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Here are some interesting of the signature stats I found while looking through Pro Football Focus Signature Stats section. They are not stats you really find anywhere else, and since they do require a subscription I can’t post them all. I'll also probably only do this today and maybe after the season because sharing them is against their policy, but I thought I could share a few of the more interesting "deep stats" here and encourage you to pony up the cash for the service. The statistics provided aren't even one percent of the stuff they offer for every player and every team in the league.
The reason I decided to do this post really is Prince Amukamara. Amukamara is developing into one of the finest coverage cornerbacks in the league.
Offense
Quarterback
Eli Manning has 1,722 yards in the air, or 65.2 percent of his total yardage, which is third most in the league. This statistic is yards compiled before any yardage after catch is added. Last year that number was at about 58.5 (over the whole season, though that was still top five and a number that will always be high because the Giants take a lot of shots down the field). The biggest difference is obviously the amount of yards after the catch receivers are creating this year, which is not nearly as much as they were last year.
Manning has an average time "to throw" of 2.62, which is 22nd most in the league. This stat could indicate a number of different things. A) pressure arrives quicker for the Giants than most teams, B) Eli Manning gets rid of the ball faster than most quarterbacks, C) a combination of both.
Running back
Ahmad Bradshaw has a 28.9 elusive rating this year. He had a 51.8 in 2011 and a 46.5 in 2010. The elusive rating basically tries to measure how well a player runs independently of blocking. Clearly PFF thinks Bradshaw was a much more effective back last year than he is this year.
On the other hand, his pass blocking efficiency is No. 1 in the league (for running backs who see at least 50 percent of pass snaps).
Wide Receiver
Victor Cruz has struggled a bit this year at times (with drops for instance), but still ranks as the third-best slot receiver in the league when using the measure of "yards per route run."
However, last year Cruz’s Wide Receiver Rating (the QB rating when a QB throws the wide receiver the ball) was a staggering 125.1 for the entire season. This year it is a pedestrian 82.2
Last year Mario Manningham had 6 catches on deep passes (passes more than 20 yards down the field) for 157 yards in the entire season. This year Rueben Randle has two catches for 92 yards. Domenik Hixon has 110 yards, and Ramses Barden has 31 yards. Meaning production down the field for the No. 3 wide receiver has already exceeded last year’s numbers even though there are six less games played.
Cruz and Nicks had more than 1,000 yards on deep passes in 2011, while they are at a combined 301 yards this year. This is a major indication of where the Giants offense is struggling this year.
Offensive line
Here is the sacks are misleading statistic.
The Giants are one of the best teams in the league in the traditional "sacks allowed" category, but according to PFF the Giants have allowed the sixth-most pressures on the QB in the league.
Will Beatty is the highest rated offensive lineman for the Giants, and the seventh-highest rated tackle in the league. However, both Sean Locklear and David Diehl have negative ratings, while the rest of the Giants linemen are all positive.
Defensive tackle
Though in very limited snaps, Marvin Austin has a run stop percentage at a slightly lower rate than Linval Joseph. Run stop rate percentage is a measure of "the percentage of tackles a DT has that constitutes a stop".
Rocky Bernard has statistically been the best run defender at defensive tackle. Markus Kuhn the worst
On the other hand, Joseph has done a good job of pressuring the quarterback, Marvin Austin who was touted as a pass rush specialist prior to the draft, but he has struggled in that area. Chris Canty’s 8.3 pressure percentage would make him 11th best in the league if he had enough qualified snaps.
Defensive end
Defensive end production has been disappointing to say the least. The No. 1 rated pass rusher for the Giants in terms of pass rushing productivity is….drumroll please….Osi Umeinyora?
He’s 23rd in the league, Jason Pierre Paul is 24th, and Tuck is 37th. This is in terms of players who play at least 50 percent of the snaps (46 Four-three defensive ends qualify).
Last year JPP ranked 22nd, Tuck 28th, and Dave Tollefson 40th (out of 41 players). Umenyiora did not have enough snaps to qualify at 50 percent, but when dropped down to 25 percent, Osi was 8th best in the league. He needs to play better, but one or two huge games and he’d get a significant boost to his ranking.
Linebackers
Blackburn is the definition of average to slightly below average inside linebacker in pretty much every statistical category.
Here’s the stat I would like to highlight, though.
This year Jacquian Williams has allowed .54 yards per coverage snap.
With players who had at least 50 snaps in coverage Jacquian Williams would rank fourth behind only Kaluka Maiava (five bucks to whoever can remember, without looking it up, which team he plays for. The Giants have already played them), Leroy Hill, and Akeem Jordan.
If Williams had at least 50 percent of snaps he would rank second in the league, if Rivers had enough snaps he would rank 11th in the league. Williams pass rushing productivity is 14th in the league regardless of snaps, but when that goes to 99 or more passing snaps he is sixth in the league
The Giants miss their speed at linebacker, and more specifically perhaps their best overall linebacker Jacquian Williams, which to me is a big reason why the defense has been struggling. Williams is a very nice player moving forward in the future for the Giants.
Michael Boley is a decent coverage linebacker but he is attributed with 194 yards allowed after the catch this season which is 15th worst in the league.
Secondary
Prince Amukamara’s .78 yards per coverage snap is second best in the league for cornerbacks who play at least 50 percent of the snaps (read that as starters and primary nickel coverage guys, there are 112 players who qualify).
Quarterbacks also only have a 64.1 QB rating when throwing in Amukamara's direction (9th in the league), his 51.1 percent of passes throw in his direction caught is 12th best, his biggest allowed pass play of 24 yards is second best in the league, his 78 yards after the catch allowed is 10th in the league.
His overall score is only 1.7. But don’t worry -- he's good.
His score would be terrific if he made more plays on the football, made more plays in the running game, and had any pass rush productivity (he’s not asked to provide it). But PFF Is a cumulative measure that gives points to all facets of the game and thus players who don’t do those things don’t score as well. But his coverage ability this year is top ten in the league, easily.
Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown have an identical +2.5 overall score. Rolle is rated very well in run help (poor in pass coverage), Brown well in pass coverage (poor in run support).
Neither, however approach Kenny Phillips No. 6 overall ranking in 2011 (7.8 in pass coverage, 6.5 in run support), Only one of three safeties with more than a positive five in each category (Polamalu and Adrian Wilson were the other two).
If you love stats and have the extra cash shell out for the PFF premium service. You could spend hours looking at statistics daily.