Yesterday, I looked at the median age of interceptions by defensive players. Today, using the same methodology, I will be looking at sacks by defensive players.
Since 1982, the median sack age has been rising, although it did drop from the high levels we saw 5-10 years ago. Take a look:
The peak for older players was in ’08, when half of all sacks came from players who were 27.5 or older as of September 1st of that season.
But perhaps more interesting is plotting the sack age (in blue) against the interception rate (in orange).
I’m not quite sure what to make of it, but I do think it’s interesting. For now, it’s food for thought, but I’ll plan on revisiting this more in the offseason. Finally, here is the raw data: enjoy!
| Year | Sack Med | INT Med | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 26.4 | 26.5 | -0.1 |
| 1983 | 26.4 | 25.5 | 0.9 |
| 1984 | 26.6 | 25.8 | 0.8 |
| 1985 | 26.3 | 26.1 | 0.2 |
| 1986 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 26.1 | 25.8 | 0.3 |
| 1988 | 26.5 | 26.3 | 0.2 |
| 1989 | 26.7 | 26.1 | 0.6 |
| 1990 | 26.5 | 26.8 | -0.3 |
| 1991 | 26.8 | 26.7 | 0.1 |
| 1992 | 27.3 | 26.9 | 0.4 |
| 1993 | 27.4 | 27 | 0.4 |
| 1994 | 27 | 26.7 | 0.3 |
| 1995 | 27.4 | 26.7 | 0.7 |
| 1996 | 27.3 | 26.9 | 0.4 |
| 1997 | 27.4 | 27 | 0.4 |
| 1998 | 27.1 | 27.2 | -0.1 |
| 1999 | 27.3 | 26.4 | 0.9 |
| 2000 | 26.9 | 27 | -0.1 |
| 2001 | 26.8 | 27 | -0.2 |
| 2002 | 26.9 | 27 | -0.1 |
| 2003 | 27.1 | 26.8 | 0.3 |
| 2004 | 27.2 | 26.2 | 1 |
| 2005 | 27.1 | 27.1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 27.2 | 26.5 | 0.7 |
| 2007 | 27 | 26.5 | 0.5 |
| 2008 | 27.5 | 26.5 | 1 |
| 2009 | 27.4 | 26.3 | 1.1 |
| 2010 | 27.4 | 26.7 | 0.7 |
| 2011 | 27.4 | 26.7 | 0.7 |
| 2012 | 26.3 | 26.5 | -0.2 |
| 2013 | 26.7 | 26.4 | 0.3 |
| 2014 | 26.4 | 26.3 | 0.1 |
| 2015 | 26.4 | 26.7 | -0.3 |