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adjective<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0ex\u00b7plo\u00b7sive<\/span><\/div>\n
1.\u00a0<\/strong>able or likely to shatter violently or burst apart.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Explosive. \u00a0When discussing the tools required for an NFL edge rusher to be a disruptive force; to put a quarterback\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>his back consistently, he’s got to have “explosiveness”. \u00a0As the definition above states; able or likely to shatter violently or burst apart.<\/div>\n
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<\/a>Lorenzo Mauldin flashed as a pass rusher as a rookie but took a step back in 2016.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It’s something the Jets haven’t had since the days of John Abraham, and something that on it’s own, would go a very long way in fixing what ails a defense that was beaten with great ease far too regularly in 2016. \u00a0Opposing quarterbacks would consistently sit back in the pocket, unmolested, and pick apart an ineffective secondary.<\/div>\n
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Much has been made of the hiring of Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin Greene coming on board to coach the Jets outside linebackers, but in the name of objectivity, one must ask what Greene has to work with.<\/div>\n
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Former NFL executive, host of Sirius XM radio’s\u00a0movin’ the chains\u00a0<\/em>and author of Take Your eye off the Ball<\/em>, Pat Kirwan offered a formula for determining a player’s explosiveness several years ago, and as with the case with any metric, it’s far from perfect, but has also spawned some solid results.<\/div>\n
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Kirwan’s says that by taking a player’s reps of 225 lbs + vertical jump (in inches) + broad jump (in feet), you add up the three numbers and come get your total score. \u00a0If that player’s total is 70 or more, they’ve got the physical requirements to succeed in getting to the passer.<\/div>\n
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To see if Kirwan’s claim has any validity, we calculated the scores of every defensive player to amass 10 or more sacks last season, and with few exceptions, the list is primarily made up of players who come in at 70 or better, with a good number also finishing with an explosion score in the mid-to-high 60’s. \u00a0Only one player, Markus Golden of the Arizona Cardinals, scored lower than 66 at 54.7.<\/div>\n
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Rank–Player–Sacks–XP Score<\/strong><\/div>\n
1. Vic Beasley (15.5) – 86.8<\/div>\n
2. Von Miller (13.5) – 68.5<\/div>\n
3. Markus Golden (12.5) – 54.7<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Danielle Hunter (12.5) – 71.5<\/div>\n
4. Cliff Avril (11.5) – 68.7<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Cameron Wake (11.5) – 75.5<\/div>\n
5. Ryan Kerrigan (11) – 74.6<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Chandler Jones (11) – 67<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Nick Perry (11) – 83.8<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Khalil Mack (11) – 73.6<\/div>\n
6. Brian Orakpo (10.5) – 81.3<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Joey Bosa (10.5) – 66<\/div>\n
7. Dee Ford (10) – 74.8<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 Frank Clark (10) – 67.3<\/div>\n
*combine and workout data was not available for all players with 10 or more sacks<\/em><\/div>\n
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So how do the Jets current crop of linebackers stack up when the formula is applied? \u00a0Oddly enough, the ‘backers who many expect to start in 2017 come in behind some lesser-known backups who may finally get their shot to shine under Greene.<\/div>\n
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We’ve also included the explosion scores for the team’s starting defensive linemen to see how many meet Kirwan’s threshold of 70 points.<\/div>\n
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Freddie Bishop- 76.5<\/strong><\/div>\n
Leonard Williams 73.3<\/strong><\/div>\n
Josh Martin- 72.9<\/strong><\/div>\n
Sheldon Richardson- 71.6<\/strong><\/div>\n
Corey Lemonier- 69.9<\/div>\n
Dylan Donahue- 65.1<\/div>\n
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