Atlanta's Pro Football Focus Depth Chart

[Kayoh]

PFF doesn't actually have this, but it'd be awesome if they did. Until then, I've gone to the extent of adding it all up myself and compiling these scores. I added up all the snap counts and all the grades and averaged them out for a basic overall grade at each position. Basically, anything above 1 is good, anything between -1 and 1 is average, and anything below -1 is bad. For better perspective, anything above 26.0 is amazing, anything between 13.0 and 26.0 is extremely good, anything between 6.5 and 13.0 is solid, and anything between 1.0 and 6.5 is just serviceable. Flip those for negatives.

QB: 33.7

HB Rushing: -5.2

HB Receiving: 0.3

HB Pass Blocking: 5.6

FB: +1.5 run blocking, -1.2 pass blocking, 0.2 receiving

TE Receiving: 17.0

TE Pass Blocking: 3.4

TE Run Blocking: -9.3

WR Receiving: 20.7

WR Run Blocking: 0.2

OL Run Blocking: -0.5

OL Pass Blocking: 3.2

DT Run Stuffing: -20.0

DT Pass Rushing: -3.8

DE Run Stuffing: 6.1 (not counting R. Edwards into any of these)

DE Pass Rushing: 16.7

DE Coverage: -0.5

LB Run Stuffing: -11

LB Pass Rushing: 3.1

LB Coverage: -6

CB Coverage: 12.8 (not taking Grimes into account)

Safety Run Stuffing: 0.0

Safety Coverage: 2.6

Safety Pass Rushing: 2.6

Biggest Problem Areas

1. DT Run Stuffing

2. LB Run Stuffing

3. TE Run Blocking

4. LB Coverage

5. HB Rushing

Guess our LBs have been slacking a bit. Pretty much our entire front 7 aside from Abe have been taking dumps in our last two games.

[Jaymadd]

I think the biggest areas of concern have been pretty noticeable accept for the lb coverage. I love Tony G but with our online he is not any help when it comes to run blocking. We really need to go ahead and mix things up with our depth chart, especially at DT

[Guest Negatorris]

I think we may need to look at LBs in the 2nd or 3rd round. Someone who can actually cover.

[Jaymadd]

I think we may need to look at LBs in the 2nd or 3rd round. Someone who can actually cover.

Yeah I like Stephen Nicholas but he doesn't seem to be getting better almost like he is inconsistent from week to week. I think next year we need to bring in someone that will push ole saint nic, but I also hope that Nolan and smitty will have the balls to make the right decision if a rookie or 2nd year player deserve to be on the field instead of a vet

[Tuggle'2]

I think we may need to look at LBs in the 2nd or 3rd round. Someone who can actually cover.

It would be such a pleasant turn of events if Schiller works out.

[Dirtybird56]

Need DE, DT, ILB, OG, RB, TE, and cb

Possible to fix all/most in the offseason I guess. Something like :

Sign FA tight end and defensive end

DT in 1st

OG in 2nd

RB in 3rd

ILB 4th

Some variation of that

[Kayoh]

I think we may need to look at LBs in the 2nd or 3rd round. Someone who can actually cover.

For what it's worth, Spoon has been positive overall in coverage all season, his last two games have just killed him. I'm thinking he isn't back 100% because before the injury, he was at +4.8, and since then he's gone +0.2, -2.0, -0.3 in the last three games. Rob James is the only other LB with a positive coverage grade and he's only seen 7 total snaps, all against Washington.

[Kayoh]

Need DE, DT, ILB, OG, RB, TE, and cb

Possible to fix all/most in the offseason I guess. Something like :

Sign FA tight end and defensive end

DT in 1st

OG in 2nd

RB in 3rd

ILB 4th

Some variation of that

I don't like assigning positions to rounds. You draft the BPA at your spot unless it's a position that you are completely stacked at.

That being said, I think TE and OG are both positions that we can and probably should address in free agency. Maybe even RB if certain guys aren't franchised or re-signed.

[falcons007]

I trust Skip Bayless over PFF, but I don't see anything to disagree with here.

Their grades are meh but the raw stats are pretty good.

[Kayoh]

I trust Skip Bayless over PFF, but I don't see anything to disagree with here.

You trust a reporter who doesn't even watch the games over a group of guys whose entire lives are dedicated to watching every player on every play of every game and determining whether what they're doing is good, bad or irrelevant? Wow.

[Dirtybird56]

I don't like assigning positions to rounds. You draft the BPA at your spot unless it's a position that you are completely stacked at.

That being said, I think TE and OG are both positions that we can and probably should address in free agency. Maybe even RB if certain guys aren't franchised or re-signed.

I don't want TD assigning positions to rounds either, I was just using it as an example. I do want him drafting BPA at only positions of need though

[Leland]

What's Tom Brady's rating?

[Kayoh]

What's Tom Brady's rating?

