Falcons: Grady Jarrett bashes PFF grading

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Pro Football Focus is an excellent evaluating tool, but it should be used so in a manner that makes sense. It’s not a tool to solely form opinions, but rather one to compare your own analysis against because PFF isn’t perfect. Granted, it’s nearly impossible to expect a single outlet to give an in-depth analysis of every player on every snap. And Grady Jarrett has had enough of their grading system.

Grady Jarrett is amid a career year that should end with Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. The Falcons’ defense is barren of talent, and the former Clemson Tiger has been one of the only bright spots.

On the year, Jarrett has posted a team-leading 6.0 sacks and 19 quarterback pressures, along with 53 tackles, which is an impressive mark for an interior defender. If you watch Falcons games every week, there aren’t many players on the defensive side of the ball that regularly stand out — Grady Jarrett is one of them.

The man regularly faces double and even triple teams while positively affecting games. He’s totaled 723 snaps, or 76.8% of all defensive snaps this season, and is on pace to post a career-high in that metric at 29 years old. PFF is a handy tool sometimes, but if your grading system cannot recognize Jarrett’s value, it probably has some flaws. National experts regularly praise the man:

Brian Baldinger is a highly respected former player that gives weekly breakdowns of the league, and Jarrett has been featured more times this season than I care to count. The Falcons extended him for a reason. Outside of Chris Lindstrom, he’s probably the team’s best-performing player right now. And that might not be saying much given the Falcons’ overall success, but the guys who know ball know Jarrett is a stud. Grady Jarrett is a hell of a person and leader, which doesn’t really matter in PFF’s eyes but needs to be said.

Photographer: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

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