Need Info On Top Blitzing Defenses Last Season (2005)

[BLAZE]

Here's the story, myself and a co-worker of mine who is a Redskins fan were in a debate about who got the better of the Portis/Bailey trade. He stated that the Redskins got the better end of the deal because Portis improved the Redskins running game, however Bailey didn't help to improve the Broncos pass defense as the Broncos were ranked 29th I believe last season. I explained to him that I lot of that was due to a lack of pass rush from the front four and therfore we had to blitz a lot. He said that's bull because the Redskins blitzed more than any team last season, but still didn't suffer in their pass defense so it's all Bailey's fault. What I would like to know is did the Redskins really blitz more than any team last season and is there a link or something that would list the top blitzing teams this past season. Thanks for any feedback.

[Malcontent]

Here's the story, myself and a co-worker of mine who is a Redskins fan were in a debate about who got the better of the Portis/Bailey trade. He stated that the Redskins got the better end of the deal because Portis improved the Redskins running game, however Bailey didn't help to improve the Broncos pass defense as the Broncos were ranked 29th I believe last season. I explained to him that I lot of that was due to a lack of pass rush from the front four and therfore we had to blitz a lot. He said that's bull because the Redskins blitzed more than any team last season, but still didn't suffer in their pass defense so it's all Bailey's fault. What I would like to know is did the Redskins really blitz more than any team last season and is there a link or something that would list the top blitzing teams this past season. Thanks for any feedback.


Nice BLAZE... But the reason our pass D ranked in the low numbers was because teams were so far behind in the 3rd/4th quarter that they were forced to throw more. Hence the inflated numbers against our pass D.

[Ballhawk]

Just point out that Champ singlehandedly save our season with a TD against SD and vaulted us to the AFCC game with his pick of Brady. Oh and you might want to point out we were 2nd in the NFL in rushing.

There is more but that should about do it :D

[BLAZE]

Nice BLAZE... But the reason our pass D ranked in the low numbers was because teams were so far behind in the 3rd/4th quarter that they were forced to throw more. Hence the inflated numbers against our pass D.
Good point. I may have trapped myself because if I go back to him and explain to him this point, it may seem like I'm backpeddling. I already threw out the blitzing point, so I would need to know if the Redskins really did blitz more than any team in the NFL.

[BLAZE]

Just point out that Champ singlehandedly save our season with a TD against SD and vaulted us to the AFCC game with his pick of Brady. Oh and you might want to point out we were 2nd in the NFL in rushing.

There is more but that should about do it :D

More good points. I think I already trapped myself though.

[Ballhawk]

Good point. I may have trapped myself because if I go back to him and explain to him this point, it may seem like I'm backpeddling. I already threw out the blitzing point, so I would need to know if the Redskins really did blitz more than any team in the NFL.

You could just wait with a big smile on your face for when Cutler and Campbell go head to head :)

ESPN should be airing the special soon: "The Washington Redskins: The Story of the Bronco Dynasty!"

[Archie]

Wow - this is tough because I don't have the stats in front of me (and I guess I'm unwilling to run out and get them - as it were) - but... I think it is stunningly clear that the Broncos secondary is much better now then before the trade for Portis. There must be stats that bear this out.

[BLAZE]

Wow - this is tough because I don't have the stats in front of me (and I guess I'm unwilling to run out and get them - as it were) - but... I think it is stunningly clear that the Broncos secondary is much better now then before the trade for Portis. There must be stats that bear this out.

Yeah, I need those Blitzing stats. If the Redskins didn't blitz more than any team in the NFL, than my co-worker's argument is dead.

[Jens1893]

Our Pass D was fine. Just a few numbers

Denver

Passes Attempted against - DEN 613, 32nd
Percentage Completed - DEN 56.1, 3rd
Yards per Attempt - 6.25, 4th
Passer Rating - 72.2, 4th

[azbroncfan]

It would be a 3-4 team because they usually send at least 1 of the back 8 every play, My idea of blitzing is sending more than 4 and I'm not a big fan of sending 6 and 7 although you have to if your DL can't get it done.

[BLAZE]

Our Pass D was fine. Just a few numbers

Denver

Passes Attempted against - DEN 613, 32nd
Percentage Completed - DEN 56.1, 3rd
Yards per Attempt - 6.25, 4th
Passer Rating - 72.2, 4th

Was there a way we could've prevented the pass yardage (other than pass rush) late in games last season? Perhaps tighter coverage or something? According to my co-worker the Redskins only had 13 sacks last season yet was still able to have a solid pass defense.

[BLAZE]

It would be a 3-4 team because they usually send at least 1 of the back 8 every play, My idea of blitzing is sending more than 4 and I'm not a big fan of sending 6 and 7 although you have to if your DL can't get it done.

I know the Steelers would have to be one of the teams at the top in Blitzing last season. I'm curious to where the Broncos ranked last season.

