.png)
By Ben Standig, Mark Bullock and Zac Boyer Dec 11, 2020
There are a lot of myths around the NFL. If you’re a fan of the
show “MythBusters,” you might enjoy how we’ve decided to examine football myths
this week. We’re using the show’s template to poke holes in some of the NFL’s
biggest myths. Read the full series here.
Washington right guard
Brandon Scherff embodies the team-first, tough-guy mindset every NFL coach
desires. That the fifth selection in the 2015 draft has largely lived
up to that status — which is not easy, considering he plays an unsexy position
— says plenty about his ability as a pass blocker and his athleticism in the
run game. Pro Football Focus ranked Scherff fifth among guards through Week 13.
The issue with the three-time Pro Bowl selection is his
durability. Since the start of 2017, Scherff has missed 18 games, including
three this season, with an assortment of pectoral, shoulder, elbow and knee
injuries.
The ability-versus-availability debate is one to watch as
Washington ponders a long-term contract extension for Scherff, who is a free
agent after the season and is playing on a $15 million franchise tag. After
trading longtime left tackle Trent Williams during the offseason, there’s also
something to be said for stability. That’s something Scherff provides when he’s
out there, but whether he’s among the best in the league at his position — or
perhaps whether his talent warrants paying out a lucrative, multi-year contract
— is up for debate.
— Ben Standig
The witnesses
• Rivera:
“I really like what we’re getting from him. I think he’s done a great job. He
really has. It doesn’t matter who he lines up next to, he’s a great
communicator. I think that’s as important as it gets. He does a great job.
He and Chase Roullier are really good together in terms of their combinations.
Watching them with Morgan (Moses) has been really cool. He’s helped David
Sharpe really nicely. He’s helped David out a lot. I think when you have a guy
like that it really doesn’t matter who you put next to him. He’s going to be
able to communicate and get things worked out, and that’s what he’s shown us.”
• Offensive
coordinator Scott Turner: “Brandon’s toughness, his consistency, and then just
the resiliency that he shows, dealing with that (knee) injury earlier in
the year, being able to come back … he’s just the steady rock. Him and (tackle) Morgan (Moses)
playing on that right side together. … Those guys working together, playing
together … those are the leaders so far for us. They’ve done a great job, Brandon in particular. He
brings it every day … the toughness, the blue-collar mentality. It helps (as)
the engine that drives our team. … He’s a guy that we trust is going to get his
block done. If we can ask a little bit more of him than someone else and
give a little help to the other side, that’s definitely something that we do.
That’s definitely a factor we know, I know, when he’s out there.”
• Quarterback
Alex Smith: “I think Brandon’s the total package. From a talent standpoint, I
think that he’s the best player in that position in the league, one of the best
teammates I’ve ever had. It means so much to him. He’s so invested into
this team. You can feel his energy in the huddle. You certainly miss it when
he’s gone. It’s significant. He’s that type of player. Not just from like I
said a talent standpoint, but certainly his leadership, his energy and the
attitude he brings to the huddle every day.”
— Standig
The film
From a film perspective,
Scherff has the total package as a guard. He’s very athletic, which enables
Washington to use him in various schemes, such as pulling to the edge on
sweeps, leading the way on screen passes and climbing to reach linebackers at
the second level of the defense in zone run schemes.
He also possesses
outstanding strength combined with a nasty streak coaches love to see in
offensive linemen. That means he’s capable of knocking over
defenders at any point in the game, either pulling to kick out on a power run
scheme or simply tossing them aside in gap schemes.
In pass protection,
Scherff uses his athleticism and strength and backs them up with great
technique. He’s excellent with his hands, landing strong
punches to knock defenders off balance and regularly mixes in quick sets, in
which he jumps toward the defender in front of him to close the gap and lands a
quick punch, taking away the defender’s initial rush plan and forcing him to go
to Plan B quickly.
He’s overall an excellent player with
just about every trait a team could ask for in a guard. He’s certainly one of
the best in the league when on the field and gives Washington great flexibility
in what it can do schematically, which is rare from the guard position.
