kcf06751
March 13th, 2008, 1:20:34 AM
The Stats Don't Always tell the Story by Franz Beard
12/27/2007
When it came to winning the Heisman Trophy, the statistics made a compelling statement for Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. The numbers didn’t lie and Tebow won the big trophy, which goes to the most outstanding college football player each year. In the case of Florida’s defensive end Derrick Harvey, however, the number you need to remember is two.
That’s two as in how many blockers were assigned to Harvey on nearly every play this season. He went from 11.5 sacks in a 2006 season in which he was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game to 6.5 sacks in the entire 2007 season.
If you go by sack totals, it wasn’t a very good year. If you ask Harvey’s position coach, the stats don’t always tell the story.
“I think the first thing when they talk about Derrick Harvey this year, he doesn’t have the 20 sacks or the 15 sacks but Derrick Harvey in my opinion has had a great year,” said Greg Mattison Monday evening.
If anyone knows what a good year for a defensive lineman is, it’s Mattison, Florida’s defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator. Five players off his six-man defensive line rotation for 2006 play for pay these days in the National Football League. Harvey, who was just a third-year sophomore last year, elected to come back for his junior year.
From a personal production standpoint, the stats will say that Harvey made a mistake coming back instead of turning pro. He was a third-year player last year so he could have opted for the NFL. His sack total dropped severely and if you go by stats, you could easily say he made a mistake to return to Florida but Mattison says so many things other than sacks factor into what makes up a good year.
“The thing you have to check to see how good Derrick has had to play is how many times did he hit the quarterback?” said Mattison. “How many times when he was near the quarterback of hit the quarterback did they throw an incomplete pass? Sometimes all people ever see is the number of sacks a guy gets.”
Last year, Harvey was in a defensive line rotation with Jarvis Moss (Denver Broncos), Ray McDonald (San Francisco 49ers), Joe Cohen (San Francisco 49ers), Marcus Thomas (Denver Broncos) and Steven Harris (Denver Broncos). With so many talented players on Florida’s defensive line, Harvey knew he wasn’t going to see the double team every single play and he knew that he could go hard for two or three plays and then someone equally as talented would come in to replace him while he caught his breath on the sideline.
The opportunities to catch his breath on the sideline have been rare this year. In some games, Harvey has played nearly every snap. His presence has been necessary because the Gators have replaced last year’s NFL-bound players with mostly freshmen and sophomores.
In spite of all the new faces playing on the defensive line, there has been improvement as the season has progressed. After a low point in the season when Georgia rushed for 217 yards, Florida’s defensive line stepped things up in the final four games and finished the year giving up less than 100 yards per game on the ground. Mattison says much of the improvement can be attributed to how well Harvey played.
“Number one, he has brought a very young defensive line up to his level,” said Mattison. “I think the fact he has played so well against the run, for us to be number one in the SEC in rush defense, a lot of that’s Derrick Harvey.”
Mattison says Harvey has been relentless in his effort even though he’s been forced to play nearly twice as many snaps per game as he did last year.
“He has played 70-75 snaps in about six or seven games,” said Mattison. “Last year the most anybody ever played was 40 snaps because we could rotate. For Derrick not to let up and for Derrick to keep going, that tells you a lot about him.”
Although the stat totals are down considerably, the non-stop effort has kept Harvey in the spotlight of NFL scouts that have kept an eye on the Gators all season long. As a fourth-year junior, Harvey has the option of declaring for the NFL Draft after the Gators play Michigan in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, January 1.
Harvey has submitted his paperwork to the NFL and shortly after the bowl game, he will get an evaluation that will give him a fairly good idea about his draft status. If the report says he’s a first or second rounder, Mattison and Coach Urban Meyer will give him their blessings to enter the draft.
“One thing that Coach Meyer and I will always do is do what’s best for you and we’re going to recommend to you what is best for you as if you’re our son,” said Mattison. “If a guy has aspirations of playing pro football and it comes back that he could be a number one or two round draft choice … you go to college [to learn to] make money. How is it for a guy like me to say to somebody that the one thing you’ll be graded on is for you to get your degree now or not? That’s your job. Your job is to make money. That’s why you go to college. If they can guarantee you like Moss --- I don’t know how many millions he got for signing --- but you would have to say that he’s tremendously successful because he’s making that kind of a living. That’s what your job is.”
While any number of fans and writers might say that Harvey needs another year, Mattison would disagree. While he would love to have Harvey back for one more year, he thinks Harvey can play at the next level now, but any recommendation to go or stay will be determined by the draft evaluation.
“I think he’s ready,” said Mattison. “I would love to see him come back because I think he could be with the experience of the guys coming back along with him, it would be kind of like back to last year where they could not double him. Now all of a sudden he has a bunch of guys coming at him. I think you would see his stats skyrocket again.
“I don’t think the people who make decisions about what round he goes in look at stats either. I think they look at how hard a guy plays. That’s what I’ve really been proud of Derrick for. He really has played hard. Would I like to have him come back? I would be the happiest guy in the world but I want what’s best for Derrick and that will be seen pretty soon.”
