Cowboys star defender takes a very fair shot at Pro Football Focus
I really like the work Pro Football Focus does. Their data research and stats are very insightful and they have advanced the way the NFL is analyzed and broken down in great ways. But Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs' recent question to the national media outlet is the perfect example of why they're still a […]
I really like the work Pro Football Focus does. Their data research and stats are very insightful and they have advanced the way the NFL is analyzed and broken down in great ways. But Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs' recent question to the national media outlet is the perfect example of why they're still a very controversial website.
PFF, which specializes in advanced stats and player grades, is known to stir up the pot with controversial posts on social media. Recently on Twitter, they posted a "versus" post asking fans which cornerback was better: Diggs or Philadelphia Eagles' Darius Slay.
Sounds like a typical sports poll, doesn't it? But it's one obscure stat that seemed to bother the Cowboys star: Open targets allowed.
It probably caught Diggs' eyes because while his and Slay's stats compare fairly well, he was tabbed for 35 more "open targets allowed" than Slay.
I know what you're thinking and it's the same thing Trevon wondered: What the heck does "open targets allowed" even mean?
It's a fair question made by Diggs, who consistently received very low PFF grades in his First-Team All-Pro season in 2021. As USA Today's Cowboys Wire contributor Matt Owen noted on Twitter, "open targets allowed" isn't even a stat that PFF tracks on their premium stats.
If it isn't a data point good enough to be featured on the site's main product, why use it in a comparative post where it clearly stands out as the big difference between the two players?
It's only fair that the Cowboys cornerback raised the obvious question on social media.
Despite fair criticisms about his high-risk approach to the position in 2021, Diggs showed signs of improvement in coverage last season. He also cut down significantly on his missed tackles and became a much more reliable tackler both in the passing game and versus the run.
Now that the Cowboys have paired him with the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, we might be about to see the best version of him yet.
As for how many open targets allowed he'll finish the year with, I really don't know what to tell you.
ESPN analyst identifies what he feels will be the Cowboys’ biggest issue in 2023
This is a valid point.
Featured image via Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
