Safety Coverage Statistics - Targets, Passes Allowed, and Yards Allowed

[theogt]

These statistics are taken from ProFootballFocus.com. I have only included those safeties who have played at least 50% of their teams snaps over both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. These statistics include both their 2008 and 2009 numbers.

1. Ranked according to the number of times the safety has been targeted per snaps played:

http://img9.*************/img9/6008/safety1.jpg

2. Ranked according to the number of times the safety has given up a pass per snaps played:

http://img39.*************/img39/2113/safety2.jpg

3. Ranked according to the number of yards given up per snaps played:

http://img39.*************/img39/4026/safety3.jpg

By the way, I copied the name and team over from the 2008 statistics, which explains why Sensy has JAX listed. The statistic combine both their 2008 and 2009 statistics. Also, I included Troy P. even though he hasn't played at least 50% of the team's snaps in 2009.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

One interception from all of our safeties combined in the last 29 games. That's an issue and the Cowboys need to address it next season. I'm all for keeping Sensy here, but we really need a quality, cover free safety back there.

I'd get giddy thinking about having a playmaker back there with guys like Ware, Brooking, Ratliff, etc up front.




YAKUZA

 

[theogt]

One interception from all of our safeties combined in the last 29 games.

Most interceptions, particularly at the safety level, are the result of luck or poor play by the offense rather than great play by the safety.

Not giving up passes and not giving up yardage is a free safety's number one goal.

Fans love the flashy stats, though.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Most interceptions, particularly at the safety level, are the result of luck or poor play by the offense rather than great play by the safety.

Not giving up passes and not giving up yardage is a free safety's number one goal.

Fans love the flashy stats, though.

True.

I agree about the yardage thing too. I'd like to see more picks, but not being ripped to shreds through the air is a good thing too.

 

[Cover 2]

One interception from all of our safeties combined in the last 29 games. That's an issue and the Cowboys need to address it next season. I'm all for keeping Sensy here, but we really need a quality, cover free safety back there.

I'd get giddy thinking about having a playmaker back there with guys like Ware, Brooking, Ratliff, etc up front.




YAKUZA

Sensabaugh has also dropped two though because of his cast.

 

[21Savage]

The football focus starts are some of the most unreliable there. I agree with the notion that Hamlin doesn't give up a lot of free plays over the top and does his job by that (we usually play him deep so he like Landry won't get a lot of playmaking action) but I can't use those stats to buttress my opinion.

 

[theogt]

The football focus starts are some of the most unreliable there. I agree with the notion that Hamlin doesn't give up a lot of free plays over the top and does his job by that (we usually play him deep so he like Landry won't get a lot of playmaking action) but I can't use those stats to buttress my opinion.

How so?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

give it up, theo

 

[jterrell]

One interception from all of our safeties combined in the last 29 games. That's an issue and the Cowboys need to address it next season. I'm all for keeping Sensy here, but we really need a quality, cover free safety back there.

I'd get giddy thinking about having a playmaker back there with guys like Ware, Brooking, Ratliff, etc up front.




YAKUZA

I've made this point with you before but alas I'll repeat it every time you use that particular odd stat.

Dallas doesn't have the same safeties they did 12 games ago much less 29.

Sensabaugh is clearly the best coverage safety we have had in the past 5 years. Add in that he is wearing a cast and it isn't really shocking we aren't grabbing a ton of picks this year yet.

Perhaps you want to go to the forums for the teams of Keith Davis and Roy Williams because they played a large part in that 29 game stretch.

 

[theogt]

I've made this point with you before but alas I'll repeat it every time you use that particular odd stat.

Dallas doesn't have the same safeties they did 12 games ago much less 29.

Sensabaugh is clearly the best coverage safety we have had in the past 5 years. Add in that he is wearing a cast and it isn't really shocking we aren't grabbing a ton of picks this year yet.

Perhaps you want to go to the forums for the teams of Keith Davis and Roy Williams because they played a large part in that 29 game stretch.

