Signature Stats: Pass Blocking Efficiency, RBs and TEs

2013 WK14 PBE Running backs and tight ends are a crucial part of any good pass protection scheme. Various blitz pickups often fall on the shoulders of these two positional groups and their success can be the difference between offensive success and failure.

So far backs and tight ends have a combined 8,080 pass blocking snaps on the season or 252 per team; that’s no small role. Below is a table showing how frequently each positional group has allowed pressure this season.

	Pressure Rate
Centers	3.17%
Guards	5.55%
Tackles	7.59%
Running Backs	8.52%
Tight Ends	5.96%

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As you can see backs allow the most pressure per snap, presumably due to the location and nature of blitz pickups. Tight ends on the other hand allow pressures at a considerably lower rate than tackles. There are two major contributing factors to this. When tight ends stay in to block there are at least six pass blockers and the tight end isn’t necessarily responsible for one player in particular and is therefore less likely to allow a pressure. Another is that tight ends will stay in to block frequently on ‘smoke’ or quick option routes and where the likelihood of pressure is negligible.

Running Backs and Fullbacks

Backs on average this season have stayed in to block on 26.4% of all passing plays. This percentage can vary wildly though depending on scheme and type of running back. Below are the backs with at least 150 passing snaps that have stayed in to block at the highest and lowest rates. *Note: Only backs with at least 150 passing snaps are listed.

Top 10, RB Pass Blocking Percentage

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	Pass Block %
1	Daniel Thomas	MIA	178	71	39.9
2	Mike Tolbert	CAR	267	104	39.0
3	Donald Brown	IND	201	78	38.8
4	Rashad Jennings	OAK	257	97	37.7
5	Frank Gore	SF	327	123	37.6
6	Chris Ogbonnaya	CLV	349	122	35.0
7	Trent Richardson	IND	238	81	34.0
8	Brian Leonard	TB	167	56	33.5
9	Doug Martin	TB	158	52	32.9
10	Lamar Miller	MIA	334	109	32.6

Bottom 10, RB Pass Blocking Percentage

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	Pass Block %
37	Arian Foster	HST	190	32	16.8
38	Danny Woodhead	SD	292	48	16.4
39	Pierre Thomas	NO	306	48	15.7
40	Bruce Miller	SF	191	28	14.7
41	LeSean McCoy	PHI	375	54	14.4
42	Shane Vereen	NE	170	22	12.9
43	Marcel Reece	OAK	222	28	12.6
44	Reggie Bush	DET	278	34	12.2
45	Andre Ellington	ARZ	192	19	9.9
46	Darren Sproles	NO	211	9	4.3

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Perhaps the most surprising part of this list is the juxtapositions in northern California. Both the Raiders and 49ers running backs (Rashad Jennings and Frank Gore) appear in the most frequent pass blockers while their full backs (Marcel Reece and Bruce Miller) appear in the least frequent. One would assume that you would want the fullback in to pass protect with the more dynamic running back out in a route. Both teams have seen middling results as Reece ranks 24th (1.25) in Yards per Route Run and Miller 20th (1.33).

Running Back Pass Blocking Efficiency

What Maurice Jones-Drew has done in pass protection this season has been nothing short of amazing. Listed at 5-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Jones-Drew gives up five inches and 30 pounds to almost every linebacker he takes on. Fred Jackson holds our half back record for most pass blocking snaps without a pressure for a single with 83 back in 2011. Jones-Drew has already surpassed that total and if he can stay clean through the last three games he’ll put up an almost untouchable record.

Here's a look at the some of the best and worst this season per our Pass Blocking Efficiency Signature Stat, a score derived from the total number of sacks, hits and hurries allowed with the number of pass blocking snaps taken into consideration.

Top 10, RB Pass Blocking Efficiency *Note: Only backs with at least 40 pass blocking snaps are listed

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	PBE
1	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAX	331	102	100.0
2	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	190	48	98.4
3	Eddie Lacy	GB	285	90	98.3
4	Frank Gore	SF	327	123	97.6
5	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	CIN	179	57	97.4
6	Alfred Morris	WAS	201	65	97.3
7	Lamar Miller	MIA	334	109	97.0
8	John Kuhn	GB	132	49	96.9
9	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	267	68	96.7
10	Andre Brown	NYG	126	41	96.3

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While Jones-Drew hasn’t allowed a pressure all season, LeSean McCoy isn’t likely to go through a game without allowing one. The Eagles running back has allowed at least one pressure in nine of his 13 games this season. It’s quite the testament to his running ability that McCoy is still our highest graded running back this season despite having the lowest blocking grade.

Fullbacks Jed Collins and Tommy Bohanon are proving this season that big doesn’t equal pass blocking proficiency. Collins is listed as 6-foot-1, 255 pounds and Bohanon at 6-foot-1, 246 pounds, but that hasn’t kept them from allowing seven and eight pressures, respectively.

