Zeke’s PFF Grade Explained

[Ekspozed]

No and no. I don’t know about the end of the season but I know about 3/4ths through it, Saquon had more contact in the backfield quicker than any other RB. You could argue he dances back and forth more, which is partly true, but that’s also because he had no where to run.

The O line rankings are pretty legit, our fans tend to live in the past (Romo ring a bell ) and if the O line isn’t as good as ‘16 then it sucks. Even with the injuries, our O line was much better than average.

Actually you’re wrong. Zeke was touched in the backfield continunously throughout the season, would take the team to the 5 and be ignored for 3 losses by dak and a fg

 

[LatinMind]

PFF is more accurate than any other grading system out there but some people only like to reference it if it supports their argument. If it goes against their argument than it’s trash, kinda like Colon Cowturd.

Some of us have been saying this about running backs all along but there’s always a built in excuse for why Zeke is the best, why we can never lose him...yadda yadda yadda. He’s valuable but not indispensable, like a high end washing machine, lol.

When they try to say the running game was more effective when Elliot was out you have to question it. These type of stats that these dvoa and next gen are for fantasy football. Give me the absolutes in plain rushing yards and scoring tds. Real production instead of a group of people sitting down and saying this play is important this one isn’t. Any stat in this type of stat keeping will always be on the low side with Dallas because they are a ball control offense.

 

[percyhoward]

When teams *know* you're going to run, and don't fear the pass, it will still be tough sledding.

The Cowboys' run/pass ratio was actually in the middle of the league, if you're talking about teams' normal offense.

Below is the percentage of plays from scrimmage that were runs. The first list is 1st-3rd quarter, the second list is any point in the game when the score was close. Overall, Dallas' run % ranked 9th, but that was because of teams ahead of them on these lists that were often taken out of their normal offense when they fell behind late in the game or fell behind by more than one score. When trailing by more than one score, teams only run 29% of the time. Dallas had the 5th-fewest plays when trailing by more than one score.

RUN PERCENTAGE
Qtr 1-3
1 Sea 53.6
2 Buf 49.1
3 Ten 47.9
4 Bal 46.5
5 Hou 45.5
6 NYJ 44.7
7 Car 44.3
8 Jax 44.1
9 SF 43.5
10 Chi 43.4
11 Mia 43.1
12 Was 42.7
13 Ari 42.7
14 Dal 42.6

Margin 8 points or less
1 Sea 52.6
2 Buf 51.2
3 Bal 49.9
4 Ten 49.8
5 Was 48.1
6 Jax 47.5
7 Hou 45.1
8 Ari 44.9
9 NYJ 44.5
10 Mia 44.3
11 Cle 43.9
12 Chi 43.5
13 SF 43.2
14 Det 43.0
15 NE 42.9
16 Dal 42.9

 

[Corso]

The Cowboys' run/pass ratio was actually in the middle of the league, if you're talking about teams' normal offense.

Below is the percentage of plays from scrimmage that were runs. The first list is 1st-3rd quarter, the second list is any point in the game when the score was close. Overall, Dallas' run % ranked 9th, but that was because of teams ahead of them on these lists that were often taken out of their normal offense when they fell behind late in the game or fell behind by more than one score. When trailing by more than one score, teams only run 29% of the time. Dallas had the 5th-fewest plays when trailing by more than one score.

RUN PERCENTAGE
Qtr 1-3
1 Sea 53.6
2 Buf 49.1
3 Ten 47.9
4 Bal 46.5
5 Hou 45.5
6 NYJ 44.7
7 Car 44.3
8 Jax 44.1
9 SF 43.5
10 Chi 43.4
11 Mia 43.1
12 Was 42.7
13 Ari 42.7
14 Dal 42.6

Margin 8 points or less
1 Sea 52.6
2 Buf 51.2
3 Bal 49.9
4 Ten 49.8
5 Was 48.1
6 Jax 47.5
7 Hou 45.1
8 Ari 44.9
9 NYJ 44.5
10 Mia 44.3
11 Cle 43.9
12 Chi 43.5
13 SF 43.2
14 Det 43.0
15 NE 42.9
16 Dal 42.9

You're a monster.

 

[InTheZone]

Zeke had the most carries and the highest percentage of stacked box defenses (think about why this is)

/thread

 

[Vtwin]

PFF is more accurate than any other grading system out there but some people only like to reference it if it supports their argument. If it goes against their argument than it’s trash, kinda like Colon Cowturd.

Some of us have been saying this about running backs all along but there’s always a built in excuse for why Zeke is the best, why we can never lose him...yadda yadda yadda. He’s valuable but not indispensable, like a high end washing machine, lol.

Yet he was used over and over as an excuse for the offensive ineptitude when he was out last year.

Not that I disagree completely with your point.

Just saying...

 

[aria]

Actually you’re wrong. Zeke was touched in the backfield continunously throughout the season, would take the team to the 5 and be ignored for 3 losses by dak and a fg

Use your words and get back to me, you clearly don’t watch any other NFL RB’s. Provide stats, I have mine when you’re ready.

 

[aria]

When they try to say the running game was more effective when Elliot was out you have to question it. These type of stats that these dvoa and next gen are for fantasy football. Give me the absolutes in plain rushing yards and scoring tds. Real production instead of a group of people sitting down and saying this play is important this one isn’t. Any stat in this type of stat keeping will always be on the low side with Dallas because they are a ball control offense.

Sure, there are varying factors with every stat but the fact remains that RB’s are regularly over valued by certain teams and fans in the NFL. Zeke is nothing without the O line. You also have to question why we put up so many points against the Gnats in week 17 when Zeke was on the sideline. You can blame it on coaching, which is fine, but then it goes to show that the offense doesn’t revolve around Zeke or it does and it shouldn’t.

