Linval Joseph can stuff a run
Here are the numbers I referenced on Twitter a little while ago. They are a breakdown of the running defense of Linval Joseph in 2009. It's quite impressive, even if the competition wasn't always stellar:
(This is my first time attempting a chart like this on the blog, so cut me some slack if it doesn't look pretty at first!)
| Opponent | Runs | Yds | Lg |
|---|---|---|---|
| App. State | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| W.Va. | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| N.Carolina | 6 | 10 | 5 |
| UCF | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| Marshall | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| SMU | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| Rice | 4 | -3 | 2 |
| Memphis | 1 | -4 | -4 |
| Va. Tech | 7 | 15 | 7 |
| Tulsa | 2 | -3 | -1 |
| UAB | 5 | 12 | 5 |
| So. Miss. | 6 | 15 | 7 |
| Houston | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Arkansas | 2 | -3 | 4 |
| Totals | 57 | 45 | 7 |
As you can see, he made 57 stops against runs and in those plays teams totaled 45 yards. That's .79 yards per play. And the longest play any team had against him went for 7 yards. Two teams couldn't even get a single run of positive yardage against him. He had 13 total tackles for a loss that accounted for 39 yards.
“I like to hit the running back,” he said. “I like to play inside and I feel comfortable on the inside.”
If he can do anything close to that for the Giants, he'll be worth his weight in something.
