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It’s never too early to start preparing for next season, and for PFF, that means looking at ways to improve PFF Premium Stats.

Last season, we presented a metric called “Advanced Coverage Grade,” which adds even more context to PFF’s traditional coverage grade.

What is Advanced Coverage Grade?

Advanced coverage grade uses machine learning to map the separation allowed on a play to the expected PFF coverage grade the player would have earned had they been targeted. This system also takes into account the difficulty of the assignment and the situation when making that assessment.

The variables considered for assignment and situation include play position, player assignment within coverage, overall coverage scheme, safety rotation, press coverage, route depth and play action.

Going old school, this is a +/- grading system, though 0 doesn’t necessarily represent expected or average results.