Tag: Pro Footbal Focus

New list has Zach Calzada as a “tier 2” quarterback

Zach Calzada led Texas A&M to an upset win over Alabama last season, but can he do bigger things at Auburn?

Although he has not been formally announced as Auburn’s starter at quarterback for the 2022 season, Pro Football Focus believes [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag] has been given a strong case to earn that position.

Seth Gazinaa, senior football analyst at Pro Football Focus, recently dropped his list of his favorite Power 5 quarterbacks. He listed Calzada in the same category as Kentucky’s Will Levins, Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler as tier 2 quarterbacks.

Calzada transferred to Auburn after playing in 15 games with 10 starts in three seasons at Texas A&M. He completed 184-of-327 passes in 2021 for 2,185 yards and 17 touchdowns, but is most notably the quarterback that led the Aggies to a 41-38 upset win over Alabama at Kyle Field on October 9.

Gazinaa says that the Alabama win was the game that made him a believer in Calzada.

“Zach Calzada surprised me the most upon rewatch after watching a bit of him in season,” said Gazinna in a tweet. “Was one of the better qbs (sic) from the ‘Bama game on.”

Upon reading Gazinaa’s tweet, the Auburn Observer’s Justin Ferguson broke down Calzada’s stats following the Alabama game and found some amusing numbers.

In last season’s game against his new team, he completed 15-of-29 passes for 192 yards in the Aggies 20-3 win over Auburn in College Station.

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Here are the top performers in Jacksonville’s win over Miami, per PFF

Here were Jacksonville’s top performers in Week 6, per Pro Football Focus

Jacksonville’s 20-game run of futility came to an end with one kick from Matthew Wright, as it defeated the Miami Dolphins in London 23-20 to end the longest losing streak in football over the last 40 years. The Jaguars still have their limitations as a team, but they’re starting to play a lot better, especially on offense.

However, when looking at this week’s top performers from Pro Football Focus, it’s hard to ignore the presence of the defensive players, who stand atop the list. First is Josh Allen, who once again was the highest-graded Jaguar in Week 6 with a 92.9 grade.

Allen had seven tackles and registered a hit on the quarterback, but he needs to get better at finishing plays. While he has six quarterback hurries on the year, it’s only netted him 2.5 sacks.

He’s followed by Dawuane Smoot, who continues to impress on the interior. While he only had two tackles, he matched Allen’s pressure with one of his own. Meanwhile, safety Rudy Ford (who sees most of his opportunities in the slot in dime packages) had three tackles, and while health is an issue in the secondary, he could continue to see a bigger role.

Now, we finally get to the offensive players. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the way with an 82.5 grade as he tossed for 319 yards and one touchdown while avoiding any interceptions (though he did have a fumble on a strip-sack). He’s followed by his favorite target this season, Marvin Jones Jr., who made seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

These PFF lists are starting to look pretty similar every week, and it’s clear that Jacksonville’s standout players are starting to emerge. But even Allen, a player grading above a 90, hasn’t been productive enough to make a difference.

The offense is starting to come along, and there are certainly some positive signs for the defense. But with a tough stretch of games coming up, there isn’t a lot of time for rapid improvement.

PFF ranks the Eagles’ secondary among the worst in NFL

PFF ranks the Eagles’ secondary among the worst in NFL

The Eagles will enter training camp will several big names in the secondary, but they’re still missing key components and a cornerback opposite Darius Slay.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 secondaries in the NFL and Philadelphia landed at No. 25 on the list.

25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
It’s been two years since Darius Slay played at an elite level. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 over a five-year stint in Detroit to just 59.5 across the past two years. The Eagles need him to return to that earlier form because their cornerback depth leaves a lot to be desired. Avonte Maddox (37.1 coverage grade in 2020) and fourth-round rookie Zech McPhearson are among the most notable names behind Slay on the depth chart.

Bringing in safety Anthony Harris on a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason was good value for the Eagles. Harris finished fifth among all safeties in PFF WAR across the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Slay could benefit from having some help opposite him at the cornerback position, while Anthony Harris should help elevate the secondary on the backend, while help Philadelphia produce more turnovers.

K’Von Wallace taking the next step could provide huge dividends for Jonathan Gannon and his defense.

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