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	PBE
37	Ray Rice	BLT	362	99	90.9
38	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	323	59	90.3
39	Ben Tate	HST	259	62	89.9
40	Brandon Bolden	NE	184	41	89.6
41	Doug Martin	TB	158	52	88.5
42	Jed Collins	NO	142	50	88.5
43	Tommy Bohanon	NYJ	142	49	86.7
44	Danny Woodhead	SD	292	48	86.5
45	LeSean McCoy	PHI	375	54	85.6
46	Darren McFadden	OAK	143	44	84.1

Tight Ends

So far this season tight ends have run pass routes more frequently than running backs and have only been asked to pass protect on 16.47%. There can be extreme deviation, though, in how often tight are asked to pass block. Some are used almost as an extra tackle while others are basically wide receivers. Here are the Top and Bottom 10 tight ends broken down by pass blocking rates. *Note: Only tight ends with at least 150 passing snaps are listed.

Top 10, TE Pass Blocking Percentage

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	Pass Block %
1	Gary Barnidge	CLV	222	139	62.6
2	Ben Watson	NO	177	80	45.2
3	Michael Hoomanawanui	NE	228	95	41.7
4	Jeron Mastrud	OAK	178	65	36.5
5	Jim Dray	ARZ	258	89	34.5
6	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	236	63	26.7
7	Lance Kendricks	SL	207	55	26.6
8	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	430	106	24.7
9	Logan Paulsen	WAS	311	75	24.1
10	Anthony Fasano	KC	271	61	22.5

Bottom 10, TE Pass Blocking Percentage

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	Pass Block %
41	Scott Chandler	BUF	441	25	5.7
42	Owen Daniels	HST	219	12	5.5
43	Antonio Gates	SD	489	24	4.9
44	Jimmy Graham	NO	446	22	4.9
45	Dallas Clark	BLT	285	14	4.9
46	Kellen Winslow	NYJ	177	8	4.5
47	Jared Cook	SL	364	16	4.4
48	Jermichael Finley	GB	159	7	4.4
49	Vernon Davis	SF	327	13	4.0
50	Delanie Walker	TEN	388	12	3.1

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Unsurprisingly, a majority of the Top 10 would be considered No. 2 tight ends while the Bottom 10 is composed of mainly No. 1’s. That distinction is no more obvious than in New Orleans where Jimmy Graham has pass blocked on 58 fewer snaps than Ben Watson despite playing 269 more passing snaps.

Tight End Pass Blocking Efficiency

Even though Lee Smith and Craig Stevens haven’t allowed a pressure yet, it’s hard not to be impressed with Gary Barnidge’s pass blocking. He has by far the most attempts at 139 and has allowed four pressures on the season for a pressure rate (2.9%) under half the league average for tight ends.

Top 10, Tight End Pass Blocking Efficiency *Note: Only tight ends with at least 30 pass blocking snaps are listed.

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	PBE
1	Lee Smith	BUF	106	40	100.0
2	Craig Stevens	TEN	100	30	100.0
3	Andrew Quarless	GB	274	49	98.5
4	Matthew Mulligan	NE	80	47	98.4
5	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	275	44	98.3
6	Coby Fleener	IND	449	40	98.1
7	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	533	49	98.0
8	Gary Barnidge	CLV	222	139	97.8
9	Julius Thomas	DEN	425	94	97.3
10	Charles Clay	MIA	460	76	97.0

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When looking at some of the dreadful scores in the Bottom 10, it’s no wonder why some teams will just put in a sixth offensive lineman. Jim Dray’s 89.6 PBE is lower than the worst mark for an offensive tackle, his teammate Bradley Sowell (89.8).

Bottom 10, Tight End Pass Blocking Efficiency

#	Name	Team	Passing Plays	Pass Block Snaps	PBE
30	Virgil Green	DEN	92	37	93.9
31	Sean McGrath	KC	268	47	93.6
32	Garrett Graham	HST	477	58	93.1
33	Tom Crabtree	TB	75	31	91.9
34	Zach J. Miller	SEA	290	58	91.8
35	Jeff Cumberland	NYJ	236	52	91.3
36	Dion Sims	MIA	106	39	91.0
37	Martellus Bennett	CHI	487	58	90.5
38	Logan Paulsen	WAS	311	75	90.0
39	Jim Dray	ARZ	258	89	89.6

PFF Signature Stats offer a look at the game you can't find anywhere else, but, as always, we suggest you first rely on PFF player grades for the best sense of overall performance for any player. The grades take into account much more than any one statistic ever will and that's why they've become a valuable tool not only for fans and media to use, but for the teams as well as they incorporate PFF grades into their player evaluation processes.

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