These numbers are based upon Pro Football Focus analysis, which essentially makes them useless.
The only useful data from PFF are the snap counts, because it is simply a matter of adding up who is on the field.
This is one thing that is useful, and actually enlightening in those numbers is that Talib played on 175 snaps with the Patriots in coverage. The team faced 631 pass plays, meaning Talib was on the field for less than 30% of the pass plays the team faced, and less than 60% of those that happened while he was on the roster. This is a real fact that does lead to the belief that fans severely overrated his impact. Lets also not forget that 50 of them came vs the Colts when he played poorly, for which many fans gave him a pass for being out of game shape.
I don't personally mind PFF as much as many others when you take what they are trying to say into acct with the stats they are providing. I wouldn't go as far to say that "their only useful data is snap count" myself, but you obviously feel differently. As mentioned, many stats can be misleading, but sites like PFF that use their own determinators can be very controversial. Some of the data is actually fine, while some is complete garbage.
For example, here are some statements/analysis on certain topics from just one article pertaining to the Pats. Many of them make perfect sense to me:
WES WELKER
--Welker’s numbers speak for themselves. His 326 receptions, 3,771 yards, and 1,828 yards after the catch over the past three seasons rank first, third, and first at his position, respectively. And when it comes to production from the slot, Welker blows the rest of the league out of the water. He posted 325 catches and 2,768 yards on slot routes, while no other receiver had more than 202 receptions or 2,075 yards in that span. And Welker’s stats are as much quality as they are quantity; his 2.28 Yards Per Route Run in that in the last three years is 11th in the league.
It’s a testament to Welker’s dependability that in the 83 games we’ve graded him, he’s only once earned a mark lower than -2.0. While Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez shuffle in and out of the lineup with various injuries, Welker has missed only three games in his six years with the Patriots. One of those was New England’s 2010 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and it’s no coincidence that Tom Brady’s -5.3 grade on that day was the worst we’ve ever given him.
--While Welker has been fantastic from the slot, his Yards Per Route Run from there dropped from 2.83 in 2011 to 2.05 in 2012. Meanwhile, his Drop Rate rose from 9.63 to 11.28 in the same period.
SEBASTIAN VOLLMER
--Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick of the Patriots back in 2009, Vollmer has been a standout on their offensive line, never finishing a season with a cumulative grade of less than +8.3 – and that low mark came in a 2011 season where he played in just seven games. That’s a level of consistency that not many players at his position can boast, and something the Patriots would be wise not to let go of if they can avoid it.
As a run blocker this past season he was solid, finishing the year with a grade of +5.8 in that regard and while he only had one game where he really excelled in the running game, he also only had one with a run blocking grade of -0.5 or lower. It showed on the field for the Patriots, where they averaged a decent, if unspectacular, 3.91 Yards Per Carry on runs either side of Vollmer’s right tackle spot.
As a pass blocker, he allowed Tom Brady to be hit or sacked on just 13 of his 617 pass blocking snaps and his 35 total pressures allowed resulted in a Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) Rating of 95.5, tied for 22nd amongst all offensive tackles. He’s been consistent in that regard too, never finishing a season in his four year career with a PBE Rating lower than 94.6.
JULIAN EDELMAN
--New England gave him a chunk of Welker’s snaps in the first three weeks of this season, and he earned a combined -3.1 grade in those games. In 125 slot routes over the last three years, Edelman has totaled just eight catches, 69 yards, and just 0.56 Yards Per Route Run.
TOM BRADY/WES WELKER
While Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez shuffle in and out of the lineup with various injuries, Welker has missed only three games in his six years with the Patriots. One of those was New England’s 2010 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and it’s no coincidence that Tom Brady’s -5.3 grade on that day was the worst we’ve ever given him.
