Lawson vs. Dunlap

[*SHRacerX*]

(09-30-2020, 11:48 AM)Au165 Wrote: Batting down balls at the line of scrimmage is a huge deal. You don't know what that ball would have been had it not been batted down, maybe it is a touchdown maybe it is a drop but you know it won't be anything because it was batted down. J.J. Watt gets a ton of praise for this but Dunlap isn't far behind Watt in this skill (or in batted balls career-wise), and it is a skill often taught but rarely done as well as Dunlap does it. The idea isn't to stop rushing, the idea is that if you can't get home then you watch the QB and time your jump to match his release.

This.  The batted pass becomes more important in checking offenses that get the ball out very quickly, which is most at this time.  It also can turn in to an INT.

One of the biggest, most-exciting plays on defense I ever saw at a live game was when Takeo jumped and tipped a pass to himself and rambled something like 70 yards for a TD against the Ravens coming off their Super Bowl win.  It was the first game after 9/11, I believe.