Zimmer tells PFF to get off his lawn

[MaroonBells]

Interesting article on Cris Collinsworth's Pro Football Focus. 
https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/09/cr...ke-zimmer/

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is no fan of Pro Football Focus, and you better believe he’s let Cris Collinsworth know that.

Collinsworth, a former Pro Bowl receiver, is the owner of the analytics site and the analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. He will be in the booth with play-by-play broadcaster Al Michaels for the Vikings’ game Sunday night at Seattle.

Sunday Night Football has an agreement to use Pro Football Focus stats on the air, and expect some to be thrown out during the game at CenturyField Link. Collinsworth could note that Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are the top two rated wide receivers in the NFL. He also could note that the Vikings’ Dru Samia ranks dead last among 72 guards in the league.
“(Zimmer is) a fan when he agrees and he’s not a fan when he disagrees, so he’s just willing to say what he disagrees with, which is exactly who Mike is,” said Collinsworth, who has a home in Kentucky 45 minutes from Zimmer’s ranch. “I’ve known Mike forever, and we’re friends, and the great thing about Mike is he’s honest with you.

“There’s not one thing Mike Zimmer can ever say that would ever make me do anything but smile and laugh and go, ‘Come on, Mike, you know that I know.’ ”
Zimmer has made numerous negative comments about Pro Football Focus since taking over as the Vikings’ coach in 2014. He was asked Friday what he dislikes about it.
“My issue is, I don’t see how they can grade my players when they don’t know what they’re being told,” he said.
The Cincinnati-based subscription service provides all sorts of data and rankings based on what every player does during every play of every NFL game. Each of the NFL’s 32 teams subscribe.

SNIP

[Guest]

Well I have to say I am in agreement with Zimmer and his complaint has been mine since we started seeing pff stats chucked around.  There are times its easy to say player X screwed the pooch,   but without knowing game plans week to week and play calls, in game adjustments,  not to mention watch every player on every snap of every game, etc...how the hell can they get accurate ratings for the players?  Its a tool,  but hardly anything that should be used as any decisive measurement of a players ability or value to a given team.

[Guest]

@JimmyinSD said:
Well I have to say I am in agreement with Zimmer and his complaint has been mine since we started seeing pff stats chucked around.  There are times its easy to say player X screwed the pooch,   but without knowing game plans week to week and play calls, in game adjustments,  not to mention watch every player on every snap of every game, etc...how the hell can they get accurate ratings for the players?  Its a tool,  but hardly anything that should be used as any decisive measurement of a players ability or value to a given team.

Agree....there are so many cat and mouse games played by NFL coaches, especially defensive chess players like Zimmer and Belichick. I don't think it's unusual for coaches to sometimes bait a QB by showing a vulnerability on one play only to shut it down once the QB takes the bait. Something like that can look like a mistake to PFF. 

I do think, however, taken as a whole, you can get a pretty good idea of how good a player is based on his seasonal PFF rating. That sort of analytical scouting had always existed for college players, but not for pros. So I'm glad it's around.