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Three to Focus on: Super Bowl XLVI
Swerving from our usual path of providing a quick detail about the upcoming game’s key matchups, during Super Bowl Week we’ve gone into further depth and broken out each of the pivotal battles in their own articles.
With that being the case, this Three to Focus on is going to serve as a clearinghouse for all of the preview content we’ve supplied you with in the past few days–your one-stop shop for PFF’s Super Bowl content.
If you missed anything along the way, here’s your chance to click through and catch up.
Super Bowl Focus: Déjà Vu in the Trenches?
Dominance.
It was the theme and most memorable attribute of Super Bowl XLII. Even more so than the game-winning touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress, and the New York Giants victory over the New England Patriots. The unstoppable juggernaut grounded by a defensive front having its way with the opposing offensive line.
It was the manifestation of an age-old theory that pressure trumps everything when it comes to stopping a passing offense. The Giants brought that pressure and the vaunted Patriot offense simply couldn’t match the form it had shown all season to lead New England to perfection. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Ravens @ Patriots, AFC Championship Game
At the end of the day, all the matters is the Patriots are once again going to the Super Bowl.
It doesn’t matter that Lee Evans didn’t bring that ball in. It doesn’t matter that Billy Cundiff shanked the Ravens’ chance to take it to overtime. It doesn’t even matter that Tom Brady had some very off moments. No, all that matters is the New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens, setting up a much-anticipated Super Bowl rematch with a New York Giants team who ended New England’s chance at the perfect season just a few years back. What more can you really say?
Ravens fans will dwell on opportunities missed as they made the Patriots’ offense look ordinary, and got a fine display from quarterback Joe Flacco. But, as is often the case it football, it comes down to a few plays; the penalties on interceptions, the fourth down attempts, and those plays, the plays that have already become part of Ravens lore. Obviously those plays went the way of the Patriots, a team who will likely need to step up on both sides of the ball to deal with a Giants team on a white-hot streak who also caught their share of breaks.
Focus Points: Justin Smith vs. the New York Giants
As we got deeper into the second half of this game, you just knew it was going to take a mistake from one of the offenses (or indeed, the special teams) to break the deadlock. So great was the defense’s stranglehold, it seemed we may be in for an even longer game than the one we got.
I’ll leave the Giants’ defense for my colleagues to pick up tomorrow, but the topic here is Justin Smith and just how New York went about trying to combat him. The truth is, they invested a lot to hold him in check which worked to begin with, but then, when they were left with no option but to leave him one-on-one, it was usually to their cost.
Focus Points: Aaron Hernandez vs. the Baltimore Ravens
Championship Weekend has started off with an epic tilt! The Patriots overcame the Ravens by virtue of a missed field goal with 15 seconds left via Billy Cundiff. Now it’s time to talk about our Focus Point for the game. There are so many interesting players to look at in isolation for the Patriots here, but we elected to put Aaron Hernandez under the microscope to see what we could learn as the game happened. He did not disappoint, as he provided 66 yards receiving and another 9 yards as a running back.
Drop Rate 2011: Which receivers are dropping the ball?
It’s a fundamental skill when it comes to being a wide receiver, yet something some guys have a big problem with; catching the ball.
It can be what prevents a dangerous receiver becoming a great one and seeing their team’s receiver drop a catchable ball in a key situation is the bane of many a fan’s existence. It happens to the best of them, but who does it happen to most frequently, and who does it happen to less?
Well we’ve tweaked our drop percentage article and it has now become a signature stat called the ‘Drop Rate’. A simple enough formula where we’re looking at how often a receiver drops a ball for every catchable ball thrown his way (with a catchable ball being defined as something that was either caught or dropped). The results, as ever, prove interesting so let’s look at them.
(It should be noted that to qualify for the study a receiver needed at least 30 catchable balls thrown their way).
Re-Focused: Giants @ Packers, Divisional Round
Green Bay became the first 15-1 team in league history to go one-and-done in the playoffs when they fell to the red hot New York Giants at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Giants never trailed and ended the game going away from the Packers who only briefly threatened a comeback in a game they were unquestionably second best in.
Aaron Rodgers missed some uncharacteristic throws in the game and only his running kept the Packers from allowing the game to slip out of hand as their defense could never really derail the Giants. Rodgers’ job was made even tougher by drops from Green Bay receivers, something they have struggled with all season, but which really cost them in this game, one in which they needed every play that was there for the making.
The Giants are now as hot as any team in the league and are riding a win streak that has some remarkable similarities to their Super Bowl run of 2007 (which also ran through Lambeau Field), and also to the close of Green Bay’s season last year. The playoffs are all about getting hot at the right time, and right now the Giants are that team.
Why the 49ers Can’t Win on Saturday
The 49ers have a lot going for them this weekend when they face the Saints, but this game is going to come down to how each team fares in the red zone, and that will ultimately prove to be their Achilles heel. San Francisco is playing at home, and New Orleans does not have a road playoff win in the franchise’s history (0-4). The 49ers have the best defensive player in football (Justin Smith), and arguably two of the next three on that list this season (ILB duo of Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman). They will also field the player that led the entire league in our Pass Rushing Productivity metric this season in the shape of Aldon Smith. If ever a defense was set up to combat the Saints, it’s the 49ers.
Toasted: The 10 Worst CB Games from the Past Four Seasons
The collapse of the Steelers’ defense against the Tim Tebow-led Broncos saw Ike Taylor cough up the first 200+ yard game we have ever recorded from a cornerback. No other CB has allowed more than 200 yards since we began grading games fully in 2008, and his ranks as the highest yardage total allowed in 1061 games of grading.
In the process of finding out these numbers it helped us remember a number of other disastrous performances from corners. Because it’s been a few rough days for Ike (who had a largely impressive 2011) we figured to show him he’s not alone by shedding light on the 10 cornerback performances over the last four years that have yielded the most receiving yardage.
So here’s a list that no cornerback wants to make. Look away now CBs of a nervous disposition.
2011 PFF All-Rookie Team
There are plenty of things that have impressed me this year. The Green Bay Packers’ attempt to go undefeated. The records broken by Drew Brees and others. Heck, I’ve even been impressed by how Levi Brown turned a switch on to look like a competent left tackle for six games at the end of the season.
But what impressed me the most? I think it may be the impact the 2011 draft class has made.
We’ve seen so many excellent performances that it’s hard to comprehend that these guys had a shortened off season. Either coaching just slows talent down and prevents them making an immediate impact, as it did with a lot of the 2010 class, or this year’s rookies are just that much more talented. You be the judge.
In any case it’s been a joy writing about these guys in my ‘Race for the Rookie of the Year’ weekly feature which saw Von Miller come out on top, and so now it’s time to name the Pro Football Focus, All Rookie Team of the Year. Starting with a slam dunk at the QB spot.
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