Steelers' Social Media Pressures PFF Analyst Into Shocking Revelation On Grades: "Stop Looking At Tackles And Sacks"

Pittsburgh Steelers fans know they should ignore Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades. The grades were openly impugned by Travis and Jason Kelce last season when they suggested that they were for sale on their New Heights podcast. Steelers fan reaction to any grading by PFF is usually met with a stretch and a yawn. The grades for Monday Night Football came out, and social media exploded when Myles Garrett was graded higher than Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt.

What in the wide world of sports is happening under the circus tent known as PFF headquarters? Steelers' social media went bonkers when the grades came out. It is terrible when the normally mild-mannered Bob Pompeani is forced to openly question how they arrived at the grades for edge rushers.

A buffoon named Sam Monson from PFF, who presumably was involved with the grading has been spending time on Twitter/X defending the grades. The arguments are tenuous at best, and the frustration of angry Steelers fans has pushed him to the very edge. Monson posted a play where Garrett pancakes Dan Moore Jr. and is closing in on Kenny Pickett that did not result in a sack, hurry, or quarterback hit as evidence of Garrett’s imaginary impact on the game.

Steve Palazzalo joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Thursday afternoon for his weekly appearance. Andrew Fillipponi was ready to pounce on Palazzalo for what was, at the very least, a questionable call by those responsible for grading the Monday Night Football Game.

“Talking about Pro Football Focus's decision to give Myles Garrett a better grade than TJ Watt. (Watt) had a scoop and score, also had a sack,” Fillipponi said as he introduced the segment. “Got Dawand Jones to commit a couple of penalties. Myles Garret had one combined tackle in the game, yet Garrett graded out better.”

Fillipponi has incurred the wrath of Steelers fans for his steadfast support of Pickett over the last two seasons. He has tempered his expectations and been openly critical of Pickett during the season's first two weeks. The bombastic radio host signaled with his intro that he was squarely behind the outrage over the laughable grades and welcomed his weekly guest to a scorching seat.

“That’s how you are going to set it up like that,” Palazzalo retorted. “Why don’t you get out of looking at tackles and sacks? How many times do I have to say it? That’s not how football production works.”

The inflammatory statement should render the entire organization moot at this point. The NFL is nearly 100 years old. The analytics crew that has snuck in the back door over the last decade is somewhat useful, but the made-up stats they use on defense defy the eye test. The curious thing is they always seem to favor Garrett’s non-production as meaningful.

“Your listeners, they don’t even care,” an exasperated Palazallo said. “They will not listen to me. Just enjoy the win. If you don’t want to look at the grade, then don’t look at the grade. Go look at the tape, and watch Myles Garrett against Dan Moore one one-on-one. The pass rush win rate is a hot-button issue this week. Every time Myles Garret wins, Kenny Pickett is getting rid of the ball, so Myles Garrett is doing his job.”

The pass rush win rate is a curious stat. Supposedly, Garrett won 10 of 25 pass rush attempts against Moore, resulting in a tackle. Watt, by the same metric, won 12.8 percent of similar snaps. Watt produced more pressures, hurries, QB hits, sacks, and a touchdown. Just a little math, folks: if you produce more actual stats with fewer opportunities, your grade should be higher than if you produce nothing in more opportunities. Fractions are hard when the PFF crew has not mastered counting. 

“The thing that is out of control of the player is how quickly the quarterback gets rid of the ball,” Palazzalo continued. "He beats Dan Moore in two seconds and gets to Kenny Pickett. He does a nice job getting rid of the football. Is that a worse rush than, say, TJ Watt going around the edge and holding the ball for five seconds after Watt got blocked and Watt drags him down for the sack?”

In a word, yes. PFF has been spouting these meaningless stats like win rate to justify ranking Garrett ahead of Watt for years. They are excuses, not statistics, and Cris Collinsworth should hold a press conference and finally answer questions about a dubious organization that is getting certain players paid because of these outrageous and empty stats.

Even more incredible is the misinterpretation of this statistic. If you win the one-on-one interactions they are touting as the gospel of pass-rushing, why don’t statistics follow? If you are on defense and win your rep, and George Pickens scores a 71-yard touchdown, what exactly did you win? A teddy bear at the Ohio State Fair? It sure wasn’t the play because you gave up six points.

“Fumble recoveries are generally luck,” Palazzalo arrogantly added. “Good job picking it up and running it in for a score. Of course, that is the game-winning touchdown and everything. In our grading system, that’s not going to get the same amount of credit as your emotions bring to the table. TJ Watt scoop and score, we don’t have that same kind of reaction because he needed someone else, Alex Highsmith, to have the strip sack in order for him to make that play.”

Game-winning plays don’t count, but meaningless reps that result in nothing do? It is a bad joke and has been for too long. The organization just can’t be taken seriously, and Steeler Nation usually ignores the clown show that is the grading system at PFF. But enough is enough.

Highsmith, who returned an interception for a touchdown and generated the strip sack that resulted in Watt’s touchdown, also scored lower than Garret for the game. All he did was generate the two scores the Steelers needed to win. He also was selected as the AFC Defensive Player Of The Week. Unfortunately, the co-hosts of the program let an obviously frustrated guest off without making him explain that grade. 

Collinsworth bought the majority interest in PFF in 2014. He is allowed to go week after week, year after year, without answering questions about the ridiculous grades at PFF. Collinsworth should lose his Sunday Night Football analyst job if he doesn’t openly address his organization’s bizarre system in public. Too many organizations are taking these grades seriously at this point for this to be allowed to continue unchecked.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is PFF a complete joke or a complete and total joke? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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