Linebacker Grades

GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,526
For as much negative talk our secondary gets (which is certainly justified), the linebackers have been the weakest part of our defense and may be the weakest linebacker core in all of FBS.

According to PFF, out of 130 FBS teams, Eley grades out as 571/580, while Jackson is 553/580. And they’ve both played more snaps than anyone ranked lower than them! It’s embarrassing.

Someone please come on here and tell me PFF grades are worthless, our linebackers are playing well, and it’s all because of a weak pass rush.

We literally have two of the lowest-graded linebackers in the nation according to the most prominent site out there that teams pay for their data. Not perfect as I always say, but when the D is this bad and the LBs grade out this poorly, it’s not a coincidence.

I’ll end this in a somewhat positive note that Gibbs is the #17 graded RB in the nation out of 345, and he’s graded #4 out of 345 RBs as a receiver. For those curious, Mason is #193 (ranks 9th in run blocking).

I’ll do a post probably after next weeks game with interesting tidbits on where our players grade out nationally. Don’t have the heart to do it now after seeing where our LBs grade.

Also — for anyone who uses “tackles” as a quantitative measure of success for a defender, don’t. Someone has to make a tackle, doesn’t mean it’s not 7 yards downfield.
 
Last edited:
Madison Grant

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
I think ibeeballin can speak to it. They appear to freelance and do whatever they feel like without concern for responsibilities. Charlie Thomas has rated pretty good, though, to his credit. Just looks like a couple of guys who know they're the only show in town so they can do whatever. Who're they going to get benched for?
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,526
Madison Grant said:
I think ibeeballin can speak to it. They appear to freelance and do whatever they feel like without concern for responsibilities. Charlie Thomas has rated pretty good, though, to his credit. Just looks like a couple of guys who know they're the only show in town so they can do whatever. Who're they going to get benched for?
Click to expand...
Charlie is now 55th. Idk who they’re going to get benched for, but when you’re playing this poorly, doesn’t someone else deserve a few snaps? It’s not even like Eley has been in the program and knows our defense better than a younger guy.
 

jgtengineer

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,969
Madison Grant said:
I think ibeeballin can speak to it. They appear to freelance and do whatever they feel like without concern for responsibilities. Charlie Thomas has rated pretty good, though, to his credit. Just looks like a couple of guys who know they're the only show in town so they can do whatever. Who're they going to get benched for?
Click to expand...
The entire defense really seems to be doing this. Maybe this is what "effort based" means.
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,526
The thing about Curry is he was usually in the right spot and diagnosing plays correctly, he just wasn’t athletic enough to make all of them. So it looked bad when he was missing tackles and/or getting beat on angles, but at least he didn’t look confused.

I’d much rather have a player in the right spot correctly diagnosing plays who may not make the play, than a player who’s not in the right spot to make the play in the first place.
 
Madison Grant

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
GaTech4ever said:
The thing about Curry is he was usually in the right spot and diagnosing plays correctly, he just wasn’t athletic enough to make all of them. So it looked bad when he was missing tackles and/or getting beat on angles, but at least he didn’t look confused.

I’d much rather have a player in the right spot correctly diagnosing plays who may not make the play, than a player who’s not in the right spot to make the play in the first place.
Click to expand...
It's all about whether you want to give up 5-6 yards every play, or get a stuff at the line that gets traded for a 30 yard bust on the next play. The latter builds your highlight reel better I guess, if you're a player.
 
Techster

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,236
GaTech4ever said:
For as much negative talk our secondary gets (which is certainly justified), the linebackers have been the weakest part of our defense and may be the weakest linebacker core in all of FBS.

According to PFF, out of 130 FBS teams, Eley grades out as 571/580, while Jackson is 553/580. And they’ve both played more snaps than anyone ranked lower than them! It’s embarrassing.

Someone please come on here and tell me PFF grades are worthless, our linebackers are playing well, and it’s all because of a weak pass rush.

We literally have two of the lowest-graded linebackers in the nation according to the most prominent site out there that teams pay for their data. Not perfect as I always say, but when the D is this bad and the LBs grade out this poorly, it’s not a coincidence.

I’ll end this in a somewhat positive note that Gibbs is the #17 graded RB in the nation out of 345, and he’s graded #4 out of 345 RBs as a receiver. For those curious, Mason is #193 (ranks 9th in run blocking).

I’ll do a post probably after next weeks game with interesting tidbits on where our players grade out nationally. Don’t have the heart to do it now after seeing where our LBs grade.

