As the lockout hopefully draws closer to an end, football fans (and more specifically, Redskins fans) are dying for some fresh material to talk about. We've had a ton of non-stories that have become stories over the last few months because, quite frankly, nothing has happened during the lockout outside of the NFL Draft.
So if you can't talk about the 2011 season, why not dig up some stats from years past to satiate that football fix? That's exactly what ProFootballFocus.com has been doing in recent months, coming out with statistics and formulas about a players productivity (or lackthereof) from last season and prior.
The latest topic? Pass rush productivity over the past three seasons.
The formula is quite simple: Take the total number of 'Pass Rush Snaps' a given defender had, and see how many 'QB Disruptions' they induced in those number of snaps. A QB disruption could count as a sack, a forced fumble, a pressure, anything that indicates that the defender impeded the quarterback from doing what he wanted to do.
So, given that formula, PFF compiled a list of ho has had the best 'Pass Rush Productivity' by percentage from 2008-2010. The good news for Redskins fans is that there is a member of the Washington defense who ranks in the top twenty.
Linebacker Brian Orakpo checks in at number 20, with a 9.19% productivity rate on 767 pass rush snaps. Orakpo has only played two seasons in the NFL, so statistics like these are especially encouraging, considering most in the top twenty have played three full seasons in the league. As if his 19.5 sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances in his first two years as a Redskin weren't enough to sway you.
And to boot, Orakpo was voted as one of the 10 best outside linebackers in the NFL, according to USAToday's NFL Panel.
A lot of love going No.98's way today.