01-15-2023, 12:34 PM
(01-13-2023, 02:43 PM)Whatever Wrote: Out of 484 qualifying players, CTB has the 74th worst Missed Tackle % per ProFootball Reference. I have no idea where this myth that he's a good tackler comes from.
As far as the OP goes, a lot of young guys have shown flashes, but they've all been mediocre on the whole. Next year will be a much better indicator.
It is not just the percentage, it is the amount of tackles he is in on. It is like a shortstop in baseball. One guy never makes an error but has a very limited range, so a lot of balls roll by him into the outfield. The other guy has a better range and gets to more balls than the other guy, but makes some errors on them. But he also makes a lot of outs on balls the first guy never touches. In comparing the two, it is not a big deal the 2nd guy makes a couple more errors, especially if most/all of them are on balls the first guy does not get to anyway. Plus, his chances are tougher. The first guy only ever makes routine plays.
In my view, CTB puts himself into position to make more tackles than your average CB. And it is not just me or a few here. CTB played 591 snaps this year. Apple played 908. Apple played over 50% more snaps than CTB. Wanna know who had more tackles? CTB. 55 to 49. And this is not an Apple thing. Chido played 471. 80% of CTBs total (roughly 48/60, or 4/5ths). He had 35 tackles. 63% of CTB's total. Proof meet pudding. Yeah, I get Chido is better in coverage, but we play a lot of zone, and that number is significant. And Apple's is huge.
And I will say some of CTB's misses were on plays where he made the right play. A gamble on a tackle to stop a guy on 3rd down where a big play was not a possibility. He isn't making dumb gambles, trying to make impossible plays and giving up huge plays. He is not overthrowing first with two outs and allowing a guy to score from second. His sense of when to gamble is good.
Now, he is still raw in coverage. But that play vs Baltimore last week in the end zone was spectacular. Quick change of direction to stick to the guy crossing in front of him. And a great play on the ball.
