PFF Scores week 5. **Updated with cumulative season grades.

[Solid84]

I'm not going to be posting any grades save maybe just a few on stand-out players. 

 

I'll try to rank grades as follows:

• Elite 90+
• Great 80-89
• Good 70-79
• Above Average 65-69
• Average 56-64
• Below average 50-54
• Bad <50

For reference the baseline grade is 60.0 - the average. To make it easier for me I've made some PFF-grade intervals for each of the above categories - I'll post them this time, but if you feel it's too obvious @w87r go ahead and let me know and I'll delete them. Fewer grades under average because once you get into that area under "Below average" there's not much point in grading it - it's just not good enough.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

Stand-out performances week 5:

These are premium grades. I'll post links to where they can be found. If you find these PFF grades as interesting as me I highly recommend you subscribe.

 

• Ogletree - Overall 80.6. Scored 66.0 in Receiving and 66.3 in Pass blocking. On Run blocking however he scored 78.2 on 27 Rblk snaps - that's pretty good. (Blocking, Receiving)
• Downs - Overall 84.8. Scored 83.1 in Receiving. Drop and Fumble scores of 75.6 and 69.5 respectively - scores for ball security at the point of the catch and in traffic. (Receiving)
• Smith - Overall 83.3. Scored 87.9 in Run blocking and 69.3 in Pass blocking. Allowed one 1 Hurry and one Pressure. 1 Penalty. (Blocking)
• Blackmon - Overall 90.9. Pedestrian scores in Run defense (55.5) and Passrush (59.0). But, he scored 82.2 in Tackling and 91.1 in Coverage. (Defense)

 

I posted grades for a few players with links to where they can be found like we talked about @w87r. Hope it's okay.

 

 

Comments on grades for Offense, Defense and ST, week 4

 

Seeing as the cats out of the bag on week 1-3 grades (my bad), I'll keep them here and make comments on week 5

 

Offense -  (week3/week2/week 1)

(55.2/74.7/53.1) - Overall Offense 

• week 5 - Good. Scores on par with the Texans game.

 

(49.3/80.6/49.2) - Passing

• week 5 - Good. 2nd best performance after the Texans game.

 

(65.3/70.9/68.3) - Pass blocking

• week 5 - Average. Only average. Didn't feel like our guys were hassled like they were against the Rams.

 

(62.3/63.2/57.1) - Reciever routes

• week 5 - Good. Best receiver performance so far this year.

 

(61.4/67.4/38.8) - Run game

• week 5 - Below average. This is weird to me. I felt Moss won that game for us? I guess they felt the Run blocking was the reason for his performance. Of course, this includes grades for all backs and individually Moss was Good - Taylor not so much.

 

(45.4/82.9/62.3) - Run blocking

• week 5 - Great. Almost on par with the Texans game.

 

A more consistent performance this week by the Offense. Kelly being back made a big difference for the Oline.

 

 

Defense - (week3/week2/week 1)

(57.7/62.3/78.9) - Overall Defense

• week 5 - Average. Defense got carved up in th short passing game.

 

(43.1/74.4/83.4) - Run defense

• week 5 - Average. I felt our Run defense was noticably better than against the Rams.

 

(39.0/51.8/66.4) - Tackling

• week 5 - Below average. Tackling has been an issue all year and we REALLY need to improve here. Franklin did get a good thump on Henry though.

 

(67.4/72.5/73.3) - Passrush

• week 5 - Above Average. When the Titans couldn't dink and dunk their way down field our Dline brought decent pressure despite not getting a bunch of sacks.

 

(62.1/50.0/66.2) - Coverage 

• week 5 - Average. Coverage has been pretty average across the season. I guess that's okay considering how young our guys are.

 

Another pretty average week for the defense.

 

Special Teams - (week3/week2/week 1)

(54.7/69.8/78.3) - Special Teams 

• week 5 - Above Average. ST has been pretty consistent across the season so far.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Comments on grades for Players, week 4.

