The Los Angeles Chargers might be 0-2 right now, but you can hardly blame quarterback Philip Rivers for their winless start. The veteran QB followed up his opening night game against the Denver Broncos (where he completed 22 of 33 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns against one interception) with a very strong game…
A few weeks ago I introduced my latest project Contextualizing Sack Production, and explained how and why the endeavor could be useful in evaluating individual performance for edge pass rushers in the NFL. With the regular season over, I compiled the final results of the CSP and organized them to give you an idea how…
All production is good and all sacks are good. I’m not here to debate that. From a team or fan perspective, an 8-second hustle sack is just as valuable as DeMarcus Ware bending the edge in a ridiculous show of athleticism. But while the box score stat has consistent value on the field, it can…
One of the most important factors to winning games is pressuring the opposing quarterback and totaling up sacks. Ethan Young has developed a formula, drawing on data from 2009 to 2015, for accurately predicting future sacks totals, to see which players are expected to increase their sack totals, and which players we can expect to see a decrease…
The 2016 NFL season begins now, with 32 teams scheming to knock off the reigning champion Denver Broncos. The NFL Draft is just around the corner, but the first step in any offseason plan is to assess a team’s needs. Here we look at what the Miami Dolphins team needs are. These reports were compiled with…
The New England Patriots scored a resounding division win over the Miami Dolphins, and Mark Schofield looks at how the Patriots opening drive of the game demonstrates versatility in their offensive approach is paying big dividends. New England begins this drive on their own 20-yard line following a touchback with Tom Brady under center and 12 offensive…
With the regular season around the corner, Inside The Pylon reached out to former NFL scout and current Scouting Academy director Dan Hatman for a cheat sheet on who the pros are keeping an eye on – and who may be in danger of losing their job. Here, he identifies which AFC East players to watch in 2015. Buffalo…
The New England Patriots return Sunday to frigid Foxborough, where they hope to serve the Miami Dolphins a cold dish of revenge. Much has changed for both teams since the Fins upset the Pats in Week 1. The Patriots offense will rely on diverse personnel, alignments and routes to battle Miami’s strategies, coverages and pocket…
The Miami Dolphins shut down the New England Patriots passing game in Week 1. Mark Schofield reviews the film to find out what went wrong and how the Patriots passing game can get back on track against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. For the New England Patriots’ passing attack, it truly was “A Tale…