How Jarrett Johnson Fits In Our D

[BloodRaven]

For the last few years since AD left, a lot of us (myself included) have wondered how JJ fits into our defense. He is a high motor OLB who is undoubtably great against the run, but he doesnt have the athleticism to fit that conventional mold of an explosive rush backer in a 3-4, considering that the main resposibilty of the position is to pressure the QB and some pedestrian sack numbers its not hard to see why he has some detractors.

But is racking up sacks the way to a top rated pass D? the answer is seems is no.

Last season for example...

Ravens 34 sacks, 2nd rated pass D

Cowboys 59 sacks, 5th rated pass D

Titans 44 sacks, 9th rated pass D

Jets 41 sacks 29th rated pass D

The worst ranked pass D was Seattle, who still had more sacks than we did with 35. Hmmm.

Now if you could somehow gear a team towards stopping the run with an unconventional D-line, then cause chaos with disguises and mismatches to create [b]pressure[/b] you get a D which is excellent against the Run (3rd without Gregg and Landry) AND good against the pass (2nd without Landry and CMac).

This is where JJ comes in, we all know hes not your usual 4.5 athlete at OLB but hes very strong against the run and adequate as a pass rusher. But unlike other rush backers who will sacrifice running lanes for double digit sacks, JJ strengthens our run D and [b]creates pressure[/b] against the pass, and our D is designed to create maximum pressure and turnovers, the sacks vary but ultimately do not reflect the pass D.

So despite all the young stud pass rushers we have lining up and endless debate about JJ's speed and pass rush ability the coaching staff know he is invaluble to how our defense operates.

[berad]

I agree with all the points you made, that he is great at stopping the run and has some adequate pass-rush ability, but is he worth the $3+ million we are paying him this year? I think he is a good player for this unit but he is not starter-material and should not be making that type of money.

[lowrider]

Johnson is very good at stopping the run. He isn't the fastest linebacker in the world but we have a lot of young linebackers that are good at rushing the passer. I don't think that Johnson is worth 4 million dollars a year that he is getting but I do believe he is the best we have at that position right now. Hopefully Barnes can get better against the pass so we can replace Johnson with Barnes later. But as for now the experience that Johnson has is valuable to our young linebackers.

[AlaskanRavensFan]

JJ is pretty awesome IMO. He converted from DT to DE and now to OLB. He lost 20lbs to get to his current playing weight and picked up some speed as he dropped the weight. He's not going to win a whole lot of foot races, but neither would Ray or Suggs. The fact is there's a lot more to playing football than speed. It helps to be fast, but it doesn't matter how fast you are if you are not in the right spot at the right time, or if you don't know how to properly use to technique to tackle, get off blocks etc. I think that JJ is great as a run defender and pretty good as a pass rusher. If anything I would say his weakness is when he drops into coverage. He has pretty bad hands and isn't very agile.

He's tough and consistent though. Did anyone see his battle with David Stewart during the Divisional playoffs against the Titans. JJ reminds me of Gregg in so much that he's not terribly athletic, but is real good at what he does.

As far as the sacks to pass defense thing goes, pressures are more important than sacks. As Trevor Pryce said, sacks are just tackles pressure causes turnovers. The reason we had low sacks is because the QB's were throwing it just before our guys could get there. Fortunately, Ed reed was on the recieving end of many of those passes.

[Alexir]

Trust me, if we had a pass rusher there our secondary would eat up recievers and get a lot of ints. I really can see Kruger taking his job if not Barnes or Burgess.

[wayne]

JJ is decent but IMO we need a upgrade !

[raven43]

[quote name='Alexir' date='21 July 2009 - 04:18 PM' timestamp='1248207507' post='208883']
Trust me, if we had a pass rusher there our secondary would eat up recievers and get a lot of ints. I really can see Kruger taking his job if not Barnes or Burgess.
[/quote]
Kruger? I don't think so. I mean, I'm not an expert, but the guys 275 pounds right now and they're talking about making him bulk up so he can play as a 3-4 defensive end. and besides, he may be able to help with the pass rush and the run, but being a 3-4 outside linebacker also entails dropping back into coverage, something I don't think Kruger did too often in college. Jarret Johnson is actually alright in that area. I really don't see where Kruger fits into this defense right now. to small to play defensive end and not athletic enough to be a full time swingman.