 

Offense

QB - Comments on overall performance and Passing and Running

• Richardson - Below average. Below Average in Passing and in Running. His Passing grade is likely getting dinged (every week) for not seeing open targets. That's likely down to how he's been told to play though - Read 1, read 2 and then run or throw it away. His ADOT was not as good as last week, but still 9.5, which is far better than previous weeks.
• Minshew - Good. Good in Passing. Not a lot to say - he just gets it done.

 

Oline - Comments on overall performance and Run blocking, Pass blocking and penalties.

• Raimann - Did not play.
• Freeland - Average. Run blocking was Average, but Pass blocking was Bad. Gave up 3 Hurries and 3 Pressures. No penalties. Better than last week, but still needs a lot of improvement - he'll get there eventually.
• Nelson - Good. Run blocking was Above Average and Pass blocking was Average. Gave up 1 Hit, 2 Hurries and 3 Pressures. No penalties.
• French - Did not play.
• Kelly - Good. Run blocking and Pass blocking were Good. Clean performance. 1 penalty. His return was felt.
• Fries -  Good. Run blocking was Good and Pass blocking was Average. Gave up 4 Hurries and 4 Pressures. No penalties.
• Sills - Did not play.
• Smith - Great. See stats under Stand-outs. Gave up 1 Hurry and 1 Pressure. 1 penalty.

 

WR - Comments on overall performance and Receiver routes, Hands and penalties. Hands comments are based on grades for catchable throws caught and ball security. 

• Downs - Great. See stats under Stand-outs. ADOT of 8.3 and YAC/REC of 7.8. No penalties.
• McKenzie - Limited snaps.
• Pierce - Average. Average across the board. ADOT 12.5 and YAC/REC 0. No penalties.
• Pittman - Above Average. Above Average Receiving and Good Hands. ADOT 10.1 and YAC/REC 4.6. 1 penalty.

 

TE - Comments on overall performance and Receiver routes, Hands, Blocking and penalties. Hands comments are based on grades for catchable throws caught and ball security. 

• Cox - Good. Good Receiving and Above Average Hands. ADOT 14.0 and YAC/REC 3.0. Average Run blocking. No Pass blocking done. Limited snaps (12). No penalties.
• Granson - Above Average. Above Average across the board. ADOT 2.3 and YAC/REC 5.0. Average Run blocking. No Pass blocking done. No penalties.
• Ogletree - Great. See stats under Stand-outs. Just a consistenly good performer. ADOT 7.0 and YAC/REC 1.0. No penalties.

 

RB - Comments on overall performance and Run grades, Receiving and Hands. Hands comments are based on grades for catchable throws caught and ball security. 

• Moss - Good. Good Running and Good Hands. Above Average Receiving and Good Hands. ADOT -4.5 and YAC/REC 19.5. Great Pass blocking. No penalties.
• Taylor - Bad. Bad Running and Good Hands. Good Receiving and Good Hands. ADOT -6.0 and YAC/REC 22.0. No Pass blocking. No penalties.

 

 

Noticable improve for the Oline. Downs and Ogletree had a great game. A handful of good performances on Offense. Taylor obviously needs to refind his wheels - he'll get there.

 

 

Defense

DI - Comments on overall performance and Run defense, Tackling, Passrush, Coverage and penalties.

• Buckner - Good. Average Run defense and Bad Tackling. 2 missed tackles. Passrush was Good. No Sacks. 1 Hit and 6 Hurries. No penalties.
• Stewart - Bad. Bad Run defense and Above Average Tackling. No missed tackles. Passrush was Average. No Sacks or Hurries. 1 Hit. No penalties.
• Bryan - Below average. Average Run defense and Bad Tackling. 1 missed tackle. Passrush was Below Average. No Sacks, Hits or Hurries. No penalties.
• Johnson - Bad. Bad Run defense No tackles. No missed tackles. Passrush was Below Average. No Sacks, Hits or Hurries. No penalties.
• Adebawore - Did not play.

 

ED - Comments on overall performance and Run defense, Tackling, Passrush, Coverage and penalties.

