http://www.jetsdaily.com/2009/10/everything-you-know-about-jets-is-wrong.html JetsDaily.com for those who can't see links. I stumbled upon ProFootbalFocus.com, a website that tries to rank every NFL player based on statistical data. This isn't just quarterbacks, runningbacks, and receivers. Offensive lineman, linebackers, safeties, and even special teamers are also judged. They watch every play of every game and make their ratings accordingly. My one problem with the site is that the Jets DEs and LBs are listed as 4-3 players instead of 3-4 guys. I'm not sure what difference that makes, and I e-mailed the website, but as a result, I'm not including their numbers in this post, though I'll give a brief mention to some of those numbers at the end. Now, these stats are far from the be-all, end-all of judging NFL players, but there are a bunch of numbers out there that stood out on me. Some you might already believe or know, and others might seriously surprise you. So let's start with perhaps the most surprising stat I noticed on the site. Note that this only includes players who have played at least 25% of the snaps. D'Brickashaw Ferguson is the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL...and it isn't even that close. According to this website, in which zero is considered the average grade, D'Brickashaw Ferguson has a 12.5. The next closest tackle in that department is Browns T Joe Thomas with an 8.7. Brick is rated as the #2 tackle in the NFL, and he is above average (2.7) at pass blocking. On the other hand... Damien Woody is the worst run-blocking tackle in the NFL At a -9.4 Woody is considered the worst run blocker in the NFL. He is considered above average against the pass (3.1). Last season, it was considered common sense that the Jets ran behind Woody and Brick dominated the blind side. These numbers seem to indicate the opposite. As for the other lineman, Alan Faneca is considered one of the worst OGs in the NFL (-7.4), particularly in pass blocking (-5.1). Brandon Moore is above average at 3.1. Nick Mangold is considered one of the best centers in the NFL by many, and these numbers go above and beyond in supporting it. His 21.5 overall ranking is over twice as high as every other tackle besides Miami's Jake Grove (12.1) and he owns a staggering 21.1 rating against the run. Mangold should make the Pro Bowl this year, and these numbers help prove that. Jerricho Cotchery is the 2nd best receiver in the NFL With a 7.9 rating, Cotchery is only behind Reggie Wayne in the receiver ratings. Now with Braylon Edwards drawing away coverage, Cotchery has the chance to be even more productive. Thomas Jones has three missed tackles all year. Despite being in the top 5 in the NFL in rushing, Jones clocks in at a -0.8 for runningbacks. Then again, it appears like runningbacks are a bit underrated. These numbers looked much worse two weeks ago. Only JaMarcus Russell has been worse than Mark Sanchez This should come as no surprise, especially after the five interception game against Buffalo. Only Russell, Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Kyle Boller, Seneca Wallace, Kevin Kolb, and Jason Campbell have negative ratings, with Sanchez's being the second worst rating at -8.0. Still, don't read too much into it. He's still a rookie, and one bad game drags his numbers down really far. If he's still this low next year, then you can start to worry. Darrelle Revis is the best cover cornerback in the NFL. Revis has the highest rated number for coverage out of any cornerback in the NFL. He's number three overall among cornerbacks, trailing only Antoine Winfield and Jabari Greer. He would be number one if it weren't for his penalties earlier in the year. Dwight Lowery (0.6) has outplayed Lito Sheppard (-4.1) by a pretty wide margin as well. Dustin Keller has been the 3rd worst tight end in the NFL. Only Jerramy Stevens and former Jet Sean Ryan (worst in NFL) have been worse. He is the third worst in the passing game (-4.4) and his run blocking has left a lot to be desired (-5.4). He has been thrown to 34 times, and he's only caught 15. Needless to say, he's been a big disappointment in his second year. Hopefully, he and Sanchez can get on the same page because there's no reason he can't be a weapon. Front Seven Notes As I mentioned earlier, I'm not sure how well the front sevens are rated, so these numbers could be taken with a grain of salt, especially given the Jets' myriad of looks and formations. A guy like Vernon Gholston (listed at DE with a -3 rating) has seen action at OLB, DE, and DT already. *Bryan Thomas is listed as the best OLB in the NFL at 8.7. He's a below average pass rusher (-1.3), but he's above average in coverage (1.5), and he is the best run stopper (8.5). *Mike DeVito (7.3) and Sione Pouha (5.6) have both been more productive at NT than Kris Jenkins (1.9). I don't think the numbers take into account the double teams Jenkins constantly faces, but it's still food for thought. *David Harris is considered the worst run stopper in the NFL at -7.6. However, his pass coverage ability is one of the best of any LB. Now, for a few interesting names for overall stats. The worst rated ILB? Jonathan Vilma. Second worst? Channing Crowder.
Pro football focus is not a subjective site. Unless they have changed thigns around a lot they give weights to players before grading is handed on on plays and they do not run a 0 sum statistical grading system. Basicly all your getting from that site is a bunch of numbers other fans felt like giving out after watching a play. They disclaim it themselves. They use TV footage and do not always have great views. They are not Scouts. They are jsut football fans with way too much time on thier hands.
I don't know anything about that website but I will go ahead and agree with your post. Seems like they are grabbing these stats out of thin air. Brick the best OT in run support? Bryan Thomas the best overall OLB in the NFL? Not buying it. It's clear who is and who isn't having good seasons on this team at this point.
