2008 Season Retrospective: Darryl Tapp

by John Morgan on Mar 10, 2009 2:51 PM PDT in Analysis Comment 10 comments

Darryl Tapp

Overview: Rookie Lawrence Jackson started ahead of Tapp until week 7. Tapp didn't win the job; Jackson lost it. On a depleted defensive end rotation, Tapp made up for missed time, recording 5.5 sacks in those eleven starts and ending the season as Seattle's most active end, playing nearly two-thirds of all defensive snaps.

What Went Wrong: Jackson starting ahead of Tapp. Jackson didn't so much earn the spot as be appointed. A pass rush is hugely dependent on the front four. Seattle rushes just four on about two-third of all plays, and even when a blitzer or three is added, the thrust of the rush comes from the defensive line. Swapping Jackson for Tapp weakened the entire pass rush, from allowing easy double teams on Kerney, to allowing guards and centers to peel off and pick up free blitzers or apply a double team.

What Went Right: Tapp is solid exactly as he is. He's consistently disruptive, able to beat about any type of tackle, and not so bad in run support as to be a liability. Tapp has a great first step, good dip, good inside move, good rip and a capable bull rush, plus the kind of suddenness to convert penetration into a sack. He makes those around him better.

Quintessential Game: Seahawks at 49ers

Seattle 34 - San Francisco 13

3-2-SF 39 (5:38)
Niners, 4 WR (2 Left/2 Right0, Rb. Seattle in a 4-1 Dime. At the snap, Tapp explodes on a nice short angled edge rush that pulls Adam Snyder wide. This is important because an offensive line is strongest when its compact, as it bows and players are isolated pass rushing gaps appear. Tapp's edge rush and Brandon Mebane's forced double team isolates Tony Wragge and Bernard is able to exploit the gaping "C" gap on Wragge's right. From there it's just a good skill and talent showing by Bernard as he closes on Hill and swats the ball from his hand. It's two games, but it's good to see Tapp back.

Outlook: Tapp turns 25 next September. 2009 is his walk season. Seattle would be best served to lock him up now, but won't. Instead, expect Tapp to be franchised and paid a little too much next season. Tapp is entering his prime seasons, but he won't enjoy a huge mid-career breakout. Instead, he should start hovering around double digit sacks for the next three seasons or so. In between those sacks he'll be the guy forcing off balance throws and check downs, bowing the pocket and being an unassuming difference maker.

0 recs | Comment 10 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

It's a shame Lawrence Jackson was handed the starting job just because he was a first round pick.

And a slight reach, at that.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Mar 10, 2009 3:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Only 25 entering next season

with 3 years in already, damn right Ruskell should lock him up now. " unassuming difference maker" is an apt description, and along with Wilson, fast becoming my favorite Seahawk.

by Dukeshire on Mar 10, 2009 3:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Franchised in 2010?

He’s got a long way to go to earn that one year salary. Got to be near $10M/year for defensive linemen.

by stallz on Mar 10, 2009 3:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The franchise tag is fast becoming a temporary ball and chain until a long term deal is worked out

Less and less players that get tagged anymore are legitimate franchise players.

by Nate Dogg on Mar 10, 2009 8:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

True that

Of course, there’s this whole CBA mess to work out, so who knows what the financial landscape will look like, or if the FT is a legitimate option after the new one’s in place.

by jteckmann on Mar 10, 2009 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

John, could you

give a tape review of Tapp’s run defense skills? I had emailed Doug, before the season had started, after reading Pro Football Prospectus 2008 and noticing that Tapp had the best run defense numbers on the team. And the trustable reports from training camp, like from Farnsworth, indicated the coaches wanted a run defense upgrade and that was partially the reason they were leaning toward starting Jackson over Tapp.

My speculation, to Doug, was whether Leroy Hill being on that side of the defense most often could have contributed to teams were puptting a hat or hats on blocking Hill, which opened up more rushes towards Tapp, and he responded, or whether he really was that good at run defense and no one noticed.

I’ve gone back and watched the Miami game, from last year, and on Wild Cat snaps he was awful, he was frozen. He doesn’t have super quick reaction, and the Wild Cat exploited that, but aside from that, I didn’t see any actual mis-steps against the run. I’ve re-watched a couple games now, trying to gauge how good Tapp is against the run, but I still can’t tell.

I figure, he couldn’t have been 8th best in the league against the run among all DEs and the coaches still would think he’s a liability. They could be very wrong on him, easily, but I can’t imagine he’d have been that good and it would be completely lost on them. I figure, something else has to account for that gap. OK it’s late and I’m running out the door, but I’ll post the PFP2008 front seven run defense numbers tomorrow if anyone’s interested.

by jacobstevens on Mar 10, 2009 6:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

In short

FO run defense numbers do not give an accurate portrait of a player’s total contributions to run defense. It records only the tackles Tapp made, and not his contributions on other plays and doesn’t account or the very real possibility that Tapp got the tackle because his teammate’s did the work. Mebane holds the point, Hill seals the edge and the rusher is funneled to Tapp and all Tapp has to do is a get body on the rusher.

Tapp can tackle in space, but doesn’t seal the edge well. He has a bit of the Freeney Syndrome, where he starts every play rushing the passer and frequently puts himself into bad position because of it. He also doesn’t hold well against run blocks directed at him. He is swallowed by larger blockers and weak against the double team. The problem for Tapp is all the plays he doesn’t make.

by John Morgan on Mar 11, 2009 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very good description

I can easily see what you mean, thanks very much. So if he makes a play set up for him by his teammates, reciprocally he could also not set up plays for his teammates to make, putting them at disadvantage, by the sound of his weaknesses.

by jacobstevens on Mar 11, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Concerns over the run defense killed that unit last year

Think about it. Starting LoJack instead of Tapp early in the year was done for run D. Moving Deon Grant into the box and leaving Russell back was done to improve the run D. What did it get them? Pass D giving up big plays. So what was the concern? Was it more an over-confidence in the pass D, or was it a true concern about the ability of the 2007 front seven to stop the run?

by Section 128 on Mar 11, 2009 12:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Both?

Particularly, overconfidence in the secondary to perform when pass rush broke down.

Maybe there wasn’t actual, significant concern about stopping the run, but acknowledgement about Jackson, and covering Russell up / putting him in position to capitalize on his “strengths,” particularly because the former directly made the latter more of an issue.

And it brings up the question about what Russell’s bigger weakness was, angles/tackling, or his lost step and inability to get in position. I think before the season started it was the former, and the latter developed this season, as it wasn’t as much of an issue prior. Now? I dunno, angles/tackling by a hair.

by jacobstevens on Mar 11, 2009 2:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs