Post by motm on Jan 13, 2017 20:45:38 GMT -6
With the 2016 regular season and Wild Card round in the books, it’s now time to revisit Pro Football Focus’ secondary rankings for all 32 teams. Once again comes the reminder that a team’s secondary still has a role in run defense—these are not solely coverage rankings, and a team’s overall performance in pass defense also includes the front-seven in coverage.
Next to each team name, we’ve noted the unit’s ranking entering Week 7 in parenthesis.
Let's start with our Bears first. ( It ain't pretty )
30. Chicago Bears (21)
Top overall grade: S Adrian Amos, 81.7 (No. 27)
Top coverage grade: S Adrian Amos, 78.4 (No. 34)
Top run defense grade: S Adrian Amos, 81.0 (No. 23)
Most snaps: CB Tracy Porter, 944
For the second-consecutive year, safety Adrian Amos was the Bears’ best defensive back. But beyond Amos, there was little to be excited about from the secondary after Kyle Fuller missed the entire season. Harold Jones-Quartey was able to sustain his average play in an increased role at safety. Tracy Porter had the worst year of his career, and his sixth-consecutive season with a below-average coverage grade. Rookie Cre’Von LeBlanc had an outstanding game against the Lions in Week 14, with an interception and three pass breakups. Unfortunately, he followed it up the next week against Green Bay with his worst outing of the season, allowing 106 yards.
Now let's compare them to the top 5 teams:
1. Dallas Cowboys (Rank entering Week 7: 4)
Top overall grade: S Barry Church, 86.2 (No. 9 among safeties)
Top coverage grade: CB Morris Claiborne, 85.1 (No. 12 among CBs)
Top run-defense grade: S Barry Church, 86.0 (No. 11)
Most snaps: CB Brandon Carr, 1,013
One of the biggest reasons for the Cowboys’ success this season has been the turnaround of the secondary. After having just one defensive back with an above-average coverage grade last season, all eight players with at least 100 snaps in 2016 earned average or above-average overall and coverage grades. Although they lack an elite-caliber player, this group has played consistently well as a unit. Byron Jones, Barry Church, Morris Claiborne, and J.J. Wilcox have all earned career-high overall and coverage grades this season, while rookie Anthony Brown has played well down the stretch in Claiborne’s absence.
2. New York Giants (8)
Top overall grade: S Landon Collins, 91.7 (No. 3)
Top coverage grade: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 90.3 (No. 5)
Top run-defense grade: S Landon Collins, 95.8 (No. 3)
Most snaps: S Landon Collins, 1,176
The Giants’ ranking may feel high after their performance against the Packers in the Wild Card game on Sunday, but they were also without their top-graded cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who we recently named as PFF’s second-team All-Pro defensive back. Rodgers-Cromartie finished the year as the sixth-ranked corner in the league, but he wasn’t the only Giants DB to play well. In his first year with the team after a big free-agent deal, Janoris Jenkins had by far the best season of his career and also finished among the top 10 cornerbacks in the league. Safety Landon Collins was a revelation in his second year after greatly improving in coverage and establishing himself as one of the best run defenders in the league, which led to his PFF first-team All-Pro selection. The Giants do have some weakness further down the depth chart, though, as we saw against Green Bay when Trevin Wade and rookie Eli Apple were forced into bigger roles.
3. New England Patriots (16)
Top overall grade: CB Malcolm Butler, 90.8 (No. 4)
Top coverage grade: CB Malcolm Butler, 91.1 (No. 3)
Top run-defense grade: S Devin McCourty, 83.1 (No. 16)
Most snaps: S Devin McCourty, 1,021
The Giants weren’t the only team to feature multiple All-Pro selections in the secondary. Devin McCourty continues to be one of the top safeties in the game, earning the highest coverage grade of any at the position this season. Malcolm Butler had a breakout year at cornerback with a combined 16 interceptions and pass breakups, and the third-highest coverage grade among corners. Logan Ryan is still a solid No. 2 cornerback and played much better over the last half of the season. The one real weakness in the secondary has been Patrick Chung, who after earning career-highs in overall and coverage grades last season, ranks 81st out of 91 safeties in overall grade in 2016.
