Let’s try to dig into these rankings and see if we can find some positives:
Best Offensive Grade: Sebastian Vollmer (3.8)
Worst Offensive Grade: Brandon Lloyd (-3.3)
Best Defensive Grade: Ron Ninkovich (4.0)
Worst Defensive Grade: Vince Wilfork (-4.2)
These Wilfork grades are really making me second guess how much weight I put into PFF’s posts. No one can tell me he was the worst player on the field for the Patriots against the Jets, just like I find it a stretch that he’s been in the red for 5 of the last 6 weeks.
The offensive line was solid across the board with the exception of Nick McDonald who came in with a second-worst -1.8.
Brandon Spikes was graded with 8 stops, his season best.
Jerod Mayo was the second highest rated defender and looks to be putting together the best season of his career.
Starting corners Arrington (-1.0 in coverage) and Dennard (-.5 in coverage) were thrown at 16 times and gave up 13 receptions.
Brady threw six passes down the deep left part of the field, and only connected on one, Gronk’s first TD. Clearly the wanted to attack that area, but Lloyd’s drops certainly didn’t help.
Gronk took a -2.9 in run blocking. Sounds more and more like that’s an area he still trying to get back to 100% in after his ankle injury last year.
It was a balanced running attack at each of the gaps, but the most successful was behind Vollmer. Solder and McDonald struggled the most.
Kyle Love graded in the green the first two weeks but his performances have been down the last four games. If there was one area in the front seven I’d like to upgrade next off-season it’s Love’s spot. At least at this point.
Tavon Wilson came out with a 1.8 grade and still has yet to be in the red this year. I still think he might be the best safety on the roster.
Solder was in the green for pass blocking (1.7), in the red for run blocking (-1.4).