Tag: Missed Tackles

Chiefs S Daniel Sorensen leads NFL in missed tackles after Week 2

This isn’t a statistic that you want to see a #Chiefs player leading the NFL in. . .

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The Kansas City Chiefs have a tackling problem and right at the cusp of their problem is veteran DB Daniel Sorensen.

Sorensen has been the only Chiefs defender to play 100% of the defensive snaps for the team in back-to-back weeks. He’s also been good for a clutch play or two in each game so far, which is normal for the eight-year veteran. Still, it’s hard to ignore the glaring issues that he’s had when attempting to make tackles this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sorensen leads the NFL in missed tackles with nine missed tackles through the first two weeks of the season. That’s three more missed tackles than the next closest defender and seven more missed tackles than anyone else on the Chiefs.

If Sorensen continues to play 100% of the defensive snaps and miss tackles at his current rate, he’ll have 76 missed tackles at the end of Week 17. To put that number into context, the defender with the most missed tackles in 2020 had 22 missed tackles.

While Sorensen was missing tackles left and right on Sunday, third-year S Juan Thornhill played just 11 defensive snaps against the Baltimore Ravens. Asked about the decision to go with Sorensen over Thornhill, Chiefs HC Andy Reid said he’ll eventually get his chance to play.

 “Juan and Dan (Sorensen), they do certain things the same and a couple of things different,” Reid told reporters on Monday. “It all kind of equals out and Dan really had the better camp and so on. Maybe a little bit more consistency there, but we love Juan and where he’s getting himself back to where he was his rookie year. I don’t want to take anything away from the effort that he’s put forward to do that. They all get a chance to play. I think we’ll take it step-by-step here and can’t have enough of those guys that can play.”

You can rest assured that the opportunity for Thornhill might come sooner than later if Sorensen continues to miss tackles at an excessive rate.

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Kwon Alexander leads the NFL in missed tackles since 2015

The New Orleans Saints may be tempering expectations for Kwon Alexander, who has missed more tackles than anyone else since entering the NFL

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The assets that Kwon Alexander brings to the New Orleans Saints defense are clear: his combination of football smarts and athleticism result in a linebacker who can rapidly read and react to plays as they develop, putting him in position to make a play.

But there’s a catch, beyond his extensive injury history. Pro Football Focus has dinged Alexander with more missed tackles than any other player since he entered the league (89), which looks even worse considering he’s missed 35 games during that timespan. Like most players, he’s flawed. It’s why he was available in a trade in the first place.

So let this stat reset your expectations a bit. Alexander can still be a productive player, especially for a mostly-bad Saints defense, and his presence as a true middle linebacker should move Demario Davis back to his natural weakside alignment, where he won All-Pro recognition last year.

On the occasions when he does miss a tackle, just doing enough to disrupt the offense and slow down the ball-carrier could help teammates rally to force a stop. The Saints have played with poor eye discipline far too often, making them vulnerable to bootleg plays and allowing tight ends to run untouched through their zone coverage for easy completions. Those are areas where just having someone with Alexander’s wheels and intelligence can make a difference.

And maybe he can clean up his act in this area. Davis missed 14 tackles in 2018, his first year with the Saints (having averaged 12.3 misses in his previous three years with the Browns and Jets), but more time in their system and work with their coaches helped him cut that number down to just 6 missed tackles in 2019. He’s already missed 6 times in 2020, but that’s after being moved back to the middle spot.

If Alexander’s addition pushes Davis back to an area of strength — where he has shown a better knack for reading his offensive line keys and taking more efficient angles to the ball — then he should be expected to become an impact player again. And the Saints should be able to work with Alexander on his tackling just like they’ve done with Davis and their other players.

And, hey. A big part of the problem was that Alexander had to try and tackle opponents like Alvin Kamara so often in the NFC South (for his part, Kamara is keeping Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians on his toes). He and Kamara are now wearing the same uniform, so maybe that alone should help him see more favorable matchups.

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Packers miss 11 more tackles in loss to Vikings

The Packers are the worst-ranked tackling team in football according to Pro Football Focus.

For the third time in seven games, the Green Bay Packers finished a game with 10 or more missed tackles.

Mike Pettine’s defense missed 11 tackles during Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, per Pro Football Focus.

Once again, the secondary was mostly to blame. Of the 11 misses, seven were by members of the defensive backfield, including two each from safeties Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos.

The misses contributed to tons of extra yards for the Vikings.

Will Redmond missed Dalvin Cook on a short dumpoff pass on third-and-long, creating a first down.

Kingsley Keke missed Cook at the line of scrimmage, creating a 45-yard run.

Vernon Scott missed Cook after he caught a screen, creating a 50-yard touchdown.

Josh Jackson missed Adam Thielen on a quick throw, creating a 12-yard gain.

Overall, the Vikings gained 121 yards after contact and 132 yards after the catch against the Packers on Sunday.