[Alexir]

[quote name='raven43' date='21 July 2009 - 07:55 PM' timestamp='1248220545' post='208949']
Kruger? I don't think so. I mean, I'm not an expert, but the guys 275 pounds right now and they're talking about making him bulk up so he can play as a 3-4 defensive end. and besides, he may be able to help with the pass rush and the run, but being a 3-4 outside linebacker also entails dropping back into coverage, something I don't think Kruger did too often in college. Jarret Johnson is actually alright in that area. I really don't see where Kruger fits into this defense right now. to small to play defensive end and not athletic enough to be a full time swingman.
[/quote]

Jarret Johnson didn't drop back into coverage either in college because he was a Defensive tackle.

Barnes and Burgess are probably the safer bet to replace JJ. I mean he just isn't that good as an OLB.

[raven43]

[quote name='Alexir' date='21 July 2009 - 07:58 PM' timestamp='1248220687' post='208950']
Jarret Johnson didn't drop back into coverage either in college because he was a Defensive tackle.[/quote] You're right about that, it's like I said, I'm no expert. I'm just being realistic. It's rare to find a guy who can rush the passer, handle his running lanes, and drop back into coverage. A lot of guys can't handle it. Vernon Gholston, Kameron Wimbley, Manny Lawson, etc. When you look at it that way, we really should be thankful we have a player like Jarret Johnson, who able to adequately handle all of those responsibilities.

[quote name='Alexir' date='21 July 2009 - 07:58 PM' timestamp='1248220687' post='208950']
Barnes and Burgess are probably the safer bet to replace JJ. [/quote]
ehhhh, I don't know...
I think Both those guys are more situational pass rushers if anything. Well, first of all, Burgess can't even really be considered, right now, we've never really seen enough of him to start contemplating him taking over at any point.

When it comes to Barnes, he's only 230lbs. that's small for 3-4 swingman. he would have to be able to hold up against the run and occasionally take on blockers. think of the best 3-4 OLB's in the game. D-Ware, Swhawne Marriman, James Harrison, and Terrel Suggs. They've all got some size on them. there all aroun 265-275 pounds. They're able to hold their ground in all areas of the game, and that's what makes them such valuable every down players. I don't really think we have one of those on the roster behind our starters.

P.S. Look for Sergio Kindle next year though...

[Sizzle]

JJ is a hard worker and a well rounded player that can play the pass and rush the QB. Every play he doesnt do nothing special he goes in and hits the lineman in the face and i think that compliments T-sizzle because sizzle is a kinda shifty kind of player, sometimes they swich around which makes it hard for the line man. I can't believe people want Barns to start over him? Barns is just a pass rusher, hes to small to defend the run.

[Alexir]

We need someone like Lamar Woodley in JJ's spot because they know the only player who really has a chance of gettin a sack is Suggs. Thats why Woodley and Harrison were effective.

[BloodRaven]

Getting sacks ultimately isn't as important as creating pressure and turnovers. Sacks are good but are more individual stats and are basically negative yardage tackles.

So Barnes might be a 4.4 pass rushing machine but can he hold up against the run? we've all heard it before [b]We stop the run first then pressure the QB[/b], that is what JJ does so until we find another OLB who can take on blockers and stuff the run as well as he does he will remain the starter.

[lowrider]

[quote name='BloodRaven' date='21 July 2009 - 10:36 PM' timestamp='1248230168' post='208994']
Getting sacks ultimately isn't as important as creating pressure and turnovers. Sacks are good but are more individual stats and are basically negative yardage tackles.

So Barnes might be a 4.4 pass rushing machine but can he hold up against the run? we've all heard it before [b]We stop the run first then pressure the QB[/b], that is what JJ does so until we find another OLB who can take on blockers and stuff the run as well as he does he will remain the starter.
[/quote]
Didn't think about it like that. Maybe Johnson is better than I thought he was

[BloodRaven]

It is also why Suggs with 8 sacks is still an elite OLB, he does what many don't and that is stop the run first then pressure the QB.

