bighurt Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Link hereEarlier in the year, we did a piece on Pass Rushing Productivity. Fearing it may have been lost amongst all the labor talk of the time, we’ve revamped it – cleaned up some data and added a few more years to the mix. Pass Rushing Productivity is back and bigger than ever and today we’re looking at the edge rushers. It’s as simple a formula as ever. You add up all the sacks, hits and hurries a defender gets and divide it by the number of snaps they spent rushing the passer (a stat only found at PFF), multiply it by one hundred and, suddenly, you have a nice, juicy, PRP number to get stuck into. Note: for the purpose of this study hits and hurries are weighed at three quarters the worth of sacks given that’s the average relationship between sacks and hits/ hurries in our grading. It should also be noted numbers include the playoffs. For 2010, the qualifying minimum was 200 snaps rushing the passer, which left us with 85 rushers to break down. Getting straight into it, there’s a clear winner in Chief outside linebacker, Tamba Hali. The converted defensive end had a real break out year in 2010, leading the league in total pressures and earning the highest PRP rating. The Chiefs deserve some credit for creating mismatches with Hali and opposing tackles, getting him to attack from the left and right side of line as needed. It’s not hard to see why he received the franchise tag from the Chiefs, but it is a little tricky understanding why the men who came second and third didn’t from their teams. Both Ray Edwards and Charles Johnson are coming off massive years, consistently generating pressure from the left side of the Vikings and Panthers defenses respectively. Yet, presuming a new CBA gets done, both men will be free to negotiate contracts with any team as they see fit. Given the need for pass rushers, it’s hard to imagine they won’t get big offers from somewhere. Which is a recurring theme throughout the top twenty edge rushers from 2010. Teams are always looking for extra pass rush, and there are plenty of talented guys available should they want the help. We’re looking at guys who got few opportunities but impressed (Antwan Barnes in sixth), guys who don’t get the credit they are due (Manny Lawson in eighth) and guys who had career years from out of nowhere (Jason Babin in 11th and Raheem Brock in 16th). You want extra pass rush, it will be there when the market opens. Pass Rushing Productivity, Edge Rushers, Top 20, 2010Rank Player Pos. Team Pass Rushing Snaps Total QB Disruptions PRP1 Tamba Hali OLB KC 583 103 14.072 Charles Johnson DE CAR 481 81 13.253 Ray Edwards DE MIN 416 69 12.984 Lamarr Woodley OLB PIT 504 82 12.805 DeMarcus Ware OLB DAL 509 79 12.386 Antwan Barnes DE SD 202 32 12.387 John Abraham DE ATL 392 60 12.378 Manny Lawson OLB SF 217 34 12.109 Cameron Wake OLB MIA 445 66 12.0210 James Harrison OLB PIT 466 69 11.9111 Jason Babin DE TEN 433 64 11.8912 Trent Cole DE PHI 530 80 11.7913 Chris Clemons DE SEA 578 86 11.7214 Cliff Avril DE DET 368 54 11.6215 Marcus Benard OLB CLV 235 34 11.6016 Raheem Brock DE SEA 477 67 11.1117 Dwight Freeney DE IND 530 75 11.0418 Clay Matthews OLB GB 557 74 10.7319 Parys Haralson OLB SF 272 37 10.5720 Matt Roth OLB CLV 393 54 10.56 That’s the good. Now for that not so good. First up is Kentwan Balmer who plenty of excuses can be made for. The Seahawks used a hybrid scheme, but Balmer spent most of his pass rushing time (62.91%) from a defensive end spot in a four man line. Not an ideal use of his skill set given his size, so you can understand Balmer’s struggle. Perhaps, though, the real shock is that of Calvin Pace who had a real down year compared to what we’ve seen from him previously. The Jet mustered only 18 QB disruptions all year. To put that in perspective, Chris Clemons managed 18 in one outstanding game this year. Ouch. Some of the other disappointing players include guys who should soon be making way for others who had impressive rookie years in 2010. We’re looking at Tyler Brayton (fourth lowest score) and not seeing how he’ll hold off Greg Hardy (36th overall), and sensing that Robert Geathers (fifth lowest score) won’t stand in the way of Carlos Dunlap (31st overall) for much longer. Pass Rushing Productivity, Edge Rushers, Bottom 20, 2010Rank Player Pos. Team Pass Rushing Snaps Total QB Disruptions PRP1 Kentwan Balmer DE SEA 271 12 3.322 Calvin Pace OLB NYJ 364 18 4.263 George Selvie DE SL 204 11 4.294 Tyler Brayton DE CAR 332 19 4.295 Robert Geathers DE CIN 450 26 4.396 Jarret Johnson OLB