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sacks

Why is Tom Brady taking a beating? Breaking down where the New England Patriots are lacking in protecting their QB | masslive.com

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Why is Tom Brady taking a beating? Breaking down where the New England Patriots are lacking in protecting their QB | masslive.com

Really great stuff from Nick Underhill, putting some hard numbers to the sacks this season.

A faster trigger would likely deter some of the sacks, but this aspect of the offense isn’t the chief culprit in this dilemma. After reviewing the 26 sacks, it appears that seven were the result of quality coverage from the defense and two were the result of Brady’s indecisiveness. The rest were either the result of a blitz or the result of spotty play by the offensive line. So, to a degree, Belichick is correct in his assessment that the letdowns can be traced back to all elements of the offense. But while facing a bunch of quality pass-rushing teams hasn’t helped, it appears Mankins was closer to the mark when stating that the offensive line needs to become more consistent.

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NESN/Howe: Patriots need team-wide approach to improve pass rush

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NESN/Howe: Patriots need team-wide approach to improve pass rush

Good stuff from Howe here, basically saying what I’ve been saying for the last year. I could rehash it all but it’s probably easier if you just click this post I wrote just after the season which I think is a good companion piece to Howe’s.

Here’s a tidbit from it, total sacks and sack leaders from each of the past seasons of the last decade:

  • 2001 – 41 (Super Bowl Champs) Hamilton – 7
  • 2002 – 34 (missed playoffs due to tie breaker) Seymour/McGinest – 5.5
  • 2003 – 41 (Super Bowl Champs) Vrabel – 9.5
  • 2004 – 45 (Super Bowl Champs) McGinest – 9.5
  • 2005 – 33  (Lost AFCDG) Colvin – 7.5
  • 2006 – 44 (Lost AFCCG) Warren – 7.5
  • 2007 – 47 (Lost Super Bowl) Vrabel – 12.5
  • 2008 – 31 (Missed playoffs due to tie breaker) Seymour – 8
  • 2009 – 31 (Lost AFCWCG) Banta-Cain – 10
  • 2010 – 36 (Lost AFCDG) Wright 5.5

While this doesn’t account for QB pressures, it’s a good general assumption that 40 sacks is approximately the magic number. Pats have been inching closer since the defensive rebuild began in 2008.

But the best sign from the numbers above is that the Pats improved their sack totals despite their leader only having 5.5 and not playing another game after the Colts win. This tells me that they were getting pressure from a broader number of guys. It’s not the single 12-sack OLB that the Patriots need, it’s a multitude of 3-6 sack guys who play throughout the defense.

Let’s talk about sacks… Patriots style follow-up edition

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Before the 2010 season I wrote this article for Pats Pulpit where I surmised that the Patriots really didn’t necessarily need one OLB pass rusher to solve their pass rush problems. What they needed was more pressure from the entire defensive front seven. So not just the high end sack artist type, but the three to four sacks from a multitude of players.

Here was the breakdown of total sacks and sack leaders from the past decade:

  • 2001 – 41 (Super Bowl Champs) Hamilton – 7
  • 2002 – 34 (missed playoffs due to tie breaker) Seymour/McGinest – 5.5
  • 2003 – 41 (Super Bowl Champs) Vrabel – 9.5
  • 2004 – 45 (Super Bowl Champs) McGinest – 9.5
  • 2005 – 33  (Lost AFCDG) Colvin – 7.5
  • 2006 – 44 (Lost AFCCG) Warren – 7.5
  • 2007 – 47 (Lost Super Bowl) Vrabel – 12.5
  • 2008 – 31 (Missed playoffs due to tie breaker) Seymour – 8
  • 2009 – 31 (Lost AFCWCG) Banta-Cain – 10

And now we can add:

  • 2010 – 36 (Lost AFCDG) Wright 5.5

It was our general determination that you really wanted to be around 40 sacks for the season, and after back to back seasons if 31 total sacks in 2008 and 2009 the Patriots improved to 36 sacks in 2010, good for  t-14th in the NFL.

However Mike Wright’s team leading total of 5.5 was the lowest since 2002, and he only played in 10 games. Myron Pryor also battled back problems this season, limiting him to just a half sack. Losing your top two interior rushers can cripple a team, and it surely had an effect on the Pats, especially in the playoff game where they were sack-less.

But it appears that this Patriots team was on the right track and had Wright played the last six games it’s likely they would’ve been right around 40 sacks.

2010 appeared to be a step in the right direction. It’s hard to read too much into these numbers because they don’t include QB pressures, but when you’re leading sack guy is 4.5 sacks lower than last year yet you still have more sacks total you’re getting better production across the board. 

That is the tenet of the 3-4 defense, applying pressure from multiple different spots. Adding additional young pass rushers both on the interior of the line and at outside linebacker will again be a priority, but it looks like the pieces are starting to come together.

Mike Wright Patriots

The Pats missed Wright late in the season.

Let’s talk about sacks. (Patriots Style)

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Before this season started I did this little sack analysis which came to the conclusion that the goal to hit for season sacks is 40. In the five best seasons of the 2000’s (‘01, ’03, ’04, ’06, ’07) the Pats broke that plateau every time, but lately they’ve been in the low 30s.

Now I know this doesn’t include numbers like QB hits and pressures, so take it for what it is worth. I also don’t necessarily believe that higher sack numbers mean a better defense.

For example the 2007 team had six more sacks than the 2003 team and I think we can all agree the 2003 team was probably the best defense of the decade.

Regardless the Patriots now stand at 28 sacks with two games to play, good for eighteenth in the NFL.  It’s likely they will surpass their totals from the past two seasons (31, 31), so at least early on it appears the pass rush did improve somewhat this year.

When you take into account they’ve been without their two best interior rushers for the hardest stretch it’s even a little more impressive.

But it remains clear this team still lacks a feared pass rusher. TBC and his big head don’t need to be game-planned around. 

Right now the Patriots are a team of specialization, but lack a three down linebacker other than Jerod Mayo. The current pass rush specialist is Eric Moore, after stints of seeing Jermaine Cunningham and Shawn Crable in that role, and he’s looked harder to block than either of his predecessors. Perhaps the Pats could be onto something with him like the Dolphins got with Cameron Wake.

If you’d like to see an in-depth analysis of the sacks from the Packers game check out this great article by Richard Hill.