:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57719949/876898314.jpg.0.jpg)
The Atlanta Falcons defense isn’t perfect. They occasionally bend when we’d prefer they not. But compare the defense to that ragtag unit Dan Quinn inherited after Mike Smith was fired. It’s like day and night.
The defense is full of young players on the cusp. Quinn and front office have done an excellent job assembling talent. One of their best moves during the Quinn era was nabbing Falcons legacy Grady Jarrett in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Knocked for his short stature, Jarrett showed the Falcons scouts how special he could be and he hasn’t looked back since.
I read an interesting tidbit about Jarrett today. Our good friends at Pro Football Focus do a weekly “observations” piece. Here’s what they had to say about Jarrett.
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has eight stops in the red zone, which is the most for defensive tackles this season.
For what it’s worth, PFF defines a “stop” as a solo tackle that “results in a win for the defense.” So in short, Jarrett is on another level in the red zone. We already knew Jarrett was clutch. (His three sack performance in the Super Bowl taught us that.) We already knew he’d do the dirty work. But this kid just gets better and better.
Your thoughts?