PFF Top 25 - Team Pass Blocking Efficiency
This seems like an alternative universe for Michigan based on the last few years...
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/college-top-25-observations-week-6
Michigan is 15th with JBB highlighted with a good pass blocking grade (and so-so run blocking). Alrighty then.
Wisconsin is 73rd!
Michigan State is Err0r - not found.
Penn State is 93rd!
Ohio State is 22nd.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
The Warrrrinnner effect.
Pay the man his money.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:51 AM ^
Absolutely love this. Wish I could +1. I make this analogy frequent
October 11th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
Coaching ftw!
October 11th, 2018 at 11:04 AM ^
After reading FFFF, seeing that UW is #73 in pass blocking efficiency, I have to wonder if this stat means to tell us how well the DL blocks a QB thrown ball. Because the two reads are very different...
October 11th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
The knock on Wisconsin's OL has always been that they're just okay in pass pro. They're phenomenal run blockers, so they mostly run or go PA, but they're just so-so in straight pass pro. That's a contributing factor to their inability to play from behind. They don't have the dynamic athletes on the outside, and they can't protect Hornibrook long enough to run long-developing routes without a run fake (and if you're up 2 scores you don't respect the run fake).
October 11th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
This is evident in statistics too. When I last checked, they are 72nd nationally in opponent adjusted sack rate.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:50 AM ^
Yeah, similar numbers last year too. That's why I never understood the drooling over their OL. They're dominant in only half the game. Wisconsin's strategy allows them to focus on that half of their game 80% of the time, but that will get exploited against the best teams they play.
October 11th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^
Sack rate aren't necessarily on the OL. It could be on the QB for holding onto the ball too long or the WRs/RBs/TEs failing to get open or there's a free rusher that is more than the OL is capable of blocking one on one or on the QB for failing to gain proper depth in drop back or etc. There are numerous factors that goes into determining on how well the pass block unit than just sack/pressure rate. Does it tell a story? Yes, but it doesn't tell the whole story about the OL as whole.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
I'm not savvy enough to grade o-lines relative to other players on the field, but it's pretty clear they are improved. There are multiple passes where shea has more than enough time, usually when he has been getting pressure it's been pretty reasonable and he has often avoided it.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:14 AM ^
Yeah, that's what I've noticed as well. My Northwestern alum friend kept commenting during that game that Shea had time to make a sandwich in the pocket.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
A related articled linked at the top shows Wisconsin has the #2 overall offensive line.(https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/college-10-best-offensive-lines-through-week-6)
WISCONSIN BADGERS
With alumni that includes perennial All-Pros in left tackle Joe Thomas and center Travis Frederick, to name just two, it’s safe to say that a dominant offensive line is something of a tradition at Wisconsin. That’s true once again this year, with multiple players on this line likely to play on Sundays. They rank second in the nation behind only Georgia with an 86.0 run-blocking grade and like the Bulldogs, left tackle is their biggest strength. Cole Van Lanen has only started one game this year but rotates in enough to have played 246 snaps through five games. In that span, he has allowed just one hit and one hurry on 93 pass-blocking snaps, and continues to improve, with this past week against Nebraska (96.8) his highest-graded game of the year. With center Tyler Biadasz (83.6) and right guard Beau Benzschawel (84.3) also delivering strong PFF grades, this is a unit well positioned to dominate throughout the rest of the year.
Also, FYI about the OP, "pass-blocking efficiency, the PFF metric that measures pressures allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting towards sacks allowed."
October 11th, 2018 at 11:40 AM ^
Yeah that seems like a problem PFF
October 11th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
Alright, I'm totally confused. Is this PFF's Top 25 teams, and where they rank them and then they put where the Olines rank? Because if this is true, I can't really believe anything they write going forward. Wisconsin #6 is bad, but then they have Oklahoma #8 and UCF #9. Tell me I'm reading this wrong.
edit: So this is where the Olines rank up to this point (overall) and the brackets are where they ranked for what individual game last week?
October 11th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
This article seems like an alternate universe, period. I think I have it figured out: the premise of the article is 25 observations. It isn't ranking OLs by pass-blocking, nor is is ranking individual pass-blockers. They are simply picking interesting observations, seemingly at random.
And focusing on JBB is really random. He appears to rank ok, and Michigan appears to rank ok as well (which is really strange). That's nice. It's interesting, though, that JBB has often been the one getting chip help from TEs in pass protection.
The upshot is that Michigan's strategies to compensate for tackle issues have been working since the ND debacle. But I think this tells us more about PFF's pass block rankings than it tells us about Michigan's offensive line.
October 11th, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^
Exactly. PFF, according to T.J Lang, is garbage because of something you mention. They never account for players getting help with chips, or they don't account for stunts or if you pick up a man who was supposed to be blocked by someone else.
October 11th, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
I think you're a little wrong here. The preface of the article states they are highlighting one OL player on each team in the PFF Top 25 (so not just 25 random observations). It isn't the rank of OLs, but rather the ranks of the entire teams, then talking about one OL player on each of those teams. I guess PBE is just listed for additional information.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
3 sacks against ND, and then, what...1 since? 2? Haven't faced murderer's row, but Patterson's protection has been phenomenal since week 1. If he has time again this week (Wisconsin is 115th in Sack Rate, so he will), he will shred Wisconsin's secondary.
October 11th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
JBB's mom got a job with pff! Jk, awesome job o-line and coach. Keep it up
October 11th, 2018 at 12:09 PM ^
I’m still skeptical about how they’d hold up against an elite DL, but are there any elite DLs left on our schedule?
Serious question. Obviously OSU has the talent but, Nick Bosa aside, they’ve been underwhelming—and Bosa is out anyway. Not clear when he’ll be back.
As for MSU, they’re great against the run but not against the pass.
October 11th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Underwhelming? OSU has Chase Young and Dre'Mont Jones. Chase Young is on the early list for a 1st round pick for 2020 draft and Dre'Mont Jones has been playing well to the point where he has improved his draft stock to possibly on day 1 but day 2 seems likely considering his athleticism and pass rush skills.
OSU is the team to fear the most because their DL is elite.
October 11th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
I'm not sure what to make of PFF anymore. Between stuff like this and the individual grades every time Brian mentions them, it seems like they may as well be picking numbers out of a hat.
October 11th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^
Ive been noticing JBB's uptick... but his run blocking is very good... am losing confidence in PFF.
October 11th, 2018 at 2:19 PM ^
Anyone notice that Alex Leatherwood, the guy we tried to get for LT, is starting at RG for Alabama ? I wish we'd go back to this from the Bo years, recruit tons of T and move them inside, not vice versa.
And I also notice Michael Jordan from Canton, is starting at C for OSU... another casualty from Bill Martin years later...
October 11th, 2018 at 3:20 PM ^
Question for someone that follows the games more closely than myself:
In the Notre Dame game, did our OLine just 'miss' a bunch of assignments/stunts or was it just a case where their DL was more talented/better than our OL?
Basically, is our improvement just a facade due to playing pretty bad teams as of late or have they really improved?