Grading Tackles - Stats

[FB-fanatic]

Is there any kind of official guideline for grading tackles per game? I mean, what constitutes a tackle? I come from the offensive side of the ball where it's pretty black and white.... Not so subjective. Does getting your hand on a guy while he going down count?



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[Rocket Man]

I'll give your thread a bump and my opinion which may or may not get you a cup of coffee.

If it ain't a solo tackle, then it ought to be classified as an assisted tackle. The way these coaches report to the Trib is suspect to me. There aren't enough plays run against the defenses to account for all the tackles being reported, if they're supposed to be solo tackles.

[Rabid Cougar]

From personal experience, it varies by coach and even then they have differing criteria. Solos are easy. Criteria for assist? I think you can find the cure for the common cold easier. You also have to understand that a lot of defenses are designed to get the middle linebackers lots of tackles and you will see the D-linemen get not so much. So yes, you will see a LB with 15-20 tackles a game in high school. If you see a Dlinemen with LOTS of tackles, three things are for possible; he is a freak, he is playing horrible opponents or they are padding his stats.


In College they actually have a statistician that track them as they happen on a computer program. You can usually pull those results up on the teams websites. Even then, the totals will not add up with what the coaches grade them out with on Sunday.

[caleb_mccaig]

I've always wondered this also. I remember seeing some kids on the Super Centex team end the season with 200+ tackles and our leading tackler may have had 110-120. I think a linebacker my senior year broke the school tackle record with 125 tackles or something like that. It has to just be how coaches look at it.

[panfan]

From personal experience, it varies by coach and even then they have differing criteria. Solos are easy. Criteria for assist? I think you can find the cure for the common cold easier. You also have to understand that a lot of defenses are designed to get the middle linebackers lots of tackles and you will see the D-linemen get not so much. So yes, you will see a LB with 15-20 tackles a game in high school. If you see a Dlinemen with LOTS of tackles, three things are for possible; he is a freak, he is playing horrible opponents or they are padding his stats.


In College they actually have a statistician that track them as they happen on a computer program. You can usually pull those results up on the teams websites. Even then, the totals will not add up with what the coaches grade them out with on Sunday.

Last year - saw a couple of teams with these kids with some ridiculous numbers of solo tackles per game. Coach must of been awarding the kid 2 tackles per single tackle to get to those numbers. That or he was just a one man defense who didn't need the other 10 players.

[OLE'BULL]

I've always wondered this also. I remember seeing some kids on the Super Centex team end the season with 200+ tackles and our leading tackler may have had 110-120. I think a linebacker my senior year broke the school tackle record with 125 tackles or something like that. It has to just be how coaches look at it.

Some of those kids on the Super Teams might have played for a pretty darn good team. Playing an extra 5 or 6 games can add quite a few tackles.

As far as the rest of the conversation, it is sometimes tough to classify solo vs. assisted. I guess if I were a coach tracking it, I would have a few scenarios that would count as a solo: 1) the obvious one on one tackle 2) if you were the first guy to make reasonable contact with the ball carrier 3) if you forced the ball carrier out of bounds, even without contact 4) if you were the primary reason the ball carriers progress is stopped and the play is stopped (that would be a judgement call by the stat keeper)

Now, when they say John Doe had 15 tackles last night, it should be broken down into solo and assisted. Some write-ups (like our newspaper) will break them down, solo vs. assisted, and it seems like all reporters are getting a little better about it.

[Rabid Cougar]

I come from the offensive side of the ball where it's pretty black and white.... Not so subjective.


Catches, completions, receptions... yes but don't forget your Olinemen. What's the difference in a Pancake, a LumberJack and a Blazer?

[caleb_mccaig]

Some of those kids on the Super Teams might have played for a pretty darn good team. Playing an extra 5 or 6 games can add quite a few tackles.

