PFF: Offensive Line Rankings entering week 15

[DFWJC]

Inconsistent or downright bad OL play is league wide.

Injuries have been a big culprit.

The Cowboys are the tallest dwarf in the circus.

I do think that's part of right there.

 

[CowboyFrog]

I do think that's part of right there.

There are less talented lines performing better though at this time..not alot but a few..again this whole offensive slump is wierd and like him or not KM runs the unit and is on the spot to fix it.

 

[Ranched]

MEANWHILE....

 

[ChuckA1]

The Cowboys are 2nd in the NFL in points per game and yards per game yet cornballs on the internet are acting like they are the Giants or Jags.
Dak, Zeke, the WRs and OL are all imperfect but they've combined through injuries and COVID to be ranked second and to have 9 wins with a commanding 3 game divisional lead that includes ALL relevant tie-breakers.

4 games left with a commanding lead is pretty heady stuff yet all dudes can do is cry. Hilarious.

Please don't take me saying they suck right now as saying the O isn't filled with great players. They've hit a slump and I'm certain they'll pull out of it. And, thank God for the defense.

 

[Starforever]

If this is the number one Oline, they must have been facing number one Dlines for the better part of the year.

 

[Rack]

This is a conundrum for those Dak lovers that swear by PFF's grades. Who to blame now? Ah that OC or WR's, got it.

That being said, this is a load of manure, no way do the cowboys have the best OL in the NFL. Pass blocking has been solid (though not great) but the run blocking has been "Meh".

 

[jterrell]

I agree that they played great but have struggled in recent games. I can't ignore it, when it is clear they are not playing up to their abilities. The saving grace is we have 4 games left for this offense to work their way through this. Personally I think they can and will.

Every team in the NFL has had bad weeks.
That is how a long 17 game season works.
Dallas is on a 2 game winning streak and finally MOSTLY healthy on defense. So course the defense cooked. When 3-4 guys were out they were being called bums.
Offense has Zeke banged up and Pollard/Tyron out right now so they are unlikely to play peak caliber there. But they can certainly play winning football.

Anyone who watched the game saw Dak make one monstrously bad read and play. But they also can use their big boy brains to know Kellen shut it down and they were running Jaquan Hardy behind two back up OTs because they had zero fear of that Commander offense.

You got the win and the division is all but wrapped up. You'll likely get a week's rest for most of the starters week 18.

 

[CowboyFrog]

This is a conundrum for those Dak lovers that swear by PFF's grades. Who to blame now? Ah that OC or WR's, got it.

That being said, this is a load of manure, no way do the cowboys have the best OL in the NFL. Pass blocking has been solid (though not great) but the run blocking has been "Meh".

I mean its the same as anyone who dismisses or uses PFF, if it makes thier argument they like it, if it does not it sucks...i assure its not one side or the other that does this..lol..WR have like 19 drops through those games..is that Daks fault? the O-line had a game they gave up historical QB pressure again thats not normal..you say that like you yourself dont blame just one person when any actual football IQ tells you this problem is with the whole unit including the OC.

 

[zeke21]

I don't agree with the grade but I think it does highlight that our OL 'issues' may have been over hyped on here. We are used to beyond dominate OL play.. we still have very good OL play. You can tell guys who only watch cowboys.. they don't understand what most QBs are dealing with.. there are guys that line up in the shot gun and still get sacked on a screen pass due to their Oline being a revolving door.

Dak makes slow decisions.. and doesn't adjust to defensive schemes well.. he takes a LOOOOONG time to release the ball.. the OLine routinely provides him with clean pockets and longest 'time to throw' stats.

And yes the run blocking has been great.. but Zeke has been hobbled. There is no way around the fact that he is not producing. Injury or form or both.. he has struggled to consistently break plays. Having said that.. we are so used to seeing 5+ yard runs that it might be hard to realise that most time you run an A-gap.. you are picking up 1-2 yards.. that is the league average. Our problem is Zeke is injured and our OC won't call any run plays that are not straight up the middle.

Do we have issues on the Oline? Yes.. but they are still a very very good unit that performs well. Our skill position players need to lift.

 

[phildadon86]

I never mentioned Dak's name. You did.

I'm just pointing out that the ones blaming all of offenses problems on the o-line are wrong as usual, but then again, what's new?

Also, I never say anything one way or the other about the way PFF grades players.

You just said “another excuse gone” you brought Dak into it. Again.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

You just said “another excuse gone” you brought Dak into it. Again.

Yes.

I was talking about the offensive struggles being blamed on the offensive line. That includes the run game also. You subconsciously and automatically just went straight to thinking about Dak. Maybe you've been conditioned into automatically going into defensive mode or something because you know there are issues that isn't the offensive lines fault that you don't really want to believe are true?

