Mike Zimmer takes issue with PFF quarterback metrics

Mike Zimmer is once again venting his annoyance at Pro Football Focus and their in-depth metrics.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer isn’t going to let his beef with Pro Football Focus die any time soon.

Zimmer blasted PFF last year, claiming the site’s player grades should be taken with a “grain of salt,” and the other day he went after them again for purveying what he claims are ill-informed opinions.

Zimmer specifically is griping about PFF’s criticism of Teddy Bridgewater for holding on to the ball too long. Zimmer asserts that such a thing can’t truly be judged unless you know the exact play that has been called (via Scout.com).

"“(Sometimes) they have quicks and sometimes they have deeper shots,” Zimmer said. “Everybody has that. I don’t know who the timer is at Pro Football Focus or anything like that who sits in England and times – is this a scramble? Is this a get-it-out quick? Is this a quick throw? Is this a play action? I don’t know. I don’t worry about any of that stuff.”"

Pro Football Focus claims Bridgewater has been pressured on 47.4% of his dropbacks this year, the most of any QB in the league, and also says the Vikings’ offense features more 7-step drops than any other in the league.

The clear implication here is that Norv Turner is doing Bridgewater and the Vikings’ offensive line no favors by calling so many deep drops.

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Zimmer is not only defending his QB by questioning PFF’s metrics, he’s also defending Turner, who is coming under increasing fire not only from fans and media but his own players.

While it’s true that we can never know for certain what play has been called or whether the play has been properly executed, we can look at long-term trends and make some pretty solid inferences based on data.

If a QB is being pressured on almost half his dropbacks, that’s an issue. If the OC responsible for calling the plays is using an unusually high number of 7-step drops, then it’s perfectly valid to suggest a possible correlation.

Zimmer can attack the messenger all he wants, even snarkily suggesting that people from England don’t really know football, but the proof is in the pudding.

The Vikings offense looks like a mess in the metrics, and it looks like a mess when you watch it.

The eye-test never lies. Teddy Bridgewater isn’t getting it done and the offensive line isn’t getting it done. And Norv Turner needs to figure out how to fix it.