• Martin - Good. Good Run defense and Good Tackling. No missed tackles. Passrush was Good. No Sacks. 1 Hit and 1 Hurry. No penalties.
• Paye - Did not play.
• Ebukam - Good. Above Average Run defense and Good Tackling. No missed tackles. Passrush was Average. No Hits. 1 Sack and 2 Hurries. No penalties.
• Lewis - Good. Above Average Run defense and No tackles. No missed tackles. Passrush was Great. No Sacks. 3 Hits and 4 Hurries. 1 penalty.
• Odeyingbo - Bad. Bad Run defense and Good Tackling. No missed tackles. Passrush was Average. No Sacks, Hits or Hurries. 1 penalty.

 

LB - Comments on overall performance and Run defense, Tackling, Passrush, Coverage and penalties.

• Speed - Bad. Average Run defense and Bad Tackling. 2 missed tackles. Passrush was Average. No Sacks or Hits. 1 Hurry. Coverage was Bad. Gave up 5/8 targets for 42 yards (8.4 Y/REC). 1 Pass break up. 1 Penalty.
• Franklin - Bad. Average Run defense and Above Average Tackling. 1 missed tackle. Passrush was Average. No Sacks, Hits or Hurries. Coverage was Bad. Gave up 5/6 targets for 62 yards (12.4 Y/REC). 1 Pass break up. No penalties.
• Leonard - Did not play. 
• Olubi - Did not play.
• Stuard - Bad. Below Average Run defense and Bad Tackling. 1 missed tackle. Passrush was Average. No Sacks or Hurries. 1 Hit. Coverage was Bad. Gave up 2/2 for 29 yards (14.5 Y/REC). No penalties.

 

CB - Comments on overall performance and Run defense, Tackling, Passrush, Coverage and penalties.

• Moore - Average. Great Run defense and Average Tackling. 1 missed tackle. No Passrush snaps. Coverage was Below Average. Gave up 5/6 targets for 36 yards (7.2 Y/REC). No Pass break ups. No penalties.
• Brents - Average. Above Average Run defense and Great Tackling. No missed tackles. No Passrush snaps. Coverage was Average. Gave up 3/5 targets for 38 yards (12.7 Y/REC). 1 Pass break up. 1 penalty.
• Jones - Above Average. Above Average Run defense and Good Tackling. No missed tackles. No Passrush snaps. Coverage was Above Average. Gave up 2/2 for 21 yards (10.5 Y/REC). No Pass break ups. No penalties.

 

S - Comments on overall performance and Run defense, Tackling, Passrush, Coverage and penalties.

• Blackmon - Elite. See stats under Stand-outs. No missed tackles. No Sacks, Hits or Hurries. Gave 0/1 targets. 1 Int. No penalties.
• Cross - Did not play.
• Thomas - Below Average. Average Run defense and Good Tackling. No missed tackles. No Passrush snaps. Coverage was Below Average. Gave up 1/2 targets for 36 yards (36 Y/REC). No Pass break ups. No penalties.

 

A little good, too much bad. Our LBs are BAD in coverage. I feel coaches NEED to focus on tackling - it's been an issues for some time now. Blackmon with the game-winning Int!

 

[ColtsGermany]

Thank you! Incredible job by you doing that every week. Some interesting insights almost nobody in here would take the time to look up. 

[sb41champs]

Round of applause please!!

 

Well done!!

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

 

[w87r]

Will update the cumulative season ratings tomorrow when released.

[Breeze]

I thought this message board traded Smith a couple weeks ago?

[Solid84]

12 minutes ago, Breeze said:

I thought this message board traded Smith a couple weeks ago?

Well, personally I take these PFF scores as guidelines. If we go back and watch Smith's tape I can think of two plays where I thought he gave up the sack but wasn't credited with it.

 

Generally though I find they do match what I see.

[Smonroe]

8 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Well, personally I take these PFF scores as guidelines. If we go back and watch Smith's tape I can think of two plays where I thought he gave up the sack but wasn't credited with it.

 

Generally though I find they do match what I see.

 

Thanks!  Really appreciate the report.  

 

Isn't this the second time that the Run Blocking has been at least Good and the Run Game was below average?  I agree with you, it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially when Moss went off like he did.

