09-19-2023, 05:54 PM
(09-19-2023, 05:17 PM)ochocincos Wrote: What in particular don't you like about PFF grades?
Is it because you don't know the specifics on what was graded?
Or you just don't agree with the graders' opinions that someone is doing well/poor?
It's very well understood in the league that PFF is making guesses on plays, and frankly they don't know much better than any former mid level college football player knows when watching the all 22. There are countless times players come out and laugh and say "I did exactly what I was asked to do here and was graded poorly" who would know better than the people being told to do something. Even differences in how some coaches teach technique gets guys graded lower than they should be. Watch a good analyst break things down, they often say things about what they think or what it appears, and even then players will reply "No, we were giving this look and I had this check". If these analysts who are much better than the average grader at PFF can't get it right why are we to believe that a business where the average fan can't second guess them are right? This doesn't get into certain biases that exist where certain players and teams get the benefit of the doubt when their analysts have no clue and others don't.
At the end of the day it's a fun thing for fans but even the "every team uses PFF" marketing gimmick is a bit misleading. Teams all subscribe to their advanced metrics which don't rely on subjective grading but rather things like situational ball placement, field targeting, etc. No team in the NFL gives weight, or cares about the player grades. In reality, the only time anyone in the league cares is when Agents use good grades for arguing better contracts and that is often met with chuckles.
I haven't paid a ton of attention to the O line this year as I have been so disgusted with the playcalling that it's not worth the rewatch. Generally speaking there seems to be more time, but also Burrow is less mobile and escape so it's hard to really tell what's going on. Run blocking has felt better overall in the limited looks we are giving. I would venture to say the line is better and Burrow is worse so we feel kind of stuck in the mud. Orlando Brown for instance is known to get beat on the back half of the arch, a health Burrow knows that and steps and slides and it's not an issue but a hobbled Burrow gets clocked by a guy beating him around the top.
It's complex, but this is just my yearly rant that PFF is a barely educated guess at what is happening and should be taken with a grain of salt.
