Sacks are down but coaches say pass rushers still tell the tale
The numbers are in from the first four weeks of CFL action, and one statistic jumped out as one that should make offensive coaches happy.
Quarterback sacks are down 31 per cent from last season, to just 3.75 per game from 5.4 last season. There is one big reason, and it was predictable, as resident Calgary Stampeders sack master Charleston Hughes pointed out in training camp.
With the new rule stating that defenders can’t touch receivers past five yards off the line of scrimmage, defensive players expected it would be harder to get to the quarterbacks, and that’s what’s happening.
The Stamps sit third in the league with six sacks in four games, but they aren’t concerned. Defensive line coach DeVone Claybrooks doesn’t look at those numbers as a gauge on how well his players are disrupting the opposing offences.
“I’m extremely happy. We are doing our jobs,” Claybrooks said. “We are getting the quarterbacks off the spot.
“Even if we don’t get sacks, as long as it translates into wins, that’s the only stat that matters. We are getting constant pressure and we are winning our one on one battles. That’s what you grade the guys on. If we continue to do that, we’ll be fine. The sacks will come. You can’t really control that.
“If he’s getting the ball out in 1.8 ( seconds), and the average sack takes 2.8 to 3.0 seconds — and that’s still fast — you don’t have much chance. It will all come together as everyone learns the rules and you learn the nuances of the game.”
While Calgary and its beat- up offensive line have given up 10 sacks this season, the most in the CFL, the Stamps opponents on Friday night in Ottawa have conceded seven on their QB.
Claybrooks will send his guys chasing after 40- year- old Henry Burris, an old friend who goes back 15 years to their days with the Green Bay Packers.
“Hopefully he doesn’t try to relive the fountain of youth against his old team,” Claybrooks said. “We expect him to put on an extra rub of icy hot in pre- game. They’ll come out flying, having lost two in a row.”