Hamlin is much better in coverage than Sensabaugh. But that only makes sense considering he's a strong safety and Hamlin is a free safety.

 

[jterrell]

These statistics are taken from ProFootballFocus.com. I have only included those safeties who have played at least 50% of their teams snaps over both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. These statistics include both their 2008 and 2009 numbers.

1. Ranked according to the number of times the safety has been targeted per snaps played:

http://img21.*************/img21/6008/safety1.jpg

2. Ranked according to the number of times the safety has given up a pass per snaps played:

http://img21.*************/img21/2113/safety2.jpg

3. Ranked according to the number of yards given up per snaps played:

http://img35.*************/img35/7164/safety3h.jpg

By the way, I copied the name and team over from the 2008 statistics, which explains why Sensy has JAX listed. The statistic combine both their 2008 and 2009 statistics. Also, I included Troy P. even though he hasn't played at least 50% of the team's snaps in 2009.

The math in those frames makes zero sense. Sensabaugh has given up only 394 yards in 1415 snaps. Hamlin has given up 491 yards in 1298 snaps yet it lists Hamlin with a better yards per snaps average. Pretty much all of those averages appear to be off.

If Sensabaugh has been targeted 58 times allowing only 28 completions in 1412 snaps for a total of 394 allowed yards, that is phenomenal. --especially as Sensabaugh has been asked to man cover guys. he was actually the nickel corner in Jax.

 

[jterrell]

Hamlin is much better in coverage than Sensabaugh. But that only makes sense considering he's a strong safety and Hamlin is a free safety.

That is completely untrue.

The stats you list prove Sensabaugh is better as does the fact it is Sensabaugh who is asked to man cover guys not Hamlin.

Teams throw more often at Hamlin, have better success against Hamlin and total more yards against Hamlin. His numbers are good but they are not as good as Sensabaugh's.

Hamlin has allowed over a 62% completion rate for just 2009 with a TD given up and the QB has a rating over 145 when throwing at Hamlin. That makes him a bottom 10 NFL Safety by that metric.

Sensabaugh has allowed 0 TDs, allows 50% completion rate for the year and only 75 yards with a QB rating of 63. His numbers are very comparable ot Ed Reed's.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

theOWNED

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Most interceptions, particularly at the safety level, are the result of luck or poor play by the offense rather than great play by the safety.

Not giving up passes and not giving up yardage is a free safety's number one goal.

Fans love the flashy stats, though.

I completely disagree about the first part.

The safeties are in better positions to make interceptions than most corners, but doesn't mean that most interceptions are due to poor plays by the offense or good luck.

Tell me that Ed Reed is lucky or Polamalu is lucky. And if its mostly due to bad plays by the offense, then shouldn't we be getting some interceptions since apparently it's pretty easy to do?

It's a lot like the movie Rounders where Gretchen Mol tells Matt Damon that poker is a game based on luck and Damon replies to the effect that 'the same guys make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker every year. Do they just happen to be the luckiest guys every year?'

The same happens to apply to safeties. Do you really believe Sharper, Polamalu and Reed are just lucky every year?

I don't think so.

And interceptions is hardly a glamor stat that means very little (which you are implying). For starters, QB rating differential (QB Rating - QB Rating Allowed) perhaps has the strongest correlation to winning and losing in the NFL. Very tough to increase your QBRD if you can't get interceptions because interceptions help lower your QB rating allowed. And most teams, the interceptions usually tend to come from the safeties.

And if you look at the top QB rating allowed teams each year and the leading teams in interceptions each year, usually they get good chunk of picks from their safeties.

I like Sensabaugh a lot. And I think he's due for a pick when the cast comes off. Still, we basically went 1 1/2 years with just 1 pick from our safeties, and 2 of those safeties are still on the team (Hamlin and Watkins). I'll keep Watkins around since he has a certain role on this team.

But this team really needs an upgrade at FS and needs to start seeing more plays made from the safety position in general.





