2011-2016 Top Tacklers at or Behind the Line of Scrimmage

STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW
By John Turney

Credit: Just Rivals

When a quarterback is sacked at the line of scrimmage it counts as a sack, it's a sack for zero yards. Traditionally, tackles behind the line of scrimmage are a key stat as well. NFLGSIS calls them "tackles for loss". Stats, LLC., call them "stuffs". We at Pro Football Journal add in stuffs on pass plays, for example when a screen pass is dropped for a loss.

But, there is no real consistency in plays for losses since sacks count of they are not for a loss. In this excercise, we've counted all the tackles that result in no gain or less, whether a pass play or a run play and we include sacks. We count solo and assisted tackles the same since we don't desire to break out and analyze a few thousand plays and feel it makes a good apples-to-apples comparison list. It is the reason the sack totals may differ from official totals slightly, the "search criteria" was different than usual. Perhaps at the end of the season we will take the time to make the list more prefect.

We think it shows the players that are making plays that are considered by coaches a big play, one for no gain or less. We began with 2011, J.J. Watt's rookie season and totaled the plays that fit the criteria with a big assist from Pro Football Reference.com.

You'll see we have sorted the list per 16 games, to make up for players who may have missed a year or have retired such as Jared Allen and others.

Behind Watt in total number of plays made are Von Miller (131.5) and Lavonte David (128.5). Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have only played 2½ seasons but their per 16-game average are both in the top five. They certainly have both lived up or, or even surpassed their expectations.

Pro Football Journal's 2016 Mid-season All-Pro Team

OPINION
By John Turney

Pro Football Journal's 2016 Mid-season All-Pro Team
Offense
WR: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
WR: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Slot: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
QB: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

FB: Kyle Juszczyk, Baltimore Ravens

RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
RB: DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans
3rd down Back: James White, New England Patriots
TE: Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
T: Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns
T: Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
G: Justin Pugh, New York Giants
G: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
C:  Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys

Defense
30 DE: Derek Wolfe, Denver Broncos
40 DE: Cliff Avril, Seattle Seahawks
DT: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
NT: Linval Joseph, Minnesota Vikings
ILB:  Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
Rush LB: Von Miller, Denver Broncos
OLB: Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB:  Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
CB: Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos
SS:  Landon Collins, New York Giants
FS:  Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Slot: Chris Harris Jr., Denver Broncos
DPR: Kerry Hyder, Detroit Lions

Special Teams
K: Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
P: Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams
KR: Jordan Todman, Indianapolis Colts
PR: Marcus Sherels, Minnesota Vikings
ST: Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings

We chose Evans over A.J. Green due to his 8 TDs at mid-season. Yes, there are three Cowboys on the offensive line, but with the running of Elliott and the protection given to Prescott, we think they deserve it.

Lavonte David is back to his old self, making plays in the backfield and good coverage, Miller edges Khalil Mack for the rush backer. Kerry Hyder leads non-starters in sacks, he comes into the game and plays 3-technique, though he's listed as a defensive end.

Cordarrelle Patterson is a fine kick returner, but he's been a gunner this year and seems to get down the field more often than anyone we've noticed so far this year. Hekker has just one touchback and with the Rams offensive woes, he may be the team's MVP thus far.

Pro Football Weekly's 1986 NFL Players of the Week

THINGS YOU CAN NEVER LAY YOUR HANDS ON

Complete Lists
By John Turney

Beginning in 1978 Pro Football Weekly chose players of the week and were the only organization to do so. Here is the 1986 list:

Eric Dickerson gathered two awards as did Raul Allegre. 

R.I.P. Bill Stanfill, the Big-Name No Name Defender

REMEMBERING
By John Turney

The football world lost another fine player yesterday, Miami's Bill Stanfill. He was a vital cog on the Dolphins No Name Defense of the early 1970s that went to three consecutive Super Bowls and won the last two they appeared in after the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Stanfill was the best pass rusher on that team and one of the leaders.

He was a Pro Bowler in 1969 (AFL All-Star) and 1971-74. In 1969 he tied for second in the AFL Rookie of the Year award voting. Stanfill was an All-AFC choice every season from 1971 through 74 and was a First-team All-Pro in 1972 and 1973 and a Second-team All-Pro in 1974.

