2020 Midseason Individual Grades and Notable Stats

[EastStreet]

I've included PFF grades (vs 2019), team leaders, and top/bottom 25 NFL stats.

 

Offensive Line
-Getting harder to believe the coaching change doesn't have an impact
Castonzo - PFF 69.1 (2019 PFF 81.3)
Nelson - 76.4 (91.2)
Kelly - 68.4 (73.0)
Glowinski - 76.2 (60.5)
Smith - 76.3 (79.8)

 

Quarterback
Rivers - 73.4 (74.3)
-9th in NY/A
-13th in completion %, 17th in YPG
-19th in QBR

 

Running backs
Taylor - 65.5 (rook)
-3rd in the NFL in catch % (all skill players)
-Leads the team in yards from scrimmage
-Leads RBs (team) in catch%, Y/T
-Leads RBs (team) in rushing yards and Y/A
-3.9 Y/A, ahead of Elliot, McCaffery, Jacobs, Gurley, Mixon, etx.
-BTW, Mack was 3.7 his first 8 games, 3.8 his rook year, and that was with a spread out Chud O.
Wilkins - 74.9 (69.8)
-3.7 Y/A
Hines - 70.8 (63.3)
-3.2 Y/A
-2nd on the team in yards from scrimmage
-6th in the NFL in PR Y/R (qualifiers)
Mack - 72.6 (69.5)

 

Tight Ends
Doyle - 53.7 (69.2)
Alie-Cox - 90.5 (67.3)
-25th in the NFL (all skill players) in catch %
-10th in the NFL in Y/R
-Leads TEs in yards and yards/target
-Leads all WR/TEs (team/more than 10) in catch %, Y/T,  
Burton - 69.8 (49.2)

 

Wide Receivers
Hilton - 66.0 (75.1)
-sub 60 catch %
Pascal - 61.2 (73.7)
-Leads WRs in yards and targets
Johnson - 65.4 (59.8)
-sub 60 catch %
Campbell - 72.8 (54.7)
Pittman - 61.6 (rook)
Dulin - 66.7 (59.3)
Fountain - 61.1 (NA)
Harris - 86.0 (rook)

Corner Backs
Moore - 60.3 (75.5)
-Giving up a team high 93.9 passer rating
-Giving up a team high YAC
-Leads team in missed tackles
Rhodes - 78.3 (46.4)
-10th in the league in completion % (lowest)
Ya Sin - 48.4 (65.3)
Carrie - 74.0 (56.2)
Rodgers - 61.4 (rook)
- 2nd in the NFL in Y/KOR

Safeties 

Blackmon - 67.7 (rook)
-Giving up the NFL 9th highest yards/completion
Willis - 67.0 (69.5)
-Has improved his completion % big time from last year 47.4% vs 83.8%. (ranked 9th)
-Has 4 hurries on 18 blitzes vs 1 on 23 last year
Wilson - 72.2 (71.9)
Odum - 53.9 (67.3)

 

Defensive Line
Houston - 62.6 (87.1)
-Only 3.5 sacks, about 30% down from his 2 year average (10)
Buckner - 86.3 (78.8)
-Tied for 9th most QB knock downs
-Only 2.5 sacks, about 50% down from his 2 year average (9.75)
Autry - 54.6 (71.0)
-Tied for 14th most sacks in the NFL
-5 sacks, on track for his best year ever, and above his two year average (6.25)
-Leads team in sacks and TFLs
Stewart - 76.0 (65.8)
AQM - 62.0 (66.2)
Lewis - 63.9 (46.1)
Stallworth - 63.1 (65.5)
Banogu - 40.7 (49.0)
Day - 61.5 (60.6)

 

Linebackers
Leonard - 81.1 (78.7)
-Leads team in Ts, and Ts/snap
Okereke - 50.9 (78.4)
-Giving up the NFL 12th highest completion %
-Giving up 2nd most YAC (team)
Walker - 44.6 (61.0)
-2nd in Ts/Snap
Franklin - 67.7 (61.3)