 

 

[John Waylon]

I was pretty disappointed in Odeyingbo yesterday. Despite his delayed start in his rookie year he should still be having more of an impact than he is for a second round pick. Is he going to be another one of those second round picks? 

[Solid84]

39 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Thanks!  Really appreciate the report.  

 

Isn't this the second time that the Run Blocking has been at least Good and the Run Game was below average?  I agree with you, it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially when Moss went off like he did.

 

 

Yes, second game with great run blocking - first was against the Texans.

 

I think it's mainly down to the Run grade being a total grade for all runners. Moss' individual grades were good, Taylor's were bad and AR's were Below Average.

[Solid84]

2 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

I was pretty disappointed in Odeyingbo yesterday. Despite his delayed start in his rookie year he should still be having more of an impact than he is for a second round pick. Is he going to be another one of those second round picks? 

He's only had one great week so far, the rest have generally been below average or worse. Upside is his tackling has been consistently good, everything else is a bit swingy though.

[CoachLite]

If Zach Moss only was rated Good, what would he have to do to be Great? Run 400 yards and cook a 5 star dinner?

[John Waylon]

2 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

He's only had one great week so far, the rest have generally been below average or worse. Upside is his tackling has been consistently good, everything else is a bit swingy though.

 

At least he’s not a healthy scratch every week, unlike some second round picks we’ve had. 
 

Yet. 

 

[cdgacoltsfan]

1 hour ago, Breeze said:

I thought this message board traded Smith a couple weeks ago?

Blackmon and Fries were replaced too....lol

[Hawkeyecolt]

7 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

I was pretty disappointed in Odeyingbo yesterday. Despite his delayed start in his rookie year he should still be having more of an impact than he is for a second round pick. Is he going to be another one of those second round picks? 

Did you see he was double teamed darn near every pass rush?  After the monster game against the Rams the Titans chose Dayo to get the double teams.  When I got home from Indy last night I re-watched the game focusing primarily on line play.  On offense I was impressed by the way Fries and Nelson played up to and just past the whistle.  On defense I noticed Dayo was getting double teamed a lot but it also allowed the pressures from Buck, Lewis, and Ebukam. 

[GoColts8818]

5 minutes ago, CoachLite said:

If Zach Moss only was rated Good, what would he have to do to be Great? Run 400 yards and cook a 5 star dinner?

Sometimes PFF grades don’t match everything you see in a game because they try to grade everything not just one aspect of a position.  Example Franklin graded bad, primarily for coverage issues but I think if you watched the game you know Franklin had a great game.  That’s why PFF is just another tool used to evaluate players and not the end all be all.

[CoachLite]

2 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

Sometimes PFF grades don’t match everything you see in a game because they try to grade everything not just one aspect of a position.  Example Franklin graded bad, primarily for coverage issues but I think if you watched the game you know Franklin had a great game.  That’s why PFF is just another tool used to evaluate players and not the end all be all.

Thanks for the comment.

 

[John Waylon]

4 minutes ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Did you see he was double teamed darn near every pass rush?  After the monster game against the Rams the Titans chose Dayo to get the double teams.  When I got home from Indy last night I re-watched the game focusing primarily on line play.  On offense I was impressed by the way Fries and Nelson played up to and just past the whistle.  On defense I noticed Dayo was getting double teamed a lot but it also allowed the pressures from Buck, Lewis, and Ebukam. 

I made him an object of interest yesterday because with Paye out this should have been a time for him to step up and play like an actual second round pick. I did not see him getting double-teamed at a dramatically higher rate than anyone else. He just didn’t get it done yesterday. 

[GoColts8818]

5 minutes ago, CoachLite said:

Thanks for the comment. And, what did you say your position was at PFF?

You don’t need to work for the company to know how it grades.  No need for a personal shot.

[NFLfan]

3 hours ago, CoachLite said:

Thanks for the comment.

 

I think you may have misunderstood his comment.

 

3 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

You don’t need to work for the company to know how it grades.  No need for a personal shot.

 

I think he must have misunderstood.

