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August 12, 2015A Frankenstein of Browns Quarterbacks
August 12, 2015Pro Football Focus (PFF) has become one of the more trusted sources of advanced analytical information about the NFL over the past several seasons. In the preseason tradition of releasing rankings and expectations for NFL teams and players, PFF has began releasing their top 10 player rankings at each position.
Fans of the Cleveland Browns will be ecstatic to find that three of the Browns starting offensive lineman (OL) have made their list. Joe Thomas is the top ranked offensive tackle(OT), Alex Mack the top ranked offensive center (OC), and Joel Bitonio the sixth ranked offensive guard (OG).
The Pro Football Focus grading process is somewhat qualitative for the OL, but it is by far the most comprehensive analysis available for public consumption. PFF has three analysts independently grade each play from each player before verifying assumptions through their Pro Coach Network. At that stage, the numbers are normalized and converted to a 1-100 scale range grade.
The qualitative component of the OL grading is that the analysts cannot know for certain exactly the assignment and responsibility of each offensive lineman for a particular play against a particular defense. An extreme example: the right guard pancakes the nose tackle, but was supposed to pull to trap the left defensive end. That player might receive a positive PFF score, yet be chewed out during team film sessions.
However, PFF has gone far beyond counting up penalty flags, sacks, and even quarterback hurries allowed by OL to actually attempting to assess their true worth. Therefore, there is an added value in seeing that their analysts think so highly of three members of the Cleveland Browns OL.
Only the AFC North division-rival Baltimore Ravens equal the Browns with three players in the top six of these rankings with Marshal Yanda (OG, 2nd), Kelechi “Dancing Bear” Osemele (OG, 5th), and Ricky Wagner (OT, 5th).
If the list is expanded out to the top 10 at each position, then the Cincinnati Bengals check in with two members of their OL listed with Andrew Whitworth (OT, 2nd), Kevin Zeitler, (OG, 9th).
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not have any of their OL make a top 10 list though Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, David DeCastro, and Maurkice Pouncey all graded out with positive scores allowing the Steeler OL to obtain the overall eighth ranked group as a unit in 2014.
In fact, the 2014 OL rankings had a decidedly AFC North flavor to them as the Cincinnati Bengals ranked seventh, the Cleveland Browns ranked sixth (despite issues at OC after the Alex Mack injury), and the Baltimore Ravens finished all the way up as the third best OL unit.
Of course, any fan of the AFC North is not surprised that the focus put on the line of scrimmage in the division would lead to high rankings compared to the rest of the NFL.