Johnson: Just how much weight did he gain?

[Hostile]

...stands to reason; not to mention if the offense was aware that the defense was keying in on them, they could use it to their advantage. It works both ways.

No it doesn't.

Good grief.

 

[Austin28]

No it doesn't.

Good grief.

Sure it does.

You could do this fist pumping thing... then NOT hike the ball.

You could draw them offsides, of course, if you are aware that they are focusing on it. The offense would have to possess the knowledge that the defense was watching for a fist pump to use this method of strategy, but to say that it couldn't work both ways is preposterous.

Potentially, it can go both ways.


Hut. HUUUUUUUT!!

 

[Hostile]

Sure it does.

You could do this fist pumping thing... then NOT hike the ball.

You could draw them offsides, of course, if you are aware that they are focusing on it. The offense would have to possess the knowledge that the defense was watching for a fist pump to use this method of strategy, but to say that it couldn't work both ways is preposterous.

Potentially, it can go both ways.


Hut. HUUUUUUUT!!

First of all that isn't what he's saying. He's saying it is only a problem on short yardage situations. He clearly differentiates between that and "normal" plays.

On top of this there is nothing said about using it to advantage. You're adding that and yes, after teams are tipped off and the problem corrected it could be used. It still means there was a problem in the first place.

In other words don't create a problem just so you can turn it around later.

There is nothing good about the other team knowing when the ball is going to be snapped. Not one.

The offense knows the snap count. They use that knowledge to get the jump on the defense. Sometimes that split second makes a huge difference. This is a game of inches and split seconds.

If the defense knows the snap count they can get a moving start to get by the blockers. The offense can't move.

Ask yourself this question Ben. If it's no big deal why was the coaching staff concerned and looking to stop it?

No kidding, one of the dumbest stances ever attempted on this forum.

 

[MONT17]

Step was a master at leverage and as a technician. Part of that was learned and part of that was natural to him. If he had been a couple inches taller and 20 lbs heavier he would have been all world. Johnson has the heart and the willingness - but he does not have the natural gift Step had. He will get better with more experience but he needs to stay bigger.

I get it now...


Heart and willingness = Master at leverage and technician

20lbs added = Better OLINE play

Natural gift = Lack of talent and 3yrs experience


I love being a Cowboy, fan every sorry *** player is a future ProBowler!!!

 

[DLCassidy]

According to K.C. Joyner, whose 2006 book will include rushing metrics along with his passing metrics, Al Johnson was tied for being the sixth-most productive run-blocker in the NFL last season -- out of all offensive linemen. He didn't break the top 10 in average yards per point-of-attack/key block or successful block percentage, but his combined rating of 5.1 (YPA times success percentage) tied for sixth.

That's amazing.

 

[burmafrd]

Mont, sometimes I worry about you.
Step was great as a small guy- he could have been a MONSTER if he had been bigger. Johnson does OK now but needs to learn more technique and get bigger. Just how much can he learn- that is one key. Step had a gift for being able to work with leverage and technique better then anyone we ever had- that is not something that comes to everyone. THAT is why Al needs to get bigger- expecting him to be able to be as good with leverage and technique as Step is just plain crazy.

 

[sago1]

Here's the article cited above evaluating Johnson's performance. Considering how bad our OL was last year after Adams went down, I'd pick our OTs as the biggest problems, closely followed by either the Gs or C -- take your pick.

OL Success May Be Closer Than We Think
By Rafael Vela 10 Comments
Bill Parcells mentioned at his last press conference that fans and the press didn’t understand how close his offense was to establishing itself when LT Flozell Adams tore an ACL last season. A soon to-be-released ratings of NFL run blocking offers some support for Parcells’ claim and for an unsung member of the offensive line.

KC Joyner, author of the Scientific Football books and an ESPNet football analyst, is adding run blocking to SF 2006, adding to the excellent passing statistics he used in SF 2005. Joyner gives a sneak preview of his run blocking tables in an ESPNet post (subscription only, I’m sorry to say). Joyner uses two metrics. The first, Yards Per Attempt, shows how many yards a runner averaged behing a specific lineman’s blocks. The second, Blocking Percentage, measures the number of times a lineman successfully blocked his man. Joyner combines them to create “Combined Rankings” a stat that gives equal weight to both categories.

While no Cowboys’ lineman made the top ten in either Yards per Attempt or Blocking Percentage, center Al Johnson tied for sixth cin Combined Rankings with Bears’ guard Roberto Garza and Saints’ tackle Wayne Gandy. Johnson was one spot behind former Cowboys C/G Matt Lehr, who’s now a Falcon.

I’m interested in seeing where the Cowboys’ guards ranked. Joyner’s numbers suggest that Johnson’s problems with big nose tackles were not as frequent or as bad as we’ve all come to believe.

 

[Vintage]

Here's the article cited above evaluating Johnson's performance. Considering how bad our OL was last year after Adams went down, I'd pick our OTs as the biggest problems, closely followed by either the Gs or C -- take your pick.

OL Success May Be Closer Than We Think
By Rafael Vela 10 Comments
Bill Parcells mentioned at his last press conference that fans and the press didn’t understand how close his offense was to establishing itself when LT Flozell Adams tore an ACL last season. A soon to-be-released ratings of NFL run blocking offers some support for Parcells’ claim and for an unsung member of the offensive line.

KC Joyner, author of the Scientific Football books and an ESPNet football analyst, is adding run blocking to SF 2006, adding to the excellent passing statistics he used in SF 2005. Joyner gives a sneak preview of his run blocking tables in an ESPNet post (subscription only, I’m sorry to say). Joyner uses two metrics. The first, Yards Per Attempt, shows how many yards a runner averaged behing a specific lineman’s blocks. The second, Blocking Percentage, measures the number of times a lineman successfully blocked his man. Joyner combines them to create “Combined Rankings” a stat that gives equal weight to both categories.