 

I agree with both of your initial comments. It gets frustrating at times to see that PFF's grades are different from how we would evaluate what we are watching. PFF seems to grade other variables that I may not value or appreciate.

 

Anyway, Moss had a great game, regardless of how PFF saw it.

[GoColts8818]

Just now, NFLfan said:

 

I think you misunderstood his comment.

 

 

I think he must have misunderstood.

 

I agree with both of your initial comments. It gets frustrating at times to see that PFF's grade may be different from what we see as we are watching. PFF seems to grade other variables that I may not value or appreciate.

 

Anyway, Moss had a great game, regardless of how PFF saw it.

Yep agree.  That was my point that PFF isn’t perfect.  It’s just one tool to be used to evaluate someone’s performance. 

[NFLfan]

3 hours ago, Solid84 said:

Run game

• week 5 - Below average. This is weird to me. I felt Moss won that game for us? I guess they felt the Run blocking was the reason for his performance. Of course, this includes grades for all backs and individually Moss was Good - Taylor not so much.

 

You did a great job! That is a lot of work.

 

The run game seemed great. I wonder what made it "below average". 

 

Has PFF graded Richardson higher than below average. I think he plays so well but it is not reflected in PFF scores.

 

By the way, do you also follow team DVOA rankings? They remind me of PFF, as my grades seem far different from theirs.

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

 

I picked Blackmon as my breakout player this year.  This makes me feel pretty good right now.  Keep it up Julian.

[holeymoley99]

1 hour ago, CoachLite said:

If Zach Moss only was rated Good, what would he have to do to be Great? Run 400 yards and cook a 5 star dinner?

Thats what I was thinking

[holeymoley99]

When is Cross going to replace Thomas ? Blackmon coming on, Brents playing well,Moore getting back to moore of old. Jones took all snaps no split with Baker....so seems Thomas for Cross should be our last adjustment barring injury.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, holeymoley99 said:

When is Cross going to replace Thomas ? Blackmon coming on, Brents playing well,Moore getting back to moore of old. Jones took all snaps no split with Baker....so seems Thomas for Cross should be our last adjustment barring injury.

Cross had a great camp too. Surprised he isn’t getting any playing time. I think he is more a SS then a FS though. Might have to wait until next year if they don’t sign Blackmon.

[holeymoley99]

7 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Cross had a great camp too. Surprised he isn’t getting any playing time. I think he is more a SS then a FS though. Might have to wait until next year if they don’t sign Blackmon.

I view him as a player who can flip from Free to Strong seamlessly. Has very good speed but also brings the boom. Thomas after a very good rookie year is coming back to earth and playing more like his draft position.

 

His PFF has dropped from 54.3 down to 47.7

 

[Solid84]

1 hour ago, NFLfan said:

 

You did a great job! That is a lot of work.

 

The run game seemed great. I wonder what made it "below average". 

 

Has PFF graded Richardson higher than below average. I think he plays so well but it is not reflected in PFF scores.

 

By the way, do you also follow team DVOA rankings? They remind me of PFF, as my grades seem far different from theirs.

The Run grade for the Team is a mix of all runners - Moss, Taylor and AR. I just think it's weird Moss' score isn't given more weight since he had waaay more carries than AR and Taylor combined.

 

That's just one example of PFF's grade being a bit off sometimes in my opinion.

 

There have been instances of Nelson and Fries having nearly the same scores but switched between Run blocking and Pass blocking; Nelson being Good/Great in Pass blocking and Below Average in Run blocking and vice versa for Fries. Fries would however end up with a Good/Great Overall score while Nelson's would be Below Average. I guess it's down to how they way Run blocking vs Pass blocking for individual Olinemen.

 

I don't follow DVOA, sorry.

[NFLfan]

4 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

I don't follow DVOA, sorry.

 

I don't either. I know some folks who follow both. I actually have an even harder time making sense of DVOA.

[Solid84]

I guess it's worth posting these links to some "How PFF grades X" Articles from their site:

 

Receiving

Running backs

Quarterbacks

 

Olinemen and Dlinemen

 

Pass protection

Run blocking

 

Run defense

Pass-rushers

Coverage

 

Here's a quote from the "Running backs" article, that may give some perspective on Moss' score.