Also — for anyone who uses “tackles” as a quantitative measure of success for a defender, don’t. Someone has to make a tackle, doesn’t mean it’s not 7 yards downfield.
Click to expand...

I'm a big believer in what PFF does...HOWEVER, I wonder if their metrics isn't just a "one size fits all" formula. It's hard to grade someone if you don't know their defensive assignments.

It's interesting because Quez Jackson is tied for 6th in the nation in total tackles. Eley is tied for 26th. If our guys were "worthless" or freelancing, I don't think they would be that productive.
 
stech81

stech81

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,901
Location
Woodstock Georgia
GaTech4ever said:
The thing about Curry is he was usually in the right spot and diagnosing plays correctly, he just wasn’t athletic enough to make all of them. So it looked bad when he was missing tackles and/or getting beat on angles, but at least he didn’t look confused.

I’d much rather have a player in the right spot correctly diagnosing plays who may not make the play, than a player who’s not in the right spot to make the play in the first place.
Click to expand...
Curry would be a better LB coach than Thacker
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,526
Techster said:
I'm a big believer in what PFF does...HOWEVER, I wonder if their metrics isn't just a "one size fits all" formula. It's hard to grade someone if you don't know their defensive assignments.

It's interesting because Quez Jackson is tied for 6th in the nation in total tackles. Eley is tied for 26th. If our guys were "worthless" or freelancing, I don't think they would be that productive.
Click to expand...
How do you justify “tackles” as a measure of production? If a guy makes you miss and gets a first down and you still get him by the ankles 7 yards downfield, is that production? It’d be one thing if they were flying around the field making tackles. A tackle must occur in essentially every play that doesn’t result in a score, so I just don’t understand how tackles is a positive stat for anyone playing on bad defense.

Now if there was a stat that said “tackles at an average of X yards past the line of scrimmage” then I’d be on board with that. These two guys play more snaps than most linebackers in the country, and offenses sustain drives against us. Of course they’re going to make a bunch of tackles.
 

InsideLB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,896
Did they follow keys, execute run fits, coverage assignments, defeat blocks, get selves/others lined up pre-snap.How fast did they react,did they take false steps, bad angles. Usually graded internally on play by play breakdown of film.

Can have big effect on plays that don't show up in box scores
 
Madison Grant

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
Techster said:
I'm a big believer in what PFF does...HOWEVER, I wonder if their metrics isn't just a "one size fits all" formula. It's hard to grade someone if you don't know their defensive assignments.

It's interesting because Quez Jackson is tied for 6th in the nation in total tackles. Eley is tied for 26th. If our guys were "worthless" or freelancing, I don't think they would be that productive.
Click to expand...
You get more tackles because you don't get off the field on defense, giving the offense more plays too.
 
LongforDodd

LongforDodd

LatinxBreakfastTacos
Messages
3,195
GaTech4ever said:
For as much negative talk our secondary gets (which is certainly justified), the linebackers have been the weakest part of our defense and may be the weakest linebacker core in all of FBS.

According to PFF, out of 130 FBS teams, Eley grades out as 571/580, while Jackson is 553/580. And they’ve both played more snaps than anyone ranked lower than them! It’s embarrassing.

Someone please come on here and tell me PFF grades are worthless, our linebackers are playing well, and it’s all because of a weak pass rush.

We literally have two of the lowest-graded linebackers in the nation according to the most prominent site out there that teams pay for their data. Not perfect as I always say, but when the D is this bad and the LBs grade out this poorly, it’s not a coincidence.

I’ll end this in a somewhat positive note that Gibbs is the #17 graded RB in the nation out of 345, and he’s graded #4 out of 345 RBs as a receiver. For those curious, Mason is #193 (ranks 9th in run blocking).

I’ll do a post probably after next weeks game with interesting tidbits on where our players grade out nationally. Don’t have the heart to do it now after seeing where our LBs grade.

Also — for anyone who uses “tackles” as a quantitative measure of success for a defender, don’t. Someone has to make a tackle, doesn’t mean it’s not 7 yards downfield.
Click to expand...
Is there an explanation somewhere of how they (PFF) come up with their opinions?
 
GaTech4ever

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,526
Anyone who watched Keith Brooking at the end of his Falcons career knows the dude was a tackling machine, 8 yards past the line of scrimmage. Pretty sure if you’re a linebacker on a horrible D that gives up a bunch of yards, racking up a bunch of tackles (not sacks or TFLs) isn’t really a good thing.
 
Top