Tackling Inefficiency Rating (Part 3) — Linebackers

Part 3 of our tackling inefficiency study looks at the tackling machines at the heart of an NFL defense — the linebackers. Traditionally they are the motor that makes a defense run, the guys expected to fight through traffic and make stops. Linebackers in today's NFL can take on many shapes, from light and speedy, 235-pound Tampa-2 players to big, 270-pound edge-rushing monsters coming around the outside in a 3-4 scheme. But they all have one thing in common: They're expected to be able to tackle and make defensive stops…

We've looked already at cornerbacks and safeties in the first two parts of our TIR analysis, now we're looking at linebackers. Once again, a reminder of how the TIR formula works:

(Number of Missed Tackles/[Number of Missed Tackles + Number of Solo Tackles]) x 100 = TIR

We're also including sacks in the solo tackles attempted column as there was a significant number of “missed tackle-sacks” that had an impact on the data.

And once again we issue the standard TIR disclaimer — the TIR does not attempt to say who the best or poorest tacklers in the NFL are, it simply shows what happened when players attempted a tackle (how efficient they were in getting their man to the ground once they attempted a solo tackle). For a more detailed analysis of player performance we always suggest taking a look at how we graded a player's performance via our player pages or players by position pages. As an additional note, we've made no distinction between 3-4 and 4-3 linebackers and the qualifying minimum for any player is 20 solo tackles.

Adalius Thomas found himself firmly in the doghouse in New England this season, and his TIR doesn't help him get out of it. He topped all linebackers by missing 25 percent of all the solo stops he attempted on the season. He is the only linebacker to miss more than 20 percent of his solo stops and it's certainly one of the reasons that the Patriots were willing to cast him loose.

One player who certainly won't be released is the the Saints' Jonathan Vilma. He had a big season but is much better when the ball is in the air than when it is being carried, something that becomes clear when you take into account his 18 missed tackles and TIR of 15.0. Vilma is clearly at the heart of the Saints' defense, but that's a figure that needs to come down for a middle linebacker (particularly in running situations).

A look at the 2009 rookies brings about an interesting and diverse range of scores. DeAndre Levy was a nice surprise for Detroit, but the rookie linebacker missed 14 tackles to finish with a TIR of 18.42, which is only better than three other linebackers. Clay Matthews from the Packers also finished with a TIR at the wrong end of the scale, finishing 14th-worst with a score of 14.58. Going into their second seasons, both will be looking to bring this down.

It gets better with Aaron Curry, the consensus top linebacker of the 2009 draft. His TIR of 10.17 which landed him firmly in the middle of the pack for tacking efficiency. Still, the real tackling success was a guy who slipped in the draft because he wasn't fast or explosive and didn't put up the huge combine numbers. James Laurinaitis proved he was a solid tackler at the NFL level with a TIR of 4.67, good enough to place him firmly inside the top 20. Laurinaitis was second among rookies in TIR score, just behind Larry English, but he made 81 more solo stop attempts and only missed four more tackles.

Looking at the positives, there were some excellent performances from the linebackers. Takeo Spikes was one of three linebackers to avoid missing a single tackle, but had by far the most attempts at 64. His 49ers inside linebacker partner, Patrick Willis, also landed firmly inside the best 10 on the season, missing only four tackles in his 121 attempts to score a TIR of 3.20. It's probably no surprise that the inside linebackers for Samurai Mike are tackling machines in the middle of that 49ers defense. Would you want to get Singletary mad by missing a tackle?

A player who PFF has been talking up for a while, David Vobora, not only performed well over the season, but also was extremely reliable as a tackler, missing just a single tackle for a TIR of 3.13. Vobora and Laurinaitis provide the Rams with a fine pair of linebackers and give the NFC West two teams with a pair of linebackers inside the top 20 in TIR.

With free agency still a talking point, it's interesting to look at what the Dolphins have done. They had a pair of inside linebackers ranking poorly (to the surprise of no Phins fans) in the TIR, with Akin Ayodele missing 10 tackles to notch a TIR of 16.39 and Channing Crowder just as bad with 10 missed tackles but from seven fewer attempts than Ayodele. In a predictable move, Ayodele was allowed to walk after the season and the Dolphins went after Karlos Dansby aggressively, securing the free agent for the next season and beyond. Dansby missed seven tackles himself, but his TIR was far more respectable at just 6.14 as he had more tackles than both Crowder and Ayodele combined. The Dolphins look to have addressed one aspect of one problem successfully if Dansby brings his solid tackling with him from Arizona.

One of the surprise names at the top of the list is a guy who struggled in run defense in Elvis Dumervil. He may get caught out of position, but in addition to being a fine pass rusher he was extremely successful when making tackles. Dumervil attempted 40 solo stops (including sacks) and made them all. He might struggle to fight off blocks or to anchor against the run but based on 2009, if he gets his hands on the ball carrier, he is going to the ground (which helps explain why he was able to get so many sacks, considering his total number of pressures).

Highest TIR

*–Tackles for linebackers include sacks

Lowest TIR

*–Tackles for linebackers include sacks

For a full list of where the linebackers ranked, feel free to request this information at forum, via Facebook or twitter, or get in touch with the writer here with any other queries or points. Stay tuned for the next installment of the TIR.