Pro Football Focus continues to snub these Chicago Bears players in top 101 list
Does PFF dislike the Chicago Bears so much that they excluded Robert Quinn?
Alright, even if you don’t agree with the Roquan Smith snub, there is literally no way that Robert Quinn should have been left off any top 101 players of 2021 lists. What made me realize just how subjective the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades were is a very large discrepancy between Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference when it came to the top EDGE rusher on PFF’s list. That player was Myles Garrett.
Garrett deserves to be very high on this list. He had 16 sacks (2.5 less than Quinn) and 33 solo tackles (five less than Quinn). Both finished with 17 tackles for loss. One major difference, also in Quinn’s favor, is that he had four forced fumbles while Garrett only had one.
Next up on the list is Maxx Crosby. In the article, PFF speaks about how Crosby is one of only three players in the last 15 years to generate at least 100 pressures in the regular season. 100 pressures are amazing, but what is strange is how Pro Football Reference only has Crosby registered for 42. Having a slight discrepancy would seem normal to me, but how are these two statistical tracking sites this far off?
Here’s the thing, Robert Quinn finished second in the NFL in sacks in 2021 behind T.J. Watt. Quinn had 18.5 sacks, while Crosby finished with only seven according to PFF (eight according to PFR). It was not as if Crosby played better against the run either. Quinn finished with 38 solo tackles and 17 tackles for loss. Crosby had 36 solo tackles and 13 tackles for loss. Not to mention, Quinn had four forced fumbles while Crosby had none. Can someone explain to me how Crosby is the second EDGE on this list, while Quinn doesn’t even make it?
Now, in order, the rest of the EDGE defenders were T.J. Watt (20), Von Miller (24), Nick Bosa (31), Rashan Gary (34) [umm…is this a joke?], Joey Bosa (50), Cameron Jordan (60), Preston Smith (92). There are some great and some questionable names on this list. Only T.J. Watt deserves to be higher than Robert Quinn based on his 2021 performance.
Do you want to know the only time the Chicago Bears are mentioned in this list? It is in the section for Myles Garrett and it was a backhanded compliment towards future Hall of Fame left tackle Jason Peters. The comment read: even players who were otherwise good over the season — such as Chicago Bears left tackle Jason Peters — had no answer for Garrett’s skill set.