Through seven games, the Packers have 63 missed tackles. Previously, the Packers missed 10 or more tackles in games against the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And everyone remembers Saints running back Alvin Kamara making a mockery of the Packers’ tackling in Week 3.

Coach Matt LaFleur actually counted 13 misses during the Packers’ win in New Orleans, or five more than PFF.

LaFleur also said he needed to see “improvement” in the tackling department. Five weeks later, there has been little.

Exiting Week 8, the Packers have the lowest overall team tackling grade in the NFL at PFF.

Missed tackles by game, per PFF:

Week 1 at MIN: 8
Week 2 vs. DET: 7
Week 3 at NO: 8
Week 4 vs. ATL: 12
Week 6 at TB: 10
Week 7 at HOU: 7
Week 8 vs. MIN: 11

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Texans’ Romeo Crennel blames missed tackles on lack of offseason

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel believes that the lack of an offseason program has contributed to the defense missing tackles.

The Houston Texans only have 29 missed tackles, but it feels like a million with an 0-4 record and 181.8 rushing yards surrendered per game.

According to interim coach Romeo Crennel, one of the chief reasons the Texans have 29 missed tackles through the first four games has been due to an offseason obliterated thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Part of the issue is that we didn’t have an offseason,” Crennel said. “We didn’t have a preseason. So, those guys haven’t had that opportunity to hone in on their tackling skills because in tackling, you’ve got to take proper angles. You’ve got to know where your helps is. You’ve got to be able to wrap up. Tackling has changed in the NFL from what it used to be.”

Tackling is as much about individual technique as it is coordination, such as “keeping the cup” to form enclosures around ball carriers. With just one big training camp in the month of August and no preseason games, defenses have had to develop the tackling cohesion during regular season games where the results count.

However, Crennel isn’t going to accept the missed tackles because of the challenges that the Texans, along with the other 31 NFL teams, have had to face.

“I’m not making excuses for us because we do miss too many tackles,” said Crennel. “We have to do a better job of tackling. One way to do a better job of tackling is to have live tackling drills. But when you have live tackling drills, you expose your players to injury in practice as opposed to injury in the game.

“This sport that we’re playing, guys are going to get hurt. You have to pick your poison. So, if you pick your poison, I’d rather the guys play in the game, and then we’ll see if we can improve from there.”

The Texans will have an opportunity against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. If the Texans can fix their tackling problem starting in Week 5, it should help them fix their winless record and catch a winning streak to get back on track.

Packers counted at least 13 missed tackles vs. Saints

Matt LaFleur said his staff counted a minimum of 13 missed tackles from the Packers against the Saints on Sunday night.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur counted at least 13 missed tackles from his team during Sunday night’s win over Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints.

Five of the misses came on Kamara’s incredible 52-yard touchdown in the third quarter, according to LaFleur.

“We had 13, at a minimum,” LaFleur said Monday. “There were a couple others where they don’t get credited for missed tackles, but we had some guys who took some bad angles that weren’t in position to make a tackle. There was definitely some concerns there.”

LaFleur said Kamara created the “majority” of the missed tackles.

“You have to find a way to get that guy on the ground,” LaFleur said.

Pro Football Focus counted eight missed tackles by the Packers.

Kamara caught 13 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns and ran six times for 58 yards. His 197 total yards were a career-high. A big chunk came on the 52-yard catch and run that featured missed tackles from Will Redmond, Ty Summers, Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.

Redmond missed two big tackles on Kamara, contributing over 70 yards to the Saints’ total on Sunday night. Summers and Alexander were also dinged for two misses by PFF.

LaFleur said the emphasis will be on swarming to the ball to avoid one-on-one tackling opportunities, especially against a player like Kamara.

“We will continue to work on those fundamentals and we need to see improvement,” LaFleur said.

The Packers missed 15 total tackles during the first two weeks and have 23 through three games, per PFF. Savage leads the team with five misses. Redmond and Amos both have three.

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A statistic that helps define Seahawks 1st-round pick Jordyn Brooks

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar determined one interesting statistic that helps define Seahawks’ first-round draft pick, LB Jordyn Brooks.

The Seattle Seahawks selected linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft in a move that left many shaking their heads. However, shortly after the draft, Seahawks general manager John Schneider revealed starter K.J. Wright has undergone shoulder surgery this offseason and his timeline for return remains uncertain.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently took a look at every pick in the first round of the draft and put together a piece detailing one metric that defines each of the rookies.

“The Seahawks played base defense (three linebackers) on 67% of their defense snaps in 2019, far more than any team,” Farrar writes. “So, it makes sense that they’d take Texas Tech’s Brooks, an old-school run-stopper, in the first round.”

“Though there is a level of uncertainty regarding Brooks’ ability to stack and shed between the guards, and he’s not always on point when tracking down ballcarriers,” Farrar continues. “Last season, he totaled 12 missed tackles, and that shows up on tape.”

The Seahawks may have big plans for Brooks this season but with the coronavirus pandemic still keeping NFL facilities closed, he’ll have to adapt to Seattle’s scheme virtually, for now.

