How Bears Find Sufficient Pressure

Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache once created a stir in Chicago by saying sacks were overrated.

This is, after all, the franchise where opposing quarterbacks in the 1980s got hauled out of Soldier Field on stretchers. It's the team of Wilber Marshall, who once hit Detroit quarterback Joe Ferguson so hard he nearly knocked him straight into the ambulance—no stretcher needed.

So Blache's comment seemed like blasphemy to many Bears fans. The truth is Blache wasn't necessarily wrong. He merely misspoke.

What Blache should have said to be more accurate was pressures are underrated, because sacks are actually fantastic. Their importance can't be overrated. They're just not necessary, if you're getting consistent pressure on a quarterback. Pressure helps force turnovers and that's better than any sack, unless we're talking about a strip-sack.

The outcry over negligence by the Bears at the edge rusher position this offseason might seem like complete bumbling on the part of GM Ryan Poles. It's more a case of addressing other positions because the right player wasn't available. Their attitude is they'll get pressure from the interior if they can't get it on the edge.

Of course the Bears would like an edge rusher who produces sacks but the coaching staff has been through seasons in the past without bigger sack totals from an edge rusher. They believe there are ways to get sacks and pressure without dominant edges.

They stop the run, force QBs into predictable passing situations and put heat on with the defensive interior.

Eberflus had years in the past where it worked for his scheme without a dominant edge. It also worked with a hired hand they brought in for a few years. Justin Houston was that edge rusher and he is available now at age 34 if they want to try this again.

Houston was the only Colts player with double-digit sacks in a season while Eberflus was their defensive coordinator. And he had 9 1/2 sacks last year for the Ravens at age 33.

In two of Eberflus' four seasons, the Colts sacks leader was a defensive tackle—pressure from up the middle.

In Eberflus' final Colts season, the same Al-Quadin Muhammad cut by the Bears this offseason had Indianapolis' most sacks off the edge with six.

Expand this study league-wide and there is merit to the thought big sack totals from an edge rusher aren't as necessary as consistent pressure from someone, anyone.

There were no edge players with double-digit sacks from the AFC in the playoffs. Kansas City's Chris Jones had 15 but he's a defensive tackle.

This wasn't the case in the NFC, but it wasn't exactly a double-digit sack fest for edge rushers in postseason there, either.

The Eagles were the great exception on the edge with 16 sacks by Haason Reddick, 11 by Josh Sweat and 11 by Brandon Graham.

San Francisco's NFL sacks leader Nick Bosa made 18 1/2. Dallas' Micah Parsons had 13 1/2 sacks and actually plays all over the formation, not just the edge, but we'll consider him one for this purpose. Danielle Hunter of the Vikings had 10 1/2 and teammate Za'Darius Smith 10.

That's it for the NFC.

How important is having a double-digit sacks player on the edge?

There were 14 edge players with double digits in sacks last year and seven made the playoffs. It's not a resounding vote on the side of sacks by edge rushers leading to immediate success.

The Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs without an edge rusher who had more than seven sacks. The Giants had 7 1/2 sacks from one player, but no one would confuse him with an edge rusher. That was 342-pound defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

So there's every reason to think the Bears can produce necessary pass rush without a dominant edge rusher in the way Eberflus believes.

They simply plan to do it with an interior pass rusher applying pressure after they force teams into predictable down-and-distances. Of course, to do this they actually need interior pass rushers who can apply pressure when they do get teams in passing situations. And no one can be certain they even have those at this point.

But there is logic behind it and there can be no doubt they need more than three sacks from their top edge rusher, like Trevis Gipson provided last year, or 1 1/2 from Dominique Robinson, their No. 2 sack man on the edge.

A dominant edge would simply make things so much easier.

Playoff Teams Sack Leaders

(5 or more, edge players unless noted)

Buffalo Bills: Von Miller 8, Gregory Rousseau 8, AJ Epenesa 6 1/2

Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips 7, Melvin Ingram 6

Cincinnati Bengals: Trey Hendrickson 8, Sam Hubbard 6 1/2

Baltimore Ravens: Justin Houston 9 1/2, Justin Madubuike 5 1/2, Calais Campbell* 5 1/2, Patrick Queen 5**

Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Allen 7, Dawuane Smoot 5

Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Jones 15 1/2*, George Karlaftis 6, Frank Clark 5, Michael Danna 5

Los Angeles Chargers: Khalil Mack 8, Morgan Fox 6 1/2, Drue Tranquill 5, Kyle Van Noy 5

Philadelphia Eagles: Haason Reddick 16, Javon Hargrave 11*, Josh Sweat 11, Brandon Graham 11, Fletcher Cox 7*

Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons 13 1/2, Dorance Armstrong 8 1/2, DeMarcus Lawrence 6, Dante Fowler 6, Donovan Wilson 5***

New York Giants: Dexter Lawrence 7 1/2*, Azeez Ojulari 5 1/2

Minnesota Vikings: Danielle Hunter 10 1/2, Za'Darius Smith 10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vita Vea 6.5*, Devin White 5 1/2**, Anthony Nelson 5 1/2**.

San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa 18.5, Samson Ebukam 5.

Seattle Seahawks: Uchenna Nwosu 9 1/2, Darrell Taylor 9 1/2, Quinton Jefferson 5 1/2.

*Defensive tackle, **Linebacker, ***Safety

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