Tennessee Titans Advanced Stat of the Week: Adjusted Games Lost

The 2011 Tennessee Titans had a secret skill that helped them finish 9-7.

They had the ability to stay healthy.

This week, Advanced Stat of the Week will look at Adjusted Games Lost (AGL), to see what it can tell us about the Titans.

Adjusted Games Lost is a great metric that helps to ascertain the real impact of injuries on a team. In short, it gives teams credit not only for the actual games missed by starters, but for the consequences of injuries in terms of lost practice time and diminished performance.

Anytime a starer is ruled out, a team gets credit for one game lost. The team gets partial credit for games in which a starter is ruled probable, questionable or doubtful based on averages for how often these players actually play.

The result is a list that corresponds very well with winning. Eight of the top 10 teams and 12 of the top 15 in AGL finished with at least a .500 record.

For the second straight year, the Titans finished in the top seven in AGL, losing only 37.7 adjusted games to injury. That's up slightly from 2010, but because of league wide trends toward more injuries (or at least more reporting of injuries), that's not particularly worrisome.

Of course, not all injuries are created equal. Offensive injuries tend to be more disruptive than defensive ones. The Titans had one of the healthiest offenses in football, losing only 20 adjusted games.

When broken down by unit, the Titans were among the league leaders in quarterback health, defensive back health, offensive line and running back health. They did have some of the worst receiver health in football, but that's largely due to losing Kenny Britt for the season.

Good health has been a hallmark of the Titans' steady play over the past several years. Note their league ranks in AGL since 2006.

The Titans are the anti-Colts. Whereas division rival Indianapolis perennially ranks among the league leaders in injuries, the Titans are always healthy.

Unfortunately, no one can be entirely sure what plays into that. It's clear after this many years of high rankings, that it's not just random. However, whether it's the skill of the trainers, the body type of the athletes or some kind of organizational philosophy, whatever the Titans are doing is right on the money.

Injuries are part of football, and it's never wise to assume perfect health. Still, Titans fans can take comfort from knowing that year after year, their team is healthier than most.