CFL
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Whenever we say out loud that the CFL is a quarterback-driven league, we should also pause and think of the defensive linemen.
After all, for every quarterback who drops back to pass, there are at least three defensive linemen who set out to accomplish just one thing: get to that quarterback, and put him on the ground.
In 2014 more than ever, defensive linemen have been particularly adept at getting to the quarterback, and that’s measured not just in the sheer volume of sacks, but in the number of defensive linemen in contention for the most sacks in the league:
This season, 10 players – all defensive linemen – are in double-figure sack totals, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1995. That season there were also 10 players with 10 or more sacks, but the caveat is that in ’95 the league had 14 teams which meant far more games.
With eight more players already having between seven and nine sacks, including two more just a sack away from double digits, 2014 is about to set an historical precedent when it comes to the sack leaderboard.
This is explained by a trend that actually started in 2013.
While more players are shooting to the top of the sacks leaderboard in 2014, the rising number of sacks is no coincidence. A dramatic increase in the total number of sacks per season occurred at year ago, when the total went from 305 sacks and 306 sacks in 72 games in 2011 and 2012 respectively (for an average of around 4.2 sacks per game) to 417 sacks in 72 games in 2013 (5.8 sacks per game) and 406 sacks so far in the same number of games in 2014 (5.6 sacks per game).
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The last two years have seen a dramatic increase in sacks, as the average number of sacks per game has gone up by a sack and a half.
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Suddenly in 2013, there was an intense increase in the impact of defensive linemen in the CFL, and it’s continued into 2014. This season, there have already been two games in which a team accumulated exactly 10 sacks – the Riders in Week 1 and the Lions last weekend in their win over the Bombers.
Considering that in 2011, for example, the worst three teams in the sack department finished with below 30 all season, that kind of output is extremely rare any time, let alone twice in the same season.
Given this data, the question that instantly comes to mind is: what caused this sudden dramatic shift?
CFL Statistician Steve Daniel has a theory that involves increasing roster sizes across the league, in terms of the number of players teams are using each season.
Whereas no more than 30 or 40 players dressed throughout an entire season back in the ‘60s, the number increased significantly towards the turn of the millennium.
Then in 2013, a CFL record 72 players per team on average played in a CFL game, for a total of 576 players. That’s been eclipsed in 2014, as 629 different players have already suited up for their team this season.
The changes have been across the board, including at the quarterback position and the offensive line – positions which require the most chemistry and continuity in order to succeed.
Only two quarterbacks (Henry Burris and Ricky Ray) have started every game for their respective teams this season, while three of the league’s leading receivers and four of the leading running backs have all missed at least three games due to injury.
Many of the league’s biggest and strongest athletes play on the defensive line, particularly at the end, where on passing plays it’s usually about beating your man one-on-one. The result has been an uncanny number of sacks since the start of 2013.
In conclusion, it’s still fair to say that the CFL a quarterback-driven league, whether you’re talking about the quarterbacks themselves or the men trying to bring them down.
What’s different, of course, is the way that defensive linemen are getting a lot more of the headlines while playing an even more significant role in the outcome of games.
Whether it’s a usual suspect like John Chick, Charleston Hughes, or Odell Willis, or a rookie pass-rusher like Gabriel Knapton, Alex Bazzie, or Tristan Okpalaugo, we find ourselves talking about defensive linemen making an impact each and every week.
It’s a new dynamic across the CFL that’s emerged fairly recently, and one we can probably look forward to in the future.
