Sack Article

[blitzmore]

http://cfl.ca/article/sack-attack-are-pass-rushers-taking-over-the-cfl

 

In my opinion we have not had competitive Defensive ends the whole season...our sack attack is a lack attack

[BigBlue]

"Suddenly in 2013, there was an intense increase in the impact of defensive linemen in the CFL, and it’s continued into 2014. This season, there have already been two games in which a team accumulated exactly 10 sacks – the Riders in Week 1 and the Lions last weekend in their win over the Bombers....Given this data, the question that instantly comes to mind is: what caused this sudden dramatic shift?"

I don't buy the article's postulate that the increased number of sacks on average is a result of bigger sized rosters

I think the league wide shift is all Bellfuelle's fault

[17to85]

I would suggest that the insistence of teams to continue to try and use as many canadians as possible on the OL is the culprit. Teams are bringing in a ton of very skilled pass rushers and defensive linemen these days and trying to get by with NIs on the OL they're getting over whelmed. The fact that even import OL are deemed as replaceable parts is likely another reason. OL play across the league has been pretty poor overall. I would suggest that this has more to do with defenses having adjusted and caught up with what offenses in the CFL are doing right now moreso than anything else. Too many guys in the pocket without really changing that. Maybe time to go back to more moving the qb around rather than opting for the presnap reads and quick decisions. That worked for a while but teams have caught on defensively I think. 

[Jpan85]

A lot of stats are wonky  this year due to expansion. It has had a ripple effect across the league.

[IC Khari]

Talking too much about sacks is nuts, it will leave you bagged ...

[pigseye]

I think the league wide shift is all Bellfuelle's fault

 

lol, or Trestman's for leaving.

[BigBlue]

A lot of stats are wonky  this year due to expansion. It has had a ripple effect across the league.

How has expansion thinned out the soup?

Ottawa hasn't taken a lineman from each of the other teams so how do you explain increased sacks from expansion?

[iso_55]

CIS OL vs NCAA DL. The majority of Canadian linemen are finding it difficult to block guys like this as they never faced anyone like them in Canadian university. Bigger, faster & stronger. 

[iso_55]

Just an aside. My son played qb at a junior college in Northern California two years ago. He faced a team from Sacramento that had 2 gigantic Samoans playing on the DL. On one play one of the Samoans broke thru the line but barely missed tackling the running back behind the LOS. He ran downfield & caught the same back from behind for about a 7 yard gain. This guy went to the NCAA on a 2 year scholarship. There are no DTs in CIS as big (over 300 lbs) who can run that fast or are as strong as those 2 Samoans were. The only time our Canadian boys face guys like John Chick or Charleston Hughes is at the pro level & they get their lunch money taken away from them.

[mbrg]

I would suggest that the insistence of teams to continue to try and use as many canadians as possible on the OL is the culprit. Teams are bringing in a ton of very skilled pass rushers and defensive linemen these days and trying to get by with NIs on the OL they're getting over whelmed. The fact that even import OL are deemed as replaceable parts is likely another reason. OL play across the league has been pretty poor overall. I would suggest that this has more to do with defenses having adjusted and caught up with what offenses in the CFL are doing right now moreso than anything else. Too many guys in the pocket without really changing that. Maybe time to go back to more moving the qb around rather than opting for the presnap reads and quick decisions. That worked for a while but teams have caught on defensively I think. 

 

I feel these points have some merit.

 

I will now drink some rye until that feeling goes away.

[iso_55]

 

I would suggest that the insistence of teams to continue to try and use as many canadians as possible on the OL is the culprit. Teams are bringing in a ton of very skilled pass rushers and defensive linemen these days and trying to get by with NIs on the OL they're getting over whelmed. The fact that even import OL are deemed as replaceable parts is likely another reason. OL play across the league has been pretty poor overall. I would suggest that this has more to do with defenses having adjusted and caught up with what offenses in the CFL are doing right now moreso than anything else. Too many guys in the pocket without really changing that. Maybe time to go back to more moving the qb around rather than opting for the presnap reads and quick decisions. That worked for a while but teams have caught on defensively I think. 

 

I feel these points have some merit.

 

I will now drink some rye until that feeling goes away.

 

There's only one way to fix this. Drop the number of starting Canadians in a game from 7 to 5 so that we can play 2 more Internationals on the OL without blowing up the ratio. The OL on most CFL teams suck, sorry to say. Not enough quality Nationals. 

