[Quesadilla Joe]

PFF grades teams starting lineups....

Notes:

– Consider me someone not yet sold on Alex Smith. His numbers over the past two years, combined with a seemingly nice offensive fit, might suggest a winning formula, but how is he going to cope without that 49ers offensive line and that 49ers defense putting him in favorable situations?

– The left guard spot is an interesting one. Will a new GM stay loyal to last year’s second-round pick, Jeff Allen? Or will the always impressive Geoff Schwartz work his way into the lineup? The former Panther and Viking has found himself largely on the outside on gameday because of injuries, but would, given the tape on both men, be a significant upgrade.

– The Chiefs spent much of last year in base as they chased games, but they may have to bring in more of their sub-package defense and that will be something to watch. Last year none of their interior defensive linemen achieved a positive grade rushing the passer, and they need to give their edge rushers some help when it comes to harassing quarterbacks.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...-july-10-2013/

Notes:

– Ronnie Hillman might be the starter in Week 1, but I don’t expect it will be long before they either promote Ball or go back to Knowshon Moreno. Hillman looks a reasonable change-of-pace option but his late season performances did nothing to suggest extended playing time.

– Vasquez is an excellent guard and a perfect fit for this offense; he’s a superb pass protector, mistake free and certainly a worthy UFA pick-up. However, his lack of domination in the running game meant I couldn’t bring myself to grade him higher at this point.

– The grading of Chris Harris may have some people new to PFF wondering if I’ve made a mistake, but over the past two years he has been the best slot corner in football. Last year he gave up a catch rate of only 57% and a QB rating of 66.5 while playing 325 snaps in the slot. He may well be the most underrated player in the NFL.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...y-july-5-2013/