Cards 3rd in NFL in sacks

[NashDishesDimes]

Cardinals are 3rd in the NFL in sacks behind Minni and and pittsburgh. Pretty nice stat to have, credit D-dock for sure. Just kinda odd because we all were and still are concerned about their pass rush. Dock really is there only consistent pass rusher. Im assuming Bill Davis must just be blitzing alot more than other teams? regardless, Coool

 

[SoCal Cardfan]

Our pass rush is kind of hard to figure based solely on numbers.
The sack total is obviously right up there, but it doesn't tell the whole story (imo)

The Cards pass rush is feast or famine, we either lay the QB on his back, or let him get to his 3rd or even 4th read, very little in between in the way of pressures, hurries etc...

 

[187]

Our pass rush is kind of hard to figure based solely on numbers.
The sack total is obviously right up there, but it doesn't tell the whole story (imo)

The Cards pass rush is feast or famine, we either lay the QB on his back, or let him get to his 3rd or even 4th read, very little in between in the way of pressures, hurries etc...

I agree completely on the feast or famine statement. The pass rush is hit or miss, some plays we look great and other plays we don't get anywhere near the QB.

 

[CaptTurbo]

I credit 90 and the secondary. We still need a premier rusher.

 

[joeshmo]

First and foremost we are not 3rd in sacks. Total sacks is not a stats you can rank because it does not take into account the amount of times a team has the opportunity to get a sack. If two teams have 30 sacks, team A faced 400 pass attempts and team B face 350. Team B is by far the better sacking team. So pass attempts per sack is the way to go. That still ranks us pretty high at 7th though, getting a sack every 13.3 pass attempts. It is also a pretty big improvement from last year where we were ranked 20th with a sack every 16.68 pass attempts.

So what changed? Here is what changed.

1. Calias Campbell - Dude is a huge improvement over A. Smith. Takes pressure away from Dockett that Smith never did.
2. Branch, Watson, Iwebema - We finally have a rotation. Dockett doesnt have to play every down anymore. We have a legit 6 man DL rotation. No one gets tired. Dockett is more rested and more energetic the whole game then any other year he has played before. Case in point, Dockett didnt even play for a full Vikings offensive series in the 4th quarter. And Dockett wasnt even injured he was still standing right next to Bill Davis on the sidelines.
3. Bill Davis / scheme - The players say that Davis is more willing to listen to the players about what they see on tape, match ups they think they can take advantage of, Davis scheme is simplified and less complex then years past, which means there ar fewer missed assignments.

I also cant agree with the statement that we are feast or famine. Sure there were breakdowns to end the 49ers game and the Titans game but we are rushing the passer pretty consistently with more then just sacks, we are also getting a lot of hurries and hits and here is proof.

1. Ranked 5th in the NFL allowing only 57% of passes to be completed.
2. Ranked 11th in the NFL allowing only a 81 passer rating.
3. Ranked 10th in the NFL allowing only 31% in passing 1st downs.
4. Ranked 2nd in the NFL in total 3rd down defense.
5. Among 3-4 DE's Dockett is ranked 2nd in QB Hits, Campbell ranked 4th.
6. Among 3-4 DE's Campbell ranked 2nd in QB Hurries, Dockett ranked 3rd. Both would still be in the top 10 if you included 4-3 DE's as well.

Granted there have been a few glaring miscues during big moments but for the most part that pass rush has been very consistent IMO.

 

[SuperSpck]

Good stats.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

First and foremost we are not 3rd in sacks. Total sacks is not a stats you can rank because it does not take into account the amount of times a team has the opportunity to get a sack. If two teams have 30 sacks, team A faced 400 pass attempts and team B face 350. Team B is by far the better sacking team. So pass attempts per sack is the way to go. That still ranks us pretty high at 7th though, getting a sack every 13.3 pass attempts. It is also a pretty big improvement from last year where we were ranked 20th with a sack every 16.68 pass attempts.

So what changed? Here is what changed.

