4th Quarter Pass Rush

[JimZipCode]

I was just reading this week's DVOA rankings on Football Outsiders, and a commenter made this quote, which jumped out at me:

...as Bill Walsh once noted, the 4th quarter pass rush is the most critical element of winning close NFL contests.

!!!!
I vaguely remember reading that comment from Walsh. I also noticed John Harbaugh in the postgame press conference at Jacksonville, noting that it is not usual for pass rushers to get better as the game wears on, esp in heat like they played in this past game, so hats off to both teams for being well-conditioned.

We got 4 sacks in the 4th Q this week, right?

Interesting. Is it possible that we're built this year to have a good 4th quarter pass rush? We've got a lot of different pass rushers, and Elvis Doom should be coming back soon. We've been rotating guys, and getting pass rush contributions from a lot of different players. Terrell Suggs looked fresh as a daisy in the 4th Q this past week.

What do you think?

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

A couple of them were kind of "garbage sacks". That came from Bortles holding onto the ball too long.

They were more a testament to our secondary giving Bortles no option then it was to our pass rush. I'd really like to see our pass rush get to the QB much much quicker.

[Shas]

It was nice to see the pressure up the middle, but keep in mind the Jags had two offensive linemen at center and LG who were making their first ever NFL starts, and Joeckel was slid out to LT after playing guard in the first two games because of Beechum's concussion. The Jags already led the league in giving up sacks last year.

[Bhcforlife]

It was good but I agree that a couple were Bortles just being Bortles and being terrible. The sack Suggs got where Bortles moved out of the pocket toward the sideline and then for unknown reasons decided to eat the ball and take the sack rather than throw it away, for example. It was GREAT hustle from Suggs but do we really applaud that in the same way we would if one of our guys just blew off the line, spun the tackle around and crushed the QB? I don't, but maybe that's just me.

Really, I care more about the consistent pressure generated than I do the actual sacks, and in that respect I think they kind of lacked a bit. It's definitely better than it was last year, though.

[Filmstudy]

I'd say the pressure was much more than the sacks alone. Only the 2nd Suggs sack was a "cleanup" sack that shouldn't have happened (but the initial flush came off pressure from ZSmith). The 2 twist sacks (Jernigan, Guy) were outstanding scheme sacks that were (as Shas mentioned) sent to exploit a backup center, but both developed far too quickly for Bortles. Suggs 1st sack was a pure pass rusher's effort.

That was one of the greatest quarters of defensive football you'll ever see and that was accentuated by the need created by offensive failures The Q4 stats speak for themselves: 15 offensive plays, 4 total yards, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 PDs (all of which ended drives), and the OH drawn by Judon. Every bit of that had something to do with fast-developing pressure.

[Ravenswintitle]

I'd say the pressure was much more than the sacks alone. Only the 2nd Suggs sack was a "cleanup" sack that shouldn't have happened (but the initial flush came off pressure from ZSmith). The 2 twist sacks (Jernigan, Guy) were outstanding scheme sacks that were (as Shas mentioned) sent to exploit a backup center, but both developed far too quickly for Bortles. Suggs 1st sack was a pure pass rusher's effort.

That was one of the greatest quarters of defensive football you'll ever see and that was accentuated by the need created by offensive failures The Q4 stats speak for themselves: 15 offensive plays, 4 total yards, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 PDs (all of which ended drives), and the OH drawn by Judon. Every bit of that had something to do with fast-developing pressure.

[HoustonRaven]

A couple of them were kind of "garbage sacks". That came from Bortles holding onto the ball too long.

They were more a testament to our secondary giving Bortles no option then it was to our pass rush. I'd really like to see our pass rush get to the QB much much quicker.

Garbage? Bortles doesn't hold the ball unless coverage is spot on. Nothing garbage about that in the least.

Sacks are every bit about coverage as they are about pressure.

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

Garbage? Bortles doesn't hold the ball unless coverage is spot on. Nothing garbage about that in the least.

Sacks are every bit about coverage as they are about pressure.

I thought I made it quite clear that that's how i felt by saying "garbage sacks" and then saying "They were more a testament to our secondary giving Bortles no option then it was to our pass rush", which I thought implied that it was our secondary doing well and not our pass rushers (but the pass rushers get the credit for the sack)

[Filmstudy]

Thanks to Derek Arnold who put this picture together for me. Last year I asked him to put the faces of the secondary on Wizard of Oz faces, which was a little funny and a lot scary, but there's a site to do that. He had to do a lot more work to put this together.

I think Weddle makes a good Yoda.

[Ortizer]

Thanks to Derek Arnold who put this picture together for me. Last year I asked him to put the faces of the secondary on Wizard of Oz faces, which was a little funny and a lot scary, but there's a site to do that. He had to do a lot more work to put this together.

I think Weddle makes a good Yoda.

Need to get Suggs in for Vader. =)

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[HKusp]

I think people have very unrealistic expectations of what a pass rush and quarter back pressure should be. This front 7 is fast becoming one that OC's are going to dread scheming for. They get a lot of pressure, hits, rushed throws as well as sacks. So far the refs have let them play a little but guys are doing it in the spirit of the rules by and large too. I think this defense is very fun to watch right now and is reminding me a lot of the 2006 unit which was awesome.

[JimZipCode]

I think people have very unrealistic expectations of what a pass rush and quarter back pressure should be.

I blame the Ravens. They have a year like 2006 or 2008, and put that in fans' minds as the "standard". Now we want to see that every year. :-)


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