PFF's ranking of Jets offensive linemen through first 10 games

[Sperm Edwards]

I don't like using PFF as the end-all for every player, but it's admittedly one of the easier (if not lazier) ways for a fan of one team to compare your players to many others at positions we don't regularly track on 31 other teams. As much as we may find fault with any individual ranking, nobody here seriously watches and rewinds to re-watch every snap of every individual offensive lineman on every play, enough to challenge one's rank vs another's. So while some players have been glaringly overrated (*coughkylewilsoncough*), and others I'm sure are similarly underrated, it isn't a totally merit-less ranking.

One bad game accumulating "negative" plays can magnify their ranking, and that one bad game may have come while nursing & toughing out an injury (and doubly, having that coincide with matching up against superior defenders). Just like you don't get bonus + or - points for going up against superior/inferior defenders. Still, it's uncommon to find someone who gets a sub-50 ranking in any department, after 10 games, and rationalize that they're actually having a truly good season in comparison to their peers.

Someone in my office subscribes to them for his FF cheatsheets, but here's where they say our current OLmen stand as we enter our week 11 bye:

[Sperm Edwards]

Beachum

• class of the 2017 Jets OL, with a 71.9 rating overall (35th among 79 tackles with a qualifying number of snaps).
• Pass block 76.4, Run block 45.7
• $8m salary next year, $4m of which is guaranteed
• Beachum is at least passable as a pass blocker, by PFF's ratings anyway, and most would agree that's more important than run blocking at his position. But he still isn't exactly top 10 at that job nor is he particularly good overall.
• Having bad teammates actually helps his pass block ranking IMO. He doesn't have to be good to rank as well as he does; he merely has to hold his blocks longer than his worst teammate on a given play; the one who let up the sack or QB pressure that led to a premature pass. 
• For 2018: Oddly enough, he's the team's best performing OLman this year, and it's the one position everyone seems to be clamoring for, after QB and edge rusher.

Shell

• Overall 51.1 (52nd/79).
• Pass 66.8, Run 40.5
• Missed multiple games to injury. It's a negative that (as far as I know) isn't reflected in the low scores they did give him. At least he has the excuse of inexperience and the rationalization of low investment (in both draft picks and compensation).
• He's still got upside, but in between a couple of nice blocking plays he's also been the weakest link on many others. This is what happens when the team stops helping him out as much as they did in Dec 2016.
• For 2018: For all the positive talk here, only marginally deserving of a starting job again unless he really improves, and he should have to beat out better than Brent Qvale to "earn" the job. He'll probably keep said undeserved job anyway because they won't bring in anybody else, and he does have legitimate upside as a young player who is still developing.

Qvale

• Overall 46.7 (59th/79).
• Pass 45.7, Run 48.6
• Summary for 2018: backup. Beyond that nobody cares.

Winters

• Overall 41.9 (56th/78).
• Pass 45.7, Run 41.2
• Guaranteed $8m salary next year.
• His contract was stupid at the time, no matter how many people applauded "locking up" this meh guard who's now not even good enough to be considered meh.
• Summary for 2018: He sucks again. The guy is a walking, breathing penalty machine and we're locked into overpaying for him yet again in 2018 due to the contract our head boob awarded him after unnecessarily painting himself into a corner by waiting for the season to be over.

Carpenter

• Overall 38.8 (68th/78).
• Pass 37.6, Run 41.3
• Carpenter has no guaranteed money left, but after renegotiating his once-low-priced contract, he now counts $6.8m to keep or $2.1m to cut. ($4.7m net cap charges, regardless of sunk cost). That's still low, but he isn't playing like he's worth even that.
• Summary for 2018: Formerly Maccagnan's greatest hindsight acquisition as GM of the Jets, now sucks also. They should arguably cut him, and maybe they would if they had anybody else.

Johnson

• 35.7 (37th/37; dead last).
• Pass 34.6, Run 39.4 (we know; we've all watched the games)
• Johnson is playing under the 2nd round RFA tender. He's a UFA after this season, but the only reason it's worth mentioning is they have nobody else (hence continuing to trot out the NFL's lowest-ranked center every game in 2017)
• Summary for 2018: we have no center. If we bring him back it should be only under a cheap, backup contract in case his draft pick replacement gets injured, and even then his only asset is a season and a half of starting experience. 

