Analyzing the Snap Counts in Eagles vs. Browns (Defense)

This is a follow-up to the first part of our new snap counts feature. In part one, we looked at the offense. Today, we'll look at how often the Cleveland Browns' defense played against the Philadelphia Eagles. Defenders are more prone to substituting, so it should not be a surprise to see some of the guys lower on the depth chart getting a couple of snaps.

Also, it should be noted that the Browns had to defend an astounding 95 snaps. Teams are typically on the field for around 55-75 snaps. Because Cleveland kept punting or turning the ball over, Philadelphia had 17 possessions, some of which were obviously more successful than Cleveland's drives. For the defense to do hold up for as long as they did is another tribute to them.

Defensive Tackle
Ahtyba Rubin	Billy Winn	John Hughes	Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
81% 77/95 plays	68% 65/95 plays	33% 31/95 plays	17% 16/95 plays

Ahtyba Rubin: 3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined). 2 quarterback hits, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble.
Billy Winn: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 tackle for loss.
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 tackle for loss.
John Hughes: No stats registered.

Thoughts: I think this is the type of distribution we expected. Rubin's numbers seem a little lower than a year ago (he averaged 86% in 2011), which was the intended goal when Winn and Hughes were drafted. Kitchen was even mixed in for a few plays, and based on the numbers, I wonder if Kitchen was the guy who substituted for Rubin while Winn and Hughes shared the same spot.

Defensive End
Jabaal Sheard	Frostee Rucker	Juqua Parker	Emmanuel Stephens
76% 72/95 plays	51% 48/95 plays	51% 48/95 plays	17% 16/95 plays

Emmanuel Stephens: 2 tackles (2 combined).
Frostee Rucker: 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined).
Juqua Parker: 1 tackle (1 combined). 2 quarterback hits.
Jabaal Sheard: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 pass defended.

Thoughts: We saw the Browns' defensive ends perform very well, and I think this quartet of players suits the team very well during the 2012 campaign. Sheard played in 88% of the snaps last season, so getting him a few extra breathers was key. It's interesting to see how Rucker and Parker saw the exact same workload. Parker is a pass-rushing specialist, so he may have seen extra reps due to how often Vick dropped back to pass.

Linebacker
D'Qwell Jackson	Craig Robertson	Kaluka Maiava	L.J. Fort
100% 95/95 plays	53% 50/95 plays	41% 39/95 plays	40% 38/95 plays

Craig Robertson: 5 tackles, 3 assists (8 combined). 1 quarterback hit, 1 interception, 2 passes defended.
Kaluka Maiava: 5 tackles, 1 assist (6 combined). 1 pass defended.
D'Qwell Jackson: 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined). 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 2 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery.
L.J. Fort: 2 tackles (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 1 interception, 2 passes defended.

Thoughts: I'm not surprised that Jackson played every snap, since he's the leader of the defense. That had to take a toll on him, though, playing all 95 snaps. Tank Carder didn't see any work on defense, so the two outside linebacker positions consisted of a three-way rotation between Robertson, Maiava, and Fort. The outside linebackers' numbers are so low because the defense doesn't always use three linebackers; sometimes, there are only one or two guys in there at a time.

Cornerback
Joe Haden	Dimitri Patterson	Buster Skrine	Sheldon Brown
100% 95/95 plays	89% 85/95 plays	49% 47/95 plays	21% 20/95 plays

Buster Skrine: 7 tackles (7 combined). 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defended.
Joe Haden: 5 tackles, 1 assist (6 combined). 1 interception, 1 pass defended.
Dimitri Patterson: 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 quarterback hit.
Sheldon Brown: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined).

Thoughts: Haden was relied upon for the entire game, which is of no surprise. Unfortunately, Cleveland will miss him the next four games while he is suspended. The playing time distribution was affected by Brown leaving with a shoulder stinger early on. Next week, with Haden gone, you can expect to see Wade active and getting some reps.

Safety
Eric Hagg	T.J. Ward	Ray Ventrone	Tashaun Gipson
100% 95/95 plays	87% 83/95 plays	13% 12/95 plays	6% 6/95 plays

T.J. Ward: 7 tackles, 1 assist (8 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 quarterback hits, 1 forced fumble.
Eric Hagg: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defended.
Ray Ventrone: No stats registered.
Tashaun Gipson: No stats registered.

Thoughts: I am going to assume that Ward would have played all 95 snaps had he not left before the end of the first half with an injury. The numbers indicate that Ventrone would've come in during that time to fill in for Ward. I'm not sure when Gipson saw reps, but he did get in for six plays. Maybe Ventrone saw some goal line work and Gipson played a little when Ward went out.

I'll try to replicate these posts next week, as long as they stay popular.