Why Ray McDonald Is Having Career Year for Banged-Up 49ers Defense

A show of hands please for how many times the words Ray McDonald, career year and San Francisco 49ers defense have graced the headlines in 2014.

If this were a classroom filled with even the most diehard of 49ers fans, a sea of proverbial crickets would likely ensue.

Analysis of McDonald the football player—and not the legally cleared civilian off the field—hasn’t materialized as a newsworthy item this season.

That’s what happens when one of the most underrated players operates at one of the most underappreciated positions in the game.

It also doesn’t help that McDonald plays second fiddle to a positional brethren on his own team—especially one with the nickname Cowboy, aka Justin Smith.

So unless you’re J.J. Watt, playing defensive end in a 3-4 alignment just isn’t sexy.

Notwithstanding McDonald’s presumable lack of concern for public accolades, why is the seventh-year pro having such a banner season for this banged-up 49ers defense?

Injuries Throughout—But Not McDonald

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Qualifying San Francisco’s defense as merely “banged up” doesn’t render justice to this decimated unit.

Pivotal members at every level have missed significant time or are currently lost for the year. And some haven’t played a single snap all season.

Run-stuffing nose tackle Ian Williams played in only nine games after taking over for Glenn Dorsey. Williams is now on injured reserve, Dorsey has yet to return and rookie Quinton Dial is starting.

All-Pro inside linebacker Patrick Willis suited up for just six games before having a season-ending procedure on his toe. NaVorro Bowman, his all-world partner in crime, might not see the field at all following offseason knee surgery.

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

In the Niners secondary, cornerback Chris Culliver has missed a start, and former No. 1 corner Tramaine Brock has been on the sidelines for all but 10. Rookie Jimmie Ward joined Chris Cook on injured reserve after logging just a half-season’s worth of playing time as well.

McDonald, for his part, has served as the model of gridiron consistency.

He ranks sixth on the 49ers and leads his fellow linemen with 611 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

He has missed nary a game for the Red and Gold at left defensive end.

And at his position—one of, if not the most important—in a 3-4 contingent, such reliability has proven invaluable for coordinator Vic Fangio’s depleted group.

Invaluable Presence, Big-Time Production

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press/Associated Press

Defensive ends that play with just two other down linemen fill both an interior and outside role.

They often occupy an offensive guard and tackle, setting the edge and allowing their linebackers and fellow defenders to make plays.

They generally aren’t supposed to make plays themselves—and certainly not the ones who line up on the left side.

We can only surmise that the NFL’s TPS report didn’t land on No. 91’s desk.

McDonald has compiled 33 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and two stops behind the line of scrimmage. Both of those tackling statistics will likely become career highs by season’s end.

And those are just the generic stats.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

He leads the 49ers with 28 quarterback hurries, has whiffed on just two tackles and ranks third on the team with 23 stops and a 15.2 composite rating, per Pro Football Focus.

His 10th overall ranking at his position also doesn’t paint the entire picture.

McDonald’s 28 hurries rank second only to Watt, while his 10.0 run-stop percentage rates third in the league and three spots ahead of that aforementioned league-best defender.

Heck, he’s even earned a seat in the top half of 3-4 tackles with 33 total quarterback pressures and a 7.0 pass-rushing productivity rate.

All told, McDonald has received just three negative grades in 2014. His plus-8.1 in Week 12, including 4.0 against the run and 3.9 as a pass-rusher, was also one of the highest scores you’ll ever see for a defensive player.

Consistently healthy and consistently great, we reckon McDonald is doing pretty well for himself on the field and in the advanced metric department.

Succeed in Silence

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

All but guaranteed to become a distraction with his now-resolved off-the-field incident, McDonald has been nothing but a team player all season long.

When the outside world questioned his playing time and implored that he be benched, including the GOAT himself, McDonald put his head down and did his job.

There weren’t any buzzworthy quotes to the media, ego-filled sound bites or behavior that would serve as a viral impediment to the team’s goals.

He has controlled what he can control and contributed in fundamental ways without needing praise in return.

He has played at a Pro Bowl-caliber level and has done so in a blue-collar fashion.

In a 49ers season marred with continuous drama, from players all the way to upper management, McDonald has represented all that is good about this proud franchise on the field.

We cannot judge his actions off of it; but we certainly can evaluate him as a football player.

And in that role, McDonald has been a consummate—and dominant—professional.

All team and player statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference and ESPN unless otherwise noted. Advanced metrics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Joe Levitt is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, waxing academic, colloquial and statistical eloquence on the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @jlevitt16