1. Calias Campbell - Dude is a huge improvement over A. Smith. Takes pressure away from Dockett that Smith never did.
2. Branch, Watson, Iwebema - We finally have a rotation. Dockett doesnt have to play every down anymore. We have a legit 6 man DL rotation. No one gets tired. Dockett is more rested and more energetic the whole game then any other year he has played before. Case in point, Dockett didnt even play for a full Vikings offensive series in the 4th quarter. And Dockett wasnt even injured he was still standing right next to Bill Davis on the sidelines.
3. Bill Davis / scheme - The players say that Davis is more willing to listen to the players about what they see on tape, match ups they think they can take advantage of, Davis scheme is simplified and less complex then years past, which means there ar fewer missed assignments.

I also cant agree with the statement that we are feast or famine. Sure there were breakdowns to end the 49ers game and the Titans game but we are rushing the passer pretty consistently with more then just sacks, we are also getting a lot of hurries and hits and here is proof.

1. Ranked 5th in the NFL allowing only 57% of passes to be completed.
2. Ranked 11th in the NFL allowing only a 81 passer rating.
3. Ranked 10th in the NFL allowing only 31% in passing 1st downs.
4. Ranked 2nd in the NFL in total 3rd down defense.
5. Among 3-4 DE's Dockett is ranked 2nd in QB Hits, Campbell ranked 4th.
6. Among 3-4 DE's Campbell ranked 2nd in QB Hurries, Dockett ranked 3rd. Both would still be in the top 10 if you included 4-3 DE's as well.

Granted there have been a few glaring miscues during big moments but for the most part that pass rush has been very consistent IMO.

This is why Joe has more credibility then even the team beat writers in my world.

Awesome Stuff.

 

[Unsterblich856]

If we get Shawne Merriman out of free agency and Cody Brown healthy, we'll have the makings of a top defense. Merriman hasn't been healthy since early 2008 and hasn't looked good, which means he'll come at a discount price. He's 25 so he still has plenty of football left in him. He's already a proven 3-4 OLB so no worrying about transition like Aaron Kampman.

 

[nooch]

If we get Shawne Merriman out of free agency and Cody Brown healthy, we'll have the makings of a top defense. Merriman hasn't been healthy since early 2008 and hasn't looked good, which means he'll come at a discount price. He's 25 so he still has plenty of football left in him. He's already a proven 3-4 OLB so no worrying about transition like Aaron Kampman.

I like your thinking, but one would the FO go after a player like Merriman. And two I don't think we could afford to pay a player like him.

I can only imagine this Defense with pass rushing linebackers.

 

[NashDishesDimes]

^^Agreed. The Cards will have problems affording what they have. Pass rush/o-line should be adressed in draft not via free agency

 

[RugbyMuffin]

I think the concern is from the more traditional football thinkers. I am a quasi-traditional football guy. And that is not a pretentious thing, it is just a matter of opinion and preference.

There is no denying that the Cardinals are creating a pass rush through what JoeSchmo wrote up above.

But we play a 3-4 and traditioinally the majority of your pressure should come from the OLB. We are lucky to have the front three of Dockett, Campbell, and Alan Branch. Yet, the pass rush abilities of our OLB'er leaves a lot to be desired. While I can easily look Okeafor and Haggans in the eye, and say "good job", there is no denying both are old and slow. Solid players, especially for their age, but old and slow.

When you think about OLB'ers in a 3-4, you think of Carl Banks & Lawerence Taylor, Pat Swilling & Reggie Jackson, and Gregg Lloyd & Kevin Greene.

And that is optimal. At this point, and many teams do this as well, we will take anything we can get. Just one out of the two OLB'er positions.

Guys like DeMarcus Ware, Elvis Dumervil, Terrell Suggs (ugh) or James Harrison would do fine even without someone at the other OLB'er position.

The problem ? These types of players are rare, and you gotta watch you don't pay 22 million to a guy that is only going to produce at most 7 sacks, ala Calvin Pace. You can get a guy to get 7 sacks at a quarter of the price, IMO.

You gotta draft a good OLB'er and then cross your fingers that that guy is not a bust, which if you look at the past drafts it is an extremely high risk situation when drafting a pass rusher.

So, it is a concern in a traditional sense, but the Cardinals are making due with what they have, which is a sign of a good football team.

 

[lauraw]

Bill Davis doing one hell of a job in his 1st year with this defense...

 

[187]

Can someone give me some pass rush stats in crucial moments of games?