 

Special Teams
Blankenship
-30th in the NFL in touchback %
-15th in the NFL in FG %
-19th in the NFL in KO AVG
Sanchez
-11th in punt average

[Trace Pyott]

Yah I totally agree with you I think firing the old offensive line coach was an enormous mistake. Ever since we replaced him the line has gotten progressively worse, when in reality you would think they would be getting better since most guys are less than 3 or 4 years into the league and have had time to get used to playing together. I don’t see how anyone can see it any different.  In all honesty I don’t see many improvements on the team unless I’m reading this wrong. Are the coaches losing the players?   

[John Hammonds]

Ewww.

With these stats, it's hard to believe we're 5-3.

[Chucklez]

I find it surprising that a lot of the defensive players are down on what they were at last year considering our defense has been stifling and had the offense been pulling their weight in the 3 games we lost, we might be 8-0 right now.

I guess it goes to show what a few outlandishly good players can do for a defense (hello Mr. Leonard and Buckner).

 

[pacolts56]

Reich - F

Ballard - F

Eberflus - F

Rivers - F

Taylor - F

Hilton - F

Nelson - C

“You’re giving me a C???!!!”

 
 

Nelson - A

[AwesomeAustin]

Thank you for posting these!   Always enjoy your commitment to stats to help paint the bigger picture.  Well done sir!!

 

Ive been saying this all year and will stick with it, this Colts team is average.  They aren’t bad at all but there is a definite separation with teams that are considered playoff locks.  We fall right in the middle of the 2nd tier teams and it’s a coin flip if we will make the playoffs. I put about 60% on coaching and the rest on players abilities and execution.  

[holeymoley99]

Would like to see what Sanchez kickoff numbers were last season compared to what Hot Rod is doing this. 30th in touch backs isnt great so maybe make the change back. Just a thought and let Hot Rod concentrate solely on f.g.'s and p.a.t.'s

[EastStreet]

7 minutes ago, Trace Pyott said:

Yah I totally agree with you I think the offensive line coach was an enormous mistake. Ever since we replaced him the line has gotten progressively worse, when in reality you would think they would be getting better since most guys are less than 3 or 4 years into the league and have had time to get used to playing together. I don’t see how anyone can see it any different.  In all honesty I don’t see many improvements on the team unless I’m reading this wrong. Are the coaches losing the players?   

I'm not sure what it is. I do think they've fiddled with the run blocking scheme a bit this year. Just looks different. Could be wrong, but seems Q is drive blocking less, and pulling less. Our success rate is down. If you compare for instance Wilkins, his success rate this year is 48% vs 57% last year. Hines this year is 31% vs 52%. And our success rate over LT and LG is way down.

 

If you want to compare

https://www.sharpfootballstats.com/directional-rushing-success--off-.html

6 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

Ewww.

With these stats, it's hard to believe we're 5-3.

Welp, we have the 32nd SoS as far as FPI is concerned so far.

 

Our remaining SoS is 17. so while it gets harder, it's still pretty average.

 

FWIW, the Titan's SOS is 30th, so they're not really tested either.

[EastStreet]

20 minutes ago, Chucklez said:

I find it surprising that a lot of the defensive players are down on what they were at last year considering our defense has been stifling and had the offense been pulling their weight in the 3 games we lost, we might be 8-0 right now.

I guess it goes to show what a few outlandishly good players can do for a defense (hello Mr. Leonard and Buckner).

While I think our D is good, I don't think we are near as good as we're ranked. We really haven't played a good QB yet this year. We've played only one legit OL, and we lost. 

 

We are tied for 1st in INTs, but 10 of our 11 INTs came from QBs in the top 5 most INT'd.

[Chucklez]

I think what is really frustrating about this team is that you can see the potential for a great team... It just isnt coming together for some reason or other.

Unfortunately, I am beginning to lean towards it being squarely on the coaching.... Which I didnt think i would do. Reich's play calling and scheming in year 1 was great, not so much recently. It's still too early and i am not saying fire Reich.... but definitely something to monitor.

