A Baffling Dallas Turner Take Makes the Rounds

Once again, Dallas Turner put together a sensational effort. Seeing the edge rusher offer elite performances in consecutive Sundays has been instrumental in seeing the Vikings get to 2-0.

So, what gives on that PFF assessment?

For a little while, people have been expressing concern about where PFF is going. At no point has the analytics website been a perfect tool. What has instead been the case in that it has been a helpful tool that demands consideration within the broader football analysis. There are some, though, who would insist that the quality has been declining. People from within that camp may have been given some more ammunition with the Turner grade.

A Truly Bizarre Dallas Turner Assessment

Initially, Dallas Turner’s grade was lower. What appears to have happened was a bump up, making things look slightly better.

The Vikings’ long-and-strong pass rusher now sees his grade coming in at 52.2. In isolation, that’s a very poor grade that points to a substandard performance. Anyone who watched the game knows that Turner played much better than “substandard.”

Earlier in the day, I jumped onto Twitter — that godforsaken social media platform — to ask about the problem. Many people have thoughts.

Thor Nystrom is a college football nerd who offers Vikings stuff to SKOR North. Consider his post on social media: “PFF charted Dallas Turner with 11 pressures, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 7 hurries, and 4 run stops yesterday… and gave him a 48.8 grade. What are we even doing here?”

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Since the time of his post, Nystrom has seen the PFF grade get bumped up, but the concern likely stands.

Meanwhile, Brandon Thorn — perhaps the leading online authority on play in the trenches — has let his voice be heard. Consider Mr. Thorn’s opinion: “Dallas Turner has had some fun moments and good raw production through the first two games. Has abused some TEs. But of his 20 charted pressures (3 sacks included) via PFF, 3 total have been 1v1 wins vs a tackle (J Morgan). Encouraging, but let’s see the Wirfs reps in Wk3.”

Thorn’s point is well taken. Torching an All Pro tackle is significantly more impressive than steamrolling an overwhelmed Bears tight end.

But while Thorn’s caution should be remembered, the PFF grade is still a baffling assessment.

Already, Dallas Turner is sitting atop some terrific stats. He has 7 tackles, 3 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble. He has been constantly disruptive, largely due to figuring out how to turn speed into power to ensure whoever is blocking him is off balance.

I can guarantee, folks, that the Bears don’t believe that Turner had an average day yesterday.

At 23, Turner is still developing. He’ll look to keep his strong play going in Week 3 as the Vikings try to climb up to 3-0. Chasing down Baker Mayfield a time or two while keeping the heat turned to high throughout the game will be a key piece of the puzzle.

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