Quote

Rushing success is often determined by a rusher’s run blocking, play calling, and the quality of the defense, so there are plenty of times where a player’s grade will not match up perfectly with his statistics. Our goal is to isolate the running back’s contribution to that production, and the runners with the highest grades are those who produce above expectation and outside what the run blocking or scheme allows.

 

[1959Colts]

2 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

Yep agree.  That was my point that PFF isn’t perfect.  It’s just one tool to be used to evaluate someone’s performance. 

Seeing how so many defensive players had a "bad" grade,  I would say... PFF is far from perfect

[GoColts8818]

2 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

Seeing how so many defensive players had a "bad" grade,  I would say... PFF is far from perfect

I think they over do it on mistakes a little bit and let it over shadow good play.  The Colts got really dinged for pass coverage and tackling which in fairness have been issues this season.  I will say I wouldn’t say no to Ballard finding a linebacker who excels in pass coverage at some point.  Leonard, Franklin, and Speed all struggle with it.

[1959Colts]

1 minute ago, GoColts8818 said:

I think they over do it on mistakes a little bit and let it over shadow good play.  The Colts got really dinged for pass coverage and tackling which in fairness have been issues this season.  I will say I wouldn’t say no to Ballard finding a linebacker who excels in pass coverage at some point.  Leonard, Franklin, and Speed all struggle with it.

whatever. Ridiculous to give Zaire Franklin a "bad" grade in that game

[GoColts8818]

1 minute ago, 1959Colts said:

whatever. Ridiculous to give Zaire Franklin a "bad" grade in that game

Oh I agree just explaining where they got dinged is all.

[1959Colts]

6 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Oh I agree just explaining where they got dinged is all.

In Bradley's defense Franklin is usually depended upon to cover nearly the entire middle of the field, regardless of which receivers flood the area. He does a very good job considering what he is expected to do. Its the scheme that's flawed. Many times our opponents QB only has to lob a pass over Franklin's head to the receiver running a crossing route. The safeties are always too deep to come up in time to defend. Making for a simple catch in the soft part of the zone.

[GoColts8818]

8 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

In Bradley's defense Franklin is usually depended upon to cover nearly the entire middle of the field, regardless of which receivers flood the area. He does a very good job considering what he is expected to do. Its the scheme that's flawed. Many times our opponents QB only has to lob a pass over Franklin's head to the receiver running a crossing route. The safeties are always too deep to come up in time to defend. Making for a simple catch in the soft part of the zone.

Lol I am not laughing at you but the same thing would happen to Leonard and people loved to rail on him for his pass defense.  
 

You are right though and other teams take advantage of it, like yesterday the Titans kept getting Hopkins on Franklin and exploited it.

[NFLfan]

@Solid84 From your weekly reports, are there certain groups of players or individual players that appear to be improving or regressing? Thanks.

[1959Colts]

5 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Lol I am not laughing at you but the same thing would happen to Leonard and people loved to rail on him for his pass defense.  
 

You are right though and other teams take advantage of it, like yesterday the Titans kept getting Hopkins on Franklin and exploited it.

I believe Leonard should not even be on the field. When healthy, the Colts take Leonard out on passing downs. Its not Franklin's fault if he is expected to cover Deandre Hopkins

[GoColts8818]

Just now, 1959Colts said:

I believe Leonard should not even be on the field. When healthy, the Colts take Leonard out on passing downs. Its not Franklin's fault if he is expected to cover Deandre Hopkins

I think you misunderstood me a little bit.  I was talking about Leonard his whole career not just this year. 
 

Also I am not blaming Franklin for not covering Hopkins.  I was using that as example of how teams work to take advantage of exactly what you were talking about.

[1959Colts]

Just now, GoColts8818 said:

I think you misunderstood me a little bit.  I was talking about Leonard his whole career not just this year. 
 

Also I am not blaming Franklin for not covering Hopkins.  I was using that as example of how teams work to take advantage of exactly what you were talking about.

...taking advantage of the flawed Gus Bradley zone scheme