49ers on PFF Top Players of 2012

Originally posted by DVDA:
Justin Smith was responsible for a ton of Aldon Smith's sacks with stunts yet he gets no credit for it. These lists are nice and all but they leave out a lot of important little things that guys like Justin Smith do all day long.

I think that Justin Smith does get credit for the work that he does.

Here is a quote from PFF.

"The Effect of Justin Smith: One Positive Pass Rush Grade From Week 15 to Season's End

It's amazing how quickly a strength for a team can be turned into a weakness for an individual, but Aldon Smith's late-season performances did raise the specter of how much he is, to an extent, dependent upon the presence of Justin Smith to his inside. The 49ers and Aldon Smith do so much work off Justin Smith's presence and his efforts in tying up and beating interior blockers, that when he is not there Aldon was left to carry the load as a pass rusher and his performance dropped away over the last two months of the 49ers' season.

From the time Justin Smith was injured against the Patriots in Week 15 to their eventual Super Bowl defeat, Aldon Smith did not register a sack (having notched 20 in 13 games before that) and his pass rushing grade was -4.8 in those final six games compared to a +17.2 in the 13 games with a healthy No. 94 at his side."

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/05/23/pass-rusher-profile-aldon-smith/

The problem with analysis, in my opinion, is that it does not seem to consider the fact that Aldon Smith was injured was almost half of the season.

Maybe, just maybe, Justin Smith actually gets too much credit for the sacks that Aldon Smith gets.

Originally posted by Frisco69ers:
have they revealed who is #1 yet? (cause Brian Jennings hasn't been mentioned yet)

don't be ridiculous, it's clearly His Celestial Majesty Tolzien.

Originally posted by buck:
I think that Justin Smith does get credit for the work that he does.

Here is a quote from PFF.

"The Effect of Justin Smith: One Positive Pass Rush Grade From Week 15 to Season's End

It's amazing how quickly a strength for a team can be turned into a weakness for an individual, but Aldon Smith's late-season performances did raise the specter of how much he is, to an extent, dependent upon the presence of Justin Smith to his inside. The 49ers and Aldon Smith do so much work off Justin Smith's presence and his efforts in tying up and beating interior blockers, that when he is not there Aldon was left to carry the load as a pass rusher and his performance dropped away over the last two months of the 49ers' season.

From the time Justin Smith was injured against the Patriots in Week 15 to their eventual Super Bowl defeat, Aldon Smith did not register a sack (having notched 20 in 13 games before that) and his pass rushing grade was -4.8 in those final six games compared to a +17.2 in the 13 games with a healthy No. 94 at his side."

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/05/23/pass-rusher-profile-aldon-smith/

The problem with analysis, in my opinion, is that it does not seem to consider the fact that Aldon Smith was injured was almost half of the season.

Maybe, just maybe, Justin Smith actually gets too much credit for the sacks that Aldon Smith gets.

Drives me crazy that i dont see more people mentioning this.

Originally posted by kush:
Drives me crazy that i dont see more people mentioning this.

To some extent , I can understand the unwillingness of posters to acknowledge the quality of Aldon Smith's game; to think that his game depends primarily on what Justin brings to the game. After all, Aldon was not an expected pick, and many of the most influential posters on the board did not like the pick.

What really drive me crazy is the inane tendency to debate the relative quality of Bowman and Willis.

In my opinion, we are blessed to have the two best inside line backers in the NFL on our team.

The NFL Top 100 players has been updated.

The 49ers on the list remains the same.

Here are the 49ers that ranked so far in the NFL Top 100 Their PFF ranking is in parentheses.

29. Justin Smith (89)

32. Frank Gore (71)

37. NaVorro Bowman (59)

39. Vernon Davis (39)

78. Joe Staley (16)

My guess is that Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith will be in the top ten on the NFL list.

If I remember correctly Willis was #10 and Aldon Smith #57 on the PFF list.

Originally posted by kush:

Originally posted by buck:
I think that Justin Smith does get credit for the work that he does.

Here is a quote from PFF.

"The Effect of Justin Smith: One Positive Pass Rush Grade From Week 15 to Season's End

It's amazing how quickly a strength for a team can be turned into a weakness for an individual, but Aldon Smith's late-season performances did raise the specter of how much he is, to an extent, dependent upon the presence of Justin Smith to his inside. The 49ers and Aldon Smith do so much work off Justin Smith's presence and his efforts in tying up and beating interior blockers, that when he is not there Aldon was left to carry the load as a pass rusher and his performance dropped away over the last two months of the 49ers' season.

From the time Justin Smith was injured against the Patriots in Week 15 to their eventual Super Bowl defeat, Aldon Smith did not register a sack (having notched 20 in 13 games before that) and his pass rushing grade was -4.8 in those final six games compared to a +17.2 in the 13 games with a healthy No. 94 at his side."

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/05/23/pass-rusher-profile-aldon-smith/

The problem with analysis, in my opinion, is that it does not seem to consider the fact that Aldon Smith was injured was almost half of the season.

Maybe, just maybe, Justin Smith actually gets too much credit for the sacks that Aldon Smith gets.

Drives me crazy that i dont see more people mentioning this.

I couldn't agree more. They work in tandem together. These analysts also don't look at how OL's have to play Aldon Smith as much as Justin. They are both ultra successful "together." Another thing to consider is the scheme...as we ALL know by now, Fangio is an every-down, straight-up 3-4 guy. It's not like OL coaches are spending countless hours trying to account for a guy like Matthews who is being moved around all over the field, pre snap. It's straight up. These two have perfected the stunt sack/pressure. Now is the time to add other layers and move all four LBs around to create mismatches. Otherwise, it's a total waste of talent IMHO. Brooks knows all four LB positions and can line up anywhere. Bowman, Willis and Aldon are veterans to this defense now for 3+ years. No excuses. They should also consider switching Smith & McDonald as well to help draw confusion and wear down OT's. For as creative as we are in the run formations, we should be doing the same with the best front 7 in football. Trust me, the backend will look like All-Pros.

Here are the 49ers rankings in the NFL Top 100. Their PFF ranking is in parentheses.

Nine current 49ers made both lists.

7. Aldon Smith (57)

10. Patrick Willis (10)

29. Justin Smith (89)

32. Frank Gore (71)

37. NaVorro Bowman (59)

39. Vernon Davis (39)

78. Joe Staley (16)

81. Colin Kaepernick (81)

93. Anquan Boldin (63)