There is something new happening that is probably not a statistical thing, but feels very real nonetheless. Starting with the first quarter of the Oregon State game and becoming stronger with each game, it is a feeling of confidence that this team, led by this quarterback, will find a way to win.
Good pass protection by both teams is something I observed as well. Cal's OL is definitely improved from the last several years; the personnel and coaching changes from the offseason appear to have made a difference.
IMO the biggest reason Cal struggled to stop 3rd-and-long plays from Minnesota was because we couldn't get pressure on the QB. He was able to survey the field and find his man.
"Each 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. There are a few exceptions as each position group has different rules, but those are the basics. 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.
At 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.
Each 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 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. 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. 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.
Each grade goes into a specific “facet” of play in order to properly assess each player’s skillset. The facets include passing, rushing, receiving, pass blocking, run blocking, pass-rushing, run defense and coverage. Special teamers also have their own facets of kicking, punting, returning and general special teams play. Facets are important in order to have a clear view of where a player’s strengths and weaknesses lie.
...
The plus-minus grades are then converted to a 0-100 scale at the game and season level. This makes it easier to compare players across positions relative to their peers, though it doesn’t account for positional value, i.e. which positions are most valuable when trying to predict wins."
They provide even more insight into the grading process (who does the grading, how they aggregate across games, etc) here: https://www.pff.com/grades
Maybe Bizzaro is the new Normal, and is what's to be expected. Which really makes sense. i.e., TypiCAL, without that necessarily having a negative connotation.
There is something new happening that is probably not a statistical thing, but feels very real nonetheless. Starting with the first quarter of the Oregon State game and becoming stronger with each game, it is a feeling of confidence that this team, led by this quarterback, will find a way to win.
Good pass protection by both teams is something I observed as well. Cal's OL is definitely improved from the last several years; the personnel and coaching changes from the offseason appear to have made a difference.
IMO the biggest reason Cal struggled to stop 3rd-and-long plays from Minnesota was because we couldn't get pressure on the QB. He was able to survey the field and find his man.
Good "angle" on the hidden stats
small correction - Drake Lindsey is a redshirt freshman, not a true freshman
Q: where do these PFF numbers come from and how are they generated?
Here's PFF's explanation:
"Each 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. There are a few exceptions as each position group has different rules, but those are the basics. 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.
At 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.
Each 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 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. 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. 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.
Each grade goes into a specific “facet” of play in order to properly assess each player’s skillset. The facets include passing, rushing, receiving, pass blocking, run blocking, pass-rushing, run defense and coverage. Special teamers also have their own facets of kicking, punting, returning and general special teams play. Facets are important in order to have a clear view of where a player’s strengths and weaknesses lie.
...
The plus-minus grades are then converted to a 0-100 scale at the game and season level. This makes it easier to compare players across positions relative to their peers, though it doesn’t account for positional value, i.e. which positions are most valuable when trying to predict wins."
They provide even more insight into the grading process (who does the grading, how they aggregate across games, etc) here: https://www.pff.com/grades
Maybe Bizzaro is the new Normal, and is what's to be expected. Which really makes sense. i.e., TypiCAL, without that necessarily having a negative connotation.
Totally above my head, but awesome!