4. Denver Broncos (7)
Top overall grade: CB Chris Harris Jr., 92.9 (No. 1)
Top coverage grade: CB Chris Harris Jr., 92.7 (tied for No. 1)
Top run-defense grade: CB Aqib Talib, 83.2 (No. 4)
Most snaps: CB Chris Harris Jr., 1,092
Denver features unquestionably the best cornerback pairing in the league right now in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. Both players made our All-Pro first team, with Harris Jr. finishing the year as our top-graded cornerback, and Talib just two spots behind. Both players also ranked among the top five corners in yards allowed per coverage snap. The biggest differences between last year’s elite unit and this season’s version were the slight drop-offs in play from the safeties. Worth noting, also, was the play of CB Bradley Roby, who fell from the 25th ranked corner in 2015 to 92nd in 2016.
5. Seattle Seahawks (5)
Top overall grade: S Kam Chancellor, 91.8 (No. 2)
Top coverage grade: S Kam Chancellor, 86.6 (No. 6)
Top run-defense grade: S Kam Chancellor, 94.2 (No. 4)
Most snaps: CB Richard Sherman, 1,105
Kam Chancellor missed some time this season, yet is still having maybe the best year of his career. His 22 run stops are the second-most in his career, and his overall tackling efficiency is easily his personal best. Losing Earl Thomas has made things a bit more difficult for the secondary; on deep passes targeted 20-plus yards downfield, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 112.0 since Thomas’s injury, compared to just 61.3 with Thomas on the field. It doesn’t seem to have affected Richard Sherman, though, whose 14.9 snaps in coverage per reception allowed is the best rate among NFL cornerbacks this season. This group also plays the run about as well as any, with four players ranked among the top-10 at their positions in run-stop
Now let's take a look at the NFC North teams:
7. Minnesota Vikings (1)
Top overall grade: CB Terence Newman, 86.4 (No. 9)
Top coverage grade: CB Terence Newman, 85.7 (No. 9)
Top run-defense grade: S Harrison Smith, 90.3 (No. 6)
Most snaps: S Harrison Smith, 894
Minnesota was our top-ranked group when we last released secondary rankings around Week 7, but their play has since dropped off a bit. Harrison Smith did not fare as well in coverage after that point, as he dealt with injuries and recorded eight missed tackles in his last seven games. Despite being the oldest cornerback in the league by roughly five years, Terence Newman has continued to not only be the Vikings’ best corner, but a top-10 cornerback in the league. He allowed just 0.57 yards per snap in coverage, the lowest average for any cornerback this season. Xavier Rhodes also boasted league-bests among cornerbacks in completion percentage (48 percent) and passer rating (47.0) allowed into his coverage.
18. Detroit Lions (14)
Top overall grade: CB Darius Slay, 83.4 (No. 18)
Top coverage grade: CB Darius Slay, 83.0 (No. 20)
Top run-defense grade: S Tavon Wilson, 87.6 (No. 9)
Most snaps: S Glover Quin 1,099
Darius Slay was having a solid year through the first seven weeks of the season, with seven pass breakups and an interception compared to two touchdowns allowed. He injured his hamstring in Week 7, though, and he was not as consistent the rest of the year as he dealt with the injury. Nevin Lawson had a bounce-back performance after a below-average first year as a starter. Both safeties ranked among the top 25 at the position in overall grade, with Glover Quin not missing a snap and Tavon Wilson proving as a stout run defender. It was beyond their regular base starters where the Lions were lacking. The seven other defenders that played at least 60 snaps all earned below-average coverage grades. In fact, Slay’s 97.4 passer rating allowed (including the Wild Card game) was the lowest for any Lions defensive back in 2016.
19. Green Bay Packers (28)
Top overall grade: S Morgan Burnett, 85.3 (No. 12)
Top coverage grade: S Morgan Burnett, 80.0 (No. 25)
Top run-defense grade: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, 88.9 (No. 8)
Most snaps: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, 1,092
The Packers may have been hampered by injuries more than any other secondary this season. No. 1 cornerback Sam Shields missed basically the entire season, and No. 2 and No. 3 corners Quinten Rollins and Damarious Randall have been banged up for most of the year and struggled because of it. Ladarius Gunter has had struggles with certain receivers, but he’s preformed pretty well for a No. 4 cornerback that has been thrust into the starting lineup. The Packers’ safety pairing has performed very well, with both players finishing among the top-20 graded safeties for a second-straight year. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is one of only two defenders at any position in the entire league to play every defensive snap this year.
