A Closer Look:PFF Redskins Depth Chart 2014

[darrelgreenie]

For those football junkies that bleed Burgundy and Gold (and bored in the offseason) below is PFF view of the roster/depth chart. Part of this one released earlier via ESPN the entire depth chart is below.

 

I thought it would be a good spring board to discuss how we feel about the roster/depth chart for 2014.

 

 

 

Notes

• So where do you slot a player like Robert Griffin III after his first two seasons in the league? His first was impressive, finishing the year as our ninth-highest-graded quarterback and looking like the sky was the limit as far as his potential was concerned. Then came the knee injury and a 2014 season where he finished 13th from the bottom at the position. Taking the injury into consideration, we’re going with the light green category, not as high as his 2012 season deserved, but higher than he would have gotten had 2013′s struggles not come with the injury asterisk.

• Though he was our highest-graded offensive tackle in 2013, it makes sense to hold off on labelling Trent Williams as elite before we see how he follows up his best season to date. It’s only been a year since he finished as our 19th player at the position, but make no mistake, if Williams plays like he did last season, he’s very much an elite player.

• It’s a similar story for right tackle Tyler Polombus, who had an excellent 2013 season but his play in the past makes me reluctant to go too high on him. An impressive season in pass protection masked some poor play as a run blocker so I’ve opted to balance it out with an average rating at this point.

 

Roster Battles

1. Inside Linebacker

Perry Riley’s spot appears to be safe at inside linebacker for Washington, but who starts next to him? Right now Keenan Robinson appears to be the leader for the job, though he faces a battle with Darryl Sharpton and Akeem Jordan. Both Sharpton and Jordan are solid defenders against the run but haven’t really excelled against the pass in the past, something that will need to change if they are to be viable candidates as three-down linebackers.

2. Kicker

After drafting him in May, Washington will be expecting rookie kicker Zach Hocker to compete with Kai Forbath for the team’s place kicker job in 2014. Known for having a strong leg in college, he should be able to push Forbath, who was accurate on 81.8% of his field goal attempts last season, including three misses from beyond 40 yards. If Forbath can get back to his 2012 form, when he was accurate on 94.4% of his field goal attempts and hit everything from 40 yards or longer, he should be able to hold off the challenge of the rookie.

 

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/06/24/2014-depth-chart-washington-redskins/

[skinny21]

Porter strikes me as a poor (maybe below average) outside corner, but closer to average in the slot. Meriweather I think will be better than poor as he is utilized better. Hoping Amerson makes the jump to average (or better). Disagree about Young, but I can see why he's ranked there - underutilized in the passing game. Not sure Roberts deserves "below average" and really, really hope Lauvao is better than "poor"...

[markmills67]

Can't see Adam Gettis(G/C) on the

depth chart, I was hoping he would have a chance to take the RG from Chester.

[darrelgreenie]

Can't see Adam Gettis(G/C) on the

depth chart, I was hoping he would have a chance to take the RG from Chester.

I wouldn't read too much into them not having Adam Gettis on their roster/depth chart; it was probably just an oversight.

[Hunter_R]

Seems fair. I'd even say they're being nice to a few guys.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Compared to the rest of the NFC East:

 

(not counting ST players)

 

Elite Starters

Cowboys - 0

Giants - 0

Eagles - 3

Redskins - 0

 

High Quality Starters

Cowboys - 4

Giants - 3

Eagles - 4

Redskins - 6

 

 

So each team's number of starters that are either elite or high quality:

 

Eagles - 7

Redskins - 6

Cowboys - 4

Giants - 3

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

I'd bump Trent up to elite.

[RandyHolt]

Heads must be exploding to see Chester still listed as our starter. I wasn't happy with his play but I was equally blaming all 3 interior guys. I obviously do not care what the OL ratings say and maybe someone at Redskins Park does not care as well.  Regardless, a battle should be brewing at guard and I hope at center as well. 

 

I like the color coding. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think the reason for not ranking TW elite is "soft". He's the highest rated LT by your measure, but you just want to see it again? Maybe, but (using their own grading system) the grade says he's elite.

Overall, I think it's somewhat fair. I don't think it's easy to grade luavo, since he'll be in a new system. And Merriweather was somewhat a victim of being asked to do things he's not good at.

And not to spark the Orakpo debate, but I think you have to rank Williams, Morris, and Garçon in a higher category. At least for now based on their productivity.

