Blache tired of talking about his top squad not reaching the quarterback
His voice rose and his intensity increased, revealing two things. Greg Blache was tired of the subject; and he didn’t think a certain number mattered much. If at all.
So when the defensive coordinator is asked about sacks — or the lack of them — for the umpteenth time, Blache threw back another number: four. That’s where his defense ranks in the NFL despite being 29th in sacks per pass attempt. And the former number means a whole lot more than the latter.
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“We are who we are,” Blache said. “We won’t be a great sack team. Accept it, like us for who we are. You can wish us to be different, but we’re not. … At some point it will register that, duh, this can’t be that big an issue because if it was we’d be in the back of the pack or in the middle at best. There’s a reason we’re in the upper echelon at this point in the season.”
But few teams who do post big sack totals rank low in overall defense. In fact, none do which makes what the Redskins are doing an anomaly.
Here’s how unusual it is: Every other top-10 defensive team also ranks in the top 17 in sacks. And six of the top-10 overall are also in the top 10 in sacks. Meanwhile, of the bottom five teams in sacks per pass attempt, only the Redskins rank higher than 17th overall. The Redskins are on pace for 24 sacks, their second lowest total since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. They had 19 two years ago.
“A lot of other factors win and lose a game,” Blache said. “If any team proves it, it’s this team. … I’ll take where we are as opposed to having sack number and being in the back of the league.”
The Redskins have played six games against offenses currently ranked in the top 11 and each one has been held below their current season average in yards and points.
They’ve done this because they’re good against the run — eighth overall — forcing teams into long-yardage situations.
A healthy Jason Taylor at end would help, but one talent evaluator said he thought Taylor lacked explosiveness last year when he was closer to 100 percent. They could use him more as a standup linebacker in rush situations as well. And Shawn Springs’ return could lead to an occasional corner blitz or two, which he excels at doing.
They don’t offer exotic blitzes and one of their best blitzers is safety LaRon Landry, who is forced more often than not to stay deep.
But Blache is satisfied with the pressure the front has produced.
“We’re not letting the quarterback get comfortable,” he said.
“We’re keeping the quarterbacks corralled,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “We may not be getting there, but we have good lanes.”
One reason they still excel is the secondary. Washington now has four corners who can play well in man coverage. There are no soft spots in zones for quarterbacks to exploit. So if the corners don’t get beat, it’s hard for a quarterback to find an opening.
“We haven’t made a ton of big plays,” Springs said of the defense, “but we’re not giving them up either.”
