Falcons Staying Out of Trouble

Since 2000, there have been 512 arrests of NFL players on charges “more serious than speeding,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

That works out to just over 51 arrests per calendar year and just under two arrest per team per year. My analytical mind, of course, wanted to dig deeper and see what the numbers were for not only each team but also each division.

Hit the jump to see where the Falcons rank and to see which team is full of choir boys.

The arrest data is based on which team the player was a member of when he was arrested. Subsequent trades and signings do not “transfer” the record. For example. Donte Stallworth was arrested in 2009 as a member of the Browns. His arrest does not count towards the Ravens, his current team.

The Falcons are on the right side of this list with 13 arrests since 2000. They have three players on their current roster who’ve accounted for four arrests: Jonathan Babineaux (2), Eric Weems and Quinn Ojinnaka.

There’s no real evidence one way or the other if having “good” guys makes a difference in the win total. The four “cleanest” teams in the league are on opposite ends of the win total spectrum.

Arrests by Division

The Falcons do have the fewest arrests among the NFC South teams but as a division they are on the high side thanks to the Buccaneers (19) and Saints (18).

Arrests by Conference

It’s not even close here. The AFC is home to the bad seeds. They’ve averaged over nine arrests more per year than the NFC has. Eight of the nine teams with the most arrests are in the AFC with the Bengals leading the way.

Conclusion

Ten of the Falcons’ 13 arrests have been since 2007. That’s not a positive trend but with the Thomas Dimitroff-Mike Smith regime in town, I believe that number will dwindle.

Your thoughts? Do you care what type of players are on your team or are wins the most important thing? Let me know in the comments or start the conversation on Twitter.