A Sunday thread about sacks.
If we examine the top ten sack performances by years on league, we see that it takes pass rushers a year or so to hit their peak, but it happens quickly. Then they're on the top of their game through Season 6, then decline markedly in Seasons 7 through 9. Then it goes down from there, per the table below and accompanying graph.
Years In League Top Ten Players' Sack Total
1 127.5
2 178.0
3 167.5
4 183.0
5 172.5
6 182.5
7 160.5
8 162.5
9 155.0
10 136.0
11 138.0
12 123.0
13 111.5
14 111.0
15 80.5
16 30.0
17 11.5
18 12.5
19 11.5
20 0.0
If you're curious, here are the top ten sack totals by years in league. (The league only began recording sacks in 1982.)
The things I notice on this list are that guys who dominate early in their career typically have good careers. There aren't a lot of short-term wonders in the first 6 years.
Around Year 8 or so, you start seeing guys from the Hall of Pretty Good show up - the guys who were decent players who happened to have long careers.
Overall, it's an interesting list, and I think it shows that talent reigns supreme among sack leaders. You don't have a lot of guys making this list who weren't effective over the course of their careers.
Year 1
1 Jevon Kearse 14.5
2 Aldon Smith 14
3 Dwight Freeney 13
4 Reggie White* 13
5 Leslie O'Neal 12.5
6 Simeon Rice 12.5
7 Mark Anderson 12
8 Charles Haley* 12
9 Julius Peppers 12
10 Terrell Suggs 12
Year 2
1 J.J. Watt 20.5
2 Derrick Thomas* 20
3 Aldon Smith 19.5
4 Von Miller 18.5
5 Reggie White* 18
6 Richard Dent* 17.5
7 Shawne Merriman 17
8 Jason Pierre-Paul 16.5
9 Vic Beasley 15.5
10 Khalil Mack 15
11 Bruce Smith* 15
Year 3
1 Reggie White* 21
2 Robert Quinn 19
3 Andre Tippett* 18.5
4 Richard Dent* 17
5 Dwight Freeney 16
6 Sean Jones 15.5
7 Leonard Marshall 15.5
8 Mike Merriweather 15
9 Adewale Ogunleye 15
10 Lee Williams 15
Year 4
1 Justin Houston 22
2 J.J. Watt 20.5
3 DeMarcus Ware 20
4 Tim Harris 19.5
5 Reggie White* 18
6 Elvis Dumervil 17
7 Kevin Greene* 16.5
8 Simeon Rice 16.5
9 Pat Swilling 16.5
10 Andre Tippett* 16.5
Year 5
1 Chris Doleman* 21
2 Mark Gastineau 19
3 Keith Millard 18
4 J.J. Watt 17.5
5 Kevin Carter 17
6 La'Roi Glover 17
7 Kevin Greene* 16.5
8 Charles Haley* 16
9 Aaron Kampman 15.5
10 Peter Boulware 15
11 Dexter Manley 15
12 Dana Stubblefield 15
Year 6
1 Mark Gastineau 22
2 Lawrence Taylor* 20.5
3 Bruce Smith* 19
4 Dexter Manley 18.5
5 Jason Taylor* 18.5
6 Bryce Paup 17.5
7 Leslie O'Neal 17
8 Pat Swilling 17
9 Warren Sapp* 16.5
10 Doug Betters 16
11 James Harrison 16
Year 7
1 DeMarcus Ware 19.5
2 Clyde Simmons 19
3 Tim Harris 17
4 Michael Sinclair 16.5
5 Simeon Rice 15.5
6 Reggie White* 15
7 Bertrand Berry 14.5
8 Ezra Johnson 14.5
9 Julius Peppers 14.5
10 Art Still 14.5
Year 8
1 Jared Allen 22
2 Jason Babin 18
3 Elvis Dumervil 17
4 Simon Fletcher 16
5 John Randle* 15.5
6 Lawrence Taylor* 15.5
7 Robert Porcher 15
8 Simeon Rice 15
9 Chris Doleman* 14.5
10 Bruce Smith* 14
11 Reggie White* 14
Year 9
1 Michael Strahan* 22.5 - Note that figure is misleading since Brett Favre took a dive.
2 Fred Dean* 17.5
3 John Abraham 16.5
4 Lawrence Taylor* 15
5 Patrick Kerney 14.5
6 Mario Williams 14.5
7 Bruce Smith* 14
8 Terrell Suggs 14
9 Simon Fletcher 13.5
10 Leonard Little 13
11 Greg Townsend 13
12 Reggie White* 13
Year 10
1 Joey Porter 17.5
2 Kevin Greene* 14
3 Simeon Rice 14
4 Jason Taylor* 13.5
5 William Fuller 13
6 Sean Jones 13
7 Trevor Pryce 13
8 Pat Swilling 13
9 Lorenzo Alexander 12.5
10 Greg Ellis 12.5
11 Randy White* 12.5
Year 11
1 Robert Mathis 19.5
2 Michael Strahan* 18.5
3 John Abraham 13
4 William Fuller 13
5 Too Tall Jones 13
6 Richard Dent* 12.5
7 Jacob Green 12.5
8 Mike Vrabel 12.5
9 Reggie White* 12
10 Dave Butz 11.5
11 Rickey Jackson* 11.5
12 Julius Peppers 11.5
Year 12
1 Trace Armstrong 16.5
2 Kevin Greene* 14.5
3 Rickey Jackson* 13.5
4 Bruce Smith* 13.5
5 Terrell Suggs 12
6 Gary Jeter 11.5
7 Chris Doleman* 11
8 John Randle* 11
9 Warren Sapp* 10
10 John Abraham 9.5
Year 13
1 Bruce Smith* 14
2 Chris Doleman* 12
3 Rickey Jackson* 11.5
4 Michael Strahan* 11.5
5 Reggie White* 11
6 Kevin Greene* 10.5
7 Steve McMichael 10.5
8 Jack Youngblood* 10.5
9 John Abraham 10
10 Too Tall Jones 10
11 Tony McGee 10
Year 14
1 Reggie White* 16
2 Chris Doleman* 15
3 Kevin Greene* 15
4 John Abraham 11.5
5 Julius Peppers 10.5
6 Bruce Smith* 10
7 Jack Youngblood* 9.5
8 Dwight Freeney 8
9 Terrell Suggs 8
10 George Martin 7.5
Year 15
1 Kevin Greene* 12
2 Rickey Jackson* 9.5
3 Clay Matthews 9
4 Michael Strahan* 9
5 Chris Doleman* 8
6 Julius Peppers 7.5
7 Bruce Smith* 7
8 Jason Taylor* 7
9 Monte Coleman 6
10 Reggie White* 5.5
Year 16
1 Bruce Smith* 10
2 Clay Matthews 5.5
3 Brian Dawkins 3
4 London Fletcher 2
5 Ray Lewis 2
6 Bill Romanowski 2
7 Charles Woodson 2
8 Hardy Nickerson 1.5
9 Ronde Barber 1
10 Dave Butz 1
11 Albert Lewis 1
12 Junior Seau* 1
13 Keith Traylor 1
Year 17
1 Bruce Smith* 5
2 Jeff Zgonina 2.5
3 Ray Lewis 1
4 Clay Matthews 1
5 Junior Seau* 1
6 Charles Woodson 1
Year 18
1 Bruce Smith* 9
2 Junior Seau* 3.5
Year 19
1 Clay Matthews 6.5
2 Bruce Smith* 5
Year 20
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Last edited by Rain Man; 05-14-2017 at 06:21 PM..
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