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What could Jamie Collins add to the Saints defense?

The New Orleans Saints will reportedly be in on New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins, but what sort of upgrades would he offer?

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The New Orleans Saints are expected to make a run at New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins in free agency, as first reported by The Athletic’s Larry Holder and backed up by ESPN’s Mike Triplett. Collins would make sense for the Saints, who are hurting for health at linebacker — starters Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso are both returning from season-ending injuries, and the Saints can clear more than $8 million in salary cap space by releasing Alonso outright. Starting strong side linebacker A.J. Klein is a free agent.

But what does Collins have to offer? What’s he shown to draw interest from New Orleans? To find out, we put together a snapshot of some of his advanced stats from the 2019 season:

What he can do

Collins might be at his best in pass coverage, which is a great attribute for a linebacker to boast. Pro Football Focus charting revealed that 66 linebackers were targeted 30 or more times in coverage last season, and Collins was the best of the bunch. He was the only player in that group to allow a passer rating below 73.0 (impressing with a mark of 55.0), intercepting three passes and limiting opponents to just 7.6 yards gained per catch. He’s a force in that area of the game, which is vital with so many pass-happy teams on the Saints’ schedule.

However, Collins also excels when asked to go get after the quarterback rather than cover receivers downfield. Pro Football Focus credited him with 32 total pressures in 2019, including a career-high 7 sacks. But it’s worth noting that he bagged just one sack after Week 8, which suggests either his usage changed or teams protected better against him. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is one of the more creative blitz designers in the NFL, and it’s easy to imagine him giving Collins a variety of responsibilities each week to keep opponents guessing.

What he struggles with

Collins was a sloppy tackler in 2019, with Pro Football Focus dinging him for 16 missed tackles against just 85 combined tackles (solos plus assists). Pro Football Reference was a little more forgiving, noting 12 misses on 81 total tackles. Either way, that puts Collins’ missed tackle rate in the range of 15.8% to 12.9%, which is a clear dropoff from Pro Football Reference’s numbers on Demario Davis (4.3%), Alonso (6.1%), and Klein (9.2%). He’ll have to clean that up on a play-to-play basis in order to remain on the field and make game-changing turnovers and key stops.

Also, Collins has struggled to buy into the culture with some of his previous teams. He was accused of freelancing in his first stint with the Patriots, abandoning his responsibilities and deviating from the script. The Cleveland Browns pulled him off the field at times during heated moments of frustration. But he appeared to have turned over a new leaf in his return to New England, and there’s no confusing the Browns coaching carousel for the stability the Saints offer in New Orleans.

How he fits

If signed, Collins would immediately replace Klein as the starter on the strong side. While Davis nominally plays the weak side, the Saints typically field just two linebackers (opting instead for a fifth defensive back), and he often shifts to the middle spot and wears the green sticker identifying the on-field headset. Davis would continue quarterbacking the defense while Collins plays up tight to the line of scrimmage, scrapping with blockers and pursuing the ball-carrier from behind when the play flows away from him.

Klein had some success in that role last season, but his athletic limitations were on clear display in games against teams that committed to running the football, targeting him as a liability out in space. The San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings each picked on Klein’s struggles to flip his hips and mirror elusive runners like Raheem Mostert and Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey had success against the outmatched linebacker in coverage. Collins’ unique lateral agility and instincts in coverage would do a lot to erase those vulnerabilities.

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Texans working on angles, run fits to fix season-long tackling woes

The Houston Texans are working on their angles and run fits to fix their season-long tackling woes, according to defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.

An already leaky Houston Texans defense certainly doesn’t aid from tackling.

The Texans sit ninth in the NFL in missed tackles with 98, according to Pro Football Reference. It should come as no surprise that they’ve allowed the NFL’s third-most yards after the catch (1,663).

Heading into a vital three-week stretch where the Texans need to win two games to clinch the playoffs, that’s not going to cut it. Teams will, and have, exploited that. How will they stop that from happening? Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has the answer.

“You work on trying to have great angles, good fits, put yourself in position to make a good tackle if you could tackle,” Crennel said on Thursday. “That’s what you have to do.”

According to Crennel, the Texans see positioning as their biggest crux as a tackling defense. Late into the season, it’s going to be tough to fix that.

“Then when it gets to the game, hopefully getting in position and putting yourself in great tackling position, then you can execute the rest of the tackle on gameday,” Crennel said. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Only two other teams with winning records rank within the top-10 of missed tackles, with the other teams being the Buffalo Bills (99) and the Tennesee Titans (97), who will face the Texans on Sunday.

Though their tackling woes have not yet held Houston from possessing a winning record. They sit at 8-5 through 13 games, in turn tying them on top of the AFC South. However, a struggling pass-rush and secondary coupled with a need to take better positioning when stopping ball-carriers could doom the Texans.

The Texans have three weeks. The hope is to learn how to take better angles and run fits must turn into reality. If not, whoever they face will see that as an ideal mismatch worth taking advantage of.