 

There is potential for him being deemed a good head coach too early.... but equally the potential for him to pull himself and the team out of this funk.
 

[EastStreet]

Just now, Chucklez said:

I think what is really frustrating about this team is that you can see the potential for a great team... It just isnt coming together for some reason or other.

Unfortunately, I am beginning to lean towards it being squarely on the coaching.... Which I didnt think i would do. Reich's play calling and scheming in year 1 was great, not so much recently. It's still too early and i am not saying fire Reich.... but definitely something to monitor.

 

There is potential for him being deemed a good head coach too early.... but equally the potential for him to pull himself and the team out of this funk.
 

 

In year 1, I don't think the O was fiddled with all that much to be honest. I think Luck was allowed to do what he always did. 

We've become much more dink/dunk the last 2 years. Rivers is on track to have about 100 less attempts than Luck had in 2018.

[DougDew]

Thanks for putting that together.

 

Many observations, I'll point to a few.

 

We know that JT is leaving yards on the field, yet his rankings and stats aren't bad.  I think his cumulative stats, to me, suggests that we are running the ball too much.  Which leads to...

 

Sorry, the WRs stink.  All of them.  And scheme can only go so far.  It can't turn lemons into lemonade. Pittman's a rook, okay, but if every other WR was replaced, I don't think there would be a drop off next year.  Pittman and Harris are keepers for now.  But its no wonder we run so much with this group of receivers.  Hopefully, JT can break a few big ones soon.

 

Oline:  Maybe Nelson needs quality play from AC more than we think.  AC has probably dropped off this year from last, and it shows in the rest of the left side and C, just like it did when he was out early in the season in 2018.

 

We get thrown on in the middle because of both Walker and OKee.  Leonard can't carry the entire middle of the defense.  We need another ILB.

 

Rock's rating is no surprise to me.  Not sure what others are seeing.

 

Buckner had three studs playing with him in SF.  A drop off in personal stats is not a surprise.  Its what happens when an elite lineman switches to a team where the others are JAGS.

 

Houston is on his way to decline.  Need another edge besides Turay, assuming he himself doesn't need replacing.

[a06cc]

We can blame Howard Mudd for the offensive line drop off. 

[lollygagger8]

Never been a fan of PFF grades, but........

 

Crazy that the O-Line has regressed that much, but at least Glow is getting better. 

 

Sure miss Howard Mudd !! 

[Flash7]

LOL at Banogu going from bad to worse. I never liked the pick. Maybe there's still time for a miracle, but it's doubtful.

 

Defensive Line
Banogu - 40.7 (49.0)

[HoosierHero]

Wasn’t Strausser the coach last year? Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the line was pretty good last year. Oh and one other side note. If I didn’t know this was a top ten defense I would think it was awful from these ratings. 

[chad72]

Buckner, Stewart and Leonard stand out as leaders on defense, with Stewart very underrated. Our FA signings Rhodes and Carrie have been better than Moore and RYS actually.

 

On offense - Smith and Glowinski have been better on the right side than Castanzo and Q on the left side, never thought I'd say that. We need to draft Castanzo's replacement in the next draft in the first 2 rounds, IMO.

 

 

[Nesjan3]

Yea the Oline has to be the saddest development of the season. Does anybody know why he got fired? Seems like a massive mistake at this moment. 

 

The other thing I take from the stats is that other than Buckner and Leonard are highest rated player is MAC. This team is underachieving we will win the games we are supposed to but dont stand a chance against the contenders.

[chad72]

1 minute ago, HoosierHero said:

Wasn’t Strausser the coach last year? Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the line was pretty good last year. Oh and one other side note. If I didn’t know this was a top ten defense I would think it was awful from these ratings. 

