With the season wrapped, we've taken some time this week to run through some of our Signature Stats, sharing the leaders in various categories. These stats are able to give a more detailed view than any of the traditional box score stats can, but even though they can help paint a better picture, they have their limitations, which is why we always recommend looking at our player grades to give the best look at a player's performance.
Earlier today we focused on the offensive tackles and now we'll be looking at Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) for the interior offensive line. We will see which Guards and Centers gave up the fewest pressures (Sacks, Hits and Hurries) on a per snap basis last season, with weighting towards sacks allowed.
Guards
Josh Sitton sits atop the 2014 PBE table for Guards for the second year in a row and he has been in the Top 5 for the past five seasons. The Top 10 this season features nine new players from last 2013's top group. Everyone remembers the difficulties Orlando Franklin had in Super Bowl XLVII, but prior to that effort he had posted the highest PBE for Offensive Tackles in 2013. This year he was moved inside to guard and continued his strong play as a pass blocker. It might be a surprise to see Marshal Yanda (fifth in the running for our Dwight Stephenson award as the league's top player) not make the Top 10 — he's sitting just outside in 11th place.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pass Blocking Snaps | Sacks | Hits | Hurries | Total | PBE |
| 1 | Josh Sitton | GB | 582 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 98.7 |
| 2 | Orlando Franklin | DEN | 608 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 98.6 |
| T-3 | Kelechi Osemele | BLT | 522 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 98.5 |
| T-3 | Zach Martin | DAL | 517 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 98.5 |
| T-5 | Kyle Long | CHI | 628 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 98.2 |
| T-5 | Kevin Zeitler | CIN | 390 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 98.2 |
| 7 | Zane Beadles | JAX | 649 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 98 |
| 8 | Joel Bitonio | CLV | 550 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 97.9 |
| T-9 | Brandon Linder | JAX | 565 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 97.8 |
| T-9 | Trai Turner | CAR | 375 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 97.8 |
Rookie Watch
This years Top 10 impressively features four rookies. Unsurprising to see both Dallas' Zach Martin and the Browns' Joel Bitonio, but the addition of Jacksonville's Brandon Linder and Carolina's Trai Turner cements a strong showing for the 2014 class. Another rookie guard who just missed the Top 10 was Gabe Jackson of the Oakland Raiders who ended up at 14th overall. If this rookie class can build on their outstanding start, there might be a new challenger to Sitton in the near future.
Centers
Claiming the top spot for centers, Nick Mangold takes the PBE crown with a clear margin due to only giving up seven total pressures all season. Both Rodney Hudson and Stefen Wisniewski are due to be free agents this offseason and while each fared well in the PBE count, this is an example where our player grades can help finish the story — Hudson finished with the third-best pass-blocking grade among centers while Wisniewski was down at 22nd on that list.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pass Blocking Snaps | Sacks | Hits | Hurries | Total | PBE |
| 1 | Nick Mangold | NYJ | 539 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 99 |
| 2 | Rodney Hudson | KC | 578 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 98.5 |
| T-3 | Stefen Wisniewski | OAK | 656 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 98.1 |
| T-3 | Kory Lichtensteiger | WAS | 629 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 98.1 |
| T-3 | Corey Linsley | GB | 595 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 98.1 |
| 6 | Travis Frederick | DAL | 518 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 97.9 |
| T-7 | Maurkice Pouncey | PIT | 651 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 19 | 97.8 |
| T-7 | Roberto Garza | CHI | 480 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 97.8 |
| T-7 | Jason Kelce | PHI | 464 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 97.8 |
| T-7 | Bryan Stork | NE | 458 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 97.8 |
Rookie Watch
Going into the season the Packers had to insert Corey Linsley at center and he answered by turning in one of the league's more impressive seasons at the position. Bryan Stork finished tied for seventh in the PBE rankings — a significant improvement for the Patriots over what they got from Ryan Wendell (95.6) the year before. The only other rookie center that did not have major struggles was the Chargers' Chris Watt, who, on limited snaps, put up a 97.7 PBE.
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