[NIKKI8]

Porter strikes me as a poor (maybe below average) outside corner, but closer to average in the slot. Meriweather I think will be better than poor as he is utilized better. Hoping Amerson makes the jump to average (or better). Disagree about Young, but I can see why he's ranked there - underutilized in the passing game. Not sure Roberts deserves "below average" and really, really hope Lauvao is better than "poor"...

Yeah, kind of strange that they think Robinson & Hankerson are average but Roberts is below average. Kind of agree with the rest of the grades though.

[holyhogsbatman]

ratings by anonymous internet "analysts" don't seem credible at all to me.

[Mania]

ratings by anonymous internet "analysts" don't seem credible at all to me.

Bullseye

[RedskinsInFebruary]

If that's our starting OL, it will be another long (and unsafe for Robert) year.  Somebody's got to be good enough to bump Chester out. 

 

IMO we should've picked up a C after picking Long and Moses; the G's and T's seemed to have been depleted by our subsequent picks.  Or are most NFL centers converted guards?

[Laxpunk2006]

ratings by anonymous internet "analysts" don't seem credible at all to me.

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that PFF is the end all be all definitive analysis of players.  It is however a good starting point for discussion or comparisons.  

 

In fact that is basically what dg said in the OP.

 

I thought it would be a good spring board to discuss how we feel about the roster/depth chart for 2014.

Everyone is still entitled to their own opinions but PFF has been and continues to be a useful tool when it comes to discussing players' performance. 

[Fan since a Fetus]

At first I thought to myself 'Trent is elite' However, if you read they do somewhat clarify why they don't consider him elite at this time. If you go based solely on the PFF rankings, which the writer has done, then I understand his position.

I still think Trent is elite. If he is not, who is?

I would also put Perry Riley at below average

Andre Roberts at average maybe even good

I would also put David Amerson in the 'not enough information' category

Also, I wouldn't worry about the line too much. IMO the better play calling will help that line tremendously, however, we don't know if the play calling will improve or not, we can only assume it will. RG3 being healthy and plenty of weapons will also improve line play

[Califan007 The Constipated]

I think the reason for not ranking TW elite is "soft". He's the highest rated LT by your measure, but you just want to see it again? Maybe, but (using their own grading system) the grade says he's elite.

Overall, I think it's somewhat fair. I don't think it's easy to grade luavo, since he'll be in a new system. And Merriweather was somewhat a victim of being asked to do things he's not good at.

And not to spark the Orakpo debate, but I think you have to rank Williams, Morris, and Garçon in a higher category. At least for now based on their productivity.

 

Orakpo always grades well in PFF's metrics (or whatever they use). From their site:

 

"Key Stat: Orakpo was the only 3-4 outside linebacker [in 2013] to score a +4.0 or more in pass rushing, coverage and run defense."

[Hunter_R]

Orakpo always grades well in PFF's metrics (or whatever they use). From their site:

 

"Key Stat: Orakpo was the only 3-4 outside linebacker [in 2013] to score a +4.0 or more in pass rushing, coverage and run defense."

I don't know many that actually think Orakpo is bad, or even average. The question is if he's elite, and, apparently, not even PFF thinks he is. On that note, I'm surprised people aren't up in arms that Polumbus us rated as average. You'd think he was worse than cancer the way some people talk.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

I don't know many that actually think Orakpo is bad, or even average. The question is if he's elite, and, apparently, not even PFF thinks he is. On that note, I'm surprised people aren't up in arms that Polumbus us rated as average. You'd think he was worse than cancer the way some people talk.

 

The question I was responding to, though, was whether or not you "have to" rank Morris, Garcon and Williams in a higher category than Orakpo. I pointed out that, in the eyes of PFF's metrics, Orakpo is on the same level (maybe not Williams, though).

[Voice_of_Reason]

The question I was responding to, though, was whether or not you "have to" rank Morris, Garcon and Williams in a higher category than Orakpo. I pointed out that, in the eyes of PFF's metrics, Orakpo is on the same level (maybe not Williams, though).

It's true, PFF metrics always grade Orakpo out well. And I'm absolutely not in the group that thinks Orakpo is overrated, etc.

But, in my personal opinion, Morris, Garçon and Williams all are a notch above Orakpo. I think Williams is Elite. I just think the other two affect the game more consistently than Orakpo.

My personal opinion.

[GeoffreyManboob]

Interesting that they've ranked Kory L as average when he's never started at centre before.

