What he said. 
Right, but Allen was hurt most of last year. And Fleener rarely lined up as a true in-line TE, so his numbers (both blocking and receiving) are inflated relative to Allen’s.
Allen’s injuries certainly limited his opportunities. But the grades (as opposed to the raw stats) wouldn’t really be effected that much. For example, the run blocking grades (Fleener’s +1.4 to Allen’s -10.8) were accumulated in roughly the same number of run play snaps (Fleener’s 220 to Allen’s 242).
Where the opportunity for inflation is in the yards (491 to 109), simply because Fleener played a ton more pass play snaps (472 to 204) and had more targets (81 to 26). But they both carry the same grade in PFF’s passing game grade (-2.4 for both) for the 2015 season, which kinda evens that out.
It’s not just the snap numbers, though. It’s where they lined up. Allen was mostly kept on the end of the line, working against DEs and LBs as a blocker. Fleener got to line up outside like Dallas Clark or Jimmy Graham, so he was blocking nickel corners and safeties half the time.
Jimmy Graham had a -4.8 run block grade last year. Other TE’s who line up outside a lot, likewise have crappy grades too. Greg Olson has the worst run blocking grade of any TE, and he’s about the only pass catcher on Carolina.
Or look at Gronk. Would you put where he lines up about on par with Fleener? He led TE’s in run block grades with a +8.8.
And guys who line up inside, like Allen, have the same variance. Craig Stevens (who?) who was targeted all of 13 times last year, has the second highest run block grade at +8.3. And Darren Fells, who had 28 targets all last year, graded at -10.5, just one spot ahead of Allen.
What this tells me is that the perception of where a player lines up doesn’t really effect their grades. There are great run blockers who line up outside (Gronk) and inside (Stevens). There are poor run blockers who line up outside (Olson) and inside (Fells and Allen).
Rumors are that Kaep wants to come to Cleveland and there are discussions.
If Cleveland trades for Kaep and then doesn’t draft a quarterback because of it, I am done with the team.
Manziel is finally released. Wonder if he gets picked up at all.
Are you kidding? This is the NFL. Everyone gets a second shot. Ryan Leaf got signed to three different teams after flaming out in San Diego, and he never showed even one half the limited competence as a QB that Manziel has shown.
But Gronk is a huge outlier in that regard. What other superstar pass-catcher is also a dominant blocker at the position? Gates is a marginal blocker. Graham doesn’t block at all. Jordan Reed doesn’t block much. I didn’t watch much Browns football (thank God) so I don’t know about Barnidge. Ertz can’t get on the field half the time because Celek is a much better blocker.
Why? The QB class is awful. Kaep has the potential to be a star. Do you really want to bring in a high priced free agent (or trade) and then immediately tell him the future is some other dude? Or do you want him invested in the team’s long term success?
Delanie Walker has a +7.4 run block grade, and was PFF’s #2 TE last year. Ertz actually has a +5.5 run block grade. Tyler Eifert is at +2.4. But, yeah, Olson, Barnidge, and Kelce are all primarily pass catching TE’s who are bad at blocking. But my point was that Fleener has developed into an above average run blocker, even if he, as you say, lines up outside. Where the TE lines up doesn’t have to define their run blocking skills, there are good and bad blockers who line up inside and outside. Just because Allen was inside more didn’t make him a better blocker.
Fair point. Never underestimate the desperation, stupidity, or exceptionalism of an NFL front office.
I wonder if Denver’ll give him a look.
The Browns have spent the last 16 years trying to make do with second choices at QB in the draft and by taking other people’s castoffs. I’ve seen it fail over a dozen times now. I have no interest in finding yet another reason to not pick the top QB prospect in a draft, let alone because we signed a guy who couldn’t beat out Blaine fucking Gabbert.
So you want them to draft Goff?
Yeah but Leaf always had the factory model perfect QB body and arm, if he could have ever gotten his head straight they would have had something. Manziel has a crappy QB body and fucked up head and picked the wrong time to be a girlfriend puncher on top of it.
Yes.
The Bengals seem to love picking up behavior cases on the cheap.
Martavis Bryant went full Josh Gordon. You NEVER go full Josh Gordon. I’m sure it was because the test was too stringent and all, but he’s looking at a year-long suspension because he can’t stop smoking the chiba.
Fortunately, Pittsburgh anticipated this after last year’s suspension came down and drafted Sammie Coates, who has a ton of potential. Now all he has to do is live up to it. They also resigned DHB on the cheap, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. His hands are no longer made of stone, but they are semi-solid. Still, he played well last year.
Another name in the rumor mill is Mike Wallace, who the Vikings cut. I’m thinking no, he burned his bridges in Pittsburgh and he hasn’t improved even a little bit since he left, he’s a one-trick post-pattern receiver.
Still, it’s annoying that he cares so little about his career that he’d continue using even after he knew that everybody was watching him. That speaks of either a serious learning disability or brazen indifference. Either way, Pittsburgh needs to show him the door. I’m not sure they will, he’s still on his rookie contract and has enough ability that they might want to give him a last chance, but were it me I would show him the door as soon as his appeal is denied. Maybe he’ll do better somewhere else, though I doubt it. The impression I get from him is that he would blow his last dollar on doobage, just so long as he can get high.
The Broncos signed a new backup QB. Now all they need is a starter.
Well, there’s Jason Witten, catches and blocks.
Patriots trade DE Chandler Jones to Arizona for G Jonathan Cooper and a second round pick. At first blush, this seems like a lopsided move, as Jones is a big playmaker on the D line and fits the scheme perfectly, and Cooper has seriously underperformed as a former 7th round pick. What I’m reading is that the Pats have a lot of big players with expiring contracts at the end of this season, so this is their way of clearing big cap space and getting maximum value for Jones, who they may not have been able to keep anyway.
Certainly the added second round pick helps, as they had their first rounder pick-pocketed by Goodell.