As far as the rest of the conversation, it is sometimes tough to classify solo vs. assisted. I guess if I were a coach tracking it, I would have a few scenarios that would count as a solo: 1) the obvious one on one tackle 2) if you were the first guy to make reasonable contact with the ball carrier 3) if you forced the ball carrier out of bounds, even without contact 4) if you were the primary reason the ball carriers progress is stopped and the play is stopped (that would be a judgement call by the stat keeper)

Now, when they say John Doe had 15 tackles last night, it should be broken down into solo and assisted. Some write-ups (like our newspaper) will break them down, solo vs. assisted, and it seems like all reporters are getting a little better about it.

I've never heard of any coach calling running a guy out of bounds without contact a tackle. They don't teach that method in tackling drills. But it wouldn't surprise me if some do it that way.

We played 16 games in 07 and our leading tackler had less than 120 tackles.

[panfan]

Here's one for ya: two games back our DE drove the tackle or TE straight back into the QB, knocking him down. Play over. How ya'll want to rule that one? DE never touched the QB.

[OLE'BULL]

Here's one for ya: two games back our DE drove the tackle or TE straight back into the QB, knocking him down. Play over. How ya'll want to rule that one? DE never touched the QB.

Tackle. See #4 in my above post...

[OLE'BULL]

I've never heard of any coach calling running a guy out of bounds without contact a tackle. They don't teach that method in tackling drills. But it wouldn't surprise me if some do it that way.

We played 16 games in 07 and our leading tackler had less than 120 tackles.

So if a sole defender is in pursuit of a ball carrier and they run out of bounds because they can't evade the defender, you don't think a credit should be given to the defender? I do. If multiple defenders are in pursuit in the same area then you give an assisted tackle to the closest ones contributing to the play being stopped.

While typing this I got on the Google machine and found this definition on Wikipedia, it seems right on par with my thinking on this issue:

In American football and Canadian football, to tackle is to physically interfere with the forward progress of a player in possession of the ball, such that his forward progress ceases and is not resumed, or such that he is caused to touch some part of his body to the ground other than his feet or hands, or ]such that he is forced to go out of bounds. In any such case, the ball becomes dead, the down is over, and play ceases until the beginning of the next play.

[panfan]

Tackle. See #4 in my above post...

I agree. It was recorded in the books as a sack for a loss.

[caleb_mccaig]

So if a sole defender is in pursuit of a ball carrier and they run out of bounds because they can't evade the defender, you don't think a credit should be given to the defender? I do. If multiple defenders are in pursuit in the same area then you give an assisted tackle to the closest ones contributing to the play being stopped.

While typing this I got on the Google machine and found this definition on Wikipedia, it seems right on par with my thinking on this issue:

In American football and Canadian football, to tackle is to physically interfere with the forward progress of a player in possession of the ball, such that his forward progress ceases and is not resumed, or such that he is caused to touch some part of his body to the ground other than his feet or hands, or ]such that he is forced to go out of bounds. In any such case, the ball becomes dead, the down is over, and play ceases until the beginning of the next play.

If you can't use Wikipedia as a source in college, then you can't use it on the Downlow.......haha just kidding.

But it makes sense I guess. I've never heard of a stat keeper counting that. Granted, I've probably met less than 20 of them. I know when I do stats on games I cover I only count tackles when physical contact is made.

[Rabid Cougar]

Here's one for ya: two games back our DE drove the tackle or TE straight back into the QB, knocking him down. Play over. How ya'll want to rule that one? DE never touched the QB.

If he is in the tackle box...Sack. If he is outside the tackle box...TFL.

[panfan]

If he is in the tackle box...Sack. If he is outside the tackle box...TFL.
Yep - was in the box - looked at his tackle like, "Your kidding me right?"

[OLE'BULL]

If you can't use Wikipedia as a source in college, then you can't use it on the Downlow.......haha just kidding.

But it makes sense I guess. I've never heard of a stat keeper counting that. Granted, I've probably met less than 20 of them. I know when I do stats on games I cover I only count tackles when physical contact is made.

C'mon now! Wiki is pretty accurate for the most part. I just thought it was thorough explanation and mirrored they way I look at it. I have always been a defensive guy so I favor anything that benefits a defensive player. I just feel like it is the same as a tackle. If you are the sole reason that the ball carrier is downed and progress is stopped, you should get credited a tackle.