[darrelgreenie]

Here is some background on PFF's stats (that I'm sure very few will bother to read) that might actually help understand their grading for the rosters/depth charts.
 

2014 Depth Charts
Neil Hornsby |

 

So here they are. The much-requested depth charts – or at least the beginning of the series. And this time they are back for good. We’ll give you one a day from now (which should take us close to the start of training camp) and try and update the published ones as frequently as possible, at least up to Week 1 of the regular season.

As usual, please read the associated notes below (and on the individual articles) as the devil is usually in the detail. However, if you do see mistakes or have comments, I’d encourage you to post them in the comments section of each article (or below if it relates to the entire series). If you believe that information is definitive (and not just your opinion) it would be great if you could post a link.
For example, if the head coach has just come out and said X player will be given the first opportunity to win the starting job, it would be really helpful if you could give me a quick way to verify it. If we work together on this we can produce an extremely accurate and definitive set of depth charts that will hopefully be useful for everyone.

 

Key Points

1. We are not trying to recreate the entire roster and place every undrafted free agent and their comings and goings. The charts will currently include: anyone who played in the NFL last year, 2014 draftees, and players from last year who would likely have played but for injury. As UDFA’s clearly move into contention for a roster spot we’ll include them, but not before.

 

2. The grade given is for now – it’s not a prediction of future development. While it’s primarily based on last year (or their last year of action) it does include more than just a nod to their career. For example, if a corner played well up until 2013 and then stunk, we’ll take account of his better years as well. Further, if you notice the occasional difference in grades between this set and our previous projected lineups series, it’ll most likely be down to this being primarily my work, checked by Khaled, while the previous series was built through a different process. In many respects I’m keen to show there are differences. No one in PFF believes the overall grades are absolutely definitive and neither should you. For example, how should one weight the relative receiving and blocking skills of a tight end? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

3. Elite is as advertised. Broadly it’s the best 50 players in the NFL but that doesn’t mean its two or three from each position group across the board. There may be none or there may be seven or eight. That’s just the nature of it; some periods are good for one position, some others. Additionally, remember that our “Top 101 Players” series is based solely on their performance in 2013. These charts, as described above, take more than just last season into account.

 

4. The grade is for the position specified and doesn’t include their usefulness on special teams. So, for example, while we know Justin Bethel of Arizona is currently the best special teams player in football, his grade reflects only his play at cornerback.

 

5. 2013 was the first season we began to grade long-snappers and other special teams positions in unrivaled fine detail. We don’t just factor totally botched snaps into a long snapper’s grade, but snaps that are significantly off-line in any direction, whether that inaccuracy was compensated for by the punter or holder or not. A long-snapper’s grade will also be made up from his work on coverage units and can be harmed by missed tackles, poor lane-discipline among other factors.

6. Players over 30 years old are marked in bold.

[RandyHolt]

Thanks for providing more scope to the discussion DG.

 

I like that they have a high standard for elite. Trent gave up too many sacks for my liking to play the homer card and get all bent because PFF didn't list him as elite.  

 

Lauvao's ranking of poor starter stands out since he was one of our big adds this offseason; ranked worse than Chester. But we need a stronger pocket for Robert as a priority 1 and he should be an upgrade over Kory at LG in that regard. 

[holyhogsbatman]

my question about PFF has always been "who are these folks doing the analysis ? what is their background ? are they even remotely qualified to accurately assess what they are supposedly watching ? anyone can rate anything. qualified analysis is much, much more credible in my opinion.

[skinny21]

my question about PFF has always been "who are these folks doing the analysis ? what is their background ? are they even remotely qualified to accurately assess what they are supposedly watching ? anyone can rate anything. qualified analysis is much, much more credible in my opinion.

Don't believe everything that you read, you('ll?) get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve...

Seriously though -

I thought it would be a good spring board to discuss how we feel about the roster/depth chart for 2014.

[RedskinsInFebruary]

Interesting that they've ranked Kory L as average when he's never started at centre before.

I think their Average rating cuts a wide swath, because it designates Kory and Polumbus, as well as DHall and Ryan Clark, etc.

 

I also noticed the Cowboys have only 7 OL total listed, compared to our 14.  Part of that is we're trying to find answers, I'm sure.  But wow their depth seems a little thin, except their 6th guy Bernadeau is actually rated Average (but one of their starters is Below(?).