YAKUZA

 

[theogt]

The math in those frames makes zero sense. Sensabaugh has given up only 394 yards in 1415 snaps. Hamlin has given up 491 yards in 1298 snaps yet it lists Hamlin with a better yards per snaps average. Pretty much all of those averages appear to be off.

If Sensabaugh has been targeted 58 times allowing only 28 completions in 1412 snaps for a total of 394 allowed yards, that is phenomenal. --especially as Sensabaugh has been asked to man cover guys. he was actually the nickel corner in Jax.

This is because the columns for snaps and yards are formulas and didn't format properly when sorting.

The per snap columns are correct. I will format them such that all columns sort correctly.

THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME.

 

[theogt]

That is completely untrue.

The stats you list prove Sensabaugh is better as does the fact it is Sensabaugh who is asked to man cover guys not Hamlin.

Teams throw more often at Hamlin, have better success against Hamlin and total more yards against Hamlin. His numbers are good but they are not as good as Sensabaugh's.

Teams throw less at Hamlin and have less success when throwing at Hamlin. Sensabaugh has more one on one coverage because he's a strong safety and lines up over the TE more often. That's a virtue of playing the SS position, rather than the FS position and is true of all safeties.

 

[jterrell]

Teams throw less at Hamlin and have less success when throwing at Hamlin. Sensabaugh has more one on one coverage because he's a strong safety and lines up over the TE more often. That's a virtue of playing the SS position, rather than the FS position and is true of all safeties.

That is fine except it is mostly untrue.
Teams definitely do NOT have more success against Sensabaugh than Hamlin.

You need to check your faulty math. The numbers aren't complicated. Teams complete a far lesser percentage of their passes and for less yards against Sensabaugh.

Sensabaugh plays man coverage in our scheme because he is the man coverage safety. We signed him for that reason. Hamlin is the cover 2 and run support safety. Traditional talk about FS/SS stuff is pointless. Sensabaugh was the nickel corner in Jax and played Free Safety for them.

 

[theogt]

The math in those frames makes zero sense. Sensabaugh has given up only 394 yards in 1415 snaps. Hamlin has given up 491 yards in 1298 snaps yet it lists Hamlin with a better yards per snaps average. Pretty much all of those averages appear to be off.

If Sensabaugh has been targeted 58 times allowing only 28 completions in 1412 snaps for a total of 394 allowed yards, that is phenomenal. --especially as Sensabaugh has been asked to man cover guys. he was actually the nickel corner in Jax.

Okay...fixed so that all tables show up correct.

Like I said, same results.

 

[Daudr]

The football focus starts are some of the most unreliable there. I agree with the notion that Hamlin doesn't give up a lot of free plays over the top and does his job by that (we usually play him deep so he like Landry won't get a lot of playmaking action) but I can't use those stats to buttress my opinion.

It also doesn't show how many times he's allowed a big run with a blown tackle, which is the huge flaw he has.

 

[theogt]

That is fine except it is mostly untrue.
Teams definitely do NOT have more success against Sensabaugh than Hamlin.

You need to check your faulty math. The numbers aren't complicated. Teams complete a far lesser percentage of their passes and for less yards against Sensabaugh.

Sensabaugh plays man coverage in our scheme because he is the man coverage safety. We signed him for that reason. Hamlin is the cover 2 and run support safety. Traditional talk about FS/SS stuff is pointless. Sensabaugh was the nickel corner in Jax and played Free Safety for them.

There is no faulty math. Look at the charts in the OP again. If you're at all familiar with Excel, the columns with yards, snaps, targets, and passes were formulas. The other columns were absolute numbers. For various reasons, the formulas did not sort properly (i.e., they re-calculated based on whatever their variables were assigned to). I fixed that and now the proper numbers are included in the OP. Sensabaugh is targeted more and he gives up more passes. Part of that is that he's in man to man coverage more often.

Sensabaugh plays man coverage because he's our strong safety and that's what strong safeties do. They often have to play man coverage against the TE. Roy Williams did it when he was here. Keith Davis did it when he was here. Hamlin had done it when he plays strong safety in certain packages in the past. It's just part of playing strong safety rather than free safety.