 

It is a couple of factors - the DL with Buckner and Stewart are playing better than advertised, our FA signings in Rhodes and Carrie are giving us a huge lift plus our safety play has been very good without Hooker in it. Those could be the main factors for improvement in metrics across the board. Plus, we will play very good OLs with balanced offenses in the Titans and Packers over the next 3 weeks, which will tell us where we are truly on defense. Their OLs are probably better than that of the Ravens, I would have to say, so will be the Steelers at the end of the year.

[chad72]

5 minutes ago, HoosierHero said:

Wasn’t Strausser the coach last year? Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the line was pretty good last year. Oh and one other side note. If I didn’t know this was a top ten defense I would think it was awful from these ratings. 

 

Strausser is still the coach this year. It was Dave DeGuglielmo (Guge) that had a stellar 2018, he coached OL for Dolphins in 2019 but he is not coaching now.

[EastStreet]

14 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

It is a couple of factors - the DL with Buckner and Stewart are playing better than advertised, our FA signings in Rhodes and Carrie are giving us a huge lift plus our safety play has been very good without Hooker in it. Those could be the main factors for improvement in metrics across the board. Plus, we will play very good OLs with balanced offenses in the Titans and Packers over the next 3 weeks, which will tell us where we are truly on defense. Their OLs are probably better than that of the Ravens, I would have to say, so will be the Steelers at the end of the year.

Couple things.

-Carrie hasn't played a lot. He filled in for Moore when he was out, and played well, but not to much since.

-Balt was without their RG and LT (RT moved to LT), so the right side were subs.

-Cleveland was the best OL we've played, and they were even missing a starter IIRC.

-We haven't really played a QB that could test us deep. GB will. Stafford burnt Blackmon once, and could have a few other times. TN is 29th in big pass plays (>25yards), GB is #1.

 

TN is a good match up for us. But we'll likely make Tannehill look like surgeon dinking and dunking, just like we did with Minshew and Jackson.

[chad72]

8 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

 

TN is a good match up for us. But we'll likely make Tannehill look like surgeon dinking and dunking, just like we did with Minshew and Jackson.

 

He does have a quick release and doesn't hold on to the ball too long and is accurate underneath. He is the type of guy you play man coverage against. We might do that considering the fact we might play a lot of single high safety to contain Derrick Henry. The problem, like I stated before, is A J Brown, who beats single and double coverage lately.

[EastStreet]

4 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

He does have a quick release and doesn't hold on to the ball too long and is accurate underneath. He is the type of guy you play man coverage against. We might do that considering the fact we might play a lot of single high safety to contain Derrick Henry. The problem, like I stated before, is A J Brown, who beats single and double coverage lately.

We've been playing a more single high this year in general IMO. The rip/liz stuff I think has been good for some, bad for others. Good for guys like Willis, who I think is playing less vertically. Bad for guys like Oke who has more handoff responsibilities. We've only played one team in the top 10 of "big" plays, and that was MN when Cousins was looking horrible early season. Our deep coverage really hasn't been tested much at all. 

 

I'd like to think we'll play more man, and with less cushion when we're in zone, but I just don't know.  I thought we do that vs Minshew, and thought we'd do it vs Jackson. 

[DougDew]

57 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

It is a couple of factors - the DL with Buckner and Stewart are playing better than advertised, our FA signings in Rhodes and Carrie are giving us a huge lift plus our safety play has been very good without Hooker in it. Those could be the main factors for improvement in metrics across the board. Plus, we will play very good OLs with balanced offenses in the Titans and Packers over the next 3 weeks, which will tell us where we are truly on defense. Their OLs are probably better than that of the Ravens, I would have to say, so will be the Steelers at the end of the year.

The DT play has improved a lot from last year.  And the secondary, while nobody stands out, is fairly consistent.  The ILBs are still the drag on the D, IMO.

[a06cc]

1 hour ago, lollygagger8 said:

Never been a fan of PFF grades, but........

 

Crazy that the O-Line has regressed that much, but at least Glow is getting better. 

 

Sure miss Howard Mudd !! 

No it’s because of Howard Mudd. God rest his soul, but the oline got worse when he was here. 

