Positions

So free agency is underway and we’ve already seen some pretty big moves. Some of them have been quite shocking, and others have been pretty much expected since as long as can be remembered.
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And some of them weren’t really on my radar, but then they happened and you can’t help but think, ‘yeah that makes an awful lot of sense’.
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The one deal that especially made me feel that? Paul Posluszny to the Jaguars. Read the rest of this entry »

Due to the nature of their position, it is only fitting that we end our three year grading series with the last line of defense; the safeties.
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I can already hear people dismissing our number one choice (many of whom probably haven’t seen him play), but in our gradings playing safety is more than just about making the highlight reel. It’s about what you’ve done on the field over the last three years. Read the rest of this entry »

Every time I write an intro for one of these things the labor situation changes just as it goes to publish. So I’m doing the NFL world a favor, and not going to comment on it going forward. Instead, I’m going to keep moving right along into breaking down some potential destinations for possible free agents.
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So who to do today? We’ve already looked at Matt Roth and Sidney Rice, so perhaps it’s time to get into the nitty gritty and look at a guy on the offensive line. A player, in my personal opinion, is the rarest of rare commodities to hit the open market.
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A franchise left tackle. Read the rest of this entry »

[Editor's note - As a refresher for those that have been around a while and as a welcome to the huge influx of new PFF readers (thanks for stopping in!), we're bringing this one back for another look as free agency gets underway.]
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I’ve got a confession. I love making lists. There’s something about them that makes everything seem a little more under control. So, when I saw Pete Prisco doing his list of 50 top free agents, I thought to myself, “man, I’d like to do a list”.

But I can’t just copy him. He’s come out and done something before everyone else. So, instead, I’m going in a completely different direction and doing an article unlike any other that’s been done (to my recollection) … The 51 Top Free Agents heading into the 2011 season. Read the rest of this entry »

[Editor's note - It's here! Free agency begins! For the new crowd joining us at PFF, here's a bump with our notes about the best of the bunch at each position.]

Could it be? Is that time just around the corner?
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As CBA news trickles out, guesses are piling up as to when the NFL’s free agency period may begin. The up-and-down nature of the talks has us twisted in knots and we can’t help glancing at the calendar repeatedly as it seems every day spent negotiating (or not negotiating) is severely cutting into fun time. Will it all be figured out by mid month? Late July? Later than that? In any case, the long, quiet offseason may soon make that quick turn to a frenzied flurry of camp dates, actual player-coach communication, and yes … yes! yes! yes! … free agent signings. Read the rest of this entry »

While there’s more back and forth regarding the CBA with suggestions of power plays and such, I’m taking a fairly unique approach.
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The “la-la-la-la-la” approach. A system that works by putting my fingers in my ears and pretending everything is going to be alright. I’ve tried working things out in my head logically, but that just confuses me more. So, while my new approach doesn’t make me any more informed, it’s a lot simpler to follow.
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With that in mind, I’m work on the basis of a deal being just around the corner and free agency being upon us. Marching ahead with profiling some of the most sought after free agents, step forward, Sidney Rice.
Read the rest of this entry »

We’ll be wrapping up our three-year player grades series this week by looking at the defensive backs and the corners are up first.
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We’re the first to admit that due to the nature of footage available to all media outlets (and essentially anyone outside of the teams themselves), cornerback is among the hardest of positions for us to judge. There are times when we don’t get shots of where the ball isn’t thrown, so we can’t always tell if a corner got away with leaving a receiver wide open, or if his excellent coverage forced the quarterback to look elsewhere.
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But that doesn’t mean we can’t add something to the cornerback debate. Our ratings take into account time spent in coverage when they’re not targeted, and when they are thrown at, we break them down.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s like Christmas … at least like it was when I was a kid. Only this time Santa got locked out of the house so Mom and Dad told me it would come eventually, and now it looks like he’s finally found a way in. As soon as he does, I’m going to unwrap my presents and play the heck out of my new Super Nintendo.
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I’m not sure if that analogy works, but I’m so excited about there being some football I don’t really care. Regardless, while we sit, waiting for free agency to start and chomping at the bit, we look for something to distract us, if only for a few minutes.
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So, while the final details of the CBA are being hashed out, I’m going to be looking at some of the most sought after would-be free agents and some of the teams that would provide the best matches for their services. Up first is Matt Roth, the soon-to-be former Cleveland Brown. Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, it’s finally Friday and we wrap the week with the final part of our week-long look at how linebackers have performed over the past three years.
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If you missed it, Monday’s focus was the pass rushing 3-4 outside linebackers, and on Wednesday, we gave some ink to the guys who have primarily been outside linebackers in 4-3 schemes. So, we’re now left with one obvious group: the men in the middle. Given the differing roles involved, we’ve broken this into two short lists: the 3-4 inside linebackers and the 4-3 middle linebackers. Read the rest of this entry »

Just take him down! Football, under all its sophisticated cat and mouse scheming, is still a game of blocking and tackling, and you expect defenders to make tackles. We’ve now got three seasons worth of data in the books and it shows that all too often they don’t.
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Obviously, modern defensive players differ dramatically depending on the position they play, and the tackles being made by defensive linemen rarely resemble those being made by cornerbacks or safeties in the open field with space to marshall. As we’ll see a little later, the numbers reflect that. Nevertheless, it’s interesting seeing the distribution of players and the variance of performance within the same position over just three short seasons.
Read the rest of this entry »