PFF: Laurinaitis was the best tackler at ILB in 2014

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July 18, 2015 at 12:58 am #27355

zn
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RamBill

PFF: Laurinaitis was the best tackler at ILB in 2014

Pro Football Focus ‏@PFF

James Laurinaitis was the best tackler at inside linebacker in 2014, missing only one of every 27.2 tackle attempts.

RamBill: I heard Bill Polian speaking highly of Laurinaitis on NFL Radio recently. He raved about his smarts, his read-and-react, his anticipation. Things that fans don’t see when watching the games on TV. He even said you have to be looking at game film and know what you’re looking for to really appreciate Laurinaitis’ value.

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Sig Stats: Tackling Efficiency, LBs
Steve Palazzolo | February 10, 2015

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/02/10/sig-stats-tackling-efficiency-lbs/

2014-Sig-Stats-tkleff-LBOur Signature Stat section is loaded with unique measures of player ability, perhaps none simpler than our Tackling Efficiency stat. While the main pages will show missed tackles, the signature stat page puts them into context against the rest of the league. While scouts will often cite poor tackling technique or laud the ability of “sure tacklers,” nothing gets to the heart of it like an actual on-field measure of tackling. It’s pretty self-explanatory but here’s more information about Tackling Efficiency and a look at the best tackling linebackers in 2014.

While he didn’t have a great year from a grade standpoint (-8.9), James Laurinaitis proved to be a sure tackler missing just one out of every 27.3 attempts

July 18, 2015 at 9:42 am #27360

zn
Moderator

Out there, on the net, in response to this post of RamBill’s, it is common to read people saying that making tackles 4-5 yards down the field is not impressive. There’s a fair amount of skepticism about JL.

While that’s frequently said about JL I wonder how true it is.

I will look for stats on depth of tackles. But right now we do have general stats on how well the Rams defend the run in the middle of the field.

According to Football Outsiders, they rank 4th. They allowed 3.35 yards a carry when the run was to the middle (guard to guard).

Their REAL problem defending the run was around the defensive right end, that is outside runs to that side of the field. That sounds like the problem was the weakside LB, not the MLB.

Though of course running from guard to guard would include the Rams DTs, not just JL at MLB.

But the numbers do suggest that runs to the middle were not the problem.

July 18, 2015 at 10:14 am #27361

zn
Moderator

from off the net

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RockRam

The stereotype of a 4-3 MLB is a guy like Butkus who blew players up. People forget what a freak he was in his era when he was playing: 6’3″ and almost 250. Today that is probably slightly above average. But he was bigger than many (most?) DEs his day. He was a frightening sight and simply destroyed people.

But that is not and never was JL. JL is cerebral,a good leader and a good athlete, big enough at 245, and does all things well. He can cover zones, is a much better pass rusher than given credit for, and is sure tackler as the stats indicate (even for those who find subjective analysis and personal opinion more useful than objective statistical analysis, just watch the games).

But he is sort of a drag down tackler; he isn’t Dick Butkus. He isn’t ferocious. So he’s not spectacular, will never make the highlight reels. But he is SO consistent. I don’t recall him having a truly bad game. I think he’s pretty much a B in every category, so when taken in sum he’s a B+ MLB. But because he’s good at everything he plays 3 downs and that is rare today. He is the one guy whose loss for more than a game or two could really hurt the Rams D. For one thing they would have to do a lot more subbing at MLB, which would reveal intent, because we don’t have another MLB who can do all the things JL can do.

July 18, 2015 at 11:15 am #27363

Cal
Participant

But he is sort of a drag down tackler; he isn’t Dick Butkus. He isn’t ferocious. So he’s not spectacular, will never make the highlight reels. But he is SO consistent. I don’t recall him having a truly bad game. I think he’s pretty much a B in every category, so when taken in sum he’s a B+ MLB. But because he’s good at everything he plays 3 downs and that is rare today. He is the one guy whose loss for more than a game or two could really hurt the Rams D. For one thing they would have to do a lot more subbing at MLB, which would reveal intent, because we don’t have another MLB who can do all the things JL can do.

I don’t buy that JL is a B+ MLB. The difference in speed between JL and a guy like Bobby Wagner jumps out at me when I watch games. Wagner gets to a little swing pass to the rb much quicker than JL. The guy is just too slooooow. That difference in speed can be the difference between 2nd & 8 and 2nd & 5.

Stats also show that JL, at least last year, was subpar in pass coverage. JL only had 3 passes defended and no interceptions last year while the top MLB seem to have at least 6 or 7 passes defensed per year.

Up until last year JL put up some impressive stats, but last year his stats–Passes defensed, Ints, and Stuffs–were clearly subpar. I believe the games showed that, too. To me, JL is a guy the Rams have to try to upgrade if they want a top 5 defense. Doesn’t a top defense need a talented guy manning the middle of a defense? I wonder if JL is just too average.