[pacolts56]

2 hours ago, John Hammonds said:

Ewww.

With these stats, it's hard to believe we're 5-3.

Amazing isn’t it?

 

Stats count for sure but games always turn on 4-5 key, and sometimes obscure, plays... and that’s certainly been the case with us..... for better or worse.

[lollygagger8]

20 minutes ago, a06cc said:

No it’s because of Howard Mudd. God rest his soul, but the oline got worse when he was here. 

 

[a06cc]

4 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

 

You seen the regression. When did you happen? Last season... Who did we bring in as an advisor for his philosophy for zone blocking scheme? Howard Mudd. He also bailed a week after Luck retired. Our system is setup for a mobile QB to run RPO’s. If the QB had more mobility the PFF numbers would be better. 

[Shive]

31 minutes ago, a06cc said:

You seen the regression. When did you happen? Last season... Who did we bring in as an advisor for his philosophy for zone blocking scheme? Howard Mudd. He also bailed a week after Luck retired. Our system is setup for a mobile QB to run RPO’s. If the QB had more mobility the PFF numbers would be better. 

OL PFF ratings don't have anything to do with the QB's mobility. JB isn't mobile and the OL was highly rated last year. Rivers isn't a mobile QB, but he's really good at getting the ball out quick and navigating the pocket to avoid pressure.

 

The OL just isn't playing as well as it was last year. I don't know what to attribute that to, but "QB mobility" isn't the reason.

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, a06cc said:

You seen the regression. When did you happen? Last season... Who did we bring in as an advisor for his philosophy for zone blocking scheme? Howard Mudd. He also bailed a week after Luck retired. Our system is setup for a mobile QB to run RPO’s. If the QB had more mobility the PFF numbers would be better. 

I don't think our pass pro grades are the issue.

[CurBeatElite]

8 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I've included PFF grades (vs 2019), team leaders, and top/bottom 25 NFL stats.

 

Offensive Line
-Getting harder to believe the coaching change doesn't have an impact
Castonzo - PFF 69.1 (2019 PFF 81.3)
Nelson - 76.4 (91.2)
Kelly - 68.4 (73.0)
Glowinski - 76.2 (60.5)
Smith - 76.3 (79.8)

 

Quarterback
Rivers - 73.4 (74.3)
-9th in NY/A
-13th in completion %, 17th in YPG
-19th in QBR

 

Running backs
Taylor - 65.5 (rook)
-3rd in the NFL in catch % (all skill players)
-Leads the team in yards from scrimmage
-Leads RBs (team) in catch%, Y/T
-Leads RBs (team) in rushing yards and Y/A
-3.9 Y/A, ahead of Elliot, McCaffery, Jacobs, Gurley, Mixon, etx.
-BTW, Mack was 3.7 his first 8 games, 3.8 his rook year, and that was with a spread out Chud O.
Wilkins - 74.9 (69.8)
-3.7 Y/A
Hines - 70.8 (63.3)
-3.2 Y/A
-2nd on the team in yards from scrimmage
-6th in the NFL in PR Y/R (qualifiers)
Mack - 72.6 (69.5)

 

Tight Ends
Doyle - 53.7 (69.2)
Alie-Cox - 90.5 (67.3)
-25th in the NFL (all skill players) in catch %
-10th in the NFL in Y/R
-Leads TEs in yards and yards/target
-Leads all WR/TEs (team/more than 10) in catch %, Y/T,  
Burton - 69.8 (49.2)

 

Wide Receivers
Hilton - 66.0 (75.1)
-sub 60 catch %
Pascal - 61.2 (73.7)
-Leads WRs in yards and targets
Johnson - 65.4 (59.8)
-sub 60 catch %
Campbell - 72.8 (54.7)
Pittman - 61.6 (rook)
Dulin - 66.7 (59.3)
Fountain - 61.1 (NA)
Harris - 86.0 (rook)

