2007 Defensive Hog Index

Looking at the numbers here, it's remarkable how few teams in 2007 were good in the two main disciplines of the Defensive Hog Index: stopping the run (Yards Per Attempt allowed) and forcing Negative Pass Plays.

 

Only the Giants, who topped the Index, finished in the top 10 in both of those categories. Even if you extend it to finishing in the top half of the league, only Baltimore, Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa, Tennessee and Indianapolis join the club.

 

The Giants were truly remarkable up front this year, allowing 3.83 YPA (No. 9), forcing Negative Pass Plays on 11.81 percent of attempts (No. 2) and holding opponents to 34.6 percent success on third down (No. 5).

 

The unsung heroes were defensive tackles Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield, two guys you've basically never heard of that started together all year inside for New York. Cofield was a fourth-round pick in 2006, Robbins was a nothing FA signing in 2004.

 

Meanwhile, ends Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan combined for 32 sacks and eight forced fumbles, and MLB Antonio Pierce delivered another do-it-all season.

 

Baltimore's front seven led the way for most of the year before falling off late. Defensive tackles Kelly Gregg and Haloti Ngata are the best tandem in the AFC.

 

Tennessee's Defensive Hogs finished just 15th, surprising since Albert Haynesworth and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch both made the Pro Bowl.

 

Green Bay, which was third on the Offensive Hog Index, also graded out at No. 3 with its Defensive Hogs, giving the Packers the "Best in the Trenches" award for 2007.

 

The Packers were followed by Seattle and Kansas City. The Chiefs' front seven, with DE Jared Allen and MLB Derrick Johnson producing big years, was the lone bright spot in KC.

 

The lowest ranked playoff team is Pittsburgh, which slumped all the way down to the No. 21 spot with mediocre numbers in all three Defensive Hog categories.

 

And at the bottom of the pile was Buffalo, which was just terrible in all three areas. Losing rookie MLB Paul Posluszny early in the season didn't help matters.

 

But the most shocking result was Houston finishing 31st. The Texans have picked defensive linemen with premium, top-of-the-first-round picks in the last three drafts (Amobi Okoye, Mario Williams, Travis Johnson). Given the resources devoted to the DL, a performance like Houston's this year was embarrassing.

 

Overall, the most important number on the D.H.I. was forcing Negative Pass Plays. Of the top 10 teams in that category, seven made the playoffs, and only Pittsburgh and Washington made the postseason with a below-average number.

 

Only four of the top 10 in YPA allowed made the postseason; four also made it from the top 10 in third-down conversion defense.

 

The NFC East, which had the best Offensive Hogs, also had the best Defensive Hogs with all four teams in the top 11. That's even more impressive when you consider all of the interdivisional games they play against good offensive lines.

 

The worst Defensive Hogs were in the AFC East, where New England (tied for 7th) couldn't make up for the Jets (26), Miami (t-27) and Buffalo (32).

 

NPP% – Negative Pass Plays, expressed as a percentage. This is how often an opponent's pass plays end in either a sack or interception. Defenses that get after the quarterback and overwhelm the opposing offensive line naturally force sacks and INTs. These negative pass plays are calculated as a percentage of attempts. So if a team foces two sacks and two INTs in 40 pass plays, their NPP% will be 10 percent (4/40).

 

3down% - Opposition success rate on third down -- the lower the percentage, the higher the defensive success.

 

Editor's Note: The formula has been going through a tinkering process since its alcohol-fueled inception in 2006, and going forward it will be based on these categories: Negative Pass Plays Forced (per QB dropback), Yards per Rush Allowed, and Opponent Third-Down Conversion percentage. Our formula had included time of possession, but we've concluded through our own research and feedback from astute readers that the stat was too dependent on the team's offense (or lack of it). For reference, we will be reworking the final Hog Indexes from 2006 and 2005 based on the new formula.