To take it a step further, in 2020, the Browns didn't have a single player, LB or DB, ranked in the top 50 in tackles.
And they went to the AFC Divisional Round
In 2021, the Browns player with the most tackles was LB Walker with 69 tackles that ranked him 36th overall.
69 solo, 44 assisted for 113 total. 33rd among all defenders, 26th LB. Not much better but he missed three games too. Tae Crowder, (2021 PFF score of 29.1)got more tackles than Walker. Cole Holcomb (2021 PFF score of 56.7) got more tackles.Bobby Okerke (2021 PFF score of 58.5) got more tackles. Conversely, LaVonte David got less than him. Same with Micah Parsons, Shaq Thompson, Demario Davis, Patrick Queen, Leonard Floyd and others. These are good/great LBs so what does that all mean, exactly?
Also, where is this list coming from? Are you counting total tackles or solo ones like you did w/ Walker? Also, where is the color coordination for?
All that said, I think there are far more important statistics determining effectiveness for players than the amount of tackles one accrues over the course of a season.
- A good defense, essentially by definition, means your unit won't be on the field much, thus limiting the amount of snaps for tackling opportunities.
- Where were these tackles had? Behind the LOS or 10-15 up field? If the latter, than so what if that means more tackles for a player.
- How is a def. scheme used by a team? How often are LBs on the field? What is the % of teams using nickel and dime packages?
Look, our defense wasn't good last year, but I'm not sold on tackle numbers as a priority stat to refer to.
Missed tackles might be more of an important statistic, in my opinion. And yes, injuries are a factor for some players if we are simply aggregating the amount of tackles in a season and then judging a player's value on their total.
