Raji played NT in 2011 and was pretty bad and he played NT for parts of early 2012. He had his resurgence in the 2nd part of 2012 after they moved him to full time DE because that's where he was producing (he was actually doing really well too) and Pickett was the better NT.

Comparing the 8 million dollar man to our late 5th round rookie.

Josh Boyd vs Dallas (32 snaps) 3 Tackles 1 TFL
BJ Raji last 6 weeks (252 snaps) 3 Tackles 1 TFL

Even in this defense you are still allowed to make a play as a DL.

That is what happens when they don't run the ball at him, and when they do, they have him doubled.

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Are you watching games from 2010? Because in 2013, a double team is not necessary to block Raji.

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When they run at him, they normally do.

Dallas ran the ball at him 4 times, away 7.
Of the 8 ran his way in Atl, He stopped 2, a double on him setup AJ to get through on his blitz, and plugged the hole and forced cutbacks on two more.

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Very interesting stats there...


I think it's very important to note that Raji has the BEST coverage rating of all the 3-4 DEs!


Anyways on a more serious note, can you also show Pickett's numebrs? I'd like to compare his numbers to Raji and Jolly.

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Out of curiosity, is there a way to filter that chart so it shows ratings each week?

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Where do you get those stats breakdowns, and is it a free site or subscription?

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Mine? Well worth the cost too.

profootballfocus.com

Premium Statistics (Annual) $26.99 for one year
Get 365 days access to the unique PFF stats and analysis that comes from grading every player on ever play in every game. Includes signature statistics, grades and snap counts by play types.

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Just looked back through all the running plays in the Dallas game and that's not what I'm seeing at all. I only saw Raji getting doubled once (on a run in his direction) and they ran his direction 5 or 6 times, single blocked every time but 1. He didn't have any less of an opportunity than Boyd did that's for certain.

The one tackle he made they were actually running away from him but the DL all shifted that way before the snap and he actually made a decent play to get an assist with Brad Jones. Though that was the only time he made any plays in the running game. The play he got doubled they moved him like 4 yards away from the hole the back went through. It wasn't very impressive and he's not the only reason we cant stop the run but he's obviously part of the reason. This year Raji is a JAG and there's no noticeable dropoff in play from the d-line when he's not in there. An easy player to let go in the off season.