Post by Purple Pain on Oct 11, 2019 20:18:00 GMT -6
Vikings Film Room: A look at the resurgence of Everson Griffen by Arif Hasan
Link:
theathletic.com/1283280/2019/10/10/vikings-film-room-a-look-at-the-resurgence-of-everson-griffen/
The Vikings have benefitted from standout performances from a number of their defensive players, with career years in the works for Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Harris, as well as returns to form for Anthony Barr, Linval Joseph and Harrison Smith. Their contributions are a big part of the reason the Vikings rank fifth in points allowed per game and sixth in points per drive allowed.
The most amazing story might be Everson Griffen’s return, however. After a foot injury robbed him of contention for defensive player of the year in 2017 — he was tied for second in sacks through eight weeks, half a sack behind Demarcus Lawrence, with more TFLs and QB hits — it’s been difficult for the former Pro Bowl defensive end to get back into gear.
Through the second half of 2017 and all of 2018, he dropped from over 1.3 sacks a game to less than half a sack per game while his 1.3 tackles-for-loss per game dropped to 0.4. Even before his 2018 absence, the lingering effects of the foot injury he suffered on the last play of the game against the Cleveland Browns in London seemingly played a role in limited production, where he showcased less burst off the line and struggles anchoring against the run.
Emerging as a starter, then as a leader, on the team before missing time in 2018 — starting with an abrupt omission from the active roster before the Vikings’ Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills — was unspeakably difficult, but his return as a healthier person allowed him to focus in a way he hadn’t before.
As he said in October of last year, “I live for this each and every day, but I also live for my family, too. I learned a lot about the man outside of football. I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and where I want to go and the decisions I made, and I just want to get better with some of my decisions that I made and just improve on them.”
He asserted then, and maintained once again earlier this week, the importance of seeking help — that finding balance is paramount and getting outside assistance is OK.
That attitude — and his well-being — have energized the people around him, and he’s been able to drive that energy into execution. The pass-rusher’s presence in the locker room has been huge. As The Athletic’s Chad Graff pointed out, Griffen’s play has even been used to motivate the team, as highlights of his performances this year have been used to hype the defense.
It’s difficult to recapture form after a season and a half of disappointing production, especially at 31 years old, but he’s done it. He’s ninth in the league in total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, with three sacks and nine additional quarterback hits through five games.
His pass-rushing performance exceeds even simple pressure numbers. Chase Daniel for the Bears and Derek Carr for the Raiders get rid of the ball quickly, ranking 30th and 31st among 37 quarterbacks in time to throw — per both SportRadar and PFF. In fact, only one quarterback the Vikings have faced ranks in the top 10 in time to throw: Aaron Rodgers at eighth.
That’s impacted the ability of either Hunter or Griffen to generate pressures, but has reduced opponent passing depth — the Vikings rank 27th defensively in average depth of target, with opposing passers only going 7.5 yards downfield on average on their passes. The most aggressively targeted defenses, like the Lions, deal with passers averaging a depth of 11 yards an attempt.
In order to better determine Griffen’s impact, a statistic like win rate might help — which measures not how often a pass rusher generates pressure, but how often they quickly beat their assigned lineman. This has the added bonus of stripping out unblocked pressures, which are more the product of scheme than one-on-one talent.
In 2017, his win rate — again, per PFF — was 16.5 percent, among the league’s best. In 2018, it dipped to a relative low of 13.3 percent before bouncing back this year to 15.8 percent. That statistic better captures his impact...
The most amazing story might be Everson Griffen’s return, however. After a foot injury robbed him of contention for defensive player of the year in 2017 — he was tied for second in sacks through eight weeks, half a sack behind Demarcus Lawrence, with more TFLs and QB hits — it’s been difficult for the former Pro Bowl defensive end to get back into gear.
Through the second half of 2017 and all of 2018, he dropped from over 1.3 sacks a game to less than half a sack per game while his 1.3 tackles-for-loss per game dropped to 0.4. Even before his 2018 absence, the lingering effects of the foot injury he suffered on the last play of the game against the Cleveland Browns in London seemingly played a role in limited production, where he showcased less burst off the line and struggles anchoring against the run.
Emerging as a starter, then as a leader, on the team before missing time in 2018 — starting with an abrupt omission from the active roster before the Vikings’ Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills — was unspeakably difficult, but his return as a healthier person allowed him to focus in a way he hadn’t before.
As he said in October of last year, “I live for this each and every day, but I also live for my family, too. I learned a lot about the man outside of football. I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and where I want to go and the decisions I made, and I just want to get better with some of my decisions that I made and just improve on them.”
He asserted then, and maintained once again earlier this week, the importance of seeking help — that finding balance is paramount and getting outside assistance is OK.
That attitude — and his well-being — have energized the people around him, and he’s been able to drive that energy into execution. The pass-rusher’s presence in the locker room has been huge. As The Athletic’s Chad Graff pointed out, Griffen’s play has even been used to motivate the team, as highlights of his performances this year have been used to hype the defense.
It’s difficult to recapture form after a season and a half of disappointing production, especially at 31 years old, but he’s done it. He’s ninth in the league in total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, with three sacks and nine additional quarterback hits through five games.
His pass-rushing performance exceeds even simple pressure numbers. Chase Daniel for the Bears and Derek Carr for the Raiders get rid of the ball quickly, ranking 30th and 31st among 37 quarterbacks in time to throw — per both SportRadar and PFF. In fact, only one quarterback the Vikings have faced ranks in the top 10 in time to throw: Aaron Rodgers at eighth.
That’s impacted the ability of either Hunter or Griffen to generate pressures, but has reduced opponent passing depth — the Vikings rank 27th defensively in average depth of target, with opposing passers only going 7.5 yards downfield on average on their passes. The most aggressively targeted defenses, like the Lions, deal with passers averaging a depth of 11 yards an attempt.
In order to better determine Griffen’s impact, a statistic like win rate might help — which measures not how often a pass rusher generates pressure, but how often they quickly beat their assigned lineman. This has the added bonus of stripping out unblocked pressures, which are more the product of scheme than one-on-one talent.
In 2017, his win rate — again, per PFF — was 16.5 percent, among the league’s best. In 2018, it dipped to a relative low of 13.3 percent before bouncing back this year to 15.8 percent. That statistic better captures his impact...
Link:
theathletic.com/1283280/2019/10/10/vikings-film-room-a-look-at-the-resurgence-of-everson-griffen/
... and neither is this Chris guy.