Looking at the PFF pass blocking grades over the season

[MightyGiants]

@DaveBrown74 sort of got me looking into this issue, as he raised a point about comparing Tyrod Taylor's performance with Daniel Jones this season.   That got me to thinking of how to use PFF pass-blocking grades to evaluate the conditions a QB had to work under effectively.

At first, I thought about a straight-up average of pass-blocking grades of the O-line (I am leaving out the blocking of TEs and RBs for simplicity's sake).   I opted not to go this route because my opinion is that it's about the whiffs and the multiple rushers winning their rep that vex a QB, rather than the overall pass grade (sort of following Daniel Jeremiah's "not tomato cans" philosophy of offensive line building). 

So I thought the measure I would use is how many O-linemen had grades below 40 (which are so terrible that it makes it difficult for a QB to function).


So here is what I found

Week 1 (DJ) vs Dallas

Two below 40-  Neal (25.7) and Glowinski (1.0)

Week 2 (DJ) vs Cards

None

Week 3 (DJ) vs San Fran

Four below 40-  JMS (22.8), Ezeudu (11.1), McKethan (3.9), Lemieux (3.8)

Week 4 (DJ) vs Sea

None

Week 5 (DJ) vs Miami

Five below 40 (many partial snap counts)- BB (31.8), Neal (29.8), Ezeudu (25.4), McKethan (0.0), Mayfield (0.0)  Note-  Peart Just missed with a 40.0

Week 6 (TT) vs Bills

None

Week 7 (TT) vs Commanders

One below 40-  Pugh (16.8)

So it seems the pass blocking did significantly improve in the last two games

[Ed Vette]

Why do you think that is? What factors affected their performance? Which low achievers were not available the two weeks of improvement and against Seattle and the Cards?

Seems inconsistent to me. The bad games were every other week against Dallas, the Niners, and Miami. Would the competition have something to do with it?

[Bob In PA]

Why do you think that is? What factors affected their performance? Which low achievers were not available the two weeks of improvement and against Seattle and the Cards?

Seems inconsistent to me. The bad games were every other week against Dallas, the Niners, and Miami. Would the competition have something to do with it?

Ed: Don't forget... the coaches are trying each week to improve the play-calling.

I would think that that issue should carry at least some weight.

Also, Giants are IMO notoriously slow-starters for some reason of which I'm unaware (and annually confounded).

Bob

[MightyGiants]

Why do you think that is? What factors affected their performance? Which low achievers were not available the two weeks of improvement and against Seattle and the Cards?

Seems inconsistent to me. The bad games were every other week against Dallas, the Niners, and Miami. Would the competition have something to do with it?

I am not sure there is a blanket answer.  I think there are many factors at work:

1) As you mentioned, the level of competition

2) The team no doubt was working furiously to clean up mistakes like not being able to pick up stunts and twists

3) The revolving door certainly didn't help

4) Some players started to get a bit of experience at new positions (such as BB and McKethian)

5) The addition of a veteran leader like Pugh may have changed the mood of the O-line room

6) As @Jclayton92 says, Neal seems to be slowly improving

7) The benching of Glowinski was the wakeup call he needed

8) Maybe Taylor's play was more pass-blocker friendly

[Ed Vette]

Ed: Don't forget... the coaches are trying each week to improve the play-calling.

I would think that that issue should carry at least some weight.

Also, Giants are IMO notoriously slow-starters for some reason of which I'm unaware (and annually confounded).

Bob

Bob, I was screaming for them to run the ball early on. The key to this Giants Offense is a balanced attack along with effective and productive rushing. Taking out the QB's rushing attempts and yards...

Dallas- they only ran 15 times 65 yards 4.33 and abandoned the run too early.
Cards- 18 times 68 yards 3.77
Niners- 9 times 25 yards 2.77
Seattle= 19 times 46 yards 2.42
Miami- 25 times 61 yards 2.44
Bills- 29 times 105 yards 3.72
Wash- 24 times 81 yards 3.37

Tyrod did a great number of rushing plays Under Center which helped Play Action and helped the Pass Pro and Passing. Pounding the ball tires out the Defense in the 4th quarter. Too bad Saquon coughed it up on that drive Sunday because the Defense was exhausted.

[Ed Vette]

I am not sure there is a blanket answer.  I think there are many factors at work:

1) As you mentioned, the level of competition

2) The team no doubt was working furiously to clean up mistakes like not being able to pick up stunts and twists

3) The revolving door certainly didn't help

4) Some players started to get a bit of experience at new positions (such as BB and McKethian)

5) The addition of a veteran leader like Pugh may have changed the mood of the O-line room

6) As @Jclayton92 says, Neal seems to be slowly improving

7) The benching of Glowinski was the wakeup call he needed

8) Maybe Taylor's play was more pass-blocker friendly

And Lemieux, Peart, Ezeudu, Neal and Mayfield all missing.

[Bob In PA]

Tyrod did a great number of rushing plays Under Center which helped Play Action and helped the Pass Pro and Passing.

Ed: Great observation.

You raise the issue of whether change was made BECAUSE it was Taylor. The alternative is sheer coincidence.

Could Daboll believe Jones needs more shotgun because he isn't very good at re-orienting himself to the field after completing his drop-back?

If that's perceived to be a problem, well, maybe the fat lady is singing.

I don't know for sure, but sincerely doubt it (because it wouldn't have taken five years to uncover such a flaw.

Bob

[Ed Vette]

Ed: Great observation.

You raise the issue of whether change was made BECAUSE it was Taylor. The alternative is sheer coincidence.

Could Daboll believe Jones needs more shotgun because he isn't very good at re-orienting himself to the field after completing his drop-back?

If that's perceived to be a problem, well, maybe the fat lady is singing.

I don't know for sure, but sincerely doubt it (because it wouldn't have taken five years to uncover such a flaw.

Bob

I don't know, Bob. I do know that a handoff from Shotgun is a lot easier to read than from UC unless it's a Walkup or an RPO and the Giants don't run their QB from an RPO, only from Read Option.

[MightyGiants]

@Ed Vette

Carl Banks said Daboll told him that the offensive line made no mental errors in the last game.  So that helps.