Corner Backs
Moore - 60.3 (75.5)
-Giving up a team high 93.9 passer rating
-Giving up a team high YAC
-Leads team in missed tackles
Rhodes - 78.3 (46.4)
-10th in the league in completion % (lowest)
Ya Sin - 48.4 (65.3)
Carrie - 74.0 (56.2)
Rodgers - 61.4 (rook)
- 2nd in the NFL in Y/KOR

Safeties 

Blackmon - 67.7 (rook)
-Giving up the NFL 9th highest yards/completion
Willis - 67.0 (69.5)
-Has improved his completion % big time from last year 47.4% vs 83.8%. (ranked 9th)
-Has 4 hurries on 18 blitzes vs 1 on 23 last year
Wilson - 72.2 (71.9)
Odum - 53.9 (67.3)

 

Defensive Line
Houston - 62.6 (87.1)
-Only 3.5 sacks, about 30% down from his 2 year average (10)
Buckner - 86.3 (78.8)
-Tied for 9th most QB knock downs
-Only 2.5 sacks, about 50% down from his 2 year average (9.75)
Autry - 54.6 (71.0)
-Tied for 14th most sacks in the NFL
-5 sacks, on track for his best year ever, and above his two year average (6.25)
-Leads team in sacks and TFLs
Stewart - 76.0 (65.8)
AQM - 62.0 (66.2)
Lewis - 63.9 (46.1)
Stallworth - 63.1 (65.5)
Banogu - 40.7 (49.0)
Day - 61.5 (60.6)

 

Linebackers
Leonard - 81.1 (78.7)
-Leads team in Ts, and Ts/snap
Okereke - 50.9 (78.4)
-Giving up the NFL 12th highest completion %
-Giving up 2nd most YAC (team)
Walker - 44.6 (61.0)
-2nd in Ts/Snap
Franklin - 67.7 (61.3)

 

Special Teams
Blankenship
-30th in the NFL in touchback %
-15th in the NFL in FG %
-19th in the NFL in KO AVG
Sanchez
-11th in punt average

 

Thanks for digging this up and putting together, @EastStreet!

 

Looks like Blankenship only has 1 KO this  year and Sanchez has 47.  Sanchez is barely above 50%, I'm thinking you meant to put the KO stats under his name.  I don't think that's a terrible thing though, as teams are only averaging 21.2 yards per return on his kickoffs.  I am not sure, but I tend to think the coaches trust the ST unit we have enough to have Sanchez kick to allow teams to attempt to return.  I don't recall many (any) of his kicks being caught more than 4 yards out of the end zone, so with a 21.2 y/return average that ought to mean teams are starting in worst field position against us (after a kickoff) than they are against teams who have kickers that are typically kicking touchbacks.

 

I'm kind of shocked at how much Walker and Ya Sin have declined. I will have to watch Ya Sin more closely, but I thought he's been playing fairly well.   I think Leonard has been playing at an amazing level, though not shocked to see both Walker and Okereke dropping off... the level to which Walker has dropped off is somewhat shocking to me, though.  Walker is in a contract year, and frankly, I won't be shocked if he's somewhere else next year -- I don't see Ballard giving him a big contract and wouldn't be shocked if a guy like EJ Speed or a new rookie could come in and perform at a similar or better level.

 

Along the DL, a few shockers -- first I though AQM has been playing as good or better than last year.   Also shocked at Autry dropping so much, as I thought he's been better than he was last year (maybe Buckner is just masking some of his miscues?).  Houston's sacks are down and I do think he's at the stage of his career where it's expected for him to start declining, but it seems to me like he's still getting pressure and I was not expecting to see he's dropped 25 points from last year.  Glad to see Stewart's rating has gone up significantly, he is starting to look like the DT I think the FO envisioned when he got drafted -- same with Lewis.  I actually don't think Banogu's been awufl, but his PFF rating doesn't reflect that.

 

The OL doesn't shock me much at all.  I am not sure if that's coaching, scheme, predictable play calling, or simply a decline in the performance of the individuals along the line.  I really enjoyed last year when the OL put it on themselves to 'run the d^mn ball' and they seemed to have (at least publicly) a tougher/meaner mentality than they do this year.  

