PFF = Cincinnati

[coup000]

I think I read that he is a majority owner and is the one that pushed them towards the 1-100 scale they started this year....although I'm not sure if that stuck because I haven't seen much of it.

[Bengals1181]

went ahead and merged in the article coup found a couple weeks ago.

Really curious to see what impact this will have for Andy (who lives in Cincinnati) as well as Sunday Night Football (on which Cris and Andy work).

[Rich Gapinski]

he bought a stake maybe a year and a half ago?

A couple of the posters here (Rich and Evan) have written some pieces for PFF, but not all of them actually got published, or I guess ended up being heavily edited (and/or stolen). Don't remember the full story.

I'll clarify. Evan and I were both published about a half-dozen times last season. I am not sure on Evan's exact number, but it was similar to mine.

I don't think he had many editing issues.

I did. Part of it was my fault. I couldn't hit the word maximum very often without some help, but most of the stuff I wrote was replaced by the same type of voice. They usually took out out my jokes, which was fine. The one thing I wasn't happy about was an article on Preston Parker after the Cruz injury. I wrote a piece discussing Parker in a rosy-ish manner, using some of his stats to say he wasn't going to be Cruz, but might still produce in the slot. I made a quip about dancing at the end as reference to Cruz.

What made the site was different and my name was taken off. The article became how Parker would not succeed (which ended up being true after some early flashes of competency). Then the writer used an almost identical joke at the end.

That's about it. I submitted a few times after and was not published.

Obviously, I still need work as a writer and I may have not been an exact fit for what they wanted. I still think I could be with time, but that's not up for me to decide. It is true that I am better at writing a story while having the time and space to tie it all together. My sentence syntax will always suck, but that's not as important in sports writing. I would never make it in academic writing.

EDIT: It was still fun to write those and am grateful that I got a chance to submit there. It certainly made me feel more legit.

[Bengals1181]

thanks for clarifying Rich.

[JBandJoeyV]

Maybe I should apply for a job there...

[dautcom8]

Maybe I should apply for a job there...

Thinking the same thing.

[Andy Freeland]

I found Freeland in the new Cincinnati headquarters of Pro Football Focus, surrounded by unadorned walls. He’s a thin, friendly man who looks like he has given himself to the digital realm.

For the record, I am thin, I am not friendly (most of you already know that). I have no idea what 'looks like he has given himself to the digital realm' means. Sounds like I'm a character in a 'Ready Player One' style tech fantasy book.

For those curious:

Cris isn't the only owner of PFF but he is the majority owner.

Evan and Rich both wrote excellent articles for PFF last year. Things didn't really work out, I will only say that it wasn't at all the fault of Rich or Evan or the quality of their writing. Part my fault, part PFF's fault.

For those who expressed interest in employment (whether real or joking), PFF has an open audition type hiring process every offseason. You get a game tape and instructions and do what's called 'player participation' (what player was in what position at the snap of the ball). I went through it this offseason just to get a better understanding of the process. It's not easy, at all. You're working off TV copy (as you would during the season since coaches tape isn't released early enough). It is very cool, you get a great understanding of how teams use their players, especially on defense. If anyone is interested or has questions, let me know. It's not limited to Cincinnati, you can live anywhere (a lot of the analysts live in England, where PFF started).

[Patrick Sullivan]

I'll clarify. Evan and I were both published about a half-dozen times last season. I am not sure on Evan's exact number, but it was similar to mine.

I don't think he had many editing issues.

I did. Part of it was my fault. I couldn't hit the word maximum very often without some help, but most of the stuff I wrote was replaced by the same type of voice. They usually took out out my jokes, which was fine. The one thing I wasn't happy about was an article on Preston Parker after the Cruz injury. I wrote a piece discussing Parker in a rosy-ish manner, using some of his stats to say he wasn't going to be Cruz, but might still produce in the slot. I made a quip about dancing at the end as reference to Cruz.

What made the site was different and my name was taken off. The article became how Parker would not succeed (which ended up being true after some early flashes of competency). Then the writer used an almost identical joke at the end.

That's about it. I submitted a few times after and was not published.

Obviously, I still need work as a writer and I may have not been an exact fit for what they wanted. I still think I could be with time, but that's not up for me to decide. It is true that I am better at writing a story while having the time and space to tie it all together. My sentence syntax will always suck, but that's not as important in sports writing. I would never make it in academic writing.

EDIT: It was still fun to write those and am grateful that I got a chance to submit there. It certainly made me feel more legit.

I tried my hand at some PFF articles as well. I could not meet what they were asking for and still be 'me'. This was, at the time, my own opinion of my work. I never submitted any to PFF. I may try again this year. I think with some practice and some feedback, I could swing it. Lately I have not been able to find time to sneeze, much less try to gain proficiency writing in an unfamiliar style.

[Squirrlnutz]

For the record, I am thin, I am not friendly (most of you already know that). I have no idea what 'looks like he has given himself to the digital realm' means. Sounds like I'm a character in a 'Ready Player One' style tech fantasy book.

For those curious:

Cris isn't the only owner of PFF but he is the majority owner.

Evan and Rich both wrote excellent articles for PFF last year. Things didn't really work out, I will only say that it wasn't at all the fault of Rich or Evan or the quality of their writing. Part my fault, part PFF's fault.

For those who expressed interest in employment (whether real or joking), PFF has an open audition type hiring process every offseason. You get a game tape and instructions and do what's called 'player participation' (what player was in what position at the snap of the ball). I went through it this offseason just to get a better understanding of the process. It's not easy, at all. You're working off TV copy (as you would during the season since coaches tape isn't released early enough). It is very cool, you get a great understanding of how teams use their players, especially on defense. If anyone is interested or has questions, let me know. It's not limited to Cincinnati, you can live anywhere (a lot of the analysts live in England, where PFF started).

Ahh so that explains why JJ Watt can register 0 statistics but get a +7.8 and Aaron Rogers can throw 5 TDs and somehow ended up graded negatively...they can't figure out why these guys aren't using their feet?!

[Andy Freeland]

Ahh so that explains why JJ Watt can register 0 statistics but get a +7.8 and Aaron Rogers can throw 5 TDs and somehow ended up graded negatively...they can't figure out why these guys aren't using their feet?!

I probably shouldn't be telling all of our secrets but I did hear one guy refer to a football field as a pitch. But to be fair, that was their IT guy not one of the analysts.