Pro Football Focus Top 101 Players

[JD_KaPow]

However much or little credence you may give to PFF's grading methodology, the one thing that's certain is that you cannot possibly use it to compare players across positions.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I dont think i saw Adrian Peterson on that list. Hes better than Shady.

Calvin Johnson is definitely a top 10 player, not top 40.

Marques Colston's on the list but not Dez Bryant?

Sean Lee and Tony Romo are not top 100 players but Jason Hatcher is?

The rankings have nothing to do with "Who's better".

It's all about the number of good plays, which ups your grade and the number of bad plays which ratchet it down.

Hatcher had an amazing year. DT's with 11 sacks... That's a strong figure.

Lee missed part of the season (as we know) so there were a few weeks when he couldn't build on his ranking. In addition Lee had some poor moments throughout the season... especially in pass defense.

 

[perrykemp]

Russell Wilson at 48?

Drew Brees at 60?

Yikes.

The ranking isn't based on who they think is a better player -- it's based on which players graded out (based on PFF's analysis) the best.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

However much or little credence you may give to PFF's grading methodology, the one thing that's certain is that you cannot possibly use it to compare players across positions.

No you really can't use it to compare a QB to a WR, except if you wanted to do what they did here and that's look at their total score or ranking.

 

[DallasEast]

Maybe a member who has access to the metrics PFF used to grade the players could post them here? PFF's grading may not be the best, but I'm sure they used a formula to create the list. It's not like they handed players a sheet of paper with twenty blanks and said name your favorite players. Any list is practically better by default than that nonsense.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Maybe a member who has access to the metrics PFF used to grade the players could post them here? PFF's grading may not be the best, but I'm sure they used a formula to create the list. It's not like they handed players a sheet of paper with twenty blanks and said name your favorite players. Any list is practically better by default than that nonsense.

Their grading system is here: https://www.profootballfocus.com/about/grading/

 

[DallasEast]

Their grading system is here: https://www.profootballfocus.com/about/grading/

Thanks.

 

[DallasEast]

• ZERO (0.0) IS THE AVERAGE GRADE — If a player does something you would normally expect, then this scores a 0. If a linebacker makes an unblocked tackle 5 yards downfield or a tight end makes a wide-open catch for an 8-yard gain, they receive a score of 0 for that play.

Grades are given for plays which are reasonably considered to be better or worse than the average or expected play. So for example, if the linebacker were to then force a fumble on that tackle, that would constitute a positive play and a positive grade. If the tight end were to in fact drop the wide-open pass, that would constitute a negative play and a negative grade.

I kinda like that criteria. It would be interesting to see the PFF staff in person while they were issuing grades.

 

[perrykemp]

I hear that, just seems odd seeing as the Hawks win despite Wilson, not because of him; outside of scrambling for a first every now and then. But this ranking would suggest he is pulling his team to victory, etc. He is a great game manager who doesn't take nearly any risks (good and bad) and has a good deep ball when he does air it out from time to time. I hear ya on the ranking grading all aspects, etc. but dayum.

26 TDs vs only 9 Ints and a 101 QB rating (2nd year in a row over 100 QB rating) is hardly chopped liver.

 

[burmafrd]

what is really twisted is their view on penalties. They treat them all the same - not taking into account circumstances, game situation, etc. One of the many things that makes PFF totally worthless.

And they do not take into account each players opponent for example a guard going up against either a top DT or a scrub and so on. PFF is maybe good for a laugh but that is all.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Their grading system is here: https://www.profootballfocus.com/about/grading/

Each grade given is between +2 and -2, with 0.5 increments and an average of 0. A positive intervention in the game rates a positive grading and vice-versa. Very (very) few performances draw a +/-2 rating. In fact, the distribution of non-zero grades is like this:
.

+2.0 0.01percent
+1.5 0.3percent
+1.0 16percent
+0.5 37percent (unbalanced because of the way WRs and HBs are rated)
-0.5 24percent
-1.0 22percent
-1.5 0.5percent
-2.0 0.01percent
.

The grading takes into account many things and effectively brings “intelligence” to raw statistics.

It's literally like a survey where they say rate this play from -2 to 2 and then adds them up. It is not 'intelligence.' It is opinion. It isn't even one man's opinion. It is a hodgepodge of multiple people's opinions and lumped together.

Frankly, its a waste of time.