 

Overall, aside from what I pointed out, I'm not too shocked with the ratings.  Glad to see Rhodes seems to have revitalized himself by coming here, he has been fun to watch.  Again, our schedule the 2nd half of the season is a bit tougher than the first half of the season - it'll be interesting to see how we stack up down the stretch.  

 

 

[CurBeatElite]

8 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

I don't think our pass pro grades are the issue.

 

I don't have a PFF account, so don't think I can get access to see if they break down grades on pass vs. run protection.  However, watching the tape from Baldy's Breakdown against the Ravens there were several plays there where the OL did not look very good in pass pro.  A few plays in that clip are plays in there where it seemed like Q was making last year that he was getting beat on.

[a06cc]

1 hour ago, Shive said:

OL PFF ratings don't have anything to do with the QB's mobility. JB isn't mobile and the OL was highly rated last year. Rivers isn't a mobile QB, but he's really good at getting the ball out quick and navigating the pocket to avoid pressure.

 

The OL just isn't playing as well as it was last year. I don't know what to attribute that to, but "QB mobility" isn't the reason.

The offensive line played a lot better in 2018 in my honest opinion. Mobile does play into a factor just as much as getting rid of the football quickly. Mobile would buy them time. A few sacks if Rivers could only step up in the pocket more would help. It would also show up on the stat sheet. A QB that’s able to break out of those sacks would help. Rivers is just too slow. JB is a lot more elusive than Rivers is. Don’t know what you’re talking about. 

[aaron11]

3 minutes ago, a06cc said:

The offensive line played a lot better in 2018 in my honest opinion. Mobile does play into a factor just as much as getting rid of the football quickly. Mobile would buy them time. A few sacks if Rivers could only step up in the pocket more would help. It would also show up on the stat sheet. A QB that’s able to break out of those sacks would help. Rivers is just too slow. JB is a lot more elusive than Rivers is. Don’t know what you’re talking about. 

They dont grade the oline higher for having a mobile QB.  most of what you said is probably true, but its not relevant to how pff ranks the line.  they just look at each guy and their matchup

[a06cc]

Just now, aaron11 said:

They dont grade the oline higher for having a mobile QB.  most of what you said is probably true, but its not relevant to how pff ranks the line.  they just look at each guy and their matchup

I know that, but mobility would help with the numbers. A QB being able to break out of a few of those sacks would help. I don’t like PFF because they don’t know the assignments given to each of the players. 

[aaron11]

3 minutes ago, a06cc said:

I don’t like PFF because they don’t know the assignments given to each of the players. 

i dont always agree with them but i do like them for getting a general idea of players that are hard to watch on tv

 

to your point they say this on the website

 

YOU DON’T KNOW THE PLAY CALL?

We are certainly not in the huddle, but we are grading what a player attempts to do on a given play. While football is extremely nuanced regarding the preparation and adjustments that go into each play call, once the ball is snapped, most players are clear in what they’re trying to accomplish on each play, and we evaluate accordingly. Of course, there are always some gray areas in football. Plays in which there is a clear question mark regarding assignment, we can defer to a “0” grade and not guess as to which player is right or wrong. These plays are few and far between and since we are grading every snap, missing out on a handful throughout the year should not affect player evaluations. Examples of potential gray areas include coverage busts, quarterback/wide receiver miscommunications and missed blocking assignments. 

[a06cc]

2 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

i dont always agree with them but i do like them for getting a general idea of players that are hard to watch on tv

 

to your point they say this on the website

 

YOU DON’T KNOW THE PLAY CALL?

