#Number of Interior linemen (IOL) pass blocking 75+
2018: 41
2019: 28
2020: 16
2021: 16
2022: 19
2023: 8
#Number of Tackles pass blocking 75+
2018: 37
2019: 30
2020: 35
2021: 30
2022: 33
2023: 22
#Number of Edge/DI pass rushing 75+
2018: 33
2019: 42
2020: 46
2021: 42
2022: 43
2023: 44
This is the first year there’s more 75+ pass rushers than 75+ pass blockers.
So after looking into the rules changes before the 2019 season, I’m convinced the elimination of blindside blocks within the pocket was what spurred the large drop from 2018 to 2019. I think IOL still probably got away with it a bit in 2019, but by 2020, no one was doing it anymore, and the pass blocking of IOL dropped as a result. This also explains why pass blocking by tackles was stable and consistent from 2018 to 2019 as tackles rarely had the opportunity/need to execute blindside blocks. I am not sure what has caused the further deterioration of interior line pass blocking from 2022 to this season, but by percentage, it is the biggest single year drop in the years I looked at. I’m inclined to believe that the drop-off in tackle pass blocking this year is due to the severe drop off in IOL pass blocking.
Does anyone have any theories on what is behind the drop in IOL pass blocking this year? I don’t think there were any significant changes in rules this off-season that would impact pass blocking, but maybe I missed something.
I included the amount of pass rushers with a rating of 75+ in pass rushing to show that there was a gap up in 2019 likely due to the blindside block rule, but besides that, it has remained stable and is not up this year despite offensive lines being lower rated this year.
TL:DR trying to figure out why offensive lines are so shitty nowadays and dug through PFF data and found out that it’s specifically IOL pass blocking that’s in the gutter and the decline started in 2019 due to the elimination of blindside blocks.
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Another piece to consider. They use an algorithm to aid in grading. Algorithms get better over time with more data points. Because of that if you look around the league, some positions trend up, others down and some stagnant.
Increase in Shotgun formation every year (except 2017) explains everything from the increase in pass rush grade to financial value on edge rushers contracts.
PFF is very subjective…I always proceed with caution when it comes to PFF.
Unless it supports my position of course
It’s about as subjective as a peer review journal, because it takes multiple people to get the same score.
That is laughable. Based on your exact description of their methodology there is only 1 reviewer and if they disagree it’s more of an arbitration between the original two scores than a review.
Peer reviewed journals publish many pages worth of data supporting their findings. Which is reviewed and critiqued by peers, often requiring additional experiments. Results are more often than not quantitative and if you approach a journal with qualitative data only it better be rock solid or the reviewers will have a field day.
PFF is purely qualitative data that is pseudo-quantified. Reporting their methods doesn’t make their methods good (this is true in peer reviewed journals as well).
Any time you take a qualitative source data and attempt to quantify it, the data should be questioned. Pseudo-quantification is good as a supporting measurement, but if it’s your primary measurement for your conclusion then you’re in trouble. Just own it as qualititative and you’ll get more respect.
How much cross reference does PFF do to make sure scores are consistent. I.e. do the same 3 people score all the OL in every game or is one guy assigned to each team, grading that team and the opposing team each week. Do they publish results of bias studies on their graders? Are some graders tougher on some teams than others? Or on some players than others (i.e. position, star status, race/ethnicity, etc)
The data is fine for fans who have no idea how to judge a player within a given season, but it is severely lacking in many aspects
Peer review journals are published in their entirety. We just get a pretty number with PFF.
How the hell did multiple people come together and give Quinnen Williams a 55-60 grade last year when he put up one of the best single game performances by a defensive lineman all season last year?
Yeah, but they went back and added 25 points to his grade after people complained. But it’s totally not subjective.
I am honestly not sure how blindsided blocks can help IOL?
If you blindside block someone, that’s a clear Indicator that your pass set levels are off. Helping/double teaming isn’t about blindside blocking.
I just think the development of IDL has been skyrocketing. 3-Techs and 1-Techs are getting way more athletic and technically sound. And the IOL cant close this development gap. I mean there is a reason elite inside DL get paid significantly more nowadays.
Probably schemes, blitz packages combined with elite pass rush moves can be a reason too.