BLT 450 26 4.447 Tim Crowder DE TB 348 20 4.538 Frank Zombo OLB GB 252 14 4.669 Jason Taylor OLB NYJ 409 25 4.8910 Clark Haggans OLB ARZ 315 19 4.9211 Michael Bennett DE TB 263 17 4.9412 Jamaal Anderson DE ATL 218 14 5.0513 C.J. Ah You DE SL 252 16 5.1614 Andre Carter OLB WAS 401 26 5.1715 Michael D. Johnson DE CIN 406 28 5.3616 Alex Brown DE NO 438 33 5.7617 Chauncey Davis DE ATL 209 16 5.8618 Everette Brown DE CAR 291 22 6.0119 Mario Haggan OLB DEN 306 23 6.0520 Jason Pierre-Paul DE NYG 304 24 6.25 But again, that’s just the 2010 data and we’ve already done an article like that. No, you came here because you want to find out about the last three years. We raised the minimum snap count to 700 pass rushing snaps from a defensive end or outside linebacker spot, and come up with some interesting results. Right up at the top is a man who, depending on who you believe, is coming off of either a bounce back year, or a vindicating one proving the naysayers wrong. Atlanta’s John Abraham. He may not have created the highest amount of pressure in this stretch (that title belonged to DeMarcus Ware), but he managed well enough to be the most productive player on a per play basis. He was significantly ahead of Dwight Freeney, who continues to produce the goods even if his 2010 didn’t quite live up to that monstrous 2009. In the last three years, we’ve seen the AFC South bring in first round tackles to try to cope with Freeney but to no avail, as his reputation and hype make way to speed and spin moves. He’s one of two Colts in the top ten – the other not too surprisingly being Robert Mathis. Still it’s not the Colts that have the real Terrible Twosome. That belongs to Pittsburgh, who have James Harrison in third, just ahead of his teammate Lamarr Woodley. It’s no wonder the Steelers have gone to two Super Bowls in three years when they have these two coming off the edge at you. Their placing does mean that DeMarcus Ware, creator of more pressure than any other over the past three years, lands as the third outside linebacker in the rankings. It may be surprising to see Ware ‘this far down’ the list, but it’s at least partially a credit to how the Steelers vary the use of Woodley and Harrison so that they’re not rushing the passer all the time like Ware is. Some of the surprising names in the Top 10 include two would-be free agents. We’ve already mentioned Charles Johnson (who had been bringing the heat in a situational fashion long before he was given the starting nod), but how about Matt Roth for a team in need of a veteran pass rusher? He didn’t have the best finish to 2010, looking a tad overused, but as a Dolphin and Brown he has always got pressure and thus earned his ninth place finish. That’s ahead of outside linebackers like Clay Matthews (12th), Elvis Dumervil (16th) and Brian Orakpo (20th). Here’s the three-year Top 20: Pass Rushing Productivity, Edge Rushers, Top 20, 2008-2010Rank Player Pos. Team Pass Rushing Snaps Total QB Disruptions PRP1 John Abraham DE ATL 1239 194 12.492 Dwight Freeney DE IND 1417 214 11.983 James Harrison OLB PIT 1339 193 11.614 Lamarr Woodley OLB PIT 1346 193 11.555 DeMarcus Ware OLB DAL 1626 227 11.246 Tamba Hali OLB KC 1466 209 11.227 Chris Clemons DE SEA 910 129 11.218 Charles Johnson DE CAR 1096 149 10.729 Matt Roth OLB CLV 773 105 10.6410 Robert Mathis DE IND 1368 182 10.6011 Ray Edwards DE MIN 1468 197 10.5212 Clay Matthews OLB GB 978 125 10.3013 Trent Cole DE PHI 1718 215 9.8814 Jason Babin DE TEN 838 104 9.8715 Jared Allen DE MIN 1776 219 9.8516 Elvis Dumervil OLB DEN 832 97 9.4417 Mario Williams DE HST 1515 178 9.3618 Julius Peppers DE CHI 1665 194 9.2219 Stylez G. White DE TB 1008 117 9.1820 Brian Orakpo OLB WAS 767 87 9.16 Now what about the guys who continue to be given opportunities but aren’t able to take them? Well Robert Geathers is no surprise at the number one spot, and it shouldn’t shock anyone to see two Falcons in the Bottom 10 in the form of Jamaal Anderson (second) and Chauncey Davis (10th). Both men are good run defenders (Anderson especially so) who don’t get many opportunities in pass rushing situations. The same you cannot say of every down rusher Chris Kelsay in Buffalo. One of the more interesting names on the list is that of Raheem Brock. As you’ll have noticed, a far slimmer Brock in Seattle finished in the Top 20 for 2010, so why did he struggle so much as a Colt? It would seem you could put this down to two things (which offer hope for Keyunta Dawson), in that losing the aforementioned weight made him more dynamic, and moving out of Indianapolis gave him some