Breaking down Cam's sacks

[SgtJoo]

 

You’ve heard it here multiple times, but it is worth a yearly reminder: All sacks are not the same. Some can be blamed completely on an offensive lineman. Some can be blamed completely on a quarterback who held the ball way too long. Some are the result of a poor play call or a line call that left a rusher completely unblocked.

And a lot are a combination of these factors.

 

Some of those factors are beyond our ability to comprehend. After all, if a receiver runs the wrong route and therefore isn’t where the quarterback knew he was supposed to be, that can lead to a sack. And unless someone on the team mentions it in the postgame, we’re never going to know that he was the reason the quarterback didn’t throw the ball.

 

But there are some things we do know: The longer it takes for a sack to occur, the less the offensive line and pass protection can be blamed. For a 2.5-second sack, it’s most likely that someone blew their block. For a 3.5-second sack, it’s fair to say that the offensive line did their job and the quarterback, the play call, or the receivers are to blame.

 

Again, while it requires some inferences, the timing of sacks tells a lot. For the purposes of Under Pressure, short sacks are any sack that took less than 2.6 seconds. A normal or medium sack is one that takes between 2.6 and 3.1 seconds, and a long sack takes 3.2 seconds or longer.

 

It’s not perfect, but the division between short sacks (34.6 percent of all sacks), medium sacks (32.3 percent) and long sacks (33.2 percent) are close enough to view them as three equal parts.

 

 

 

The story is quite different with Jets quarterback Geno Smith. Smith has been sacked 28 times overall, but only five (17.9 percent) of them are short sacks. Another eight (28.6 percent) are normal sacks and a whopping 15 (53.6 percent) are long sacks. The story is similar with Raiders’ quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor has 22 of the Raiders 30 total sacks, but 59 percent of those are long sacks, while only 13.6 percent of them are short sacks. Both are young athletic quarterbacks who count on their legs to buy additional time to throw.

 

 

C.Newton

 

Short sacks: 6 / 28.6%

 

Medium sacks: 5 / 23.8%

 

Long sacks: 10 / 47.6%

 

 

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/under-pressure/2013/under-pressure-sack-breakdowns

[KendrickPanther]

This has been my main criticism of Cam. If he can add the smart throwaway to his game he can eliminate those drive killing sacks. But he's playing well right now lets be happy.

[CRA]

You gotta accept the good with the bad.....him holding on long and trying to extend plays will sometimes result in a sack or......the TD in the redzone to Olsen last week. Can't have one and not the other

[KendrickPanther]

Yeah it's not really the sack that bothers me, it's when he tries to escape and loses an additional 7 yards.

[natty]

It's just a result of his size.  You see smaller guys like Brees and Wilson that are quick to throw the ball away but guys like Cam are much more successful at extending plays, so he's going to take some additional sacks because of it.  

 

I doubt it's something that will ever change. at least until Cam is much older and less mobile.  Then again, Big Ben continues to hold on to the ball even though he's over 30 now.  

[LinvilleGorge]

You gotta accept the good with the bad.....him holding on long and trying to extend plays will sometimes result in a sack or......the TD in the redzone to Olsen last week. Can't have one and not the other

Yep. I've just come to accept that Cam is always going to take some sacks that he shouldn't, but on the flip side, he's always going to make some plays that most QBs can't by buying time. I just want him to get smarter with when to roll the dice on buying more time and when to just throw it into the stands. 3rd and 15 on the fringe of FG range is not the time to roll the dice. Throw that thing into the stands and give Gano a shot.

[Real Emotional Trash]

The biggest thing to note is that it's Cam's legs, along with the legs of other QBs mentioned, that extend a play from 2.5 seconds into 4-5 seconds to try and make a play or escape pressure only to find the entire line has failed them.

 

Watching the game, there's a reason you scream at the TV or in the stadium for the o-line to do its job.

[stankowalski]

[brandon_87]

It's just a result of his size.  You see smaller guys like Brees and Wilson that are quick to throw the ball away but guys like Cam are much more successful at extending plays, so he's going to take some additional sacks because of it.  

 

I doubt it's something that will ever change. at least until Cam is much older and less mobile.  Then again, Big Ben continues to hold on to the ball even though he's over 30 now.  

 

please remind me of what Wilson does best?  I'm pretty sure it's extending plays...  I see your point, but very poor example

[Frizzy350]

Shouldn't measure it based on the time the sack occurs, but when the quarterback has to first avoid a defender.  Many times Cam will successfully evade a defender within 2.5 seconds and before he's able to regain his footing another defender gets to him.

 

Number of pass rushers vs number of blockers should be considered.  Last year especially, so often I'd see teams drop 8 into coverage and have a 3 man pass rush, yet Cam still have a man on him within a second or 2. (Perfect example: That beautiful 3rd and 11 run vs the Falcons last year)  If only 3 guys are rushing, a qb should have SIGNIFICANTLY more time and he needs it, because there is a whole lotta coverage to digest.

 

What I stated above ties directly into the problem with our oline.  Only one player on our line gets straight up beaten (Byron Bell), most of the time when our linemen get their hands on guys they provide enough protection.  The issue with our oline is how easily they get confused.  Oftentimes on those 3 man rushes I mentioned, u end up seeing 1 or 2 linemen not blocking anybody and looking around dumbfounded.  Simple stunts and disguised blitzes give us HUGE fits too (see week 1 2012 and cardinals game this year).

 

In closing, I don't really give a damn if Cam takes a bit longer than other QBs to throw the ball.  When you have an explosive, dynamic player in the NFL you build around him, especially when he's a quarterback.  No player is perfect in the NFL, they all have weaknesses and strengths.  If Cam's one flaw is holding the ball a bit too long, then build a monstrous oline around him.  Brees and Wilson have trouble seeing over linemen, so the linemen are coordinated to open passing lanes that coincide with their receivers routes.  Some QBs checkdown too frequently, so you surround them with guys who can take a short pass to the house.  Facts are facts, when Cam has time (and room to step up, one of the most frequent causes of a poor throw from him) he flat out carves up defenses, on the ground and in the air.  Also, look at guys like Matt Ryan, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.  They have had horrible oline play all year long and their team and stats have taken a huge toll because of it.  Cam has a less talented receiving corps then any of them and about an equal level of oline play and he's still significantly outperforming 2 guys each with 2 rings and a guy who has made the playoffs just about every year of his career.

[Chaos]

Cam is doing much better now than early in the season with waiting his receivers open, or not checking down when they were covered.  The sacks I've seen lately looked like o-line whiffs (Gross) or a late blitz pickup leading to a hit.

 

I think many wrongs of this offense, including protection, have been righted.  We'll find out soon enough with some real defenses across the ball.

[footballisasport]

Are some of you looking for reasons not to fix the problem with your O-line. Some of theses QBs have time to knit sweaters before their  O-line breaks down, 

 

Maybe the problem is, those who suppose to protect the QBs simply don't take their jobs as seriously cause they have a Mobile QB.

[jackson113]

sacks?.....figured he had only one like the rest of us..............continue on with the thread............

[beastson]

You’ve heard it here multiple times, but it is worth a yearly reminder: All sacks are not the same. Some can be blamed completely on an offensive lineman. Some can be blamed completely on a quarterback who held the ball way too long. Some are the result of a poor play call or a line call that left a rusher completely unblocked.

 

 

 

Or some cause the defense plays too and make plays also