Film: How pass-rushers can make a positive impact on non-sack plays

Pass-rushers can destroy a play even if it does not result in a sack, as showcased by the film. Previous sack breakdowns: Why sacks are a misleading stat for evaluating individual defenders Film: Sacks created by the pressure of someone other than the finisher Film: Sacks created by excellent coverage Recently, I went over examples of sacks that were not the handiwork of the actual finisher, whether they were the byproduct of someone else's pressure or great coverage. While "assisted sacks" are tremendously impactful moments, a pass-rusher's effect on the game is not limited solely to plays that result in sacks. There are many ways that a pass-rusher can help the defense win a down even if the play does not end in a sack. Let's go over some instances of such plays from the Jets' 2019 season. Film The simplest way for a pass-rusher to cause havoc without the play resulting in a sack is by creating pressure that leads to an ineffective throw. Quinnen Williams made a good number of these plays throughout the 2019 season. Here, Williams beats the right guard with a double swipe/outside swim combo, quickly getting home to lay a hit on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Forced to get the ball out as soon as he hits the depth of his drop, Fitzpatrick's hurried throw is picked off by James Burgess. While the interception was called back due to a penalty on Burgess, it takes nothing away from Williams, whose clean one-on-one victory produced a takeaway. Sometimes, rather than forcing the quarterback to make an impeded throw from the pocket, pressure forces the quarterback to escape the pocket. Neville Hewitt and Williams run a stunt on this play that creates penetration. Hewitt pushes back the center while Williams uses a long-arm to power the right guard into Andy Dalton, forcing a scramble. Dalton is able to dodge the pressure and free himself up towards the sideline, but because he has to tuck the ball for about one whole second (an eternity in football) to escape, he misses the window to hit a wide-open Alex Erickson crossing over the middle for a would-be first down. Dalton has no choice but to throw the ball away, and the Jets get a third down stop. If the penetration never arrived, Dalton likely would have hung tight in the pocket and delivered to Erickson for a conversion. Another method of making a positive pass-rushing impact on a non-sack play is by drawing a penalty. When beaten for a likely sack, linemen will often take a penalty to protect their quarterback and save the loss of a down, but a holding call still nets the defense an enormously valuable chunk of yardage. In only eight games, Nathan Shepherd led Jets defensive tackles and edge rushers with three holding calls drawn. Shepherd beats two blockers to slice through the B-gap on this play, swiping away the left guard's initial punch and then swimming over the left tackle. This would have been an easy sack, but the left tackle grabs Shepherd to prevent it. Miami is charged with a 10-yard penalty that puts them in a 2nd & 29 situation. As NFL teams continue to emphasize getting the ball out quicker and quicker, it's imperative for rushers to be ready to play the passing lane. James Burgess clearly knows this quick throw to the outside is coming before the snap, so he clogs the lane to make a deflection rather than sticking with his assignment and futilely taking on a blocker. Burgess probably should have intercepted that, but it's a great play nonetheless, one made entirely off of film study and recognition. Another overlooked part of pass-rushing is maintaining an understanding of the opponent and situation. Against a mobile quarterback, sometimes the best move as a rusher is to keep him in front of you rather than going all-out to try and bring him down. Quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson routinely punish defenders for over-pursuing and allowing escape routes to open. Steve McLendon shows excellent veteran savvy against Jackson on this play. He creates a bit of push against the right guard and then throws on the brakes so he can read the play and remain positioned to defend either gap. Kyle Phillips over-pursues to McLendon's left, opening the door for Jackson to escape, which he does. McLendon is all over it, starting to move outside before Jackson even commits to it. McLendon covers the outside to force Jackson inside, where Burgess is there to force Jackson back outside. McLendon sheds the block in space and chases Jackson to the sideline to force the throwaway. Shrewd plays like this one are a fixture of the veteran defensive tackle's game. That's some remarkable athleticism for a nearly-34-year-old, too. Keep in mind the complexity of pass-rushing. It's not just about how many sacks a player can contribute to. Pass-rushers can destroy plays in a countless variety of ways without the end result being a sack.