Closing out 2015 - Stats You Need to Know

LOOKING BACK
By Nick Webster

We've been updating you on Run/Pass Stuffs all season at Pro Football Journal. One we've been keeping tabs on is total stuffs, where a runner is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, and it was a big year in the stuff department in 2015. 

Some stuffs - most in fact - are made on running plays, but certain players excel on stuffs on passing plays, and as the passing game increasingly takes center stage the ability to tackle receivers behind the line of scrimmage is increasingly important. Of 1,682 total stuffs in 2015, 313 or 18.6% were on pass plays, with some very impressive individual performances to boot.

The leaders:

Rk	Name	R/P Stuffs		Run Stf	Pass Stf
1	Mark Barron	18.5		15.5	3
2	J.J. Watt	16.5		15.5	1
3	Kelvin Sheppard	14		11.5	2.5
4	Aaron Donald	13.5		13.5	0
	Telvin Smith	13.5		10.5	3
6	Michael Bennett	12.5		12.5	0
7	Khalil Mack	12		8.5	3.5
8	Paul Posluszny	11.5		9.5	2
	Ndamukong Suh	11.5		11.5	0
10	Calais Campbell	11		10	1
	Malcolm Smith	11		7	4
12	Malcolm Jenkins	10.5		4.5	6
	Deone Bucannon	10.5		8	2.5
	Olivier Vernon	10.5		8.5	2
15	Demarcus Lawrence	10		9	1
	Jonathan Babineaux	10		7	3
17	Bennie Logan	9.5		9.5	0
	Kevin Minter	9.5		6.5	3
19	C.J. Mosley	9		6	3
	Geno Atkins	9		9	0

The context: J.J. Watt has now led or tied for the lead in run Stuffs in the last four seasons consecutively. Since 1982, no individual defender cumulatively has led or tied for the league lead more than three times – Watt is the leader in this category over the past 43 seasons, and he’s not done yet. He has the highest single season total (dating to 1982) with 23.5 in 2012.  In Watt we are truly watching a generational talent whose trajectory is with those of Reggie White, Deacon Jones and Gino Marchetti – count yourself lucky.

 

Perhaps more interesting is the player at the top of the total Stuff leader-board Mark Barron. His ascendance is emblematic of the way the game has changes with ever increasing hybridization with in the box Safeties playing as Linebackers - particularly considering Barron's own previous career high of 6.5 as a Rookie. How impressive is Barron’s figure at 18.5? It is tied with Ed McDaniel’s 18.5 in 1995 with the Minnesota Vikings. It is the highest figure in 20 years for someone not named J.J. Watt. Barron completed the feat very differently, with 3 of his 18.5 coming on Pass Stuffs, McDaniel was a classic run plugger in a scheme designed to keep him clean to make plays. With the Rams Barron as well is the beneficiary of a unique scheme, but he has displayed a unique ability to make plays in this context, ergo his 2^nd best (tied) all-time Single Season Stuff mark.

 

Other notable names at the top include Defensive Player of the Year candidates Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald and perennial Pro Bowlers like Calais Campbell, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Bennett. Less familiar names include Telvin Smith, Kelvin Sheppard and another Safety/Linebacker hybrid Deone Bucannon.