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Chris Long had another great season in 2011. His 13 sacks proved once again that he's one of the top defensive ends in the NFL. He also led the "QB Hurries" parade for the second year straight with 58. ProFootballFocus put out another in a long line of statistical proofs that shows accountants have other uses. The stat-nicks over at PFF came up with a formula in 2009 they named "Pass Rushing Productivity". It measures not only actual QB sacks, but also QB hits and hurries to discern the overall effectiveness of a defensive player.
Here's their magic formula for success:
Sacks + 0.75(Hits + Hurries)/ Number of Pass Rushing Attempts (at least 100 attempts) = PRP
After the jump, you'll see that Chris Long ranked sixth in the NFL. He is in some impressive company, in the rarified air of elite NFL defensive ends and outside linebackers, whose job it is to terrorize NFL quarterbacks.
Chart and Stats courtesy of ProFootballFocus
Rank | Name | Team | Pass Rush Snaps | Sk | Ht | Hu | PRP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aldon Smith | SF | 337 | 15 | 13 | 36 | 15.36 |
2 | Trent Cole | PHI | 355 | 11 | 12 | 44 | 14.93 |
3 | Antwan Barnes | SD | 266 | 11 | 5 | 29 | 13.72 |
4 | Jason Babin | PHI | 401 | 18 | 12 | 37 | 13.65 |
5 | James Harrison | PIT | 235 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 13.62 |
6 | Chris Long | SL | 483 | 13 | 12 | 58 | 13.56 |
7 | Carlos Dunlap | CIN | 278 | 5 | 13 | 29 | 13.13 |
8 | DeMarcus Ware | DAL | 450 | 20 | 8 | 43 | 12.94 |
9 | Cameron Wake | MIA | 488 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 12.91 |
10 | John Abraham | ATL | 343 | 10 | 8 | 36 | 12.54 |
11 | Brian Orakpo | WAS | 383 | 10 | 6 | 43 | 12.21 |
12 | Von Miller | DEN | 389 | 12 | 19 | 28 | 12.15 |
13 | Mark Anderson | NE | 310 | 12 | 6 | 27 | 11.85 |
14 | Clay Matthews | GB | 453 | 6 | 21 | 39 | 11.26 |
15 | Osi Umenyiora | NYG | 241 | 9 | 4 | 20 | 11.20 |
16 | Tamba Hali | KC | 435 | 11 | 9 | 41 | 11.15 |
17 | Kamerion Wimbley | OAK | 430 | 5 | 15 | 39 | 10.58 |
18 | Chris Clemons | SEA | 501 | 12 | 9 | 45 | 10.48 |
19 | Julius Peppers | CHI | 537 | 12 | 5 | 53 | 10.34 |
20 | Ryan Kerrigan | WAS | 439 | 9 | 12 | 36 | 10.25 |
I hope Robert Quinn finds his way into this group in 2012. His 2011 draft day colleague, Aldon Smith, absolutely dominated as a rookie.
Here's a look at the bottom feeders in the same statistical group:
Chart and Stats courtesy of ProFootballFocus
Rank | Name | Team | Pass Rush Snaps | Sk | Ht | Hu | PRP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
56 | Erik Walden | GB | 402 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 7.28 |
57 | Brooks Reed | HST | 382 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 7.26 |
58 | Calvin Pace | NYJ | 361 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 7.13 |
59 | Justin Tuck | NYG | 387 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 6.78 |
60 | Red Bryant | SEA | 310 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 6.69 |
61 | Will Smith | NO | 505 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 6.58 |
62 | Kroy Biermann | ATL | 320 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 6.56 |
63 | Ray Edwards | ATL | 404 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 6.37 |
64 | Robert Ayers | DEN | 348 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 6.32 |
65 | Israel Idonije | CHI | 570 | 5 | 8 | 32 | 6.14 |
66 | Jonathan Fanene | CIN | 250 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 6.10 |
67 | Cameron Jordan | NO | 301 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 6.06 |
68 | Robert Geathers | CIN | 256 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 5.96 |
69 | Derrick Morgan | TEN | 367 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 5.93 |
70 | Michael D. Johnson | CIN | 402 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 5.66 |
71 | Dave Ball | TEN | 389 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 4.88 |
72 | Spencer Johnson | BUF | 215 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4.65 |
73 | Dave Tollefson | NYG | 297 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 4.46 |
74 | Jason D. Jones | TEN | 374 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 4.41 |
75 | Jayme Mitchell | CLV | 351 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3.21 |
If you're curious about how defensive tackles did using the same criteria, go here.