary question comes up "Are the kids more likely to get off the ball and maintain pad level because THAT is what you track and harp on daily in practice in both regular drills and short yardage situations and in games OR are they more likely to get off the ball and maintain pad level because you tell kids "we need to get 6 to win" or do schedule short yardage periods in practice?
Those are all outcomes. You have to do SOMETHING to get first downs, or keep the opponent from getting first downs. Doesn't it make more sense to monitor, report, and emphasize THAT?
LSU was 4/12 on 3rd down this year against Vanderbilt. Beat them by 34 points. They were 5/15 against Bama. Lost 55-17. They were 8/18 against Florida and had their best win of the season. Did something change and the coaches suddenly realized they needed to be better on 3rd down? Did the players suddenly try more on 3rd down? Or did the players performance change, and they started to do the little things they needed to correctly?
So is it your position that when two teams are equally talented, that one team will have more success because their team talks about "getting 6" or "getting 5" or "creating 4 explosives" or "holding them to less than 30% on 3rd down" or "getting 4+ on P and 10" than a team whose team talks about and tracks player actions such as procedure penalties, pad level, get off, hustle grade, second man strip, opponents fooled by fakes etc?
I would suggest that the OP is asking about stats, and as I said I don't believe much can be gained by chasing the ghosts of secondary outcomes.
People grade players SPECIFICALLY for the reason I have said all along. Because the PROCESS matters and improving the process is what generates the desired outcome (win game) and will most likely also generate those secondary outcome results as well (5 yards on P&10, converting 55% 3rd downs, 4+ explosive plays".
Process creates outcome. Secondary outcomes are a result of the process, just as the primary outcome is.
Put another way, you don't lose because the stat sheet says your 3rd/4th down conversion rate was 25% and the opponents was 60%. You don't lose because the stat sheet says you were -2 in the turnover battle.
You lose because :
your OT was lazy in his approach to the line, was not on the LOS, resulting in a procedure penalty and a 3rd and long that you failed to convert.
Your DT got driven back on one of the 7 plays he popped up on, allowing the opponent to walk in the endzone on a 4th down
Your RB fumbled because on one of the 3 plays he didn't keep it high and tight, it got poked out.
Your Defense did not put pressure on the opponents ball security because the second person in was not attempting to strip?
Your Defense gave up a 3rd and 2 because they were not aligned properly and the opponent executed a silent sneak?
Right?