Best anyone showed up in any individual rank is Beachum's 27th-ranked pass blocking among tackles. Again, it's just PFF's subjective (and flawed) ranking, but nobody else appears to be among the top 50 in any isolated ranking of theirs. That is, except Johnson, but only because there's only 1 center per team, and even still he didn't rank in the top 32 vs the run or the pass

[ZachEY]

But, UnitedWhoFans told me all we needed was a center, and maybe a guard.

[Saul Goodman]

Oof. Not one top-32 starter at their respective positions.

FIRE TODD BOWELS!!1!

(am I doing it right?)

[Sperm Edwards]

2 minutes ago, Saul Goodman said:

Oof. Not one top-32 starter at their respective positions.

FIRE TODD BOWELS!!1!

(am I doing it right?)

Pretty much, yes.

[ZachEY]

2 hours ago, Saul Goodman said:

Oof. Not one top-32 starter at their respective positions.

FIRE TODD BOWELS!!1!

(am I doing it right?)

Don't forget to blame it on McCown and advocate for Petty because he would be good in that situation.

[jetscrazey]

This isn't "moneyball," it's just crappy players

[varjet]

It is tough to argue with PFF's and your analysis.  It is thorough and seemingly accurate.  From my perspective:

• I would guess that the guards would both be playing better if there was a better Center.  OL tend to drag up or down their neighbors.
• I would not give up on Shell yet.
• Ijalana can't crack the lineup?
• G is perhaps the easiest position to fill with mid-round draft picks (other than Safety), and we have not even done that.
• Passing on Elflein was inexcusable given what they have.  
• Sign McCown next year to play behind the OL before it gets ultimately fixed for next year's first round draft pick.

 

[ASH1962]

What, this justifies Todd Bowles and the $hit job he does as a HC? Maybe if he unfolded his arms during the games and kicked someone in the a$$, things would be a little different.

[Augustiniak]

So wait, the jets don't spend high draft picks on wrs, rbs, qbs or offensive linemen, and their o-line is poorly graded, they can't develop qbs and they're always importing key skill positions from other teams?  Didn't see that coming.

[Mogglez]

Well I guess Francessa was a little right when he compared us to Seattle, since both our O-Lines appear to be flaming bags of dog sh*t.

[Mogglez]

Just now, Augustiniak said:

So wait, the jets don't spend high draft picks on wrs, rbs, qbs or offensive linemen, and their o-line is poorly graded, they can't develop qbs and they're always importing key skill positions from other teams?  Didn't see that coming.

Young.

Core.

-------------------

Bright.

Future.

[dbatesman]

The main thing I take from this is that Shell is really good and we’re set at RT for the foreseeable future

[Mogglez]

4 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

The main thing I take from this is that Shell is really good and we’re set at RT for the foreseeable future

Honestly, I can't decipher any of this until Kevin starts a thread telling me how I should feel about it, and Francessa decides whether or not our O-Line looks like it resembles the Dallas Cowboys O-Line.

[T0mShane]

14 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

The main thing I take from this is that Shell is really good and we’re set at RT for the foreseeable future

He is a young Building Block like Jalin Marshall who is only 23 and getting better

[HawkeyeJet]

Here is where I struggle with PFF.  Brandon Shell is a prime example.  I've seen more than a few "smart" football people I trust praise him for an above average job this year.  However,  PFF rankings rates him fairly poorly.  My  amateur scouting eye says he is an OK RT, nothing special.

I think OL play is really hard to gauge, especially in a system like PFF uses.

[rangerous]

okay, we all know the oline has been underperforming but there are lots of teams that don't have stellar olinemen but decent olines.  imo when so many players of a unit are under performing this much then the problem lies with the coaching. these guys can be coached up or have their blocking schemes changed.  only johnson is truly a sub par player at his position.

[Paradis]

Never understood the love Winters has received. 

[TuscanyTile2]

@Sperm Edwards  Don't you rewind the plays and watch all our OL?   If you're still doing that this year, I'd much prefer to hear your analysis of our OL.  Or even your critique of PFF's comments.  I think Bitonti might be the other person who studies OL.  And maybe KRL (I think that's his handle)?

[sirlancemehlot]

I think the poor play of Wes Johnson negatively effects the grading of our two guards. The line, particularly the interior line, is a unit that must work as a team within a team. It would be impossible for Carpenter or Winters do grade out in the top ten at their positions while lined up next to the worst starting center in the league imo.