While no Cowboys’ lineman made the top ten in either Yards per Attempt or Blocking Percentage, center Al Johnson tied for sixth cin Combined Rankings with Bears’ guard Roberto Garza and Saints’ tackle Wayne Gandy. Johnson was one spot behind former Cowboys C/G Matt Lehr, who’s now a Falcon.

I’m interested in seeing where the Cowboys’ guards ranked. Joyner’s numbers suggest that Johnson’s problems with big nose tackles were not as frequent or as bad as we’ve all come to believe.

Wait, so Matt Lehr, Al Johnson were some of the best OL last year?

 

[Charles]

Let's hope it was good weight he put on.

Classic. I'd like to hear Madden describe this pic

 

[Charles]

Wait, so Matt Lehr, Al Johnson were some of the best OL last year?

That pretty much sums up how stat pushing can never really explain a players football abilities pros or cons.

Matt Lehr and Al Johnson were average players at best last season.

 

[Vintage]

That pretty much sums up how stat pushing can never really explain a players football abilities pros or cons.

Matt Lehr and Al Johnson were average players at best last season.

Glad I wasn't the only one who cringed when I saw that...

 

[burmafrd]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: There are lies, DAMN lies, THEN there are statistics.

 

[Hostile]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: There are lies, DAMN lies, THEN there are statistics.

That would be him.

 

[Charles]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: There are lies, DAMN lies, THEN there are statistics.

you got it

 

[AbeBeta]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: There are lies, DAMN lies, THEN there are statistics.

It is a real shame that someone as smart as Twain didn't possess the critical thinking skills to evaluate statistical claims.

 

[burmafrd]

Do you really think that abersonc, or are you just snarking?

 

[AdamJT13]

I’m interested in seeing where the Cowboys’ guards ranked.

In this week's chat, Joyner mentioned that Kosier finished 17th among guards in the combined rankings. In blocking success percentage, he was eighth among guards.

By the way, Shawn Andrews, who just signed a massive contract with the Eagles, was 24th among guards in the combined rankings.

Joyner’s numbers suggest that Johnson’s problems with big nose tackles were not as frequent or as bad as we’ve all come to believe.

That's because most people don't take the time to study game tapes to find out what's really going on.

 

[DLCassidy]

That's because most people don't take the time to study game tapes to find out what's really going on.

True, I know I rarely do, but that doesn't stop me from spouting off.:laugh1: But BP certainly does and he had some concerns about Johnson, enough to get AG on the field against bigger guys quite a bit. The Scouts, Inc rating of 70 which is about average along with this Joyner guys high rating seems to confirm my thought that Johnson is a technically solid player with good mobility. BP seems to like him but he was not fully satisfied. The main plus Gurode had over Johnson in BP's eyes appeared to be weight/strength. If AJ is indeed 307 now he's only 7 pounds lighter than Gurode's listed weight of 314. That's a heck of a lot closer than 30+.

 

[DLCassidy]

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: There are lies, DAMN lies, THEN there are statistics.

No, it was Benjamin Disraeli, former Prime Minsiter of England.

 

[Alexander]

That pretty much sums up how stat pushing can never really explain a players football abilities pros or cons.

Matt Lehr and Al Johnson were average players at best last season.

Here are the three sets of stats Joyner used.

I don't see how it's good for much, but the Commander homers jumped all over the Samuels rating:

Yards Per Attempt
Rank Player Number Position Team Ttl Y/A
1 S.Locklear 75 OT Seattle 7.8
T2 Z. Wiegert 72 OT Houston 6.2
T2 M. Lehr 61 OG Atlanta 6.2
T2 A. Hicks 77 OG Philadelphia 6.2
T2 L. Petitgout 77 OT NY Giants 6.2
T2 R. Garza 63 OG Chicago 6.2
7 K. Barry 71 OT Green Bay 5.9
T8 J. Tait 76 OT Chicago 5.8
T8 S. McKinney 68 C Miami 5.8
T8 B. Waters 54 OG Kansas City 5.8


Here are the top 10 linemen in terms of blocking success percentage:

Blocking Percentage
Rank Player Number Position Team Scs %
1 C. Samuels 60 OT Washington 94.8
2 S. Locklear 75 OT Seattle 94.4
3 K. Barry 71 OT Green Bay 94.2
4 C. Villarrial 58 OG Buffalo 91.8
5 B. Hamilton 50 OG Denver 91.6
6 D. Dockery 66 OG Washington 91.1
7 J. Peters 71 OT Buffalo 90.9
8 R. Brown 74 OG Chicago 90.8
9 V. Riley 68 OT Houston 90.5
10 B. Olson 75 OG Tennessee 90.2


The third ranking I use for grading run blocking is a combination of these two charts. I multiply a lineman's yards per attempt by his success percentage in order to factor both rankings. Here is the top 10 list in this category:

Combined Rankings
Rank Player Number Position Team Scs x y/a
1 S. Locklear 75 OT Seattle 7.3
2 K. Barry 71 OT Green Bay 5.6
3 Z. Wiegert 72 OT Houston 5.4
4 L. Petitgout 77 OT NY Giants 5.3
5 M. Lehr 61 OG Atlanta 5.2
T6 R. Garza 63 OG Chicago 5.1
T6 A. Johnson 52 C Dallas 5.1
T6 W. Gandy 72 OT N. Orleans 5.1
T6 R. Brown 74 OG Chicago 5.1
T6 J. Hartings 64 C Pittsburgh 5.1

I think the fact Victor Riley is even ranked shows how little this analysis means. I don't see how you can possibly look at film and determine the relative success or failure, much less attach a statistic to it. This shows what a statistics nut and a calculator can do.