39.3

[falconstwopercentsized]

We really needed bradie ewing this year. Receiving threat at fullback is something that is certainly missed.

[Guest facelessman07]

Yeah...

Edited December 15, 2012 by facelessman07

[falcons007]

Maybe Skip Bayless was a bad example. How about a daycare full of 2 year olds over PFF's garbage? They're the only site I know that awards "degree of difficulty" points, which usually consists of subjective garbage. Example, throwing into double coverage and completing a catch gives a QB a better grade than throwing to a wide open receiver. A receiver who dives for a catch successfully gets a better grade than one who catches a ball in stride. Really? They have a horrendous grading system, which is a shame because they actually do have some legitimate football minds. They are decent statisticians who unfortunately do not understand schemes and player roles well enough to receive the cyber worship that they do. At least Skip Bayless doesn't charge money for his drivel...

Grades with out all 22 and knowing schemes and player roles are inaccurate.

[Guest facelessman07]

We've got a lot of holes but PLEASE TD if there's one area I'd want to get fixed this offseason its the O-line. We've got to protect our franchise QB and give him time to throw, not to mention we need better blocking for our future RB tandem. People keep talking about us being the greatest show on turf 2.0 but that will not happen until that problem is adressed and corrected.

And I really think trading down in the draft and picking up a few extra picks, barring what we do in free agency, is the best avenue to fill all our holes. We didn't have much of a draft last year so 2013 needs to count

Edited December 15, 2012 by facelessman07

[falconstwopercentsized]

For what it's worth, Spoon has been positive overall in coverage all season, his last two games have just killed him. I'm thinking he isn't back 100% because before the injury, he was at +4.8, and since then he's gone +0.2, -2.0, -0.3 in the last three games. Rob James is the only other LB with a positive coverage grade and he's only seen 7 total snaps, all against Washington.

I hate that he's trying to play through it.

[Kayoh]

Maybe Skip Bayless was a bad example. How about a daycare full of 2 year olds over PFF's garbage? They're the only site I know that awards "degree of difficulty" points, which usually consists of subjective garbage. Example, throwing into double coverage and completing a catch gives a QB a better grade than throwing to a wide open receiver. A receiver who dives for a catch successfully gets a better grade than one who catches a ball in stride. Really? They have a horrendous grading system, which is a shame because they actually do have some legitimate football minds. They are decent statisticians who unfortunately do not understand schemes and player roles well enough to receive the cyber worship that they do. At least Skip Bayless doesn't charge money for his drivel...

I don't understand what the issue is. If a QB completes a pass into double coverage, it's most likely because he had to thread the needle and did so successfully, where as hitting a wide open receiver is more due to scheme and the receiver than the QB just making the right read. A receiver laying out for an otherwise poorly thrown pass should get a higher grade for the receiver than it would if the QB hit him in stride. How are any of these negatives? Do you even understand what you're saying?

[falcons007]

I'm not sure I understand your post.

I mean grades with out watching all 22 or coaches film are inaccurate. It amazes me how they can grade players with out watching all 22 players in a play.

[Kayoh]

I mean grades with out watching all 22 or coaches film are inaccurate. It amazes me how they can grade players with out watching all 22 players in a play.

Who are you talking about? PFF? They do watch all 22.

[Butudontseeme™]

There is no perfect way to "grade" players. These stats may give us a slight insight but no stat can truly be trusted. There's more to all of this than meets the eye.

[falcons007]

Who are you talking about? PFF? They do watch all 22.

They don't, its in their FAQ. NFL didn't release the all 22 till this year and they always said that they watch the broadcast on HD TV's which gives a clear picture. I have a HD TV but I can't see all 22 players. This year NFL released all 22 but the coaches film(all 22) isn't available un till Tuesday or wednesday. PFF is a business and I understand that they can't wait for all 22 tape to be available 2 or 3 days after a game.

[Kayoh]

It's completely subjective to say that a QB throwing into double coverage is "most likely" because he had to thread the needle. What if it was a bad decision and his receiver bailed him out? Can you honestly say that he should be graded even better for that? In essence, it punishes QB's who make good throws to receivers who are open. It makes a receiver like Dwayne Bowe look elite because he can make a circus catch for 15 yards, and then drop a wide open ball. Or how about their man crushes on guys like Evan Mathis and Kyle Williams? Did you see their 2011 top 101? I wholeheartedly thought it was a troll until I read the crackpots who posted it. PFF = a bunch of dudes with a DVR watching games and pretending it's game tape. Not exactly opinions that are worth much, and it sickens me how much legitimacy they get around here.

Do you think they just mindlessly say "oh that QB threw into double coverage and the WR caught it, great play by the QB"? You don't think they do it on a case by case basis? That's kind of the whole point of using grades and not just stats.

[Jaymadd]

It is funny the people who want to dispute the PFF grades. The problem areas are the same areas that you can see the team struggling with when watching the games live.