[Jpan85]

Just an aside. My son played qb at a junior college in Northern California two years ago. He faced a team from Sacramento that had 2 gigantic Samoans playing on the DL. On one play one of the Samoans broke thru the line but barely missed tackling the running back behind the LOS. He ran downfield & caught the same back from behind for about a 7 yard gain. This guy went to the NCAA on a 2 year scholarship. There are no DTs in CIS as big (over 300 lbs) who can run that fast or are as strong as those 2 Samoans were. The only time our Canadian boys face guys like John Chick or Charleston Hughes is at the pro level & they get their lunch money taken away from them.

I think you are selling short guys like Stephan Charles Aikem Hicks and Linden Gaydosh.

[iso_55]

 

Just an aside. My son played qb at a junior college in Northern California two years ago. He faced a team from Sacramento that had 2 gigantic Samoans playing on the DL. On one play one of the Samoans broke thru the line but barely missed tackling the running back behind the LOS. He ran downfield & caught the same back from behind for about a 7 yard gain. This guy went to the NCAA on a 2 year scholarship. There are no DTs in CIS as big (over 300 lbs) who can run that fast or are as strong as those 2 Samoans were. The only time our Canadian boys face guys like John Chick or Charleston Hughes is at the pro level & they get their lunch money taken away from them.

I think you are selling short guys like Stephan Charles Aikem Hicks and Linden Gaydosh.

 

Not selling them short as they are great athletes but some of the players I saw down there were amazing. The only reason most of them were playing JUCO was because their SATs were too low to get into an D1 NCAA 4 year school or their marks weren't good enough. Some had issues with the law which derailed their college careers & they're trying to get it back. Or they fell thru the recruiting cracks. (You'd be amazed at how many players in the States that actually happens to). They go to a JUCO & can transfer to a 4 year school after 2 years & still have 2 yrs of eligibility left. Or 3 if they redshirted their first year. There are no Samoan athletes playing in the CIS. Cam Newton played junior college in Texas. That's the kind of athletes you see. 

[Goalie]

Honestly, i think sacks for is a tad over rated, sacks against is the real story tho.

 

If you can just pressure QB'S, that's enough sometimes to get them off their game, let's use Kevin Glenn as an example, very cerebral qb, doesn't do anything fancy, when he is on, he is on but when he gets hit or has pressure in his face, he crumbles. Same with  RAY really, best QB i have seen play in the CFL in my life time, no doubt about it, you pressure him tho and he starts to struggle too.

 

Sacks for is a fancy stat for sure, but that's really all it is, a stat.. would i like to see that dominant pass rushing defensive end? For sure i would, i'm a fan, i love when players get sacks against the other team, it's exciting, AND HE'S SACKED FOR A 10 YARD LOSS, huge play, big momentum changer but you know what... If its 2nd and 5 and you pressure the QB enough so he isn't able to complete that pass to get the first down, it's good enough.

 

Sacks for? nice stat for sure,but really that's all it is.. sacks against? shows you that you have some problems, whether it be oline,scheme or qb play. I think sacks against is an indication of 1. poor oline play, c'mon man, can blame willy last game for most the sacks but this season as a whole? not so much, pretty tough to throw when by the time the ball gets to you, you have a guy in your grill already, 2. poor qb play, last game vs BC was a result of this and probably the most important yet probably most overlooked problem it shows..3. offensive schemes. Pretty obvious the O schemes we run aren't the best and IMO, i don't think MB is using the players to the best of their abilities. 

[DR. CFL]

Based on the lack of success this team had with 3 international on the o line nature that is a viable solution.

[17to85]

Honestly, i think sacks for is a tad over rated, sacks against is the real story tho.

 

common sense says that if you can get pressure sacks will follow. I don't think you'd see too many people who get a sack every time they get pressure, but if you can consistently generate pressure you will consistently be getting sacks. We can look at the Bombers this season, early in the year they were better at getting pressure on the qb and their sack numbers were in the top part of the league sack race, but that ability to generate pressure lessened as the year went on and now the team is near the bottom of the sack race. One leads to the other. 

[BigBlue]

There's only one way to fix this. Drop the number of starting Canadians in a game from 7 to 5 so that we can play 2 more Internationals on the OL without blowing up the ratio. The OL on most CFL teams suck, sorry to say. Not enough quality Nationals.

I say ADD 5 Canadians to the roster (at a low cost) for developmental reasons ... in a few years we will have better quality National players

[do or die]

Our sacks to sacks given up is almost 2-1...to the bad.  Hard to win anything this way....

 

We ran defensive schemes, that rolled the dice on leaving areas of the field, almost vacated and put some guys in impossible positions to cover gaps........all this with the rational - that we would get extreme pressure on opposing passers.   The last 9 games (once opponents figured things out).....we simply had the worst of both worlds.....complete and massive fail.

