Higher Education – Stop Rate for Linebackers

Now that we've endeavored to put statistical value on the pass defense efforts of cornerbacks and safeties, it's time to take a good look at the most and least effective pass-defending linebackers. As with safeties, it's tough to separate scheme from effectiveness — there are linebackers who are tethered to the front and only roll back in desperation, and there are others who are used to dropping back. Additionally, you'll see defenses try to adjust to substitution issues against no-huddle offenses designed to spread coverages out, and in those cases, miscast linebackers will be asked to take the role that nickel cornerbacks or safeties should. And as we did with safeties, we're using Football Outsiders' Stop Rate metrics. Stop Rate is a percentage that shows how often a defender kept an offense from making a successful play — success in this case is defined as gaining 45% of needed yardage on first down, 60% of needed yardage on second down, and ...