Let's say your football team has a great quarterback and is known throughout the league as a passing team. Yet, the team ranks as average in passing statistically.

Would you think there's a problem? There's certainly a disconnect. Reality isn't matching perception.

By the same token, there's a huge problem when America thinks it's leading the league of nations in economic freedom - but actually isn't.

Two indices this year score the U.S. as also-rans when it comes to economic freedom.

As our syndicated columnist Star Parker noted on this page Tuesday, the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World Index - which she describes as measuring "the extent to which individuals and businesses can freely conduct their economic affairs without government interference" - ranks the U.S. at 16th in the world.

Six. Teenth.

Similarly, the Heritage Foundation's 2016 Index of Economic Freedom puts America at 11th in the world - behind such nations as Hong Kong, Singapore, Chile and Estonia.

The Fraser Institute looks at "the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom. The cornerstones of economic freedom are personal choice; voluntary exchange; freedom to enter markets and compete; and security of the person and privately owned property."

While Fraser's index measures 42 "data points," they cover five basic areas:

size of government

legal structure and security of property rights

access to sound money

freedom to trade internationally

regulation of credit, labor and business.

Just as a passing team's statistics not measuring up against the competition, it's utterly unacceptable for America to be slipping so badly in the rankings for economic freedom.

We're not even first in North America. That honor belongs to Canada.

"Following declines in seven of the past eight years," writes Heritage, "the United States this year has equaled its worst score ever in the Index of Economic Freedom."

So, why is this happening?

"Ratings for labor freedom, business freedom, and fiscal freedom have flagged notably," Heritage says, "and the regulatory burden is increasingly costly.

"The United States remains mired in the ranks of the 'mostly free,' the second-tier economic freedom status into which it dropped in 2010. America's historically vibrant entrepreneurial growth is significantly hampered by intrusive, expensive and often ineffective government policies in areas ranging from health care to energy to education. Government favoritism toward entrenched interests has hurt innovation and contributed to a lackluster recovery and stagnant income growth."

Bolstering the case that government is to blame is that, as Heritage notes, "the U.S. economy continues to underperform despite a private sector-led energy boom that has made the U.S. the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas."

The good news is we're changing quarterbacks soon.

Presidents are too often judged on how they make us feel. It makes more sense to look at the kinds of measurables these economic indices take into account.

A year from now let's see where we are with regard to regulation, GDP growth, jobs and the size and reach of government.

As a football coach might say, we need to get the offense going.