Ayers gives me a little hope. I watched some of the 2013 Titans game against the Rams awhile back and noticed that Ayers was one of the lb’s that stayed on the field in nickle packages. I hope he steals some playing time from JL this year in the nickle package so the Rams can put some more speed on the field.

July 18, 2015 at 5:12 pm #27372
nittany ram
Moderator
Cal wrote:

Up until last year JL put up some impressive stats, but last year his stats–Passes defensed, Ints, and Stuffs–were clearly subpar. I believe the games showed that, too. To me, JL is a guy the Rams have to try to upgrade if they want a top 5 defense. Doesn’t a top defense need a talented guy manning the middle of a defense? I wonder if JL is just too average.

Could that be due to being in a new defense? Could Williams ask his MLB to do different things than what we’re used to seeing?

I don’t have a clue, I’m just throwing that out there.

JL certainly isn’t spectacular, but MLB isn’t a position of need in my book.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by nittany ram.
July 19, 2015 at 9:39 am #27382

zn
Moderator

More on this topic here, where GW praises JL as a playcaller.

http://theramshuddle.com/topic/pff-laurinaitis-was-the-best-tackler-at-ilb-in-2014/

It’s just another tidbit to add to the mix. IE it doesn’t “end the discussion”—the JL debate continues. JL is just controversial. It’s not apocalyptic death-match level controversy, but it’s still always there IMO.

July 19, 2015 at 6:08 pm #27398

zn
Moderator

My take on JL.

I compare him to a player who he resembles in some ways. Antonio Pierce.

In 2004, with GW as the coordinator, Washington had the #3 defense, 2nd against the run. Pierce was their MLB. He then went on to the Giants. I remember a write-up after the 2008 superbowl where a writer asked the Giants defensive coaching staff how they gameplanned to beat the Patz in that game. The FIRST thing they said was that a lot of what they did depended on Pierce recognizing run v. pass and making the calls.

Interestingly, one of the first things Spags did when he came to the Rams was try to replicate Pierce. Of course, that was picking JL.

Back to 2004. Washington had a top defense, and Wms depended a lot on Pierce making the defensive adjustments.

Here are Pierce’s numbers from 2004 compared to JL’s numbers from 2014.

Pierce 2004: 2 INTs, 5 PDs, 1 FF, 2 FRs, 1 sack, 85 tackles.

Laurinaitis 2014: 0 INTs, 3 PDs, 2 FRs, 3.5 sacks, 81 tackles.

Pierce has 4 TOs v. JL’s 2, but JL has 3.5 sacks v. AP’s 1.

Pierce, too, was described as a heady “qb of the defense” type and wasn’t known for his imposing physical skills.

So I was just thinking, if JL holds up, Pierce could be an example of the kind of MLB he is supposed to be.

.

July 21, 2015 at 10:47 pm #27446

zn
Moderator

On numbers. According to a common complaint out there, JL may make tackles, but it’s 5-7 yards downfield.

There’s only one way to check that. Play by plays.

I checked 12 games–from game 5 (SF) through game 16 (Seattle). Here’s what I looked for—runs over either guard or up the middle, where the tackler is JL. I don’t look at runs off tackle or at runs around either end.

I am just making the traditional assumption that JL polices the run from guard to guard. If he tackles outside he comes to the play in support.

However, of course, none of this tells us what percentage of runs to G-C-G where JL makes the tackle at all or doesn’t. It just answers the question, are a lot of tackles where JL is clearly the responsible linebacker made 5-7 yards downfield?

The answer is no. On the plays I set out to look at, his average yards per tackle is 2.8. Of those plays, 20% are 5-7 yards, but 30% are anywhere from tackled for a loss to 2 yards. 50% are in the 3-4 yard range.

July 22, 2015 at 3:00 pm #27458

rfl
Participant

I’d put it like this.

JL is a lynchpin, a central cog in a defensive synergy. That’s his great strength. And it offers tremendous value.

However, he is not in himself an impact player. Never has been and never will be.

Which means the only way he can make a noteworthy impact is through the defense gelling and offering an impactful synergy.

This has never happened. Except perhaps in spurts here and there.

Now, to be fair to JL, he has probably played a key role in maintaining a generally competent level of performance on the only unit that has shown much in years of team ineptitude. And yet, the other side of that coin is the fact that his defenses have been appallingly porous against the run in major stretches of all the seasons since he arrived. Under different coaching staffs and playing with differing personnel. For a MLB playing with generally good DLs, that’s telling.

Anyway, we can appreciate the role JL plays while recognizing that there are impact MLBs who would probably do nearly as much through individual play. And given who he is as a player, he can never get his due until the defense he generals on the field actually becomes a consistently competitive unit.

JL can’t make that happen. If he could, he would have done so. If he hasn’t done it yet, he won’t ever make it happen. He remains dependent on all sort of variables and performances by the guys who can make an impact.

By virtue of the absurd ...

July 22, 2015 at 3:10 pm #27459

bnw
Blocked

He gets dragged around too much while tackling. Playcalling OK I defer to others.

The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.

Sprinkles are for winners.
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