— Mark Bullock
The numbers
If you’ll remember, Scherff was a left tackle for much of his
time at Iowa, where he earned the Outland Trophy after his senior season in
2014. He figured to start at right tackle upon being drafted by Washington, but
not long after training camp began, he was moved to right guard and has
remained there since.
Evaluating offensive linemen is tricky given the lack of
certainty over their responsibilities on any given play, but that doesn’t mean
it hasn’t been tried. Essentially, analysis boils down to one underlying
criterium, regardless of run or pass: Was the player beat by a defender on that
play?
Scherff rarely is. Pro Football Focus graded him as its
seventh-best guard overall last season, giving him a 75.2 on a scale that
considers players reaching the low 80s to be elite, and through Week 13, he’s
ranked fifth with a grade of 82.5. Over his first five seasons, he routinely ranked in at least the 90th
percentile in run blocking, and he was the only guard who played at least 250
snaps who allowed 10 or fewer pressures in each of the past two seasons.
Last season, he earned PFF’s fourth-highest run-blocking grade
among guards behind the Eagles’ Brandon Brooks, the Colts’ Quenton Nelson and
the Cowboys’ Zack Martin — fairly elite company. Through 12 games this season,
PFF has given Scherff a grade of 79.9, good for eighth. In ESPN’s run-block win-rate
metric, which evaluates the
percentage of snaps on which linemen sustain their blocks for 2.5 seconds or
longer, Scherff is first at 78 percent, with a strong performance
Monday against the Steelers moving him fractionally ahead of Nelson.
Those scales have historically regarded Scherff more highly in
the running game than in the passing game. Last season, PFF handed Scherff a 72
in pass protection — his lowest mark since he was a rookie. He was credited
with giving up just one sack and allowed pressure on just 2.7 percent of his
snaps. Through 580 snaps this season, Scherff has graded out at a 78, putting
him seventh among guards. ESPN, which lists only its top 10 performers in its
pass-block win-rate metric, did not include Scherff in its rankings after last
season, but he appeared in the picture after Monday’s game, ranked eighth at 94
percent.
One other less-scientific method to consider: In a vote of his peers, Scherff
has been selected to the Pro Bowl in three of the past four seasons —
though offensive linemen know that honor is mostly reputation-based. Once
you’re in, you’re in for life. On the flip side, he’s yet to be named an
All-Pro, and that’s as much of a product of his injury history as it is the
quality of the other players who have been honored.
— Zac Boyer
The verdict
Standig: Part of this exercise
is considering whether Washington should keep the Pro Bowl guard knowing the
cost. Scherff’s one-year
deal on the franchise tag for $15,030,000 gave him the highest annual salary
among guards, but three others with longer-term deals were close behind,
including NFC East rivals in Philadelphia’s Brandon Brooks (four years, $56.35
million) and Dallas’s Zach Martin (six years, $84 million). Therefore, offering
Scherff a similar annual salary isn’t out of line with the market’s top end.
Bullock: I have no doubt Scherff is one of
the best guards in the NFL. His film is full of consistently excellent play
with great technique combined with strong athleticism for the position. His
presence allows Washington to be extra creative because of the range of things
he can do at a high level. He’s an anchor on an offensive line
that is starting to find some rhythm and momentum. His talent merits the
contract it would cost to keep him, and Washington should be doing everything
it can to keep him as the key piece on the offensive line to build around.
Boyer: No matter which way he’s
evaluated, Scherff is one of the best players at his position.
Washington was comfortable having him play on the franchise tag knowing that
meant he’d be paid as one of the best. He has been recognized by those around
the league, and the ways his performance can be quantified, as one of the best.
Could he improve? Sure, but he’s taking care of business, and that’s worth
rewarding, especially given Washington’s salary-cap situation.
Our decision: Busted
Scherff has proven he
ranks among the top at his position. Considering the questions on Washington’s
left side, the team trading away a Pro Bowl lineman in Williams and its strong
2021 salary-cap situation (approximately $50 million available), paying one of
the best guards in the league seems like a prudent move,
even if that’s not a traditional position on which teams spend big.
(Photo: Daniel Kucin Jr. / Associated Press)
