"Dr. Murray, I like what you are doing with the mental rating in football. The mental game is so important in football, but many don’t realize this."
– Ron Sellers,
former FSU All-American and Dallas Cowboy and Miami Dolphin
What is the MPI?
The Murray Performance Index (MPI) is the method that Sport Psychologist Dr. John F Murray developed to quantify observed mental performance in a football game. How does it help? It provides a football team an extremely accurate rating of how they "performed" in every phase of a game (Offense, Defense, Special teams, Overall) independent of the final score, which is often misleading. Why is it needed? Players, coaches, fans and media often minimize the importance of mental skills in football. The MPI quantifies this important factor! Although winning is the obvious goal of every game, athletes often dwell on outcome and this leads to inappropriate focus and lower than optimal performance. Teams are often overly excited after a win or discouraged after a loss. They rarely know exactly how well they performed.
The MPI accurately quantifies focused execution and intensity management better than the final score. Every play of the game figures into the scoring. The Index looks at every play for execution, and takes into account pressure situations. This hard hitting and accurate appraisal of performance allows teams to look more clearly in the mirror, and to receive critical feedback for improvement. Coaches gain insight and set better goals for the team. The MPI is based on sport psychology principles, providing the team a huge mental advantage!"
How do the numbers work?
Scores range from 0-100, with 0 low, 100 high and 50 average. Teams set goals to reach a certain score. Dr. Murray predicts that if a team scores 70 or more on the total score, they will win the game 99% of the time!
Examples of Scoring?
Scoring is based on set rules with some minor interpretive flexibility based on Dr. Murray’s professional judgment and experience. Some examples of scoring: penalties earn a big 0, while great catches in important situations earn 100 points.
How will the Murray Performance Index help my football team, whether in high school, college, or the NFL? Ask Dr. Murray to rate your football team’s game in person or through videotape analysis. You will receive a written report on your team’s performance and future needs for improvement. If you would like, he will follow-up his rating by providing your team mini- lectures, workshops, speeches, and sport psychology consultation to address specific needs based on his findings!
Please contact Dr. Murray by email at info@johnfmurray.com or by telephone in the United States at: (561) 805-5858 (office), (561) 596-9898 (cell), or (561) 805-8662 (fax).
Murray Performance Index (MPI) Copyright 2002 by Dr. John F. Murray, All Rights Reserved