Wednesday, February 23, 2011

When It Comes to Holding the Ball, Joe Flacco Tops Ben Roethlisberger

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Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger has deservedly developed a reputation as the quarterback who creates his own sacks. The Steelers' quarterback believes that he can dodge or shrug off pass rushers. And because of that he extends plays, buying time. Sometimes it leads to a big play, sometimes it leads to a sack.

Roethlisberger may be known for extending plays (and racking up high sack totals), but Baltimore's Joe Flacco was actually the king of holding the ball too long in 2010. In logging the time of each and every sack in the NFL in 2010, Flacco's 25 sacks of 3.1 seconds or more were five more than anyone else in the league.

I chose three seconds as the demarcation line because it's a pretty fair cutoff point for where a sack can no longer be blamed on a quarterback's blockers. The median sack time in the NFL last year was 2.7 seconds, just as it was in 2009. Obviously a line should be able to hold a three-man rush back longer than a eight-man all-out blitz, but for practical purposes, three seconds is the point where a quarterback should generally know that he has to get rid of the ball.

The leaderboard of the over-time sacks is filled with names you may expect. Flacco and Roethlisberger lead the way, but Chicago's Jay Cutler isn't far behind. Michael Vick's legs get him out of trouble a lot, but they also mean that he will also rack up some sacks.

At the other end of the spectrum, Peyton Manning has an internal clock that simply doesn't allow him the hold the ball for long. Only one of his 15 sacks last season was when he held the ball for three seconds or more. It runs in the family as Eli Manning also had only one long sack. Tennessee's Kerry Collins was also notable for very few long sacks.

Quarterback Team Over 3 Seconds 3 Seconds
Or Less
Total Sacks
Joe Flacco Ravens 25 15 40
Ben Roethlisberger Steelers 20 12 32
Jay Cutler Bears 19 33 52
Michael Vick Eagles 19 13 32
Jason Campbell Raiders 16 18 34
Kyle Orton Broncos 15 19 34
Mark Sanchez Jets 14 13 27
Matt Cassell Chiefs 14 12 26
Phillip Rivers Chargers 13 25 38
Sam Bradford Rams 12 23 35
Brett Favre Vikings 11 11 22
Colt McCoy Browns 11 12 23
Aaron Rodgers Packers 10 21 31
Josh Freeman Buccaneers 10 9 19
Donovan McNabb Redskins 9 28 37
Matt Hasselback Seahawks 9 20 29
Matt Schaub Texans 9 23 32
Alex Smith 49ers 8 17 25
David Garrard Jaguars 8 24 32
Derek Anderson Cardinals 8 18 26
Tom Brady Patriots 8 17 25
Kevin Kolb Eagles 7 9 16
Matt Ryan Falcons 7 16 23
Ryan Fitzpatrick Bills 7 16 23
Troy Smith 49ers 7 11 18
Vince Young Titans 7 6 13
Chad Henne Dolphins 5 23 28
Drew Brees Saints 5 21 26
Jimmy Claussen Panthers 5 29 34
Jon Kitna Cowboys 5 15 20
Shaun Hill Lions 5 12 17
Carson Palmer Bengals 4 22 26
Drew Stanton Lions 4 2 6
Joe Webb Vikings 4 4 8
Charlie Whitehurst Seahawks 3 2 5
Dennis Dixon Steelers 3 2 5
Max Hall Cardinals 3 10 13
Rex Grossman Redskins 3 6 9
Seneca Wallace Browns 3 3 6
Tim Tebow Broncos 3 3 6
Tony Romo Cowboys 3 4 7
Trent Edwards Jaguars 3 8 11
Brian Brohm Bills 2 1 3
Brodie Croyle Chiefs 2 2 4
Bruce Gradkowski Raiders 2 8 10
Charlie Batch Steelers 2 2 4
Matt Flynn Packers 2 5 7
Matt Moore Panthers 2 10 12
Todd Collins Bears 2 0 2
Tyler Thigpen Dolphins 2 8 10
Bryon Leftwich Steelers 1 1 2
David Carr Texans 1 1 2
Eli Manning Giants 1 15 16
Jake Delhomme Browns 1 5 6
John Skelton Cardinals 1 8 9
Joshua Cribbs Browns 1 0 1
Josh Johnson Buccaneers 1 0 1
Kerry Collins Titans 1 12 13
Leon Washington Seahawks 1 0 1
Matt Stafford Lions 1 3 4
Peyton Manning Colts 1 14 15
Richard Bartel Cardinals 1 1 2
Tarvaris Jackson Vikings 1 5 6
Tyler Palko Chiefs 1 1 2
Brian St. Pierre Panthers 0 3 3
Caleb Hanie Bears 0 2 2
Chase Daniels Saints 0 1 1
Jordan Palmer Bengals 0 2 2
Mark Brunell Jets 0 1 1
Rusty Smith Titans 0 1 1
Stephen McGee Cowboys 0 2 2
Todd Bouman Jaguars 0 1 1
Tony Pike Panthers 0 1 1

Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/23/when-it-comes-to-holding-the-ball-joe-flacco-tops-ben-roethlisb/

Daisy Fuentes Dania Ramirez Danica Patrick

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