Quote:...My reason is frustration with the unfair and inaccurate criticism the offensive line has been getting as individuals. As a unit I thought it looked really bad but after reading Alfie's article on BCC tonight even that presumption on my part was pretty much wrong.
...So I thought I would post how they get their numbers so maybe their analysis could get a little more credibility on the MB. Every team in the NFL buys a much more sophisticated version of this stuff from PFF than what we can get as individuals.
...Reggie Nelson... We discarded Justin Forsett ...
Without reading the entire thread and with respect to your good and worthwhile intentions, I feel compelled to quickly point out a few things.
First: PFF is pretty cool. It's amazing that they have the staff and infrastructure digitally to compile all the data and rankings that they do. It can be very useful in evaluation. BUT…. The more you read through their methodology and "created stats" that form these rankings, it becomes very apparent that the way they grade players that aren't ball handlers is often nebulous and left to the eye of the beholder. Beyond that - it assumes that the person evaluating each snap played actually has a clear idea of what that players assignment truly is within the scheme. Already - without elaborating further - it's obvious that there is much room for error.
While it's certainly possible that individuals on the Jaguars O-Line performed well enough to be graded higher than we expect - the fact of the matter is that most of them made crucial mistakes often enough to cause consistent problems in both the run and passing game this season. It only takes one guy whiffing, missing his assignment, or flat getting beat to ruin a down. And if the other 4 guys did their job then the "ranking" gets inflated. But there were too many instances of one guy just blowing it.
Secondly:
All of this second guessing about releasing players (and coaches) that go on to be productive is being overblown.
Coughlin was screwing the pooch royally in Jax when he was fired and it was 100% deserved. I couldn't be happier for the guy, but if you can't see how his success has depended upon the people around him "reigning him in" at times, then you haven't paid attention. The roller coaster that is the NY Giants paints the picture, He's at his best when allowed just enough control - but limited to the many things he wants to take over and over-pursue.
Forsett? Really? C'mon folks. He went to his old coach's offense and got healthy while the two backs in front of him got hurt/suspended. He was hurt in Jax when we were knee deep in a roster purge. He had to go to make room for new, young talent, as that's what Caldwell was openly all about right away.
Make a case for Mike Smith if you want - but that's a former regime and now a moot point.
Make a case for Daryl Smith. Caldwell definitely should have retained him.
Nelson? C'mon. Ancient history and his poor play sealed his fate.
Bottom line. PFF is cool but one stat never tells the whole story, and their grading is always gonna' be weird at several positions.
On the whole - "we let talent leave" angle - it's important to categorize within the current regime and not worry about what happened prior.
We've got new guys calling shots now - and they've made more good moves than bad.
I challenge anyone to examine two years of Shack's or Gene's draft/FA and find a time when they assembled more talent than DC has in the past two years. And, for the love of God, don't quote record to me. If you can't see the talent (and economy) in the signings and draft picks from '13 and '14 as being better than we've seen in years, then you are blind. The wins haven't come yet, but Caldwell is definitely bringing talent to the Jaguars.
