Grading the ‘Boys, Part V: Safeties

In the first four parts of our Grading the ‘Boys Series, we provided in-depth statistical analysis and grades for the offensive linemen, running backs, and cornerbacks. Today, we take a look at the safeties.

As was the case when grading the cornerbacks, we have to be very careful when interpreting the statistics we gather from our film study. For example, despite generally being superior tacklers, we might expect the percentage of missed tackles to be higher for safeties than cornerbacks because the latter is forced to attempt less open-field tackles.

For this reason and others, it is also unreasonable to compare statistics between cornerbacks and safeties. Comparisons can be drawn between players within a position, however, as long as we are aware of the possible limitations to such comparisons.

Below are the results of the 2009 Cowboys’ safety play and the corresponding Dallas Cowboys Times grades.

Notes

• Chart Key: TA=Thrown At, Rec=Receptions Yielded, PD=Passes Defended, Yds/Att=Yards Per Attempt Thrown At

• The best stats are circled in blue, the worst in red.

• Some of the stats were provided by Pro Football Focus.

• The final chart details our own custom statistic, the Dallas Cowboys Times Pass Defense Rating. It incorporates the factors we believe are most valuable in evaluating the success of a safety. The amount of points a player scores in each category is less important than the difference between his score and the average score. For example, a point total of 20.0 in a category where the league average is 5.0 helps a player more than a score of 100.0 in a category whose league average is 90.0.

• The final grade is weighted 2:1 in terms of pass defense versus run defense.

Grades

2009 Safety Pass Defense Totals

• Ken Hamlin

Pass Defense: C+

Let’s start off with a grade for which we are sure to receive a lot of flack. We have been stating from season’s end that Ken Hamlin’s 2009 play was not as poor as people made it seem.

There is no doubting that he is not a ball-hawking safety. Would you like to have a player like that on your team? Of course–but only if he doesn’t sacrifice his ability to prevent the big play. Some safeties, i.e. Antrel Rolle, are considered “playmakers” because they get a lot of picks or have a lot of bone-crushing hits, yet they allow a multitude of big plays. A true playmaker, though, is able to do these things without conceding long touchdowns.

Hamlin is not an incredible playmaker, but he is also not a liability in the secondary as many fans believe is the case. He is a cerebral player who has done an admirable job of setting up the defensive coverages and forcing defenses to earn every yard they gain. Sometimes it can be a good thing to not hear your free safety’s name called too much. In a way, Hamlin is a bit of a sensei master in the secondary–leading the troops without overexerting himself. We are only partially joking about that.

While Dallas could certainly benefit from a free safety who is a “true playmaker,” those players are few and far between. Hamlin isn’t going to solely win the Cowboys football games, but he also won’t lose them. He’s not an All-Pro sort of safety, but he’s also not one who should be released.

2009 Safety Pass Defense Efficiency

Run Defense: A-

Let the ridicule begin. An “A-” in tackling for Ken Hamlin? Really?

You bet. Hamlin missed just four tackles (8.0 percent) all season. In comparison, Terence Newman led all cornerbacks by securing 91.5 percent of his tackles. Thus, Hamlin was statistically the most consistent tackler in the secondary in 2009, despite playing a position that is arguably the hardest from which to make tackles.

Gerald Sensabaugh

Pass Defense: C

Sensabaugh has the worst Dallas Cowboys Times Pass Defense Rating of all three safeties, but that is to be expected since he is targeted more frequently at strong safety. Still, his 67.4 completion percentage against is much too high.

Like Hamlin, Sensabaugh did not make many big plays on the season, securing just one interception. Unlike Hamlin, however, Sensy conceded a few easy scores. He allowed five touchdowns (compared to just two for Hamlin), a stat which we do not even factor into our Pass Defense Rating.

Run Defense: C+

2009 Safety Run Support Statistics

Sensabaugh’s missed tackle percentage of 15.6 percent was nearly twice that of Hamlin’s, despite generally playing closer to the line of scrimmage and thus obtaining more “easy tackle” situations. He also secured just eight more tackles than Hamlin despite this difference in pre-snap alignment and playing more downs.

• Alan Ball

Pass Defense: B

Ball registered a worse score on our Pass Defense Rating than Hamlin, so why are we giving him a better grade? Well, Ball’s inexperience led team’s to target him frequently. In fact, he was thrown at on 6.53 percent of all snaps, nearly three times the rate at which opposing quarterbacks tested Hamlin.

Despite this, Ball allowed the lowest completion percentage of any safety at just 45.0 percent. He also led the safeties in yards-per-attempt against and passes defended percentage. It is not a stretch at all to label Ball the closest thing Dallas has to a “ball-hawk” at the safety position.

Run Defense: D

Ball struggled quite a bit against the run. He missed nearly 1/4 of all tackles, a rate almost triple that of Hamlin. His tackle-per-play average was also the worst among the three safeties.

Final Safety Rankings

1. Ken Hamlin: 82.3 (B-)

2. Alan Ball: 78.3 (C+)

3. Gerald Sensabaugh: 75.7 (C)

The Cowboys’ safeties are obviously not future Hall-of-Famers. We believe Hamlin is unfairly ridiculed due to his lack of takeaways (and we realize we are the only ones who view him as underrated), but he is no Ed Reed.

Should the Cowboys address the safety position early in the draft? If the value is there, yes. Perhaps Texas safety Earl Thomas will drop down to pick #27.

If the Cowboys do not see good value in the first round, however, there is no reason to panic. There are a wealth of intriguing second round safety prospects that should present adequate value for Dallas in round two, such as Georgia Tech’s Morgan Burnett.

Further, we believe Hamlin is still a starting quality safety. He is certainly not irreplaceable, but it is unlikely that a rookie free safety, outside of Thomas or Tennessee’s Eric Berry, could step into the starting role and immediately perform better than Hamlin.

Assuming the team passes on a safety in the first round, expect Hamlin and Sensabaugh to be the Cowboys’ opening day starters and to force more turnovers in 2010.