You’ve gotta love the interception Terrell Suggs made in the fourth quarter Saturday night to help the Ravens beat the Steelers, 30-17.
How did he do it, you ask? I’m guessing he got a pep talk at halftime from Jack Nicholson:
FYI: That’s part of a classic scene from the 1970 movie, Five Easy Pieces (in case you’ve never seen it).
Richard Sherman, the Seahawks’ ballhawk/cornerback, intercepted another pass in Sunday night’s 35-6 win over the Cardinals. That gives him 24 in his first four seasons (with a game to go), tying him for third most since the 1970 merger. Here’s where he falls on the list:
[table width=”300px”]Years,Defensive back\, Team,Int
1977-80,Lester Hayes\, Raiders,25
1981-84,Everson Walls\, Cowboys,25
1981-84,Kenny Easley\, Seahawks,24
2011-14,Richard Sherman\, Seahawks,24
1978-81,John Harris\, Seahawks,22
1976-79,Mike Haynes\, Patriots,22
1994-97,Keith Lyle\, Rams,22
1988-91,Erik McMillan\, Jets,22
2002-05,Ed Reed\, Ravens,22
[/table]
Sherman’s total is even more impressive when you consider how much lower interception rates are now (largely because of all the “adjustments” the NFL has made in the rules). In Lester Hayes’ first four seasons, 5.03 percent of all passes were picked off. In Sherman’s first four, 2.71 percent have been. Big difference.
When you look at it that way, Sherman has had the best first four seasons, interception-wise, of any defensive back in the last 45 years. His 24 INTs represent 1.26 percent of all picks from 2011 to 2014:
[table width=”475px”]Years,Defensive back\, Team,Int,League INT,%
2011-14,Richard Sherman\, Seahawks,24, 1\,899,1.26
1981-84,Everson Walls\, Cowboys,25, 2\,162,1.16
1981-84,Kenny Easley\, Seahawks,24, 2\,162,1.11
1994-97,Keith Lyle\, Rams,22, 2\,007,1.10
1992-95,Darren Perry\, Steelers,21, 1\,974,1.06
1988-91,Erik McMillan\, Jets,22, 2\,080,1.06
2002-05,Ed Reed\, Ravens,22, 2\,096,1.05
1977-80,Lester Hayes\, Raiders,25, 2\,425,1.03
1991-94,Aeneas Williams\, Cardinals,20, 1\,950,1.03
1988-91,Eric Allen\, Eagles,21, 2\,080,1.01
1997-00,Sam Madison\, Dolphins,21, 2\,081,1.01
[/table]
It might seem like we’re splitting hairs here, but note the gap between first (Sherman) and second (Walls) — 0.1 percent — is the biggest of all. (Next biggest: .05 percent between second and third.) The gap between top and bottom, meanwhile, is .25 percent. That’s a pretty sizable separation.
In other words, receivers may not be able to separate themselves from Sherman, but Sherman sure can separate himself from other DBs.
Source: pro-football-reference.com
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman does this to opposing receivers, too.
Statistics were invented for a player like DeAngelo Hall. He isn’t that rare Shutdown Corner everybody lusts for — a Darrelle Revis or a Richard Sherman — and at going-on-31 his Pro Bowl years are probably behind him. The Redskins, strapped for cap dollars, deemed him expendable enough to release him during the 2013 offseason, though he eventually re-signed with them and played well enough to earn a four-year extension.
But Hall does have value, even if it’s declining. He may not be a great cover man, but he’s durable and — here’s where the stats come in — opportunistic. In fact, he’s the football equivalent of that guy at the beach with the metal detector. He’s always finding “loose change” by hanging around the ball. And he’s especially good at doing something with said ball once he latches onto it.
Stat No. 1: Because Hall came out of Virginia Tech early and was 20 when he played in his first NFL game, he played 143 games in his 20s. That gave him an unusual amount of time to make his statistical mark, and he took advantage of it. Consider: Since the big rule changes in 1978, the ones that turned the league into a Picnic for Passers, only one pure corner has had more picks in his 20s than DeAngelo did. The Top 10 looks like this:
[table]
Seasons,Cornerback,Teams(s),Ints
1981-88,Everson Walls,Cowboys,44
2004-13,DeAngelo Hall,Falcons\, Raiders\, Redskins,42
1999-07,Champ Bailey, Redskins\, Broncos,42
2003-10,Asante Samuel,Patriots\, Eagles,42
1992-00,Terrell Buckley,Packers\, Dolphins\, Broncos,38
1991-97,Aeneas Williams,Cardinals,38
1996-03,Donnie Abraham,Bucs\, Jets,36
1988-95,Eric Allen,Eagles\, Saints,35
1995-03,Ty Law,Patriots,35
1989-96,Deion Sanders,Falcons\, 49ers\, Cowboys,34
[/table]
Note: Ronnie Lott (43) and Ray Buchanan (38) aren’t included because they got some of their interceptions at the safety spot (enough, at least, to take them below the cutoff of 34).
Granted, Hall has a tendency to gamble, but 42 picks are 42 picks, particularly in an era with low interception rates and a ton of one-possession games. Often, One More Takeaway can be the difference between victory and defeat. That’s what Hall, for all his flaws, gives you.
Stat No. 2: Last season Hall ran back two interceptions and one fumble for touchdowns. That brought his career totals in those categories to five and four. Only one other player in NFL history has returned at least four INTs and four fumbles for scores. Here are the 11 with 3 or more of each:
[table]
Seasons,Player,Team (s),Int TD,Fum TD
1997-12,Ronde Barber,Bucs,8,4
2004-14,DeAngelo Hall,Falcons\, Raiders\, Redskins,5,4
1997-11,Jason Taylor,Dolphins\, Redskins\, Jets,3,6
2000-09,Mike Brown,Bears\, Chiefs,4,3
2000-09,Adalius Thomas,Ravens\, Patriots,3,3
1991-04,Aeneas Williams,Cardinals\, Rams,9,3
1988-00,Cris Dishman,Oilers\, Redskins\, 2 others,3,3
1989-98,Anthony Parker,Vikings\, 4 others,4,3
1969-81,Bill Thompson,Broncos,3,4
1970-82,Lemar Parrish,Bengals\, Redskins\, Bills,4,3
1964-79,Paul Krause,Redskins\, Vikings,3,3
[/table]
Not a bad bunch. Williams and Krause are in the Hall of Fame, Taylor is surely headed there and I’ve never quite understood why Parrish’s eight Pro Bowls and excellence as a returner don’t merit him serious consideration. Also, did you notice that five of the 11 played at one time or another for the Redskins (for whatever that’s worth)?
Anyway, like I said, DeAngelo Hall was made for stats.
Source: pro-football-reference.com