[Jens1893]

Was there a way we could've prevented the pass yardage (other than pass rush) late in games last season? Perhaps tighter coverage or something? According to my co-worker the Redskins only had 13 sacks last season yet was still able to have a solid pass defense.

They had 36 sacks.

Your co-worker is caring about the yardage stats way too much. Yards don´t really matter if you can keep them out of the end zone and make a play when it matters. Our Pass D ranked 29th because we were passed on all the time as we were playing with a lead rather often. Everyone praised our Rushing D, which wasn´t that great at all IMO as hardly anyone ran on us.

[2KBack]

Yeah, I need those Blitzing stats. If the Redskins didn't blitz more than any team in the NFL, than my co-worker's argument is dead.

If he made the statement, then he should be the one that has to prove it to you. Just call bull**** and say he has to prove it.

[BLAZE]

If he made the statement, then he should be the one that has to prove it to you. Just call bull**** and say he has to prove it.

I'll tell him that.

[Atlas]

Here's the story, myself and a co-worker of mine who is a Redskins fan were in a debate about who got the better of the Portis/Bailey trade. He stated that the Redskins got the better end of the deal because Portis improved the Redskins running game, however Bailey didn't help to improve the Broncos pass defense as the Broncos were ranked 29th I believe last season. I explained to him that I lot of that was due to a lack of pass rush from the front four and therfore we had to blitz a lot. He said that's bull because the Redskins blitzed more than any team last season, but still didn't suffer in their pass defense so it's all Bailey's fault. What I would like to know is did the Redskins really blitz more than any team last season and is there a link or something that would list the top blitzing teams this past season. Thanks for any feedback.


First of all Bailey had 8 ints last year and he personally won 3 games.
2ndly Denver being the 29th ranked team against the pass has nothing to do with their pass defense. They were #2in the league against the rush(yards not ave.) They would get huge leads forcing other teams to pass more. Thus their pass ranking was low. But Denver did well in other stats like Opp. QB comp %, OPP QB rating ect.
3rd the pass rush didn't really help

[Mediator12]

Broncos were tops in Blitzing on passing downs and number one overall @ 22%. They were also lowest in adjusted sack rate. Try football outsiders website for confirmation.

[Arkansas Bronco]

Our Pass D was fine. Just a few numbers

Denver

Passes Attempted against - DEN 613, 32nd
Percentage Completed - DEN 56.1, 3rd
Yards per Attempt - 6.25, 4th
Passer Rating - 72.2, 4th
Wow nice info Jens. Didnt realize that we got thrown on more than every other team. That speaks volumes about our DB's and it does tell you that we did put some pressure on the qb (just not fast enough to get the sack).

[Mediator12]

Wow nice info Jens. Didnt realize that we got thrown on more than every other team. That speaks volumes about our DB's and it does tell you that we did put some pressure on the qb (just not fast enough to get the sack).

The common misconception is that DEN was strong versus the run and weak against the pass. In reality, they were just plain Average versus the run and very good against the pass. The biggest problem was sacking the QB, but they were outstanding in points allowed nonetheless. They were a very good defense overall but not as dominant as others because of the lowest adjusted sack rate in the NFL.

[Mediator12]

Oh, for Your skins friend they blitzed 11.2% of the time for 12th in the NFL BTW. The Chiefs were 14% but blitzed a ton on rushing downs. SD only blitzed 5.3% for 29th. OAK was 7.0% for 26th.

[BLAZE]

Broncos were tops in Blitzing on passing downs and number one overall @ 22%. They were also lowest in adjusted sack rate. Try football outsiders website for confirmation.

I looked all over that site and can't find the section where they list the top blitzing defenses.

[BLAZE]

Oh, for Your skins friend they blitzed 11.2% of the time for 12th in the NFL BTW. The Chiefs were 14% but blitzed a ton on rushing downs. SD only blitzed 5.3% for 29th. OAK was 7.0% for 26th.

What section is this listed on the site?

[Jens1893]

The common misconception is that DEN was strong versus the run and weak against the pass. In reality, they were just plain Average versus the run and very good against the pass. The biggest problem was sacking the QB, but they were outstanding in points allowed nonetheless. They were a very good defense overall but not as dominant as others because of the lowest adjusted sack rate in the NFL.

Finally! I thought I was the only guy who saw that last season.

[Gcver2ver3]

This is one of the rare events where a trade was good for both teams...

But tell your friend that he needs to simply bottom line this whole thing..

In the simplest terms...

We were a top 5 running team when we had portis....and a top 5 running team AFTER we traded portis but WITH a Champ Bailey on our team...