If you want absolutes, yeah, Zeke got more rushing yards than any other RB. Another absolute, he fumbled the ball 6 times (last time I checked) compared to Barkley and Gurley’s 0. Another absolute, he averaged less ypc than Gurley or Barkley. Another absolute, he had a much better O line than Barkley but maybe not Gurley (Rams vs Cowboys is close). Another absolute, Gurley was hurt for a good part of the season.

 

[HungryLion]

Sure, there are varying factors with every stat but the fact remains that RB’s are regularly over valued by certain teams and fans in the NFL. Zeke is nothing without the O line. You also have to question why we put up so many points against the Gnats in week 17 when Zeke was on the sideline. You can blame it on coaching, which is fine, but then it goes to show that the offense doesn’t revolve around Zeke or it does and it shouldn’t.

If you want absolutes, yeah, Zeke got more rushing yards than any other RB. Another absolute, he fumbled the ball 6 times (last time I checked) compared to Barkley and Gurley’s 0. Another absolute, he averaged less ypc than Gurley or Barkley. Another absolute, he had a much better O line than Barkley but maybe not Gurley (Rams vs Cowboys is close). Another absolute, Gurley was hurt for a good part of the season.

Idk. It’s hard for me to buy that RB’s are over valued in the league. If that were the case, why are so many front offices willing to spend valuable capital in obtaining talented running backs?

Even the best ran team in the league, the patriots, used a first rounder on a running back last draft. If the skill level of the runner didn’t matter that much, why would they do that?

 

[aria]

Idk. It’s hard for me to buy that RB’s are over valued in the league. If that were the case, why are so many front offices willing to spend valuable capital in obtaining talented running backs?

Even the best ran team in the league, the patriots, used a first rounder on a running back last draft. If the skill level of the runner didn’t matter that much, why would they do that?

They didn’t use a top 4 pick, nor a top 10 nor a top 20 nor a top 30. Not to mention, the Patriots are pretty much the exception to every NFL rule/norm, you can’t really compare them to the other 31 teams fairly (unfortunately).

 

[percyhoward]

Zeke had the most carries and the highest percentage of stacked box defenses.(think about why this is)

According to NextGenStats, Zeke ranked 13th in % of stacked boxes faced, out of the 32 players with the most rushing attempts.

1 Blount 39.0
2 Chubb 34.4
3 Hyde 34.3
4 Henry 32.1
5 Conner 27.9
6 Murray 27.9
7 Michel 26.8
8 Crowell 26.6
9 Lewis 25.8
10 Coleman 25.8
11 Gordon 25.7
12 Breida 25.5
13 Elliott 24.7

32 Gurley 8.2

Zeke ranks that high because we don't run out of "11" personnel nearly as much as we should. (See Gurley's ranking)

 

[ChuckA1]

This is all a bunch of BS. I mean really!?

 

[aria]

According to NextGenStats, Zeke ranked 13th in % of stacked boxes faced, out of the 32 players with the most rushing attempts.

1 Blount 39.0
2 Chubb 34.4
3 Hyde 34.3
4 Henry 32.1
5 Conner 27.9
6 Murray 27.9
7 Michel 26.8
8 Crowell 26.6
9 Lewis 25.8
10 Coleman 25.8
11 Gordon 25.7
12 Breida 25.5
13 Elliott 24.7

32 Gurley 8.2

Zeke ranks that high because we don't run out of "11" personnel nearly as much as we should. (See Gurley's ranking)

As with all stats, they can be skewed. Funny how Barkley isn’t in the top ten, why is that? Is it because he sucks or becuase his O line was so bad they didn’t need to stack the box? Was it because he sucks or were other team so worried about the Gnats passing game without Odiva that they didn’t stack the box?

 

[JW82]

My grandmother knows more about football than PFF.

 

[percyhoward]

As with all stats, they can be skewed. Funny how Barkley isn’t in the top ten, why is that? Is it because he sucks or becuase his O line was so bad they didn’t need to stack the box? Was it because he sucks or were other team so worried about the Gnats passing game without Odiva that they didn’t stack the box?

Gurley's ranking 32nd tells you that the number of box defenders is essentially a reaction to who and how you line up on offense. So does this stat, from an nfl.com article in week 11:

Elliott's runs vs 8+ box (as a percentage of total rushes)
"11" personnel: 2.6%
all other groupings: 46.7%

 

[aria]

Gurley's ranking 32nd tells you that the number of box defenders is essentially a reaction to who and how you line up on offense. So does this stat, from an nfl.com article in week 11:

Elliott's runs vs 8+ box (as a percentage of total rushes)
"11" personnel: 2.6%
all other groupings: 46.7%

I don’t disagree, IMOF that goes along with my last post in this thread.

 

[charron]

It seems pretty stupid that people consistently reference Zeke “winning” the rushing record without acknowledging he had more carries and A LOT mire fumbles than any other RB. Believe it or not, he also ran behind a better O line than most. I do agree he definitely should be in the top 100 though.

Yes he had more carries but also was the #1 thing defenses tried to stop. Our oline was good but not great. Few rb's would be better with this team. Winning the rushing tittle isn't the most important thing but doing it in almost back to back years tells you this guy should at least be in the conversation of who is the best.

 

[percyhoward]

Thanks to a Mosher tweet from Nov 4, I can flesh this out a bit more. This is games 1-7 (before the Cooper trade).

Elliott
"11" personnel
60 car 321 yd 5.4 ypc
all other groupings
72 car 298 yd 4.1 ypc

 

[cern]

Mosquitoes defecate, too. Just not as large or often as pff.

 

[percyhoward]

I don’t disagree, IMOF that goes along with my last post in this thread.

Right, I'm agreeing with you.