theogt;3433694 said:
What these indicate is how each player is used when they are used. Choice is used far more often as a pass-blocker when he is used than Barber. This is circumstantial evidence of how each player is viewed by the staff. You may think it's only coincidental that Choice has a higher % than Barber, who has a higher % than Felix, but I do not. Or you may assign any number of varying other excuses as to why Choice is used more often than Barber as a pass-blocker, but I fail to see you presenting any evidence whatsoever that the staff views Barber as the better pass-blocker and consequently receiver more snaps.
First, Choice was not used more often as a pass blocker. When he was USED --- which was not commonly -- his primary role was as a pass blocker. If he were so good in those situations, I would expect that he'd take far more pass blocking snaps from MB. After all, MB is the guy that gets beat up.
Your answer "a)" is circular and your answer "b)" not true if you view it as relative to how much each player is used. Choice pass-blocks almost as much as Barber despite having less than half of his snaps. This creates a very clear pattern, in addition to the pattern shown by how each player is substituted (i.e., Choice is substituted on passing downs).
Again, your %s show that Barber takes the majority of the pass block snaps. He took, based on your #s, most of the pass block plays. Gee, I'd think the team viewed him as the 2nd best pass blocker, he'd get fewer snaps. Not more than everyone else
Note that we also substitute for Barber in running situations with Jones. Is that a "pattern" too?
Choice doesn't play in "a couple passing down packages." He plays almost exclusively in the passing down situations, particularly if you look only at 3rd downs.
Yes, Choice has a set of packages. We have two great runners so he's not going to play many running plays. Where else is Choice going to play? A better question is what is he going to do when Jones increasingly takes Barber's running snaps?
I did compare the % of pass blocks out of the total for the 3 backs. And this comparison showed that Choice had an abnormally high % of pass-blocks as compared to the other backs.
You will find that for any RB who plays mostly on 3rd down.
Barber gets a disproportionately low # of pass-blocking assignments. If his pass-blocking assignments were in line with the number of snaps he receives, he would have had 12% more pass-blocks. And if Choice would have had a proportionate number of pass-blocks, he would have had 43% fewer pass-blocks.
Barber had the largest percentage of the total pass block assignments. That's not an abnormally low number, especially when you consider that he is the starting RB. The starting RB is always going to have smaller pass block #s because he is out there consistently on 1st and 10 situations.
So, the reality is that Barber gets fewer snaps than he otherwise would because he is taken out on passing situations and Choice gets more snaps that he otherwise would because he is substitute for Barber on passing situations. If you can't see that, I don't know what else to tell you.
The reality is that the staff has made a concerted effort to limit Barber's snaps in the interest of keep him healthy. Jones gets some of the running play snaps. Choice gets some of the passing play snaps. The reason why Barber got so many snaps in the first place is because he is good in many areas of play.
Of course, if you REALLY want to know the story, look at our last game. In a game like that you learn who the coaches want out there and there is little regard for saving a guy to keep him healthy. Against Minnesota, do or die, we put MB out there for 23 plays. 13 of those plays were passes and he stayed in to block on 8 of them. Choice on the other hand got a scant 7 plays, most passing situations, and he blocked only twice. This despite Barber clearly being <100% due to his knee. Jones took most of the running snaps ... and Barber ends up with most of the pass blocking assignments. That tells you what you need to know about who the staff view as the best pass blocker