Tuesday, December 9, 2008

D'Qwell Jackson: NFL Leader in Tackles


Lone Bright Spot?

Shaver Sports, in a constant effort to find something positive to say about your 2008 Cleveland Browns, decided to look beyond the obvious bright spot in Josh Cribbs and glanced over at the defensive side of the ball. Much was said last week after the Browns defense held The Great One, Peyton Manning without a TD. No need to look further than the NFL's Tackle Leader in D'Qwell Jackson, right? Jackson, leads the league in Total Tackles with 130, after Sunday's 12 tackle, 3 Assist performance.

As Old Man Corso would say, "Not So Fast My Friend". Upon further review, Jackson's numbers are somewhat misleading, and definitely a product of the system, a.k.a. An Awful defense that can't get off the field. The Shaver Sports research department found that the Browns are ranked 25th in the league in Total Defensive Plays (407 total). Only 7 teams have been on the field, for a defensive play more than the Browns. That being said, it makes sense that the Browns would have a good chance to have a League Leader in tackles, right? (In the NBA, the guy who makes the most Free Throws is usually is among the tops in Free Throws Attempted) The Browns Defense ranks 27th in Yards Per Game and 28th in Rushing Yards Per Game. Amazingly, only two teams have have seen more Total Running Plays, Oakland and Detroit. Not a surprising stat. The Browns D is giving up a ridiculous 4.5 Yards/Attempt.

We are not bashing DJ by any means. If he wasn't out there making all of these tackles, who would be? Shante Orr? Overall, Jackson is a good young talent, and one of the few defensive players the Browns can build around for the future. But don't be fooled by the hype. Good but not Great.

Here's hoping Browns management logs onto Shaver Sports before they offer Jackson a huge contract + signing bonus after one big year. (see Rueben Droughns, Jamal Lewis, Derek Anderson, do I need to keep going?)

1 comment:

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