 

We need a more balanced approach on D, next year,......,and a different  DC.

 

For that matter, considering our innate inability to make adjustments on O.........a different OC, as well....

[iso_55]

 

There's only one way to fix this. Drop the number of starting Canadians in a game from 7 to 5 so that we can play 2 more Internationals on the OL without blowing up the ratio. The OL on most CFL teams suck, sorry to say. Not enough quality Nationals.

I say ADD 5 Canadians to the roster (at a low cost) for developmental reasons ... in a few years we will have better quality National players

 

 

 

There's only one way to fix this. Drop the number of starting Canadians in a game from 7 to 5 so that we can play 2 more Internationals on the OL without blowing up the ratio. The OL on most CFL teams suck, sorry to say. Not enough quality Nationals.

I say ADD 5 Canadians to the roster (at a low cost) for developmental reasons ... in a few years we will have better quality National players

 

Respectfully disagree as half to three quarters or higher will never start. You'll be developing backup & special teams players. Not front line players.

[iso_55]

Based on the lack of success this team had with 3 international on the o line nature that is a viable solution.

Even international players can be duds. It's up to our scouting dept to find good OL. Not slugs or moving pylons. they haven't so far. maybe Jace daniels will be but too early to tell. 

[gbill2004]

I'd like to see a starting OL next year consist of:

LT - Daniels

LG - Greaves

C - Morley

RG - Goossen

RT - Import OL

6th - Neufeld

I've got Neufeld as 6th because he's having trouble staying healthy.

[GCn20]

 

Honestly, i think sacks for is a tad over rated, sacks against is the real story tho.

 

common sense says that if you can get pressure sacks will follow. I don't think you'd see too many people who get a sack every time they get pressure, but if you can consistently generate pressure you will consistently be getting sacks. We can look at the Bombers this season, early in the year they were better at getting pressure on the qb and their sack numbers were in the top part of the league sack race, but that ability to generate pressure lessened as the year went on and now the team is near the bottom of the sack race. One leads to the other. 

 

 

I agree completely with your post and would add the following for consideration. I blame our LB corps for our lack of sacks.....hear me out....lol. I think that early in the season that Etch was scheming to get a  lot more of a pressure attack on QBs and it was working. However, about a third of the way through the season teams figured out that our LB crew was weak against the run and began attacking us with the run game with great success. I think that in order to try and shore up the run defence that Etch stopped running some of the pure pass rush schemes we were initially using. In the last game, I noticed a return of some of these schemes when we were using Sears to great effect in the pass rush. I think that if we go with a revamped LB crew next year with Wild at WIL/Sears at SAM/ and ??? at MIKE then we will see a return of some of our ability to get consistent pressure/sacks on the QB.

[blitzmore]

 

 

Honestly, i think sacks for is a tad over rated, sacks against is the real story tho.

 

common sense says that if you can get pressure sacks will follow. I don't think you'd see too many people who get a sack every time they get pressure, but if you can consistently generate pressure you will consistently be getting sacks. We can look at the Bombers this season, early in the year they were better at getting pressure on the qb and their sack numbers were in the top part of the league sack race, but that ability to generate pressure lessened as the year went on and now the team is near the bottom of the sack race. One leads to the other. 

 

 

I agree completely with your post and would add the following for consideration. I blame our LB corps for our lack of sacks.....hear me out....lol. I think that early in the season that Etch was scheming to get a  lot more of a pressure attack on QBs and it was working. However, about a third of the way through the season teams figured out that our LB crew was weak against the run and began attacking us with the run game with great success. I think that in order to try and shore up the run defence that Etch stopped running some of the pure pass rush schemes we were initially using. In the last game, I noticed a return of some of these schemes when we were using Sears to great effect in the pass rush. I think that if we go with a revamped LB crew next year with Wild at WIL/Sears at SAM/ and ??? at MIKE then we will see a return of some of our ability to get consistent pressure/sacks on the QB.

 

I partially agree, but we need a lot better defensive ends...no matter who is playing on the line or linebckers, it is fairly obvious that once other teams figure out Etch's schemes we are far less effective on defence overall. That may explain why he is not constantly employed.

[saskbluefan]

The funny part is where would Alex Hall possibly fit in on this team?  That was a dumb thing to say at the time and looks so much dumber now.

[17to85]

If you have some DL who can get pressure without needing to send 3 or 4 extra blitzers your team is better off. With Anderson injured and Vega playing hurt all year and having a crappy season and Peach being not so great to start with it really put this defense in a bad spot. It is critical that they upgrade the defensive line or it won't matter who is calling the defense.