Think Diggs had a bad year?

Adreme said:

The reason he was able to put up that stat line is because defenses were simply not afraid of him. He either got an INT or gave up a big play. Even today most teams shy away from challenging the number 1 CB but they targeted Diggs specifically which says more than any grading metric.

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So you think any defensive back could put up 11 interceptions just because they are targeted a lot? Come on man. The dude was voted First Team All Pro for a reason. He has a special skillset. Not every player can perform every single facet of their position at an elite level. The guys that can are called first ballot hall of famers and let me tell you, they don't grow on trees.

I don't expect Diggs to ever put up a season like this again in his career, but give some credit where credit is due. We just witnessed something that hasn't happened since Everson Walls.

BleedSilverandBlue said:

So you think any defensive back could put up 11 interceptions just because they are targeted a lot? Come on man. The dude was voted First Team All Pro for a reason. He has a special skillset. Not every player can perform every single facet of their position at an elite level. The guys that can are called first ballot hall of famers and let me tell you, they don't grow on trees.

I don't expect Diggs to ever put up a season like this again in his career, but give some credit where credit is due. We just witnessed something that hasn't happened since Everson Walls.

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I think if you targeted Deion as much as you targeted Diggs he would have 30 INTs. Revis and Sherman were players you just didn’t challenge because it was probably going to be incomplete at best.

It is worth noting that a lot of the number 1s could get more INTs but they don’t gamble like Diggs and because of they have games of 1-5. 8yds versus 4-8 80 yards but with an INT. The former is significantly better, but Diggs gambles and that gets him beat a lot and so teams go for it.

Adreme said:

I think if you targeted Deion as much as you targeted Diggs he would have 30 INTs. Revis and Sherman were players you just didn’t challenge because it was probably going to be incomplete at best.

It is worth noting that a lot of the number 1s could get more INTs but they don’t gamble like Diggs and because of they have games of 1-5. 8yds versus 4-8 80 yards but with an INT. The former is significantly better, but Diggs gambles and that gets him beat a lot and so teams go for it.

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You know what is funny about that is that any NFL coach today would take 4-8 for 80 with an int over 1-5 8 yards any day. In the 80s that might be a different story but turnovers are the name of the game in the modern NFL. Yards don't matter with the way the game is played in the last 5 years.

Also, you just listed 2 maybe 3 first ballot hall of famers as players to compare him to. You are comparing apples to oranges. In all likelihood Diggs is not going to be a hall of famer but pretending he is a bum is totally ridiculous.

Diggs allowed 4 touchdowns (down from the 5 he allowed in 2020, despite playing more games and being targeted more times). He allowed a completion percentage of 52%, down from the 54% he allowed in 2020. So even if you throw away the interceptions, I think he got better than he was as a rookie.

Anyone saying he had a bad year in 2021 because of what he allowed is absurd. He allowed a passer rating of 55 and he picked off almost triple the amount of TD's he allowed. For reference, our entire defense allowed a passer rating of 76 this season and they allowed 24 TDs against 26 picks. He easily, handily outperformed the entire defense as a whole.

Opponents threw at him on 16% of their passes, and they did so at their peril. IF they did nothing but throw at Diggs, we'd have been better off. If they avoided him entirely, they'd have been better off.

But teams didn't avoid him because they saw him give up some plays on film. So what happens? Every single offensive playcaller and every single WR we faced this year looked at the film and heard his reputation, and they all talked themselves into thinking they had a guaranteed touchdown in their back-pocket as soon as they bust a out double-move on him. Didn't really go the way most of them hoped, though, did it?

Okay, Diggs may not be the 2nd coming of Deion Sanders but he does have this in common:

Diggs has some real receiving skills. He can catch.

Many of you saw it. The Pro Bowl held a competition designed specifically for WR's. Diggs is the lone defensive contestant and he wins.

You have to wonder if that college coach really did know what he was talking about. What if Diggs was an even better receiver?

Could it be possible that we may see him occasionally on the offensive side of the ball next season?