For the rest of the list: www.profootballfocus.com/pro-ranking-all-32-nfl-secondaries-this-season/
Next to each team name, we’ve noted the unit’s ranking entering Week 7 in parenthesis.
Let's start with our Bears first. ( It ain't pretty )
30. Chicago Bears (21)
Top overall grade: S Adrian Amos, 81.7 (No. 27)
Top coverage grade: S Adrian Amos, 78.4 (No. 34)
Top run defense grade: S Adrian Amos, 81.0 (No. 23)
Most snaps: CB Tracy Porter, 944
For the second-consecutive year, safety Adrian Amos was the Bears’ best defensive back. But beyond Amos, there was little to be excited about from the secondary after Kyle Fuller missed the entire season. Harold Jones-Quartey was able to sustain his average play in an increased role at safety. Tracy Porter had the worst year of his career, and his sixth-consecutive season with a below-average coverage grade. Rookie Cre’Von LeBlanc had an outstanding game against the Lions in Week 14, with an interception and three pass breakups. Unfortunately, he followed it up the next week against Green Bay with his worst outing of the season, allowing 106 yards.
Now let's compare them to the top 5 teams:
1. Dallas Cowboys (Rank entering Week 7: 4)
Top overall grade: S Barry Church, 86.2 (No. 9 among safeties)
Top coverage grade: CB Morris Claiborne, 85.1 (No. 12 among CBs)
Top run-defense grade: S Barry Church, 86.0 (No. 11)
Most snaps: CB Brandon Carr, 1,013
One of the biggest reasons for the Cowboys’ success this season has been the turnaround of the secondary. After having just one defensive back with an above-average coverage grade last season, all eight players with at least 100 snaps in 2016 earned average or above-average overall and coverage grades. Although they lack an elite-caliber player, this group has played consistently well as a unit. Byron Jones, Barry Church, Morris Claiborne, and J.J. Wilcox have all earned career-high overall and coverage grades this season, while rookie Anthony Brown has played well down the stretch in Claiborne’s absence.
2. New York Giants (8)
Top overall grade: S Landon Collins, 91.7 (No. 3)
Top coverage grade: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 90.3 (No. 5)
Top run-defense grade: S Landon Collins, 95.8 (No. 3)
Most snaps: S Landon Collins, 1,176
The Giants’ ranking may feel high after their performance against the Packers in the Wild Card game on Sunday, but they were also without their top-graded cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who we recently named as PFF’s second-team All-Pro defensive back. Rodgers-Cromartie finished the year as the sixth-ranked corner in the league, but he wasn’t the only Giants DB to play well. In his first year with the team after a big free-agent deal, Janoris Jenkins had by far the best season of his career and also finished among the top 10 cornerbacks in the league. Safety Landon Collins was a revelation in his second year after greatly improving in coverage and establishing himself as one of the best run defenders in the league, which led to his PFF first-team All-Pro selection. The Giants do have some weakness further down the depth chart, though, as we saw against Green Bay when Trevin Wade and rookie Eli Apple were forced into bigger roles.
3. New England Patriots (16)
Top overall grade: CB Malcolm Butler, 90.8 (No. 4)
Top coverage grade: CB Malcolm Butler, 91.1 (No. 3)
Top run-defense grade: S Devin McCourty, 83.1 (No. 16)
Most snaps: S Devin McCourty, 1,021
The Giants weren’t the only team to feature multiple All-Pro selections in the secondary. Devin McCourty continues to be one of the top safeties in the game, earning the highest coverage grade of any at the position this season. Malcolm Butler had a breakout year at cornerback with a combined 16 interceptions and pass breakups, and the third-highest coverage grade among corners. Logan Ryan is still a solid No. 2 cornerback and played much better over the last half of the season. The one real weakness in the secondary has been Patrick Chung, who after earning career-highs in overall and coverage grades last season, ranks 81st out of 91 safeties in overall grade in 2016.
