Updated Leaders in Hurries

December 28, 2010, 5:30 pm ET

Since we're not putting up the new DVOA ratings and commentary until tomorrow morning, I feel like I owe you all something new. So here, enjoy this updated list of leaders in quarterback hurries according to the FO Game Charting Project. We've compiled through Week 14, and most teams have roughly 12 games charted. Some have fewer or more, so the list is ordered according to hurries per charted game.

This only includes plays that count officially, so hurries that lead to offensive holding are not included on this list.

Chris Long was lapping the field the last time we measured hurries, but he had a midseason slump with only one hurry in Weeks 11-13. That allowed the rest of the league to catch up, hso now he's only in first place by a normal amount.

Nice job by a couple rookies getting on the bottom of our list.

Player	Team	Hurries	Hurries per Charted Game
72-C.Long	STL	34	2.8
90-M.Williams	HOU	32	2.7
91-C.Wake	MIA	29.5	2.5
94-D.Ware	DAL	28	2.2
55-T.Suggs	BAL	25	2.2
95-C.Johnson	CAR	26	2.2
94-A.Smith	HOU	25	2.1
90-J.Peppers	CHI	20.5	2.1
56-L.Woodley	PIT	23	2.0
91-C.Clemons	SEA	23	2.0
Player	Team	Hurries	Hurries per Charted Game
91-T.Hali	KC	23	1.9
58-T.Cole	PHI	22.5	1.9
93-K.Vanden Bosch	DET	20.5	1.9
93-D.Freeney	IND	22	1.8
92-J.Harrison	PIT	21	1.8
69-J.Allen	MIN	22	1.8
95-T.Banta-Cain	NE	22	1.8
91-R.Edwards	MIN	21.5	1.7
55-J.Abraham	ATL	20.5	1.7
98-B.Orakpo	WAS	18	1.6
Player	Team	Hurries	Hurries per Charted Game
92-C.Avril	DET	17	1.5
53-M.Roth	CLE	18	1.5
71-K.Biermann	ATL	18	1.5
93-K.Williams	MIN	18.5	1.5
98-R.Mathis	IND	17.5	1.5
93-J.Babin	TEN	18	1.4
94-J.Smith	SF	17	1.4
52-C.Matthews	GB	15.5	1.4
97-G.Atkins	CIN	16	1.3
99-L.Houston	OAK	16	1.2

Football Outisders+ Perks & Features image

Comments

11 comments, Last at 29 Dec 2010, 11:31pm

#1 by theshadowj // Dec 28, 2010 - 6:19pm

Crazy how one of the worst pass defenses of the DVOA era has two players in the top 10 in hurries.

#3 by Mr Shush // Dec 28, 2010 - 7:14pm

As if confirmation were needed, the problem is the secondary, not the pass rush. Mark Anderson's also been a very useful contributor since he signed. Going forwards, Williams-Smith-Barwin-Anderson might be the strongest position group on the team, which is one reason not to hire Cowher or anyone else who'd want to implement a 3-4. Perry Fewell, please.

#5 by Jerry // Dec 29, 2010 - 1:06am

FWIW, when the Steelers hired Tomlin, I remember a lot of loose talk about how he was a Tampa-2 coach and he was gonna change the defensive scheme. A good coach will come in, evaluate what he has, and proceed from there. The next Texans coach (assuming they fire Kubiak) may decide that what's there isn't worth saving, or that he can fit some of those players into a scheme he prefers, or maybe that plugging a couple of new guys into something like the current defense will improve it enough. If he's a good coach, chances are he'll make a good decision.

#8 by zlionsfan // Dec 29, 2010 - 1:50pm

As a Lions fan, that doesn't surprise me at all ... Detroit is in a similar position, but with a better DL (and perhaps a better secondary, although I'm not sure they're that different). If the pressure doesn't get there, there's going to be a first down. Even the best DL in the game wouldn't make enough of a difference.

It does make you wonder how bad the defenses would be if the DLs weren't as good as they are.

Oh wait, we don't have to wonder. It would be like Detroit's 2009 pass defense. Never mind.

#10 by jbrown (not verified) // Dec 29, 2010 - 7:46pm

Doesn't it drive you crazy to see this and listen to how hated Mario still is here in Houston? It's like no one in the city has followed the careers of Mario, Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Matt Leinart since that draft...

#11 by Mr Shush // Dec 29, 2010 - 11:31pm

Well, as I live in London/Oxford (England, not Ohio, Oxford for most of my life and right now but London in general these days) my exposure to sentiment on the subject from Houstonians is largely confined to that expressed in the comments after Zierlein and Stradley's blog posts. But yes, it does appear to me that a significant proportion of Texans fans are bat-shit insane when it comes to this subject.

Players from the 2006 draft who have clearly been more valuable to date than Mario Williams:

None.

Players from the 2006 draft who could reasonably be argued to have been more valuable to date than Mario Williams:

D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Jay Cutler
Haloti Ngata
Greg Jennings
Marques Colston

Personally, the only one of those who I would rather have taken than Williams is Cutler. The only one I wanted more at the time was Ferguson.

Of the last 20 first overall picks, Peyton and Pace will pretty clearly end up with more career value than Williams, and Jake Long and Sam Bradford may well do. I'd probably take all four of those guys over him. None of the other 15, though. He was a great pick and is an excellent player at the second or third most important position. Bush is a valuable but limited rotation player. Young and Leinart are full-on busts. Texans fans who moan about Williams are nuts.

#2 by Soyaki (not verified) // Dec 28, 2010 - 6:27pm

First thing I wondered:

S2pOH (Sacks*2 plus Observed Hurries) (Pro Football Reference, min 5.5 sacks, note high likelihood of cut and paste errors)
Cameron Wake MIA 57.5 DeMarcus Ware DAL 53 Chris Long STL 51 Mario Williams HOU 49 Charles Johnson CAR 49 Terrell Suggs BAL 47 Tamba Hali KAN 47 John Abraham ATL 46.5 Chris Clemons SEA 44 James Harrison PIT 43 Jason Babin TEN 43 Jared Allen MIN 41 Trent Cole PHI 40.5 Clay Matthews GNB 40.5 LaMarr Woodley PIT 40 Dwight Freeney IND 40 Robert Mathis IND 39.5 Julius Peppers CHI 36.5 Brian Orakpo WAS 35 Ray Edwards MIN 34.5 Cliff Avril DET 33 Justin Smith SFO 28