An uplifting and interesting post on Clifton Ryan ...

[MauiRam]

I found this on the RRF board and was astonished at how well Cliff Ryan compares to other defensive players on the Rams and other teams as well. I hope I am not breaking any rules by posting this ..

racetech
Beer, great girl, TV, & a remote control
Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Posts: 1045

Who? OH... Clifton Ryan!

How about that guy? 18 solo tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks (should have had another credited).

Not bad for a NT
Amazing for a Rookie NT
Unbelievable for a Rookie NT who has played only half (or fewer) of the snaps.

To put that in perspective:

(Tackles-Assists-Sacks)

18-3-2 for Clifton Ryan (NT)
7-4-0 for Adam Carriker (DT)
13-3-1 for La'Roi Glover (DT)
16-3-1 for Leonard Little who plays most every down and is a DE
22-8-2 for James Hall who plays nearly every down and is a DE

Okay, it's time. Let's compare our Clifton Ryan to the best NT in the game today, Jamal Williams of the San Diego Chargers:

13-1-0 for Jamal Williams (NT)
18-3-2 for Clifton Ryan (NT)

And Jamal Williams plays on a better team, plays more snaps, and has had 10 years of seasoning.

I think it's obvious that if Clifton Ryan played as much as Leonard Little, he would be utterly blowing them all away in stats, including both of our thought-to-be decent DE's--and DE's are in a MUCH better position to accumulate those stats than a NT.

What Ryan is doing is simply amazing. He's probably the best D player we have (sorry WW fans). He's certainly playing his position as well or better than any player on the team this year, D, O, or ST's.

Do you guys realize what Ryan is doing!? This is a Kurt Warner-like story that will go unnoticed for a couple of very obvious reasons. Okay, Jimmy Kennedy wasn't injured to bring in Ryan, but WE were severely injured watching Jimmy play NT. Then Ryan came in.

Dayum. It took Jamal Williams years to get to this level. After four years, Williams accumulated season-long stats of 2-2-0. After five years, he was still way behind Ryan.

Eat your heart out, San Diego. We have Clifton Ryan.

PS: Why isn't Clifton Ryan playing more downs?


_________________

[Keenum]

Well, you can't just go by stats. Some of the best defensive tackles in the games are the ones who do NOT get the stats. They are the beast who clog up multiple holes on the offensive line, and free up linebackers to make plays.
However, Ryan has looked good rushing and at run-stopping so far! Hopefully he and Carriker can form a great duo for years to come.

[AtlantaRamFan]

Originally Posted by Keenum

Well, you can't just go by stats. Some of the best defensive tackles in the games are the ones who do NOT get the stats. They are the beast who clog up multiple holes on the offensive line, and free up linebackers to make plays.
However, Ryan has looked good rushing and at run-stopping so far! Hopefully he and Carriker can form a great duo for years to come.

You're totally right about it not being all about the stats, but Ryan IS clogging holes AND making the tackles. I really wish he could start and use Glover as a situational DT...

[rams 24/7]

yeah clifton ryan is playing his best football, does any body know how long is his contract cause if its short term we need to lock him up, cause good DT are rare this days especially coming straight to pro

[Goldenfleece]

He probably got a standard four or five year rookie contract. The stats really aren't that important to me, but his impact on the defense has been obvious. The last time I saw a team get a big gain up the middle against us was probably the ***** game. We're even stopping them on 4th and inches sometimes.

[RealRam]

Originally Posted by Goldenfleece

...His impact on the defense has been obvious.

That's right. Stats notwithstanding, this young man has been, as Maui put it, an uplifting sign of present things and things to come for our defense.

I hope he continues on this path of development / progress. I liked this MSU Spartan since the day we drafted him (I liked him very much but not because I knew...) and only wish him the best in conjunction with AC.


Keep up the GOOD WORK, CR! :bash:

[tomahawk247]

ive been massively surprised at the number of 3rd and shorts that the opposition havent been able to convert these last few games. usually we would them to third down and they would still get two or three yards to grab a first down. now they barely even get back to the LOS

[helorm341]

Clifton Ryan is playing at a very high level so far, he might be the best pick of the draft at this rate (at least for this year)

[laram0]

Originally Posted by Keenum

Well, you can't just go by stats. Some of the best defensive tackles in the games are the ones who do NOT get the stats. They are the beast who clog up multiple holes on the offensive line, and free up linebackers to make plays.
However, Ryan has looked good rushing and at run-stopping so far! Hopefully he and Carriker can form a great duo for years to come.

I do agree 100% that stats aren't a true barometer of how an interior lineman is playing.

---BUT---

2 sacks is an impressive stat, period.

[TekeRam]

As it's been stated before, for a nose tackle, total team stats are what you want to look at in general, as a nose tackle's job isn't as much to stop the guy with the ball, but as to close the pocket, take up as many blockers as possible, and free up the other guys to make the plays. Look at how we're doing on 3rd down(pretty good since he's been active). Look at how many tackles Spoon and the other 'backers are getting(he had what, 16 last game?). Look at how many tackles for loss we have(no really, I don't know, tell me).

That said, even before the season started there was talk of playing more one tackle two tackle as opposed to nose and three tech, and so this may be a reflection of that. Never the less, it's rather impressive for a 7th rounder to be doing this much. But since he is a 7th rounder, I would expect it's only a one or two year contract, so yes, we need to extend that.

[HUbison]

"F" for meaningful statistical analysis, but...
"A" for recognizing what Ryan is doing on this Defense

[BigDaddyPace]

Originally Posted by Keenum

Well, you can't just go by stats. Some of the best defensive tackles in the games are the ones who do NOT get the stats. They are the beast who clog up multiple holes on the offensive line, and free up linebackers to make plays.
However, Ryan has looked good rushing and at run-stopping so far! Hopefully he and Carriker can form a great duo for years to come.

I think that it is also important to note that great NT play begats great MLB play, as evidenced by WW great year.
Here is a great example of how Ryan effects the game: During the ***** game it was like 2nd and 10 around mid-field. The ball is snapped on a running play and Ryan is blown off the ball and driven 5 yards down field. The play resulted in a 2 yard loss. How? Because Ryan was double teamed and it freed WW up to make a great play.
:l

[MauiRam]

Originally Posted by TekeRam

Never the less, it's rather impressive for a 7th rounder to be doing this much. But since he is a 7th rounder, I would expect it's only a one or two year contract, so yes, we need to extend that.

I am pretty sure that Clifton was selected in the fifth round, not the seventh, so perhaps his contract is a bit longer ... At any rate, if he keeps playing well, no doubt the Rams will lock him up .

[HUbison]

Originally Posted by MauiRam

I am pretty sure that Clifton was selected in the fifth round, not the seventh, so perhaps his contract is a bit longer ... At any rate, if he keeps playing well, no doubt the Rams will lock him up .

3 years; 1.2 Mil.

[Keenum]

I'm not sure about right now, but a few weeks ago our defense was the best in the NFL at stopping opponents on 3rd down. I think this was in effect after the Cowboys game, but not sure if it still stands.