Remember when everyone in Dallas was crying about not getting a sack in the first two games of the season? Fans were wondering if DeMarcus Ware had a masculinectomy. Then the magic moment came and Dallas started piling on the sacks. But how do they compare with other defenses in the league?
I took a quick look this morning at the trusty stats sheet, and located the top three dynamic duo sackaholics in the NFL. Let’s take a look.
Indianapolis Colts
Dwight Freeney is third in the league with 9.5 sacks.
Robert Mathis is fifth in the league with 8.5 sacks.
Indy’s dynamic duo leads the league with 18 sacks.
Minnesota Vikings
Jared Allen is 2nd in the league with 10.5 sacks.
Kevin Williams is 13th in the league with 6 sacks.
Minnesota’s dynamic duo combines for 16.5 sacks.
Washington Redskins
Andre Carter is tied for 6th in the league with 8 sacks.
Brian Orakpo is tied for 10th in the league with 7 sacks.
Washington’s dynamic duo combines for 15 sacks.
How does Dallas stack up?
DeMarcus Ware is tied with Orakpo and others for 6th in the league with 7 sacks.
Jay Ratliff is tied for 31st in the league with 4 sacks.
Dallas’ dynamic duo combines for 11 sacks.
But what does THAT matter? What about whole team stats?
I’m glad you asked. Some would argue that total team defense is what counts, and to a point, they’d be right. But in this league, when it’s division rivalry game time, you need stars. You need leaders. You want the one or two guys who will take a defense on their shoulders and set the standard for abusing the quarterback.
And, despite the new contract, DeMarcus Ware is not yet that player this year. And as much as we love Ratliff’s play, he SHOULD NOT be the 2nd highest sack leader on the team. Dallas needs significant improvement at strong side defensive end.
Maybe Dallas as a team can succeed by spreading the love around. I’m fine with that if it really happens. But I’d rather see two Cowboys dominate the opposing offense like Indianapolis’ duo does. I’m not sure Ware strikes fear in the hearts of left tackles in this league. Not starting tackles. Not this year, at least.
But since you asked, let’s look at whole team production so we have a sense of how teams are doing.
The Minnesota Vikings lead the league with 34 team sacks.
Broncos, Dolphins, and Eagles each have 29 sacks.
Bengals, Cardinals, and Steelers each have 25 sacks
Cowboys, Redskins, Colts, and Chargers each have 24 team sacks.
Dallas is tied for 8th in the league. But they’re in good company.
Oh, and Green Bay? Thanks to Dallas, they have 18 sacks on the year. Five of those belong to the Cowboys offensive blocking. In other words, Green Bay would be tied for 3rd worst sack defense in the league if not for Dallas. Are we filled with confidence going into this week’s game yet?
Doug Free, I hope you’re a heck of a player.