NFL Draft News & Analysis

Examining Pressure: QB Play

After diving into the effects of pressure as it comes from various positions and going further in-depth on the overrated left tackle position, it’s time to take a look at how individual quarterbacks are affected by different types of pressure. The first two pieces consist of a more general view of the NFL, and perhaps they’ve already helped influence at least one team’s NFL Draft strategy, but this breakdown is looking for trends in specific quarterback performance.

Are some quarterbacks more vulnerable from the inside? Off the edge? From a particular side? We’ve called upon our five years of extensive data (2008-2012) to answer some of these questions.

As you read and digest the numbers, please keep in mind that certain charts may be skewed by small sample sizes. For instance, much more pressure comes through the tackle positions than does from center so quarterback numbers when facing edge rush pressure may be more indicative of future performance than pressure that comes from center.

Enough of the caveats, let’s take a look.

When Facing No Pressure

Let’s start with the easy stuff. Who are the top quarterbacks in a clean pocket? As expected, the league’s best perform well when given time to throw:

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Sorry Arizona fans, but this list of the worst with no pressure is dominated by current and former Cardinals:

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When Facing Any Pressure

Now who are the best quarterbacks when pressured?

Rodgers is the best in the league when under heat and it’s not all that close. It’s certainly impressive to see a number of rookies on this list despite having the small sample of only one season under their belt. Notice the quick drop-offs into negative PFF grades – pressure has a major effect on the quarterback.

[table id=876 /]

This list of the worst performing QBs when pressured is littered with former first round picks including three who went No. 1 overall in Russell (2007), Stafford (2009), and Bradford (2010). In addition to the youngsters, there’s a nice mix of veterans who found themselves at the tail end of their respective careers during the PFF era.

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Now that we have a general background, let’s take a look at the best and worst quarterbacks when the pressure comes from a specific position.

 

Go to Page 2 for breakdowns of QB play when pressure comes from left tackle, right tackle, etc.

Pressure from Left Tackle

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that three of the last five Super Bowl winning quarterbacks sit atop this list as the growing perception that an elite left tackle is unnecessary continues to gain momentum. Rodgers, Brees, and Manning not only led their teams to championships, but they’re clearly the best in the league when pressure comes from the “blind side” since 2008. Brees’ reputation for a quick release holds true according to these numbers as left tackle pressure led to a sack only 7.3 percent of the time, well below the league average.

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A couple surprising names appear near the bottom as the elder Manning clearly struggles with blindside pressure and Ryan is an unlikely candidate to rank last in the league when the pressure comes from the left edge. This storyline is one to watch in Atlanta as it’s probably no accident that Ryan’s best season of his five-year career came in 2012 when left tackle Sam Baker had a career year of his own. The Falcons re-signed Baker in free agency and he could be the most important left tackle in the league given Ryan’s historic struggles.

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Pressure from Left Guard

Apparently all is not hopeless when Manning and Ryan are pressured from the left side as they find themselves on the other end of the spectrum when heat comes from left guard. Ryan’s six touchdowns compared to only one interception is particularly impressive.

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It’s not a good sign that Skelton found himself in the Bottom 5 after facing only 20 pressures from left guard, but it speaks to just how poorly he reacted in such situations. Cassel makes the list again as he clearly struggles with any left-side pressure. Hasselbeck pulls up the rear as his -8.9 PFF Grade is the worst mark notched by any quarterback when pressured from a guard or center spot. 

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Pressure from Center

As the original study showed, quarterbacks struggle most when pressure comes from center so little is expected when the pivot man gets beat. Rivers has been the best at damage control with a +5.0 overall grade. He’s joined by Manning and three mobile threats in Tebow, Young, and Griffin III. Sample size caveats apply here — particularly Griffin’s perfect QB Rating on only five pressured drop-backs.

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It’s not every day you get to see Russell share a list with Brady and Brees, but here they are at the bottom of the league when pressure comes from center. For Brady, this might not be a major surprise as the general perception is that interior pressure is his undoing, but you’d still expect a little better performance from one of the league’s best. Russell’s incompetence is particularly impressive as he pulled a -3.5 grade on only 23 pressured drop-backs including three interceptions. Fitzpatrick’s 11.3 QB Rating on 36 drop-backs is also difficult to ignore.

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Pressure from Right Guard

While Cutler finds himself in the Bottom 5 when pressure comes from left guard, he’s the best in the league when facing heat from right guard and by a healthy margin at +9.3 overall. Peyton ranks in the Top 5 in all three interior positions, perhaps showing one difference between him and Brady after a career of constant comparisons. Rivers also joins Peyton in the Top 5 in all three interior positions while Wilson makes the list with an impressive showing on his 27 pressured drop-backs in his rookie season. Roethlisberger is yet another quarterback who consistently handles interior pressure as he comes in second here after narrowly missing at both left guard and center.

[table id=886 /]

Just when you think you’ve heard the last from Favre, he shows up as the worst quarterback in the league when pressured from right guard. Perhaps his opponents in the Wrangler commercials will appreciate the scouting report. Sanchez really struggled as he posted as he posted a -6.0 grade, but he’s fortunate that he only faced 30 pressures from right guard as Brandon Moore did a nice job of keeping him clean. It should be noted that Vince Young just missed this list with a PFF Grade of -5.5 and a 5.8 QB Rating.

