I dunno. I'm not going to be stubborn on this one. He was really good and the number of sacks don't describe it.
Re: your the last half of your last sentence, that’s the thing I kept preaching to the naysayers that kept harping on sack numbers and tackles. His presence on the field alone changes things.
I pointed to numerous plays in the 2nd Wisconsin game and the playoff against Clemson where the attention paid to him opened up a pressure or sack for a teammate. There was one play in particular where a DL got a sack on Lawrence because Etienne shaded to CY2 and he was eventually blocked by 3 different Clemson players. That **** doesn’t end up in a boxscore.
Neither does all the prep Clemson had to do for weeks to ensure Young didn’t wreck their game plan. In doing so, they changed what they typically did offensively. They exposed Lawrence more than they ever had before by running read option and utilizing his legs to force Young have to make decisions and not just pin his ears back knowing where TL was in the pocket.
When a team like Clemson changes what they do rather than try to make the opposition stop what they do best, it’s the ultimate form of making an impact. Without even making a statistical impact. That’s what many of these guys don’t understand.
Offenses can scheme a single defensive player out. But in doing so, it creates opportunities for others. That’s what Chase Young brings to the table. Just like both Bosa brothers.
While I also expected the sack total to be higher this past season in WAS his impact was still mighty impressive. I’m not big into PFF or advanced analytics, but he graded out very well there.
He made lots of impactful plays, and also was stout against the run. He and Montez Sweat are going to be wreaking havoc for quite a while.
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