[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by O.city

Hes an elite pass rusher though too.

Ripped this from Reddit:

Justin Houston, despite his amazing pass rushing abilities, was not called upon to be a pure pass rusher this year like nearly all elite 3-4 outside linebackers are. Instead, he was required to be much more versatile. He rushed the passer on 76.7% of his snaps, bringing his season total to 412. In those 412 pass rushes, he pressured the QB 54 times, 11th most in the NFL. Everyone above him had a higher percentage of pass rush snaps, with all but three of them over 90%. If we use that 90% number, which is on the lower end of the averages when it comes to elite 3-4 OLBs, and apply it to Houston’s 2017 season, he’d have had 64 pressures, sliding him up to 6th in the NFL.

Now those pass rushing numbers look a little better don’t they? But wait a second. Just because he’s not pass rushing doesn’t mean he’s a good pass defender does it? Well, of those 125 times he was asked to drop into coverage, he allowed 11 receptions for 133 yards and 0 TDs. I’d say that’s pretty solid for a premier pass rusher in the NFL.

Just in case you were wondering about Houston’s run stopping ability, his 31 stops tied him for second in the league among 3-4 outside linebackers. So if anyone was thinking maybe he’s a passing down specialist, think again.

On the surface, you might look at volume pass rushing numbers to judge Houston’s season. It would be an honest mistake considering his history and what the typical 3-4 OLB is asked to do. However, if you do that, you’ll miss the entire picture. He was asked to do much more than pass rush in 2017, and he did it well. Houston’s elite versatility and performance in all three elements of a linebacker’s game (pass rushing, coverage, and run stopping) have landed him a spot at number 79 on our list.

He's worth what we pay him.