Again, I never mentioned Dak. You did.

 

[phildadon86]

Yes.

I was talking about the offensive struggles being blamed on the offensive line. That includes the run game also. You subconsciously and automatically just went straight to thinking about Dak. Maybe you've been conditioned into automatically going into defensive mode or something because you know there are issues that isn't the offensive lines fault that you don't really want to believe are true?

Again, I never mentioned Dak. You did.

Everyone here knows you were referring to Dak. Everyone. Lol. You can try an deny it all you want. But you were talking about excuses being made for Dak. And I personally don’t care what PFF says there’s no way in heck our OL is the best in the NFL. No chance.

 

[BobSacamano]

It’s simply Tyron and Zack carrying everyone with their grade.

Basically we have three stud starters and two backups as our starting five.

 

[DFWJC]

It’s simply Tyron and Zack carrying everyone with their grade.

Basically, we have three stud starters and two backups as our starting five.

I suspect those "backups" could start on 75% on NFL teams.
They might not be great starters but they could make the group of 5 on most units.

Just look around the league. You'd be surprised.

And then of course, pretty much no other team has three Pro Bowl level starters on their line.

We are so spoiled around here regarding line play.....which is a good thing, I guess.

But Tyron is hurt, so that isn't really where we are right now.

 

[MapleLeaf]

I have never ever posted a criticism to a grading site or any ranking system. I just find it to be a waste of my time, but this time I can't sit on the sidelines.

This grading system is way off. Our o-line is not the worst, but I would be hesitant to say top 5 right now.

The eyeball test says we are middling IMO, but it wouldn't take me long to pull up some replay video to show even the best of our line has had more than their fair share of trouble.

We are not in the bottom 5, but we are certainly not in the top 5. I say they should review tape again.

 

[JoeKing]

This is intended to be a joke, obviously.

 

[Tussinman]

PFF=Positively False Factors

No way is that Oline that good.

On paper they are. Zeke and Pollard are combined for over 1400 yards with 4.8 yards an attempt average and the line isn't even ranked as one of the top 20 worst units when it comes to sacks allowed and pressures allowed.

The fan over-reactions and eye test don't always give you a glimpse of what's actually truely happening (especially when your comparing against 31 other teams that most of the users literally never watch)

 

[atlantacowboy]

We are so spoiled by Top 5 offensive line play that when 4 or 5 linemen aren't playing at Pro Bowl level we think the line is the issue. lol

We haven't had a truly awful O-line since about 2012 or so

Anyway....although I'm not a huge PFF guy, here are their updated Offensive line rankings

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-15-offensive-line-rankings-2021

1. Dallas
2. Tampa Bay
3. San Francisco
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland

etc


Don't shoot the messenger.

When Tyron Smith and La El are in the lineup, and Connor Williams isn't holding, this is a great OL. That doesn't mean we can't improve. Biadez is the lowest graded starter at 62 which puts him 23rd in the league. We fall off when we have to put Steale and McGovern in there as starters.

 

[atlantacowboy]

The problem is the "eye test" don't match up with the hard numbers and PFF only cares about the hard numbers

Passing wise the offensive line isn't even ranked in the top 20 in sacks allowed or pressures allowed

Rushing wise Pollard and Zeke are combined 292 attempts for 1412 yards (4.8 yards per attempted average).

On paper the o-line looks good. Whether it's good or not is up to anyone depending on criteria

PFF basically averaged the season grades of the OL players which can be a bit misleading. We have Tyron and Zach grading out at HOF level at over 90+ and that brings the average up. The weak links are Biadez, Steale, and McGovern. When we have to play those guys, the stats don't look good.

 

[buybuydandavis]

We are so spoiled by Top 5 offensive line play that when 4 or 5 linemen aren't playing at Pro Bowl level we think the line is the issue. lol

We haven't had a truly awful O-line since about 2012 or so

Anyway....although I'm not a huge PFF guy, here are their updated Offensive line rankings

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-15-offensive-line-rankings-2021

1. Dallas
2. Tampa Bay
3. San Francisco
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland

etc


Don't shoot the messenger.

The Cowboys field the NFL's best offensive line when everyone is healthy, but Tyron Smith is all of a sudden back to dealing with nagging injuries. Smith is expected to miss more time in Week 15, but he still gives the Cowboys a pair of linemen with 90.0-plus PFF grades.

La’el Collins being back in the lineup gives Dallas three players with 90.0-plus PFF run-blocking grades.​

When healthy we have great talent on the oline, but Smith and Collins both miss games and then have to play back into form/shape when they come back.

Perfect Jerry Oline.
SB caliber *IF* ...