Where has all the pass rush gone? Long time passing.
Where has all the pass rush gone? Long time ago.
Where has all the pass rush gone? Quarterbacks avoid them, every one
When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?
—With apologies to “Where have all the flowers gone?”
As the Nov. 5 trade deadline approaches, the persistent chatter continues concerning the need for the Arizona Cardinals to improve their pass rush.
It’s louder now that the Cardinals find themselves technically in first place in the NFC West with a 4-4 record, the same as the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and one-half game better than the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams.
With that comes breathless reports that (BREAKING NEWS), the Cardinals are talking to other teams about improving the rush! Shocking, isn’t it? What would be shocking and negligent is if they weren’t talking to anyone. Of course they are, just as numerous teams, if not all, are also having conversations.
The reality though, especially when it involves pass rushers is that most teams with top-level edge players (and there aren’t that many) won’t be quick to part with them and if they are it’s likely because the contracts are enormous and the player is pushing 30 years old. As for adding depth, that might be possible, but it would have to be someone better than what the Cardinals have now.
General manager Monti Ossenfort came to Arizona with a plan, and it’s not expected he would veer significantly from that because the Cardinals are currently .500. Good GMs have a long view that goes beyond the present and also extends past the next year.
Yes, there’s cap space aplenty, but it has to be spent wisely. Many of those dollars will be needed to hopefully retain many of the young players that have been added in the last few years. The Cardinals currently have a long list of potential unrestricted free agents in March, and the more contributors to the growing culture that depart means needing to make other additions to replace them.
As for the pass rush, there is still the expectation that BJ Ojulari will recover from his torn ACL and become a consistent edge presence and that the light will come on for rookie Xavier Thomas at some point. Inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. is also being utilized on the edge and Darius Robinson will hopefully be ready to make an impact after the bye at the latest and in the ensuing seasons.
With those hopes, is it really better to trade for a big-money older player (if one is actually available) and expend premium draft choices rather than utilize the draft to continue developing their own? The latter is what Ossenfort would probably prefer.
There is also one reality that has to be addressed: It’s not as if there’s a huge number of sacks occurring in the NFL. The average sacks for teams after eight weeks is 18.7 and the Cardinals have 15. Yes, it’s below average, but not by as much as many probably think. Nine teams have 15 or fewer but another seven teams have from 16 to 19. That’s half the league.
Another 10 teams have 20 or 21, including winning teams like Buffalo, Detroit, Green Bay, Philadelphia and Washington. That’s not many more than the Cardinals.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon acknowledged this week, “I think we have to continue to find ways to affect the passer. There’s been some glimpses and some games where we’ve done it pretty consistently, and there’s been some games that we haven’t been so consistent. I think all 11 guys, rush and coverage, cover and rush. My wife knows that phrase. She knows it to be true though, so everyone’s got to be coordinated.”
What’s also true is how the style of game today often features quarterbacks adept at avoiding the rush (Kyler Murray has been sacked only 11 times and not at all in the last three games), or who get rid of the ball quickly.
“It’s hard,” Gannon said about the latter point. “Some guys win and the ball’s out whizzing by their ear. That’s just the NFL game today. That’s why there’s so many points. That’s why there’s so many elite quarterbacks out there.”
It also might be surprising to see that sacks don’t always correlate to winning or losing. Yes, there are times that pressure can be better than a sack when it results in an interception, but it’s still intriguing to see the breakdown of sacks per team and the record.
Check this list frequently especially when there are loud groans about how bad the Cardinals rush is.
35: N.Y. Giants (2-6)
30: Denver (5-3)
27: Houston (6-2)
24: Baltimore (5-3), Minnesota (5-2)
23: N.Y. Jets (2-6)
21: Cleveland (2-6), Green Bay (6-2), Seattle (4-4), Tampa Bay (4-4), Washington (6-2)
20: Buffalo (6-2), Chicago (4-3), Detroit (6-1), Philadelphia (5-2), San Francisco (4-4)
19: Pittsburgh (6-2)
18: L.A. Chargers (4-3), New Orleans (2-6)
17: Jacksonville (2-6)
16: Dallas (3-4), Indianapolis (4-4), Las Vegas (2-6)
15: Arizona (4-4), Kansas City (7-0), New England (2-6)
14: L.A. Rams (3-4), Tennessee (1-6)
12: Cincinnati (3-5)
9: Carolina (1-7), Miami (2-5)
6: Atlanta (5-3)
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