So in the simplest terms its as if we got a pro bowl corner for free...

nuff said...they can't BEAT that

[Mediator12]

Blaze,

I am sorry that the Info is not on the FO Site. When taking notes I used the FO's moniker and should have used the Pro Football Prospectus 2006 by Aaron Schatz et al. FO is Schatz's Web site that is free, the Prospectus is his cash cow ;D

Also, the Prospectus gives the overall Blitz rates from the Football Charting project. It has an article on "smart Blitzes". Check there.

[Popps]

Nice BLAZE... But the reason our pass D ranked in the low numbers was because teams were so far behind in the 3rd/4th quarter that they were forced to throw more. Hence the inflated numbers against our pass D.


There's a little truth to that, but there's also some truth to the fact that we were bad on 3rd downs, horrible at rushing the passer, gave up 20 TDs through the air (not good) and had major breakdowns against the pass at key times. (Remember the NY game?)

Certainly this stuff isn't Bailey's fault, but the fact remains that we struggle against the pass, as we have for quite some time, and we should all know why, by now. Lord knows I've chronicled it enough around here.

[Mediator12]

There's a little truth to that, but there's also some truth to the fact that we were bad on 3rd downs, horrible at rushing the passer, gave up 20 TDs through the air (not good) and had major breakdowns against the pass at key times. (Remember the NY game?)

Certainly this stuff isn't Bailey's fault, but the fact remains that we struggle against the pass, as we have for quite some time, and we should all know why, by now. Lord knows I've chronicled it enough around here.

We can talk about the lack of a quality DL for forever. It is the one thing We agree upon wholeheartedly:thumbsup:

However, there are a few things you missed.

1. Of those 20 TD passes, Champ was NOT playing on seven of them.

2. Denver Started over 68% of passing snaps with two Rookies playing CB. This includes the Nickel.

3. In 2004, Denver was 6th in total passing Yards allowed, but 2cd in completion % with 56.2 and 6th in yards per catch. They faced 484 passes.

In 2005, they dropped in total yards to 29th on 613 pass attempts. That is 129 more Attempts than the year before, roughly 4 more average passing games. They were 3rd in Completion % with 56.1, improved from 6.1 yards per pass to 5.9, and doubled their INT's.

The third down percentage dropped from a GREAT 31.1% and third in the NFL in 2004 to 36.7% and thirteenth in 2005. Biggest reason is point #2. While everyone loved the rookies they were NOT very consistent and this reflects in the third down conversion % numbers.

[azbroncfan]

Bottom line is Denver has sucked past couple years at rushing the Passer thus needing to blitz. I guarantee if the front four could get there Coyer wouldn't be sending 8. If you buy Retreads you get a temporary replacement and that's what they have got.

[loborugger]

What did PT Barnum say.... something like...

"Never wisen up a chump or give a sucker an even break."

Just point out if he keeps running his half-educated trap that you will personally talk to Danny boy about trading BVP or Ron Dayne for their 1st rounder next year.

Champ went a long ways towards saving the SD and Pats games, set the tone for the Plowboys game, and played hurt most of the season. Meanwhile Portis was making up characters in hopes it would raise the jinx of his endzone drought. Portis has 18 TDs in 2 years in DC - hardly a dominate force or earning the largest RB salary in the NFL.

[Popps]

We can talk about the lack of a quality DL for forever. It is the one thing We agree upon wholeheartedly:thumbsup:

However, there are a few things you missed.

1. Of those 20 TD passes, Champ was NOT playing on seven of them.

2. Denver Started over 68% of passing snaps with two Rookies playing CB. This includes the Nickel.

3. In 2004, Denver was 6th in total passing Yards allowed, but 2cd in completion % with 56.2 and 6th in yards per catch. They faced 484 passes.

In 2005, they dropped in total yards to 29th on 613 pass attempts. That is 129 more Attempts than the year before, roughly 4 more average passing games. They were 3rd in Completion % with 56.1, improved from 6.1 yards per pass to 5.9, and doubled their INT's.

The third down percentage dropped from a GREAT 31.1% and third in the NFL in 2004 to 36.7% and thirteenth in 2005. Biggest reason is point #2. While everyone loved the rookies they were NOT very consistent and this reflects in the third down conversion % numbers.

Yea, the consistency of our pass D has been a problem for a long time. At least we started making some big plays last year... INTs, etc. Think back before last year, and we were really bad in that dept.

Our problem is this... when a team need to pass on us, they can. Why? Because if we send blitzers, someone is open. If we drop back into coverage, our front four gets stood up and the QB has all day. I mean, its' a dead horse, but when you're nearly last in the league in sacks because of your front four, you're not going to stop people on 3rd down. This isn't college football. The gimmicky blitz **** only takes you so far.

But again, this has nothing to do with Champ. As a couple of people pointed out, Bailey may have saved our entire season last year with that SD INT. It was that big. That's why it's a shame to watch him getting burned in the AFCCG because he's got to cover guys for 9 seconds at a time.