[table id=887 /]

Pressure from Right Tackle

It may be time for NFL teams to stop trying to pressure Rodgers from right tackle. Not only has he faced an league-high 203 pressures, most of any quarterback from any position on the offensive line, he’s posted an absurd PFF Grade of +23.8, by far the highest grade on any of these Top 5 lists. It’s interesting to see Ryan at No. 2 on the list after he pulled up the rear when pressure came from the opposite tackle. Just as Baker is quite valuable at left tackle, Atlanta’s moving on from the solid Tyson Clabo at right tackle is perhaps more warranted given Ryan’s ability to handle pressure coming from his side. A couple rookies make the list in Tannehill and Wilson and there’s also a surprise appearance from McCoy.

[table id=878 /]

Recent narrative matches up with the numbers as the Jets’ struggles pass protecting from right tackle may have hindered Sanchez’ growth even more than we’d previously thought. His -16.6 grade is the worst of any quarterback at any position and Sanchez’ presence on both the right guard and right tackle list give a good glimpse of where he struggles most with pressure. Orton joins him on both lists as he comes in at second-worst when pressured from both right guard and right tackle including a league-high eight interceptions when under heat from right tackle.

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Go to Page 3 for more bests and worsts including a look at unblocked pressure…

Facing Unblocked Pressure

Sample sizes are a bit smaller when facing unblocked pressure, though the 53 that Wilson faced are more than twice as many as his fellow rookie signal-caller Tannehill. Wilson did well when facing the free rusher as his +6.1 grade is far and away the best in the league. Ryan has done a great job of avoiding sacks as he’s only gone down 3.6 percent of the time, far below the league’s average of taking the sack 10.4 percent of the time when facing an unblocked defender. 

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The only thing keeping Delhomme from last on the list is a lack of opportunities. He came in fifth-worst in the league against unblocked pressure, but did so on only 45 drop-backs. He was knocked down nearly half of those drop-backs while notching a QB Rating of 4.9 and averaging only 2.4 yards/attempt. Flacco’s struggles against free rushers stands up to league-wide perception (Troy Polamalu’s Sunday night strip sack comes to mind), though he played much better against all types of pressure during the Ravens’ Super Bowl run. Fitzpatrick ranks last in the league and his inclusion on the list is a bit of a surprise based on the quick-hitting nature of the Bills' offense. Flacco, McNabb, and Rivers have generally played in offenses that look to get the ball down the field and may not have the necessary options to deal with unblocked pressure, but Fitzpatrick spends as little time in the pocket as any quarterback in the league so he should have been better equipped to handle free rushers.

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Interior Pressure Combined (LG + C + RG)

Let’s combine a few of the lists. Here are the best quarterbacks when facing interior pressure, defined as pressure that comes from the left or right guard or the center.

Perhaps not the first quarterback who comes to mind with regard to beating interior pressure, but Rivers has been the best in the league since 2008 in both PFF grading and QB Rating. Roethlisberger makes a bit more sense given his ability to keep plays alive as he ranks second. Manning shows a much better ability to defeat interior pressure than edge pressure where he is near the bottom of the league. No quarterback has thrown more touchdowns than Ryan’s 11 when faced with interior pressure.

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Hasselbeck’s numbers against left guard pressure make up the majority of his struggles on the interior while Romo makes a surprising appearance on this list given his perceived ability to make plays outside of the structure of the offense. Delhomme makes the list with only 65 drop-backs that saw him grade at -9.5 while throwing eight interceptions.

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Edge Pressure Combined (LT + RT)

We’ve defined edge pressure as simply coming through the left or right tackle. Here are the best quarterbacks when pressured off the edge.

No surprise after seeing the right tackle chart, this one is Rodgers in a landslide. The league’s most gifted quarterback can beat the rush with his arm or his legs and he’s particularly adept at maneuvering around the pocket when the pressure comes off the edge. The rest of the pack is much tighter with Brady coming in at No. 2 after ranking near the bottom of the league against interior pressure. Tannehill sneaks his way onto this list as well as last year’s rookie class continues to make cameos among the league’s best pressure-beaters.

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Sanchez’ right tackle struggles pushed him to the bottom of the edge pressure rankings though he’s not nearly as bad when the rush comes from left tackle. Orton joins him for the dubious distinction of being the only two quarterbacks to make the Bottom 5 of both the interior and edge pressure lists. Stafford’s edge rush struggles will be in fine focus this season as the Lions break in two new starting tackles in Riley Reiff and Corey Hilliard (maybe?) after starting left tackle Jeff Backus retired and right tackle Gosder Cherilus signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.

[table id=893 /]

 

What to Make of the Data

As originally mentioned, sample size caveats apply, but there is certainly something to be learned from all of this data. We’ve seen some league-wide perceptions backed up by the numbers while others may have been debunked. Seeing how quarterbacks perform against the various types of pressure is just another tool in the toolbox as we build a player’s profile and it may be one that NFL teams will start to use as they try to exploit weaknesses in signal callers around the league.

 

Follow Steve on Twitter.

 

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