Part of the reason I say to take it with a grain of salt, but it's still worth looking at. If anyone thinks these numbers are totally accurate, they're kidding themselves, but I figured I'd post them anyway.
That site's ratings are just horrible, their 8th ranked running back has 57 yards for the season? I've always wanted to come up with my own ratings for every position in the NFL, weighing carefully each stat. I doubt you'd ever get it perfect but as RB's go you'd be better off just going by who's got the most yards than those retarded ratings.
They did give Moore a negative number for run plays. He made up for it with a good number on pass plays. The site cannot be all wrong because they have Vincent Jackson as the #3 WR. I think he's been the best WR in the league to this point in the season. Furthermore, they've got Darrius Heyward-Bey ranked 107th and dead last among wide receivers.
It's on a per play basis. Who is the best runningback, Thomas Jones, Ryan Grant, or Maurice Jones-Drew? The ratings are skewed for certain positions, like runningback, where blocking, receiving, and running are all equal, when there are specialty backs, and clearly running is the most important aspect, though the others are certainly valuable and necessary.
Understandable. I like thier attempt at things, but the scoring system used leaves a lot to be desired for me. To grade every player on every play with any accuracy takes a great deal of in depth knowledge of football and I doubt anyone not working full time on it could get a lot of good stfuu done. Its fun stuff to look at but I've seen too many treat thier numbers as a football bible of how good players actually are.
Brad Smith is rated the 47th best WR, ahead of Anquan Boldin and Deshaun Jackson. It's a shame, this site obviously does a lot of work and is unique, but some of the stuff just kills all of their credibility.
Their rankings are useless and arbitrary. BUT.... there is some GREAT info there if you are into FF with IDP (Individual Defensive Players). They track how many plays any player is in for and break it down by quarter and situationally (Quarter, down, YTG for a 1st). Only an NFL coach/expert could rank front sevens or O lines, and even they have trouble getting it right. Sounds like all of their ranking system is fatally flawed. Meaningless... but for other stuff, it's a great site.
Ranking OL and DL is something I'd love to see, stats for yards gained off a player's block or how many times someone's been beaten and allowed their QB to be pressured.
I've been pimping the site for a while.It's not perfect and I don't agree with a lot of the gradings but it's great for finding out who played where,break downs of running/passing,linemen stats and DBs against the pass. My main probelms with the jets gradings are: I don't agree with D'Bricks run grades,I managed to watch the first 3 games in full like the site does and I felt Dbrick was poor at running blocking,failing to hold the edge and ground.The only run blocking that DBrick has done well is backside blocking,we've had a few nice cut back runs found behind Dbrick.But that's misleading,you don't run it striaght up behind Dbrick and expect big yards. Faneca is a bit unlucky,he pulls on a lot of run plays,which are not easy blocks to make and probably result in a lot of missed blocks of unsuccessfull blocks.He has the hardest jobs on a lot of runs.His criticisms at pass blocking are justified. I don't like how they rate runners,yes our line has been playing well but Thomas Jones is running hard and finding gaps. He may of improved but I felt that Tony Richardson should of graded worse for his performance in his first 3 games.
My take on the site is pretty well known and I'm not going to repeat it other than to say that I respect the effort the people involved obviously expend to get to their numbers. Compiling stats is a tedious job at best and the people who are willing to put the time in should get some props for doing so even if the numbers that come out the other end are somewhat questionable. I will say that if D'Brickashaw Ferguson is a great run blocker I am a transexual chimpanzee from Rwanda. I would suspect that the Jets run to his side when the opposition allows it and stay away from him when not. I also think he's getting credit for the fact that the Jet's WR reverses usually wind up on the weakside and have produced fairly consistent results this year. This is likely because the Jets tendency to run strongside, which is fairly pronounced being twice as often to the strongside, probably has teams over pursuing on plays that start that direction. The Jets 14% tendency to go left tackle or left end is last in the NFL at the moment. (Numbers from FootballOutsiders.com)
BT has played good. Stout against the run, not much of a passrushing threat though. FAR from the best OLB in the NFL though.
Does not compute. I think it was against Buffalo (or maybe last week v. Oak) when there was a graphic showing that EVERY JETS RUNNING PLAY went to the right (Woody's) side or up the middle. It was mid-way through the 4th Q before the Jets ran to Brick's side.
Good points. In fact, VERY good points. The variables involved in grading and rating players is tremendous, and if one does not know what the blocking assignment was or does not take into account how a Defense can be set up by 6 running plays to the right, followed by one to the left after they start to flow and cheat over... even the Jets CS has to break down film repeatedly to rate a player in a given week. That is when they "grade out" players. I've watched games and thought player X had a so-so game only to hear the HC say how good he graded out in a press conference the next day. MAYBE grading the skill positions is easier, but again, if a WR made the wrong read that resulted in an INT... we, nor this site will be able to adjust "rankings" comensurately. For instance, I rank Footballgod214 very low as a poster and in terms of having any meaning in this forum or in my world. My ranking for him is very low. However, I never talked football with him over a brew, so my ranking is meaningless. :smile:
