PFF Grades - Week 5

[Ranching]

It was fun while it lasted Mazi. Lol

Better to be a has been, than a never was....

 

[Ranching]

Pff exposes the nature of most humans. It's funny reading pff threads on this website

Most threads around here are pretty damn funny. Lol

 

[charron]

Looks like the Steelers may be Mazi Smith's kryptonite...they've found the solution to stopping him now. The rest of the league might take notice

Mazi has 1 good game. Maybe the good game was the anomaly.

 

[DuncanIso]

Zeke does 1 thing really well, that is pass blocking. Otherwise, yes Zeke is done.

Did Zeke fumble at the 1yd line?

 

[HungryLion]

No.

As far as I'm concerned, these grades confirm my belief that their method of grading is deeply flawed to the degree of being worthless.

The Steelers averaged 3.5 yards carry. The Cowboys defense held them to 17 points. Despite that these "evaluators" would have me believe that not a single interior D-lineman or LB graded above average?

In 28 snaps, Mazi Smith had four tackles, three of them solo and one of them for a loss. Mazi, Osa and the others at DT clogged up the lanes and allowed Overshown and Kendricks to make all the tackles.

All those big defensive players won this game for the Cowboys.

They’re probably grading the cowboys on a curve because the Steelers offense is awful.

 

[RonWashington]

OFFENSE
Zack Martin - 82.6 (72 snaps)
Jalen Tolbert - 72.4 (68 snaps) - huge confidence builder for him despite losing the ability to father more kids.....
KaVontae Turpin - 68.5 (22 snaps)
Dak Prescott - 67.5 (76 snaps)
Rico Dowdle - 67.3 (38 snaps) - 91.2 receiving grade
Terence Steele - 66.1 (76 snaps) - 55.2 pass blocking grade
Brevyn Spann-Ford - 65.1 (15 snaps)
Tyler Smith - 64.9 (76 snaps) - 54.2 pass blocking grade
Jake Ferguson - 64.2 (57 snaps)
Cooper Beebe - 62.9 (76 snaps) - 41.0 pass blocking grade - not great
Ezekiel Elliott - 60.8 (23 snaps) - 37.9 pass blocking grade - woof
Jalen Brooks - 60.1 (37 snaps)
Hunter Luepke - 59.6 (23 snaps)
CeeDee Lamb - 59.6 (66 snaps)
Luke Schoonmaker - 47.0 (20 snaps)
Tyler Guyton - 40.3 (23 snaps) - 36.5 pass blocking grade - the struggle was real. Hope he gets healthy soon.
TJ Bass - 31.3 (53 snaps) - 11.0 pass blocking grade - no typo - worst grade I have seen for this many snaps in a game

DEFENSE
Linval Joseph - 89.8 (22 snaps) - I may have been hasty in asking for his release - 95.8 pass rush grade
Jourdan Lewis - 85.5 (34 snaps) - 87.2 coverage grade - leader of this rag tag crew on D
Chauncey Golston - 77.1 (52 snaps)
Marist Liufau - 72.8 (24 snaps) - 29.3 tackling grade
Malik Hooker - 66.7 (58 snaps) - 80.7 tackling grade - much more active against the run, needed to make that interception
Donovan Wilson - 66.2 (55 snaps) - 45.6 tackling grade
Tyrus Wheat - 65.7 (35 snaps) - solid effort from the youngster, the roughing call was total BS
Trevon Diggs - 62.3 (58 snaps) - 74.6 tackling grade - who knew?
Osa Odighizuwa - 58.3 (42 snaps) - 43.7 run defense grade
Eric Kendricks - 57.0 (58 snaps)
DeMarvion Overshown - 53.2 (58 snaps) - 47.9 tackling grade
Carl Lawson - 52.2 (30 snaps)
Amari Oruwariye - 52.0 (58 snaps) - 44.7 tacking grade
Carlos Watkins - 45.5 (16 snaps)
Mazi Smith - 32.1 (28 snaps) - from first to last

Brevyn Spann Ford deserves more playing time highest graded of the the 3 TE’s and on D Marist Liufau seemed active and coupled with Overshown the Cowboys seem to have hit on a couple of LB’s in the draft after the Jabril Cox Damone Clark Devin Harper trifecta .

 

[RonWashington]

Broadus had mentioned Linval Joseph in a negative light not long ago . Last night he crashed the pocket knocked the ball loose from Fields. Just what the Cowboys need in the middle .

 

[plasticman]

They’re probably grading the cowboys on a curve because the Steelers offense is awful.

I don't think they should do that. Being an awful offense in the NFL only means a team isn't as good as the rest of them.

However, there was not a single winless team in this league after 4 games.

That means the difference between the best and worst teams in the NFL is quite narrow compared to other football organizations like high schools and colleges.

A win in the NFL, no matter the opponent, is an achievement.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Just because something is flawed doesn't make it useless either. PFF doesn't know every play, and they certainly push grades out quick, but they also put a lot more time into them than the casual or even committed fan does. If the grades are even 80% accurate they are worth something in telling a players story. As long as the grading system is consistent it's a reasonable tool to compare a player to others at the same position, even if the occasional outlier exists.

Anyone who is actually interested should know what PFF grades mean. They are pretty transparent about their process with just a few 'trade secrets' they dont reveal.

We do not know even in a general way how the stat is conceived. Before they had their points aggregate system.

It is so ambiguous that it means different things to different people. Subjective in content and in reception is a poor metric.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We do not know even in a general way how the stat is conceived. Before they had their points aggregate system.

It is so ambiguous that it means different things to different people. Subjective in content and in reception is a poor metric.

I'll just call it what it is. A cluster you know what.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I'll just call it what it is. A cluster you know what.

What's in the kernel?

 

[Rayman70]

Did Zeke fumble at the 1yd line?

Rico. Not sure if your being coy but yes, Rico ALMOST lost us the game there by loosely carrying the rock and jumping from way too far back. Lets hope he don't do that again. That was dumb. In those situations, at goal line, I much rather see Zeke in. He can still do that much. McCarthy made mistake there and should have had Zeke in the game. Like I said, MM was nearly flawless on the final drive.

 

[Rayman70]

Broadus had mentioned Linval Joseph in a negative light not long ago . Last night he crashed the pocket knocked the ball loose from Fields. Just what the Cowboys need in the middle .

We see many times over why BB is no longer a scout or any team. I like him and his passion. He has a belief, right or wrong and he sticks to it...but when he's wrong, he's really wrong. LJ wrecked the Steelers more than we even know. He was nearly immovable. Mazi did the same too but didn't have any flash plays. So fans think Mazi didn't play well but its simply wrong.

 

[Rayman70]

Brevyn Spann Ford deserves more playing time highest graded of the the 3 TE’s and on D Marist Liufau seemed active and coupled with Overshown the Cowboys seem to have hit on a couple of LB’s in the draft after the Jabril Cox Damone Clark Devin Harper trifecta .

BSF didn't play better than Fergie. He played a nice ball game, so kudos to him, but in no way did he play better than Ferguson. PFF is funny at times. I think Clark is expendable at this point. Marist is taking his job. Overshown is what we all thought, which is a gritty baller with MAJOR dog in him. His only issue is he needs to slow it down a bit so he doesn't run himself outta the play.

 

[Rayman70]

I do agree with you Ron, he does deserve more playing time.

 

[Chuck 54]

Every time I see these grades after rewatching the games I have the same thoughts. How did they come up with these scores?

Linval Joseph had that one play where he bullrushed the offensive lineman into the QB but other than that he was pretty much absent from most plays.

TJ Bass was ok. He missed a few assignments here and there but I would expect that coming into the game cold like that. He also had to face OFF's top DT in the league., Cam Heyward.

In the meantime, Mazi had 3 solo tackles and 1 assist, Joseph has 2 tackles. Yet their grades almost 60 points different. Mazi did not play that badly. But I admit he struggles getting off of blocks even when he holds his blocker up. If he gets that he will make some big plays.

I don't care what grade they give Overshown. He makes plays all of the field.

Most of us are looking at stats and how many plays we remember. They are reviewing every run play and every pass play and scoring the player in his 1-1 matchup and his job. A DT can have 0 tackles and zero pressures, but have a high score because he won his battle, sat in the hole, so a LB could make the tackle or forcing the RB to make a cut in seeking another lane. DL grades are often like OT play….not noticing them or hearing their names doesn’t mean they didn’t do their jobs.

 

[Creeper]

Linval Joseph didn't have a very high snap count. A player with 20ish snaps can greatly benefit by having a couple great plays and not making mistakes the rest of the way with PFFs grading system. This is sort of Mazi's issue just in reverse...Just a few minus plays without really having any impact plays to offset them can make for a really bad PFF grade if you have limited snaps. 1Ts PFF grades are typically pretty low just because of the rarity that they end up with a +2 grade on their scale.

Bass was bad....a pass grade of 11 seems a little harsh, but the guy completely whiffed and/or missed his assignment multiple times. 9:54 in the 3rd quarter is a perfect example. Got embarrassed on a spin move at 5:40 in the 3rd quarter....by a 1T. Add in a penalty on top and it was just too many negative plays to give him a good grade, although I do think he wasnt quite as bad as the PFF grade makes him out to be.

Watching the game live I would have agreed with you on Overshown, I thought he had a really strong game. After watching it back today he really didn't. I love having Overshown on the field, hes just such a threat to make a play at any time, but the guy continues to be a bit of a liability on those inside runs. He is doing a better job of taking on those blocks and using his hands, but he simply seems overmatched and undersized at times. He looked lost rushing the passer, and had one of his worst games of the year in coverage...although a bad game in coverage for him is still pretty decent. I think by the end of the year we are talking about Overshown in a similar matter to how we talk about Parsons. Gotta get him on the field, you can do so much with him, but what's the best position for him?

I went back and watched the game again focusing on Bass and Mazi - also Joseph and Beebe.

Bass missed a few assignments. He looked a little to aggressive when he was run blocking up field missing his assignment. He was pushed back a couple of times by Heyward but so was Beebe. Heyward is the top rated defensive tackle in the league according to a graphic they showed during the game. The guy is a powerhouse. But if not for the missed assignments, Bass was actually pretty good. I think if he has to play for any length of time he will get better as he calms down.

I did not see Mazi get shoved around this game, like against the Giants. He took some double teams but as I have said before, even the best get bulldozed on double teams. Bass and Tyler Smith pushed Heyward out of the hole a few times in the game. One on one Mazi held his own, he made 3 tackles at the LOS getting off blocks. Other times he missed tackle opportunities because he couldn't get off his blocker. Considering he player a lot of snaps, and the Steelers only ran for 3.5 yards a carry, I think a grade of 30 is harsh for him. Again, he had 3 solo tackles and 4 total. That's a good day for a NT.

 

[thunderpimp91]

I went back and watched the game again focusing on Bass and Mazi - also Joseph and Beebe.

Bass missed a few assignments. He looked a little to aggressive when he was run blocking up field missing his assignment. He was pushed back a couple of times by Heyward but so was Beebe. Heyward is the top rated defensive tackle in the league according to a graphic they showed during the game. The guy is a powerhouse. But if not for the missed assignments, Bass was actually pretty good. I think if he has to play for any length of time he will get better as he calms down.

I did not see Mazi get shoved around this game, like against the Giants. He took some double teams but as I have said before, even the best get bulldozed on double teams. Bass and Tyler Smith pushed Heyward out of the hole a few times in the game. One on one Mazi held his own, he made 3 tackles at the LOS getting off blocks. Other times he missed tackle opportunities because he couldn't get off his blocker. Considering he player a lot of snaps, and the Steelers only ran for 3.5 yards a carry, I think a grade of 30 is harsh for him. Again, he had 3 solo tackles and 4 total. That's a good day for a NT.

I'm hoping to get some time to go back and watch the game today with a focus on Mazi. Watching it live it didnt seem like he had a bad game...a few bad plays maybe.

Bass I think was OK in the run game, struggled in the pass game, but the Cowboys threw a lot more than they ran so his grade is going to be down overall. I do agree with you that he had a rough matchup, but PFF is never going to factor that into the equation. I certainly wouldnt be upset if Guyton cant go this week and its Smith at LT and Bass at G. Those might be better matchups against Detroit to be honest....they have some big boys in the middle.