1974 = one blocked kick

In 1973 he (unofficially) led the NFL in sacks with 18½, beating out Jack Youngblood (16½), Elvin Bethea (16), and Verlon Biggs (15) for the title. He would have had a strong case for being the 1973 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, though at the time he didn't get much support and teammate Dick Anderson won the award. 

Had sacks been publicized at the time it's likely he would have had quite a lot of support. In addition to his sacks he had 9.5 stuffs and 4 forced fumbles in 1973. In his First- and Second-team All-Pro seasons, he averaged 65 tackles, 13 sacks, 7 stuffs and 2.3 forced fumbles and walked away with two Super Bowl rings, including the “Perfect Season” championship in 1972.

Dolphins coach Don Shula liked to point out that Stanfill earned each of his sacks. 

“This was when we used a lot of three-man lines to get to the quarterback,” Shula once said, meaning Stanfill often had to beat double-teams. He also said of Stanfill: "On the field, he was a fierce competitor. His toughness served as an example to the entire team and was a key reason why he was so respected by teammates and opponents alike." 

Stanfill was a consensus All-American in 1968 and was named the Outland Trophy winner and that was followed by induction to the College Hall of Fame in 1998. During his three-year college career, the Bulldogs went 25-7-1 and won a pair of SEC titles.

Stanfill was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the UGA Circle of Honor in 2000. He was named to the 25-Year All-SEC Team from 1961-85, the All-SEC Quarter Century Team from 1950-74 and the 1960s All-SEC team. In addition, Stanfill was an All-SEC choice all three years and earned Academic All-America and Academic All-SEC honors in his senior season at Georgia.

He was drafted in the first round of the 1969 AFL-NFL draft with the 11th overall pick. 

Stanfill was known as a tough player, gutting it out while playing with injuries and a neck injury in 1975 really ended his career but he fought on through that season and 1976. The limited his playing time and effectiveness as a pass rusher and he had to retire. The coup de gras was a weight machine injury in the offseason before the 1977 season.

Aaron Donald Keeps Pace With Previous "Smaller" Tackles

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

We have been documenting Aaron Donald's rise to the head of the NFL 3-technique list. Now, halfway through his third year, the slippery defensive tackle is on pace for 10 sacks and 16 run/pass stuffs, which if he keeps pace would put him ahead of these other selected smaller 3-techniques in the latter category and 2.5 sacks behind Geno Atkins in the former.

This week, shade defensive tackle Michael Brockers called Donald, "a '290-pound bowling ball' with the strength of two men".  And Pro Football Focus has him rated (for the second season in a row) the top defender in the NFL and if he keeps up his 2016 pace he will be tops again this season.

As a rookie, he outpaced his peers, and in his second season, he also surpassed most of those peers in similar categories. As you can see on the third chart, he's not slowing down.

Here is the three-season total for these defensive tackles:

With eight games left to play in 2016 Donald already has more sacks and stuffs than any of these players.

Early New Orleans Saints Uniform Anomoly

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

Uniwatch and ESPN's Paul Lukas did a fine job on this subject but I wanted to show a few color shots I hadn't seen before. In the first few years of the Saints the pattern of the stripes and helmets changed and for a while they did a mix-and-match on the field.

In 1967 they had a black, white, black striping pattern.

In 1968, there was a deviation to a white, black, white pattern on both the helmet and pants on some of the uniforms.

1975 Sports Illustrated Pro Football Preview Art

LOOKING BACK

By John Turney

When I received this issue in the mail, back in 1975, I was excited, then disappointed. At the time I was not a fan of cartoon art, I preferred other types of sports art, but in retrospect I think these characterizations. Below are the illustrations that appeared in the magazine, all by an artist, whose full name I have not yet found. Here is his signature:

I wish I knew who it was to give him/her full credit. Here are the illustrations:

Pete Rozelle

Ken Anderson

Willie Lanier

Lawrence McCutcheon

John Hadl

Bill Bergey

Reggie McKenzie