[Apache 51]

 The last time we had a good Ol and O for that matter relatively speaking was with Alan and co and Sanchez.

[Integrity28]

None of Mac’s FA signings from when he had all that ceo space are worth sh*t. It’s the Idzik of FA. Unreal.

[LIJetsFan]

I'd go along with those who pin a lot of this dysfunction on our center.  Almost every time there is a jailbreak it comes from up the middle and Johnson has blocked the wrong guy or failed to block "his" man.  That is my admittedly uneducated take on our OL this  year.  

Don't even get me started on run blocking.  Without a jumbo package in there we can't run block at all.  

[j4jets]

Blame Rex n Tanny

[RevisIsland610]

4 hours ago, HawkeyeJet said:

Here is where I struggle with PFF.  Brandon Shell is a prime example.  I've seen more than a few "smart" football people I trust praise him for an above average job this year.  However,  PFF rankings rates him fairly poorly.  My  amateur scouting eye says he is an OK RT, nothing special.

I think OL play is really hard to gauge, especially in a system like PFF uses.

Not with the Jets. It's pretty unanimous that the OL sucks ass. 

[David Harris]

God damn Elflein the starting center for the Vikings should be a Jet- drafted ardarius Stewart just ahead of him- he’s been solid AF for the Vikes apparently and is an 8yr starter.

same crap w these guys- screaming at the tv every draft about these 2nd and 3rd round OL prospects

gabe Jackson, G- raiders

laraven clarke - G/T- Ravens 

[RutgersJetFan]

9 hours ago, gEYno said:

But, UnitedWhoFans told me all we needed was a center, and maybe a guard.

[Maxman]

7 hours ago, T0mShane said:

He is a young Building Block like Jalin Marshall who is only 23 and getting better

Please don't comment on the practice squad without quoting jetsrule128.

[MaxAF]

Good post of information, but it's not rocket science to realize the Jets O-line has been the major "stick in the eye" of this franchise's woes. As fans watch games week in and week out it's obvious the line is not opening holes for a legitimate ground game and McCown has little time for plays to develop. 

[jetspenguin]

13 hours ago, ASH1962 said:

What, this justifies Todd Bowles and the $hit job he does as a HC? Maybe if he unfolded his arms during the games and kicked someone in the a$$, things would be a little different.

He could set them on fire and it wont make them more talented.

[CrazyCarl40]

It’s almost as if the man who assembled this team is bad at his job and shouldn’t have it anymore. 

[bla bla bla]

As others have said passing on a Center this past draft was a mistake, I do think that is the main position that hurts us in the run game which in turn leads to 3rd and long. I hope we target Billy Price in the 2nd round.

[JoJoTownsell1]

These SOJF circle jerk threads are fun. 

[The Crusher]

16 hours ago, gEYno said:

But, UnitedWhoFans told me all we needed was a center, and maybe a guard.

Bowles was given bag of old lawn mower parts and asked to build an Indy car . 

[ZachEY]

16 hours ago, Sperm Edwards said:

I don't like using PFF as the end-all for every player, but it's admittedly one of the easier (if not lazier) ways for a fan of one team to compare your players to many others at positions we don't regularly track on 31 other teams. As much as we may find fault with any individual ranking, nobody here seriously watches and rewinds to re-watch every snap of every individual offensive lineman on every play, enough to challenge one's rank vs another's. So while some players have been glaringly overrated (*coughkylewilsoncough*), and others I'm sure are similarly underrated, it isn't a totally merit-less ranking.

One bad game accumulating "negative" plays can magnify their ranking, and that one bad game may have come while nursing & toughing out an injury (and doubly, having that coincide with matching up against superior defenders). Just like you don't get bonus + or - points for going up against superior/inferior defenders. Still, it's uncommon to find someone who gets a sub-50 ranking in any department, after 10 games, and rationalize that they're actually having a truly good season in comparison to their peers.

Someone in my office subscribes to them for his FF cheatsheets, but here's where they say our current OLmen stand as we enter our week 11 bye:

Also worth noting that Football Outsiders has the Jets as the 31st ranked Pass Blocking team.  Running, they are 24th in Adjusted Line Yards (a weighted assessment of the line's responsibility for the success of a given running play), and 31st in Power Success, which is defined as "Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer."

So, in other words, absolutely dreadful.