4. Denver Broncos (7)
Top overall grade: CB Chris Harris Jr., 92.9 (No. 1)
Top coverage grade: CB Chris Harris Jr., 92.7 (tied for No. 1)
Top run-defense grade: CB Aqib Talib, 83.2 (No. 4)
Most snaps: CB Chris Harris Jr., 1,092
Denver features unquestionably the best cornerback pairing in the league right now in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. Both players made our All-Pro first team, with Harris Jr. finishing the year as our top-graded cornerback, and Talib just two spots behind. Both players also ranked among the top five corners in yards allowed per coverage snap. The biggest differences between last year’s elite unit and this season’s version were the slight drop-offs in play from the safeties. Worth noting, also, was the play of CB Bradley Roby, who fell from the 25th ranked corner in 2015 to 92nd in 2016.
5. Seattle Seahawks (5)
Top overall grade: S Kam Chancellor, 91.8 (No. 2)
Top coverage grade: S Kam Chancellor, 86.6 (No. 6)
Top run-defense grade: S Kam Chancellor, 94.2 (No. 4)
Most snaps: CB Richard Sherman, 1,105
Kam Chancellor missed some time this season, yet is still having maybe the best year of his career. His 22 run stops are the second-most in his career, and his overall tackling efficiency is easily his personal best. Losing Earl Thomas has made things a bit more difficult for the secondary; on deep passes targeted 20-plus yards downfield, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 112.0 since Thomas’s injury, compared to just 61.3 with Thomas on the field. It doesn’t seem to have affected Richard Sherman, though, whose 14.9 snaps in coverage per reception allowed is the best rate among NFL cornerbacks this season. This group also plays the run about as well as any, with four players ranked among the top-10 at their positions in run-stop
Now let's take a look at the NFC North teams:
7. Minnesota Vikings (1)
Top overall grade: CB Terence Newman, 86.4 (No. 9)
Top coverage grade: CB Terence Newman, 85.7 (No. 9)
Top run-defense grade: S Harrison Smith, 90.3 (No. 6)
Most snaps: S Harrison Smith, 894
Minnesota was our top-ranked group when we last released secondary rankings around Week 7, but their play has since dropped off a bit. Harrison Smith did not fare as well in coverage after that point, as he dealt with injuries and recorded eight missed tackles in his last seven games. Despite being the oldest cornerback in the league by roughly five years, Terence Newman has continued to not only be the Vikings’ best corner, but a top-10 cornerback in the league. He allowed just 0.57 yards per snap in coverage, the lowest average for any cornerback this season. Xavier Rhodes also boasted league-bests among cornerbacks in completion percentage (48 percent) and passer rating (47.0) allowed into his coverage.
18. Detroit Lions (14)
Top overall grade: CB Darius Slay, 83.4 (No. 18)
Top coverage grade: CB Darius Slay, 83.0 (No. 20)
Top run-defense grade: S Tavon Wilson, 87.6 (No. 9)
Most snaps: S Glover Quin 1,099
Darius Slay was having a solid year through the first seven weeks of the season, with seven pass breakups and an interception compared to two touchdowns allowed. He injured his hamstring in Week 7, though, and he was not as consistent the rest of the year as he dealt with the injury. Nevin Lawson had a bounce-back performance after a below-average first year as a starter. Both safeties ranked among the top 25 at the position in overall grade, with Glover Quin not missing a snap and Tavon Wilson proving as a stout run defender. It was beyond their regular base starters where the Lions were lacking. The seven other defenders that played at least 60 snaps all earned below-average coverage grades. In fact, Slay’s 97.4 passer rating allowed (including the Wild Card game) was the lowest for any Lions defensive back in 2016.
19. Green Bay Packers (28)
Top overall grade: S Morgan Burnett, 85.3 (No. 12)
Top coverage grade: S Morgan Burnett, 80.0 (No. 25)
Top run-defense grade: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, 88.9 (No. 8)
Most snaps: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, 1,092
The Packers may have been hampered by injuries more than any other secondary this season. No. 1 cornerback Sam Shields missed basically the entire season, and No. 2 and No. 3 corners Quinten Rollins and Damarious Randall have been banged up for most of the year and struggled because of it. Ladarius Gunter has had struggles with certain receivers, but he’s preformed pretty well for a No. 4 cornerback that has been thrust into the starting lineup. The Packers’ safety pairing has performed very well, with both players finishing among the top-20 graded safeties for a second-straight year. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is one of only two defenders at any position in the entire league to play every defensive snap this year.
For the rest of the list: www.profootballfocus.com/pro-ranking-all-32-nfl-secondaries-this-season/
