As part of our ongoing Stat of the Day series, we're digging deep into our spreadsheets to run a new stat every weekday until Super Bowl XLIV.
Thursday [1], we ran numbers that showed which cornerbacks made the most tackles after complete passes, as well as the most successful tackles after complete passes. Friday [2], we ran those numbers for safeties. Today, we finish out these out with linebackers. You can read Thursday's Stat of the Day [1] for an explanation of where these stats come from. It's important to understand that these are play-by-play stats, not stats from our game charting project. That doesn't mean they aren't subjective, but the subjectivity belongs to the official scorers of the 32 teams, not the FO game charting volunteers. They only take into account plays that get made, not opportunities to make plays.
If you like Patrick Willis [3], today's list is for you. Nobody tackles receivers after complete passes quite like Patrick Willis [3].
| Top 11 LB Making Plays on Complete Passes, 2009 | ||
| Player | Team | Plays |
| 52-P.Willis | SF | 63 |
| 56-B.Cushing | HOU | 57 |
| 59-D.Ryans | HOU | 52 |
| 59-L.Fletcher | WAS | 51 |
| 57-Dh.Jones | CIN | 50 |
| 52-D.Harris | NYJ | 47 |
| 55-L.Briggs | CHI | 47 |
| 52-M.Boley | NYG | 45 |
| 55-C.Session | IND | 45 |
| 55-S.Tulloch | TEN | 45 |
| 56-B.James | DAL | 45 |
| Top 12 LB Making Stops on Complete Passes, 2009 | ||
| Player | Team | Stops |
| 52-P.Willis | SF | 30 |
| 56-B.Cushing | HOU | 22 |
| 52-D.Smith | JAC | 22 |
| 52-D.Harris | NYJ | 21 |
| 55-L.Briggs | CHI | 21 |
| 56-B.James | DAL | 20 |
| 56-D.Ryans | HOU | 19 |
| 59-L.Fletcher | WAS | 18 |
| 55-S.Tulloch | TEN | 17 |
| 57-Dh.Jones | CIN | 16 |
| 56-N.Barnett | GB | 16 |
| 99-K.Burnett | SD | 16 |
Those tables went over the top ten because of ties. This table goes over the top ten because I had to show everyone just how impressive Patrick Willis [3] was.
| Top 12 LB Stop Rate on Complete Passes, 2009 (min. 15 tackles after receptions) |
||||
| Player | Team | Plays | Stops | Stop Rate |
| 57-B.Scott | NYJ | 18 | 12 | 67% |
| 99-M.Lawson | SF | 20 | 13 | 65% |
| 50-J.Anderson | CAR | 18 | 11 | 61% |
| 52-D.Smith | JAC | 39 | 22 | 56% |
| 58-R.Maualuga | CIN | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 58-D.Vobora | STL | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 58-A.Pierce | NYG | 15 | 8 | 53% |
| 51-B.Leber | MIN | 21 | 11 | 52% |
| 51-G.McRath | TEN | 23 | 12 | 52% |
| 99-K.Burnett | SD | 31 | 16 | 52% |
| 59-W.Woodyard | DEN | 16 | 8 | 50% |
| 52-P.Willis | SF | 63 | 30 | 48% |
Our final table is led by a guy whose half-season in 2009 definitely didn't live up to his past performance. These numbers aren't a definite guide to who player well or who played poorly, but zero stops on 15 pass tackles is not a good thing.
| Bottom 10 LB Stop Rate on Complete Passes, 2009 (min. 15 tackles after receptions) |
||||
| Player | Team | Plays | Stops | Stop Rate |
| 51-L.Tatupu | SEA | 15 | 0 | 0% |
| 52-D.Jackson | CLE | 19 | 2 | 11% |
| 53-D.Williams | KC | 30 | 5 | 17% |
| 56-L.Hill | SEA | 17 | 3 | 18% |
| 50-E.Sims | DET | 22 | 4 | 18% |
| 52-J.Beason | CAR | 38 | 7 | 18% |
| 51-C.Mays | KC | 16 | 3 | 19% |
| 92-H.Hillenmeyer | CHI | 31 | 6 | 19% |
| 51-J.Vilma | NO | 36 | 7 | 19% |
| 55-J.Laurinaitis | STL | 35 | 7 | 20% |
| 93-A.Spencer | DAL | 20 | 4 | 20% |
Links:
[1] http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2010/stat-day-pass-tackles-cornerbacks-0
[2] http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2010/stat-day-pass-tackles-safeties
[3] http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/17230/patrick-willis