pass rushing opportunities in obvious passing situations. As a Colt, he was left inside at tackle so Freeney and Mathis could feast on the edge, while as a Seahawk he’s allowed to partake in some of the pass rushing bounty himself. Pass Rushing Productivity, Edge Rushers, Bottom 20, 2008-2010Rank Player Pos. Team Pass Rushing Snaps Total QB Disruptions PRP1 Robert Geathers DE CIN 1295 83 4.962 Jamaal Anderson DE ATL 922 64 5.343 Charles Grant DE N/A 751 51 5.394 Chris Kelsay DE BUF 1338 92 5.405 Tyler Brayton DE CAR 1265 93 5.736 Jarret Johnson OLB BLT 1189 88 5.877 Raheem Brock DE SEA 1491 111 5.878 Jason Taylor OLB NYJ 1107 84 6.079 Adewale Ogunleye DE N/A 964 75 6.1210 Chauncey Davis DE ATL 776 62 6.1911 Derrick Harvey DE JAX 931 74 6.2012 Alex Brown DE CHI 1361 113 6.5013 Will Smith DE NO 1680 138 6.5014 Mark Anderson DE HST 849 71 6.5115 Chike Okeafor OLB N/A 817 68 6.5816 Bertrand Berry DE N/A 771 63 6.5817 Darryl Tapp DE PHI 1090 92 6.6118 Joey Porter OLB ARZ 1328 108 6.6819 Andre Carter OLB WAS 1452 132 7.2020 Antonio Smith DE HST 1635 152 7.20 So there you have our look at pass rushing from the edge over the past three years. It’s hard to argue that some players reputations aren’t better than their actual performance, while other performances don’t get the credit they are due. Tune in on Wednesday when we’re going to take the same formula and premise and apply it to the interior linemen, with equally interesting results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 This article does show that Johnson is more than a one year wonder, he could a player breaking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHEC Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Aso should be the #1 FA we should go after, he will make our DE's better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kane#7 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Aso should be the #1 FA we should go after, he will make our DE's better.No DE has been a need for around 3 years now and will only become more of a need.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1989Fan Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 well, i WAS on your bandwagon with a DE or bust until recent.Ray Edwards seems to be the guy linked to the Falcons. The thing is Edwards is at best a 2nd tier DE, but will get top dollar.I think a winner could land Aso for about 12M per season, and that is what it will take for the top DE free agent as well. So IMO, 12M is money much better spent on Aso than Edwards.So what about DE then? well, we have developing youth (Sid and Kroy). Coverage by 3 top tier DBs will get coverage sacks. but that isnt good enough for me either. A pass rush specialist like Jason Babin would be my target. He could probably be had in the 5M per range, maybe a hair more. Let him replace Jamaal. It will be a cost savings there. OR he can assume Chauncey Davis' 5M per season cap hit. So we can improve the pass rush at a draw on the cap, and ad a top cover CB as insurance if we cant keep Grimes long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 I mentioned Johnson and Edwards, but my first choice is Charles Johnson. I think Charles Johnson has more upside than Edwards and could be come a top tier DE. He seems to be a player on the upward trend. He started showing progress in his 3rd year as a pass rush specialist, and had 10 sacks last year as a full time starter and as the only pass rushing threat on the Panthers D-Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebird310 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 well, i WAS on your bandwagon with a DE or bust until recent.Ray Edwards seems to be the guy linked to the Falcons. The thing is Edwards is at best a 2nd tier DE, but will get top dollar.I think a winner could land Aso for about 12M per season, and that is what it will take for the top DE free agent as well. So IMO, 12M is money much better spent on Aso than Edwards.So what about DE then? well, we have developing youth (Sid and Kroy). Coverage by 3 top tier DBs will get coverage sacks. but that isnt good enough for me either. A pass rush specialist like Jason Babin would be my target. He could probably be had in the 5M per range, maybe a hair more. Let him replace Jamaal. It will be a cost savings there. OR he can assume Chauncey Davis' 5M per season cap hit. So we can improve the pass rush at a draw on the cap, and ad a top cover CB as insurance if we cant keep Grimes long term.Word ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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