We are certainly not in the huddle, but we are grading what a player attempts to do on a given play. While football is extremely nuanced regarding the preparation and adjustments that go into each play call, once the ball is snapped, most players are clear in what they’re trying to accomplish on each play, and we evaluate accordingly. Of course, there are always some gray areas in football. Plays in which there is a clear question mark regarding assignment, we can defer to a “0” grade and not guess as to which player is right or wrong. These plays are few and far between and since we are grading every snap, missing out on a handful throughout the year should not affect player evaluations. Examples of potential gray areas include coverage busts, quarterback/wide receiver miscommunications and missed blocking assignments. 

Another example is for screens and draw plays. You may have to let a guy beat you, but the play could be recognized by the defense. A mistake by the QB or RB could also effect those results. 

[EastStreet]

7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Thanks for digging this up and putting together, @EastStreet!

 

Looks like Blankenship only has 1 KO this  year and Sanchez has 47.  Sanchez is barely above 50%, I'm thinking you meant to put the KO stats under his name.  I don't think that's a terrible thing though, as teams are only averaging 21.2 yards per return on his kickoffs.  I am not sure, but I tend to think the coaches trust the ST unit we have enough to have Sanchez kick to allow teams to attempt to return.  I don't recall many (any) of his kicks being caught more than 4 yards out of the end zone, so with a 21.2 y/return average that ought to mean teams are starting in worst field position against us (after a kickoff) than they are against teams who have kickers that are typically kicking touchbacks.

Yup, I meant to put it under Sanchez. I did all the PFFs first, then came back with the misc stats.

7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

I'm kind of shocked at how much Walker and Ya Sin have declined. I will have to watch Ya Sin more closely, but I thought he's been playing fairly well.   I think Leonard has been playing at an amazing level, though not shocked to see both Walker and Okereke dropping off... the level to which Walker has dropped off is somewhat shocking to me, though.  Walker is in a contract year, and frankly, I won't be shocked if he's somewhere else next year -- I don't see Ballard giving him a big contract and wouldn't be shocked if a guy like EJ Speed or a new rookie could come in and perform at a similar or better level.

IIRC, Walker's biggest drop happened with Leonard out and he played Will. Oke's drop is significantly bigger than Walkers. Oke has played a bit better the last couple weeks. He was in the 40s and lower than Walker for most of the season IIRC.

 

Could be wrong, but I think the change in coverages is impacting both. The rip/liz requires more of them with handoffs, etc, than the typical C2 or T2. 

7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Along the DL, a few shockers -- first I though AQM has been playing as good or better than last year.   Also shocked at Autry dropping so much, as I thought he's been better than he was last year (maybe Buckner is just masking some of his miscues?).  Houston's sacks are down and I do think he's at the stage of his career where it's expected for him to start declining, but it seems to me like he's still getting pressure and I was not expecting to see he's dropped 25 points from last year.  Glad to see Stewart's rating has gone up significantly, he is starting to look like the DT I think the FO envisioned when he got drafted -- same with Lewis.  I actually don't think Banogu's been awufl, but his PFF rating doesn't reflect that.

The Autry drop is a head scratcher to me given he's leading the team in sacks and TFLs. 

 

I'm not sure what to think of the numbers to be honest. The rotation, or situational use at times of certain guys has been really weird among the DEs.

7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

The OL doesn't shock me much at all.  I am not sure if that's coaching, scheme, predictable play calling, or simply a decline in the performance of the individuals along the line.  I really enjoyed last year when the OL put it on themselves to 'run the d^mn ball' and they seemed to have (at least publicly) a tougher/meaner mentality than they do this year.  

Our blocking scheme just doesn't look the same at times. I wish I still had last year's games on my DVR so I could compare.

7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Overall, aside from what I pointed out, I'm not too shocked with the ratings.  Glad to see Rhodes seems to have revitalized himself by coming here, he has been fun to watch.  Again, our schedule the 2nd half of the season is a bit tougher than the first half of the season - it'll be interesting to see how we stack up down the stretch.  

we're 32nd SOS now, and our remaining schedule is 17th. So yes, gets harder, but still average.

[EastStreet]

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

The old offensive line coach made this line mean. Now we are pansies. That has been one of the worse decisions by Reich.