Watch: Joe Thomas explains how to properly evaluate rushing attacks

Warning: Video contains coarse language

Exhibit 10,062 why @joethomas73 is the : class in session on effectiveness of a run game (he says shit so if you're offended don't play) pic.twitter.com/YdhRQ0psIZ

- Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 21, 2017

With the constantly-increasing popularity of fantasy football, using statistics to evaluate players and teams has become the norm, but according to Joe Thomas, people have been assessing running games all wrong.

The Cleveland Browns All-Pro left tackle explained to reporters on Thursday that, to determine how well a team's rushing offense is performing, it is more important to look at rushing efficiency than average yards per carry.

"If you look at rushing in the NFL, you see 'we went for one, two, three, four, one, two... sixty' and then you go 'holy shit, we're rushing really well, we got a seven-yard average'. But really how are you going to get the offensive coordinator to call a run again if he's getting one and two yards and he's looking at thirdand-7 all the time," explained Thomas.

"So that's the most important stat to look at is actually rushing efficiency."

Rushing efficiency consists of how often a team gets a first down, a touchdown, or four yards on a carry on running plays as opposed to averaging the total yards over the total amount of carries. For reference, the Browns currently rank 24th in average yards per carry, but 22nd in rushing efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

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