 

[TonyRomo17]

pff grades are a joke, their stats are good though

 

[BigStar]

26 TDs vs only 9 Ints and a 101 QB rating (2nd year in a row over 100 QB rating) is hardly chopped liver.

Yeah, I got a little carried away downgrading him to make that point and shouldn't have. Love his decision making ability esp and would love to have him tbh. He isn't the prototype in terms of height and would like to see him tested as a consistent 30+ attempts kind've QB. But his early success and production is hard to argue.

 

[SDCowboy]

No Romo or Dez? lolwut?

 

[Coy]

Lol, no Dez who was 2nd in the league in TD's and no Romo who had 31 TD's and 10 int's in 15 games.
That alone says a lot about the list.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Lol, no Dez who was 2nd in the league in TD's and no Romo who had 31 TD's and 10 int's in 15 games.
That alone says a lot about the list.

It's because the range of "scoring" any player on any play is from -2 to +2. TD's don't get a player a player a +4. Think of all the bad things a WR could do wrong in order to get a negative grade on a play... drop a pass, not hold a block on a running play, run the wrong route, commit a penalty. +2 plays can be offset pretty quickly by negative plays.

 

[perrykemp]

Yeah, I got a little carried away downgrading him to make that point and shouldn't have. Love his decision making ability esp and would love to have him tbh. He isn't the prototype in terms of height and would like to see him tested as a consistent 30+ attempts kind've QB. But his early success and production is hard to argue.

NP.

There has been a health debate here on CZ (and elsewhere I'm sure) about exactly how good Russell Wilson. Honestly watching him you'd never think he was 100+ QB rating guy because his style is so different than the typical 100+ QBR guys who are mainly pure passers. On the other hand stats don't lie -- when he is asked to throw the ball usually good things happen.

We may not see Wilson putting up 30+ attempts for a game for a long long time. If he keeps going over 100 for his QB rating eventually everyone will have to accept him as a top echelon (Note: I didn't say elite) QB.

 

[perrykemp]

Lol, no Dez who was 2nd in the league in TD's and no Romo who had 31 TD's and 10 int's in 15 games.
That alone says a lot about the list.

Looking at the PFF premium stats for Dez, here is my best guess on why they've given Dez the 22nd best WR grade for 2013 and why he didn't make the Top 101 players in rated for 2013:

• His catch %59.6 catch percentage for passes attempted to him (they have him down for 93 catches on 156 attempts) was ranked 61st out of all NFL WRs graded
• Dez received a negative grade of -2.5 for his blocking. That was the 103rd for all graded WRs
• Dez had the 2nd most dropped passes for any WR graded in the top 25. On Brandon Marshall had more.
• Dez was tied for the most fumbles (3) of any WR graded in the top 25. He tied Alshon Jeffrey for the most.
• He was just average in terms of penalties called for WRs graded in the top 25.

In summary, Dez had very high ranked grades for individual things like yards, TDs, RAC, etc -- right there with the top guys ranked like Brandon Marshall, Jordy Nelson, and Calvin Johnson -- however PFF viewed his drops, his fumbles, his poor run blocking, and the low completion percentage in passes thrown to him as big negatives and that it what drop his ranking to 22 for all WRs.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

These lists don't mean anything of course....but as far as lists go....this one is a bit curious.

 

[Coy]

Looking at the PFF premium stats for Dez, here is my best guess on why they've given Dez the 22nd best WR grade for 2013 and why he didn't make the Top 101 players in rated for 2013:

• His catch %59.6 catch percentage for passes attempted to him (they have him down for 93 catches on 156 attempts) was ranked 61st out of all NFL WRs graded
• Dez received a negative grade of -2.5 for his blocking. That was the 103rd for all graded WRs
• Dez had the 2nd most dropped passes for any WR graded in the top 25. On Brandon Marshall had more.
• Dez was tied for the most fumbles (3) of any WR graded in the top 25. He tied Alshon Jeffrey for the most.
• He was just average in terms of penalties called for WRs graded in the top 25.

In summary, Dez had very high ranked grades for individual things like yards, TDs, RAC, etc -- right there with the top guys ranked like Brandon Marshall, Jordy Nelson, and Calvin Johnson -- however PFF viewed his drops, his fumbles, his poor run blocking, and the low completion percentage in passes thrown to him as big negatives and that it what drop his ranking to 22 for all WRs.

Thanks for the info, still think its laughable to think Dez isn't in the top 101 of NFL players, and so is Romo by the way.