[Reddawn36]

[quote name='Alexir' date='21 July 2009 - 07:58 PM' timestamp='1248220687' post='208950']
Jarret Johnson didn't drop back into coverage either in college because he was a Defensive tackle.

Barnes and Burgess are probably the safer bet to replace JJ. I mean he just isn't that good as an OLB.
[/quote]

what about jameel mcclain, he showed promise last season

[MKdave]

[quote name='BloodRaven' date='21 July 2009 - 04:41 PM' timestamp='1248190912' post='208812']
Ravens 34 sacks, 2nd rated pass D
[/quote]

Actually we were the top rated pass D, we were the 2nd ranked pass D. We held opponent passers to a league low passer rating, so as Phillip Rivers was the top rated passer lass year, we were the top rated pass D.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='MKdave' date='22 July 2009 - 09:02 PM' timestamp='1248249764' post='209033']
Actually we were the top rated pass D, we were the 2nd ranked pass D. We held opponent passers to a league low passer rating, so as Phillip Rivers was the top rated passer lass year, we were the top rated pass D.
[/quote]
Lol, I don't understand?

[MKdave]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='22 July 2009 - 10:42 AM' timestamp='1248255732' post='209036']
Lol, I don't understand?
[/quote]

You know what a passer rating is right? Well, if you were to collate the passer ratings of all the quarterbacks that played us, they'd be the lowest in the league.

[Fred Sanford]

Like Rex Ryan said before, not everyone can or should be a star on defense.

JJ's measurables aren't great but his intangibles are. You need guys to do the dirty work; after all, 5-8 guys are running after us trying to block our guys.

Kelly Gregg and Ngata can occupy blockers, but not even close to all of them, obviously. "Anyone can take on a blocker", sure, but can they do so and consistently maintain gap integrity? Do they know how to use body lean to close holes, or open holes for our LB's or safeties to run through?

JJ's role is a lot more than "is he good in coverage, can he stop the run, how good of a pass rusher is he?" A lot of stuff on defense isn't flying around the edge to strip the ball, diving six feet for an INT. A lot of it is just inglorious, unappreciated dirty work that makes other guys look better. It's like a Right Guard.

The work Jarret puts in, in that sense, for what he pay him, is a steal. He's a pretty good pass rushing DT on 3rd down with Pryce, too.

I, for one, want to thank Jarret for being a humble guy and a hard worker, even if his work goes unappreciated because he doesn't command attention and big numbers. He makes plenty of plays, too, I remember yelling "JJ! My man!" all the time. He just doesn't do some big rat-a-tat-tat dance and get in the other team's face, thus it goes quietly.

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='22 July 2009 - 04:42 AM' timestamp='1248255732' post='209036']
Lol, I don't understand?
[/quote]

Its was a typo I made, ranked for rated. Not sure if it was worth bringing up. The point of the story is about the misconception of how JJ fits our system.

[BleedPurple92]

[quote name='raven43' date='21 July 2009 - 07:55 PM' timestamp='1248220545' post='208949']
Kruger? I don't think so. I mean, I'm not an expert, but the guys 275 pounds right now and they're talking about making him bulk up so he can play as a 3-4 defensive end. and besides, he may be able to help with the pass rush and the run, but being a 3-4 outside linebacker also entails dropping back into coverage, something I don't think Kruger did too often in college. Jarret Johnson is actually alright in that area. I really don't see where Kruger fits into this defense right now. to small to play defensive end and not athletic enough to be a full time swingman.
[/quote]

Yeah he droped back in coverage in college. He is very good in coverage. He was pretty much a rush LB, DE in Utah.

But back to the thread. I want to see what JJ will do this season, I think his sacks will go up this year.

In the words of the great Trevor Pryce.
"A sack is a tackle, Pressure creates interceptions"

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

Here's hoping so. Suggs is gonna have 15 I reckon.

[BloodRaven]

The sacks aren't as important as creating pressure. Its more important to individuals but its basically an overrated tackle for negative yards. High sacks rarely ever mean a good pass D.