Source:Gatorcountry.com
12/27/2007
When it came to winning the Heisman Trophy, the statistics made a compelling statement for Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. The numbers didn’t lie and Tebow won the big trophy, which goes to the most outstanding college football player each year. In the case of Florida’s defensive end Derrick Harvey, however, the number you need to remember is two.
That’s two as in how many blockers were assigned to Harvey on nearly every play this season. He went from 11.5 sacks in a 2006 season in which he was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game to 6.5 sacks in the entire 2007 season.
If you go by sack totals, it wasn’t a very good year. If you ask Harvey’s position coach, the stats don’t always tell the story.
“I think the first thing when they talk about Derrick Harvey this year, he doesn’t have the 20 sacks or the 15 sacks but Derrick Harvey in my opinion has had a great year,” said Greg Mattison Monday evening.
If anyone knows what a good year for a defensive lineman is, it’s Mattison, Florida’s defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator. Five players off his six-man defensive line rotation for 2006 play for pay these days in the National Football League. Harvey, who was just a third-year sophomore last year, elected to come back for his junior year.
From a personal production standpoint, the stats will say that Harvey made a mistake coming back instead of turning pro. He was a third-year player last year so he could have opted for the NFL. His sack total dropped severely and if you go by stats, you could easily say he made a mistake to return to Florida but Mattison says so many things other than sacks factor into what makes up a good year.
“The thing you have to check to see how good Derrick has had to play is how many times did he hit the quarterback?” said Mattison. “How many times when he was near the quarterback of hit the quarterback did they throw an incomplete pass? Sometimes all people ever see is the number of sacks a guy gets.”
Last year, Harvey was in a defensive line rotation with Jarvis Moss (Denver Broncos), Ray McDonald (San Francisco 49ers), Joe Cohen (San Francisco 49ers), Marcus Thomas (Denver Broncos) and Steven Harris (Denver Broncos). With so many talented players on Florida’s defensive line, Harvey knew he wasn’t going to see the double team every single play and he knew that he could go hard for two or three plays and then someone equally as talented would come in to replace him while he caught his breath on the sideline.
The opportunities to catch his breath on the sideline have been rare this year. In some games, Harvey has played nearly every snap. His presence has been necessary because the Gators have replaced last year’s NFL-bound players with mostly freshmen and sophomores.
In spite of all the new faces playing on the defensive line, there has been improvement as the season has progressed. After a low point in the season when Georgia rushed for 217 yards, Florida’s defensive line stepped things up in the final four games and finished the year giving up less than 100 yards per game on the ground. Mattison says much of the improvement can be attributed to how well Harvey played.
“Number one, he has brought a very young defensive line up to his level,” said Mattison. “I think the fact he has played so well against the run, for us to be number one in the SEC in rush defense, a lot of that’s Derrick Harvey.”
Mattison says Harvey has been relentless in his effort even though he’s been forced to play nearly twice as many snaps per game as he did last year.
“He has played 70-75 snaps in about six or seven games,” said Mattison. “Last year the most anybody ever played was 40 snaps because we could rotate. For Derrick not to let up and for Derrick to keep going, that tells you a lot about him.”
Although the stat totals are down considerably, the non-stop effort has kept Harvey in the spotlight of NFL scouts that have kept an eye on the Gators all season long. As a fourth-year junior, Harvey has the option of declaring for the NFL Draft after the Gators play Michigan in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, January 1.
Harvey has submitted his paperwork to the NFL and shortly after the bowl game, he will get an evaluation that will give him a fairly good idea about his draft status. If the report says he’s a first or second rounder, Mattison and Coach Urban Meyer will give him their blessings to enter the draft.
“One thing that Coach Meyer and I will always do is do what’s best for you and we’re going to recommend to you what is best for you as if you’re our son,” said Mattison. “If a guy has aspirations of playing pro football and it comes back that he could be a number one or two round draft choice … you go to college [to learn to] make money. How is it for a guy like me to say to somebody that the one thing you’ll be graded on is for you to get your degree now or not? That’s your job. Your job is to make money. That’s why you go to college. If they can guarantee you like Moss --- I don’t know how many millions he got for signing --- but you would have to say that he’s tremendously successful because he’s making that kind of a living. That’s what your job is.”
While any number of fans and writers might say that Harvey needs another year, Mattison would disagree. While he would love to have Harvey back for one more year, he thinks Harvey can play at the next level now, but any recommendation to go or stay will be determined by the draft evaluation.
“I think he’s ready,” said Mattison. “I would love to see him come back because I think he could be with the experience of the guys coming back along with him, it would be kind of like back to last year where they could not double him. Now all of a sudden he has a bunch of guys coming at him. I think you would see his stats skyrocket again.
“I don’t think the people who make decisions about what round he goes in look at stats either. I think they look at how hard a guy plays. That’s what I’ve really been proud of Derrick for. He really has played hard. Would I like to have him come back? I would be the happiest guy in the world but I want what’s best for Derrick and that will be seen pretty soon.”
Source:Gatorcountry.com