Plays in which there is a clear question mark regarding assignment, we can defer to a “0” grade and not guess as to which player is right or wrong. Of course, there are always some gray areas in football. While football is extremely nuanced regarding the preparation and adjustments that go into each play call, once the ball is snapped, most players are clear in what they’re trying to accomplish on each play, and we evaluate accordingly. We are certainly not in the huddle, but we are grading what a player attempts to do on a given play. We don’t care if you played.Įach grade is reviewed at least once, and usually multiple times, using every camera angle available, including All-22 coaches’ tape. We have analysts from all walks of life, including former players, coaches and scouts. Our graders have been training for months, and sometimes years, in order to learn, understand and show mastery of our process that includes our 300-page training manual and video playbook. Only the top two to three percent of analysts are on the team of “senior analysts” in charge of finalizing each grade after review. PFF employs over 600 full or part-time analysts, but less than 10% of analysts are trained to the level that they can grade plays. Facets are important in order to have a clear view of where a player’s strengths and weaknesses lie.Ī collection of grading examples across all facets of play is included on this page. ![]() Special teamers also have their own facets of kicking, punting, returning and general special teams play. The facets include passing, rushing, receiving, pass blocking, run blocking, pass-rushing, run defense and coverage. We collect over 200 fields of data on each play, and that data helps to determine what the baseline, or expectation, is for each player on every play.Įach grade goes into a specific “facet” of play in order to properly assess each player’s skillset. For instance, a player’s grade may be adjusted down slightly if he plays in a situation that is historically more favorable while a player in more unfavorable circumstances may get an adjustment the other way. There is then an adjustment made to the “raw” grades to adjust for what the player is “expected” to earn given his situation on the field. The zero grade is important as most plays feature many players doing their job at a reasonable, or expected, level, so not every player on every play needs to earn a positive or a negative.Īt one end of the scale you have a catastrophic game-ending interception or pick-six from a quarterback, and at the other a perfect deep bomb into a tight window in a critical game situation.Įach position has its own grading rubric so our analysts know how to put a grade on the various expectations for a quarterback on a 10-yard pass beyond the sticks or what the range of grades might look like for a frontside offensive tackle down blocking on a “power” play. There are a few exceptions as each position group has different rules, but those are the basics. THE GRADING SCALEĮach player is given a grade of -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments on a given play with 0 generally being the average or “expected” grade. This style has worked well in unlocking undervalued gems through the years, while also not being swayed by player hype if it is undeserved. Preconceived level of ability has no impact on the grading system. We also work to eliminate bias by not caring about the level of player who is being graded, so whether it’s the best tackle in the league missing a block or one of the worst, the same grade is given. Taking every play into consideration allows for a larger sample size of data to tell the proper story rather than just a highlight reel of plays that we tend to remember, for better or worse. The benefits of this style of grading are numerous. The grading system was founded on the principle of grading “production” rather than traits or measurables, but perhaps a better way to describe it is a player’s “contribution to production” on a given play.ĭid the quarterback make a great throw, but it was dropped? The quarterback contributed to positive production and will receive a positive grade for that effort, even though the receiver let him down, earning a negative grade along the way. ![]() ![]() We believe that #EveryPla圜ounts and that attention to detail provides insights and data that cannot be found anywhere else. The PFF grading system evaluates every player on every play during a football game. PFF grades have become synonymous with player performance in both the NFL and college football over the last 10-plus years, but what goes into creating those player grades?
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