Edit: Also who tf knows the metrics and grading process of PFF lol
I’m not sure if that play in the link I posted was an example of an overzealous call…but if that type of football move is now illegal I can see how that would have had a big impact on IOL while not having as much of an impact on tackle play.
I didn’t know this is considered a blind side block now lol
My advice would be this…stop giving a F@#$ about PFF and wasting your time trying to figure it out or searching for answers in stats. Watching film is the only way to see who performs on the field.
I find the hardest part about film study is understanding the breakdowns around the player that account for the why they might get scored an L on the play. It’s the Brian Urlacher effect to me. Subtract Urlacher and the remaining 10 players are all worse no matter how great their individual scores.
Take Tevin Jenkins. Now that he’s out there our center play is better. Can we send some of the center’s grade to Jenkins?
Communication is so important.
You bring up a very valid point. Also is not just tevin. Had we had our starting oline healthy for every game there is probably 10-15 plays this year that turn out positive. In this league that is probably 2.5 more wins
My point for watching film is more of evaluating talent and diagnosis of what went right or wrong on any given play. You can’t win every play but can see which players constantly contribute to losing plays. I played for over 12 years so it’s just habit for me. Understand the average fan doesn’t watch film and is faster just to read grades on PFF and then use these as basis for their analysis
I think you’re spot on. In this instance, I was just using the PFF data to support what I’ve seen on the field this year, which is atrocious oline play. I obviously do not have the time to personally review film for every o-line in every game, and understand that PFF has many failings. The only thing I’m confident on is that oline play is significantly below average when compared to the last several years. Why oline play is down could be any number of factors and likely is due to a bunch of different variables.
You’re not wrong. Football is…and isn’t a deep stat sport. If we played 162 football games a year deep stats would matter more. Baseball players can slump for 3 straight weeks worth of games before snapping out of it and being major contributors to their teams. A football player slumps for 18-21 games and they might be out of the league.
It amazes me that our organization think somehow velus will come around at his age and shown zero upside since coming into the league.
A few concepts to consider. The NFL runs on star QBs. Every star needs a foil. The two highest paid positions are QB and Edge. There is a dramatic scene the NFL has been playing up since Peyton Manning retired where he went from best QB in the league to needing Von Miller having one of the best seasons ever to keeping Manning in the story.
I will need help on the finite details of the grading, but these are some variables that come to mind that for me might account for decline in OL scores. The factor that comes to my mind initially is the role of the officials in altering the line of scrimmage contact and how OL may adjust to that.
How many games were played indoors (done, acoustics manipulation) in those years? Is it increasing?
Has the rate of Ol penalties increased, stayed the same, decreased?
Oline penalties are trending up this year vs the last 2/3 years.
My theory has been that the two rule enforcement changes for 2023 are having a big effect on blocking and offense this season.
For interior linemen the one that would have a direct effect is by not allowing OT to line up so far off the ball that they’re technically in the backfield the guard has to line up closer to the line of scrimmage. Historically, the OT has been allowed to start as an off ball player and guards would line up far enough back off the line of scrimmage to be in the tackle position. By forcing the tackle to move forward onto the line of scrimmage the guard is forced to move forward and therefore has less time between the snap and defender reaching them.
If the league values Edge more than O-line, if you’re a freak athlete, you’re going to want to play Edge. If there’s more athleticism on the D-line, O-line players are going to be at a disadvantage.
https://youtu.be/adtruA-WU10?si=wjsjatjtFoZry6eY
If you go to the 10:05 mark of this QB school video for Bryce young this week, jto says something about how there’s never been a worse time to be a center in this league, and in context he’s referring to how good DTs have gotten.
A few things I think come into play. One, every year the NFL becomes more pass heavy. It’s harder for OL to block when the running game is less of a threat. Two, there is always a shift in the NFL. For the past several years the offenses have been innovative and dominating the league. We’re starting to see a shift of defenses catching up to that innovation and figuring out ways to stop it at a more consistent level.
I think it is more attributable to the fact we are in the golden era of interior defensive lineman. It’s probably the most stacked position group in the NFL with most of the teams in the league having a legit all pro talent type guy in the interior.
Curious if run blocking saw a similar across the board decline or if it was just pass blocking?