NFL: Why Are QBs Like Jay Cutler and Kevin Kolb Being Sacked So Much?
Greetings from down under. So far in the 2010 NFL season, there have been 397 sacks in 6 weeks. That's 66 sacks a week! These numbers are much greater than what was occuring 20 year ago, and it comes down exclusively to the way the game has changed over the years.
This slide show is intended to outline the five main reasons for the increase in quarterback sacks and hits.
Quarterbacks Passing More Often
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In recent years, the NFL has seen an explosion in the passing game. While this has heightened the spectacle of the sport, it has also left quarterbacks more open to punishment from defensive players.
When quarterbacks are dropping back to pass more, and teams are trying to win on the arms of gunslingers, the role of defensive ends has changed from playing the run as well as rushing the passer to just lining up after the quarterback.
With four or five pass rushers getting another 15 to 20 chances to go after the quarterback a game, an increase in sacks is not surprising
New Orleans Saints/New York Jets Influenced Blitzing Defenses Catching On
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With the success of Greg Williams and Rex Ryans blitz heavy defenses in 2009, and the ongoing dominance of the Pittsburgh Steelers under Dick LeBeau, more and more teams are sending heavy blitzes at quarterbacks, especially the inexperienced ones. When teams are sending six, seven or even eight defenders after a quarterback, the odds of him being hit increase dramatically.
Most of these blitzers are allowed a free path to the quarterback, and while coverage is comprmised andh completing a pass to a uncovered receiver become much easier, most plays the quarterback is hit by the defender.
The volume of hit begin to take their toll on quartebacks decision making, so has become a common tactic which first publicised after the New Orleans Saints victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game last season.
The Popularity Of The Mike Martz Spread Offense
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The spread offense has also become very popular in the NFL after the success' of the "Greatest Show on Turf" and the young college quarterbacks who played spread offense in college.
The spread offense favours having three or four wide receivers on the field at once. This opens up the passing game for quarterbacks, and is very successful with the right personnel, but it does limit the number of players i.e. running backs and tight ends who are in position to pick up the blitz.
With a maximum of two players designated for blitz pick up defenses are more likely to blitz, and sacks become extremely likely if the secondary can play solid coverage for the first few seconds of a play.
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Higher Profile Of Pass Rushers
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Ever since sacks became a recorded statistic, elite pass rushers have become the glamour player of the defense. Guys like Elvis Dumervil in 2009 and Clay Matthews so far in 2010 become household names when they lead the league in sacks.
Because pass rushers are now high visibility players, they get paid top dollar for their services. The monetary value and the "cool" factor of being a pass rusher captures the interest of younger players, so in the next generation there are more physical marvels rushing the passer, which makes it harder for offensive linemen. Bingo. More sacks.
On top of this, the positions that players are shifting from to become pass rushers are more often than not one on the offensive line, because of the lack of money in non-LT O-line positions and the comparitive physical abilities of the two positions.
More Defensive Line Picks In Recent NFL Drafts
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As alluded to in the last slide, pass rushers now are popular players. This trend really began in the mid and late 80's, when Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith were terrorising quarterbacks. Now, in the 2000's, we are seeing the results of popular pass rushers with a massive increase in the number of defensive linemen taken in the first round of the draft.
| Offensive Linemen | Defensive Linemen | |
| 2007 | 4 | 7 |
| 2008 | 8 | 7 |
| 2009 | 5 | 8 |
| 2010 | 6 | 8 |
| Total | 23 | 30 |
As this table shows, there have been more defensive linemen picked in the first round of the NFL draft over the last 4 years, and a similar trend is predicted for the 2011 draft. Also, not shown by this table is the positioning of the picks. Most of the defensive linemen are taken in the top 20, while offensive linemen are normally in the top 10, or the final 10 spots in the first round.
This statistic shows that NFL franchises want to have top pass rushers in their teams and that there are a lot more physically talented players coming through on the defensive side of the trenches. This hints at the continuation of the trend that we are seeing this year, with quarterbacks being smashed left, right and centre.
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