Let me start mentioning from where I had the idea to make this research. I was thinking about how badly we really need talent at DT (as usual) and if we need it more now with Peyton Manning on the roster or not.
Wait, did you say Peyton Manning? What our QB has to do with that, Fabio?
It's a common sense to say that when you face an elite QB like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning (here is our man) and etc., you need to keep them off the field and limit their time of ball possession to avoid the damage they can make to the scoreboard.
It's another common sense that a successful rushing game is crucial to keep the opposite defense on the field and the opposite elite QB on the bench. Really? Is it a truth or a myth? I don't know... so I made a big research on the last 3 years to verify these numbers. I ordered the teams by Rushing Offense and then their rank on "Opposite Time of Possession per Game". To have more stats and a more accurate result, I also included the overall offense rank of that team and their rushing defense. In theory, a great rushing defense should mean more time to your offense and, in consequence, less time to the opposite's offense.
If we can conclude that this common sense is a truth, so we can expect our oponents to run the ball all the game against our poor interior D-Line (or at least more than they are used to do). It would mean that we really would have to forget about CB, RB, MLB, WR or anything else in the 1st round to grab the best DT we could. And also, seriously considering to add another late DT one to have a better depth.
On the other hand, if we can conclude it's not complete truth, or even it's a myth, I think we can draw other strategies to fill our needs this year, regardless of the major one at DT (since this way we could address this position with a 2nd/3rd rounder and be fine, for example).
Let's see what the chart shows us:
Rushing Offense Rank |
Overall Offense - Opposite Average Time of Possession per Game - Run Defense Rank | |||||||||||
Season 2011 | Season 2010 | Season 2009 | ||||||||||
Team | O Off | Opp. Pos. | R Def | Team | O Off | Opp. Pos. | R Def | Team | O Off | Opp. Pos. | R Def | |
#1 | DEN | 25th | #23, 30:56 | 22th | KC | 14th | #17, 29:40 | 14th | NYJ | 17th | #9, 28:24 | 8th |
#2 | HOU | 10th | #2, 27:43 | 4th | OAK | 6th | #11, 28:54 | 29th | TEN | 16th | #23, 31:27 | 12th |
#3 | CAR | 5th | #15, 29:45 | 25th | JAC | 18th | #6, 28:18 | 22th | CAR | 21th | #12, 29:48 | 22th |
#4 | MIN | 19th | #26, 31:18 | 11th | NYJ | 13th | #8, 28:44 | 3rd | MIA | 15th | #6, 28:05 | 18th |
#5 | PHI | 8th | #7, 28:40 | 16th | PHI | 3rd | #13, 28:57 | 15th | BAL | 9th | #19, 30:42 | 5th |
#6 | NO | 2nd | #3, 28:00 | 12th | NYG | 7th | #2, 27:28 | 8th | NO | 1st | #11, 28:57 | 21th |
#7 | OAK | 16th | #20, 30:13 | 27th | HOU | 9th | #23, 31:00 | 13th | DAL | 14th | #4, 27:34 | 4th |
#8 | SF | 11th | #6, 28:29 | 1st | TB | 20th | #15, 29:12 | 28th | CLE | 29th | #24, 31:29 | 28th |
#9 | CHI | 17th | #14, 29:43 | 5th | NE | 1st | #20, 30:17 | 11th | CIN | 22th | #8, 28:22 | 7th |
#10 | BAL | 12th | #10, 29:13 | 2nd | MIN | 29th | #18, 29:51 | 9th | JAC | 24th | #13, 30:06 | 19th |
#11 | MIA | 20th | #12, 29:38 | 3rd | PIT | 12th | #3, 27:48 | 1st | KC | 23th | #31, 32:19 | 31th |
#12 | JAC | 28th | #18, 29:59 | 9th | ATL | 5th | #7, 28:31 | 10th | NE | 6th | #3, 27:15 | 13th |
#13 | BUF | 14th | #16, 29:50 | 28th | CAR | 32th | #29, 32:36 | 23th | MIN | 2nd | #1, 27:13 | 2nd |
#14 | PIT | 22th | #1, 27:32 | 8th | BAL | 16th | #9, 28:45 | 5th | GB | 3rd | #2, 27:14 | 1st |
#15 | KC | 31th | #24, 30:56 | 26th | SD | 2nd | #1, 26:58 | 4th | ATL | 13th | #14, 30:07 | 10th |
#16 | SD | 6th | #4, 28:12 | 20th | DAL | 8th | #12, 28:54 | 12th | BUF | 28th | #29, 32:11 | 30th |
#17 | ATL | 7th | #5, 28:15 | 6th | TEN | 17th | #32, 34:05 | 20th | NYG | 8th | #10, 28:35 | 14th |
#18 | DAL | 15th | #8, 28:53 | 7th | BUF | 28th | #28, 32:12 | 32th | DEN | 20th | #15, 30:07 | 26th |
#19 | CIN | 18th | #13, 29:42 | 10th | SF | 24th | #24, 31:26 | 6th | PIT | 12th | #5, 28:02 | 3rd |
#20 | NE | 3rd | #27, 31:28 | 17th | CLE | 31th | #26, 32:00 | 27th | STL | 32th | #20, 30:50 | 27th |
#21 | SEA | 23th | #28, 31:42 | 15th | MIA | 30th | #16, 29:25 | 7th | OAK | 31th | #28, 31:43 | 29th |
#22 | NYJ | 13th | #9, 29:11 | 13th | CHI | 21th | #19, 30:16 | 2nd | PHI | 5th | #30, 32:24 | 9th |
#23 | STL | 32th | #29, 31:57 | 31th | DET | 15th | #22, 30:32 | 24th | TB | 30th | #27, 31:43 | 32th |
#24 | ARI | 24th | #30, 32:06 | 21th | GB | 10th | #4, 28:00 | 18th | DET | 27th | #21, 31:04 | 25th |
#25 | WAS | 26th | #17, 29:55 | 18th | STL | 26th | #14, 29:07 | 17th | SF | 18th | #17, 30:14 | 6th |
#26 | IND | 29th | #32, 33:47 | 29th | DEN | 19th | #25, 31:51 | 31th | SEA | 25th | #32, 32:30 | 15th |
#27 | GB | 1st | #11, 29:32 | 14th | CIN | 22th | #10, 28:47 | 19th | WAS | 26th | #22, 31:04 | 16th |
#28 | CLE | 30th | #22, 30:54 | 30th | NO | 11th | #5, 28:11 | 16th | ARI | 11th | #18, 30:24 | 17th |
#29 | DET | 4th | #21, 30:25 | 23th | IND | 4th | #21, 30:24 | 25th | CHI | 19th | #25, 31:38 | 23th |
#30 | TB | 27th | #25, 30:59 | 32th | WAS | 25th | #27, 32:05 | 26th | HOU | 10th | #7, 28:07 | 11th |
#31 | TEN | 21th | #31, 32:06 | 24th | SEA | 23th | #30, 32:42 | 21th | SD | 4th | #16, 30:08 | 20th |
#32 | NYG | 9th | #19, 30:02 | 19th | ARI | 27th | #31, 33:43 | 30th | IND | 7th | #26, 31:42 | 24th |
Surprised about the numbers? I don't want to draw any conclusions here, neither to answer my own initial question. I'd like us all to discuss the most intriguing numbers of the chart and have a more foundation to have a point about this subject.
Do you think that the statement "The effective rushing game controls the clock and keeps the opposite offenses off the field" is a truth or a myth? Which stats called more attention? Will our opponents run more against us because of Peyton Manning?
GO BRONCOS!