Am I really that predictable Derek? :)



I would indeed always point to PFF's grades over anything else. Those are the numbers that put the intelligence into the statistics. All sacks look the same on the stat sheet (well, aside from half-sacks, but I'll gloss over that particular ridiculous quirk of the NFL), but did it come from Robert Quinn destroying the OT to turn the corner in 1.5 seconds and drag the QB to the ground (be thankful you're a RT Eric! You 'only' have to handle Chris Long...), or did the sack come because the QB got happy feet in the pocket, danced his way into trouble and then hit the deck for someone to eventually touch him 5 seconds into the play?



The interesting thing I think is that PFF's database has that kind of data in it, Derek, and we actually offer a lot more than goes up on the site to teams behind the scenes for let's just say a significantly larger sum than $26.99 a year.



I think the use of data is definitely getting more sophisticated, within PFF and everywhere else. Our issue at the moment is that we're working from an IT model that's a few years old - we haven't been able to keep up with our own growth and the demand. Hopefully that's something we'll begin to catch up with in the future. You'd be very excited if you saw some of the stuff we have behind the scenes.



As for whether players are aware of them - players are certainly aware of their PFF grades judging by my inbox each week. I get players emailing looking for an extra stat here, or a stat taken away there. Guys are getting their grades put to them in locker rooms and asked to justify it or react to the praise etc. They definitely care, more than most people give them credit for I think.



But Eric I'm sure has a better insight on that than I do.