My main wish for the offseason is a ball-hawking safety. Frequently my posts are countered with the argument that average safeties can be made to look great with an a good pass rush.
So to find out if interceptions really are the result of a good pash rush, I looked at the stats from last year:
The top 5 teams last year for intereceptions were:
1. Baltimore (11th in sacks)
2. Cleveland (30th in sacks)
3. Chicago (22nd in sacks)
4. Greenbay (25th in sacks)
5. Tampa Bay (20th in sacks)
The bottom 5 teams last year were:
28. Buffalo (28th in sacks)
29. Seattle (10th in sacks)
30. Dallas (1st in sacks)
31. Denver (26th in sacks)
32. Detroit (16th in sacks)
The average sack ranking for a top 5 INT team was 21.6
The average sack ranking for a bottom 5 INT team was 16.2
Surprised? It makes logical sense that a team with a good pass rush would force a QB to make more poor decisions. But teams often plan accordingly, and as it turns out, teams with good pass rush actually get fewer interceptions. This is probably because teams playing against a team with a good pass rush use short drop backs, quick outs, and more runs to counteract the good pass rush.
A lot of interception takeaways is more the result of a good secondary. It does not depend entirely on the pass rush, as people seem to believe.
So to find out if interceptions really are the result of a good pash rush, I looked at the stats from last year:
The top 5 teams last year for intereceptions were:
1. Baltimore (11th in sacks)
2. Cleveland (30th in sacks)
3. Chicago (22nd in sacks)
4. Greenbay (25th in sacks)
5. Tampa Bay (20th in sacks)
The bottom 5 teams last year were:
28. Buffalo (28th in sacks)
29. Seattle (10th in sacks)
30. Dallas (1st in sacks)
31. Denver (26th in sacks)
32. Detroit (16th in sacks)
The average sack ranking for a top 5 INT team was 21.6
The average sack ranking for a bottom 5 INT team was 16.2
Surprised? It makes logical sense that a team with a good pass rush would force a QB to make more poor decisions. But teams often plan accordingly, and as it turns out, teams with good pass rush actually get fewer interceptions. This is probably because teams playing against a team with a good pass rush use short drop backs, quick outs, and more runs to counteract the good pass rush.
A lot of interception takeaways is more the result of a good secondary. It does not depend entirely on the pass rush, as people seem to believe.