Numbers Don't Lie: Corey Webster One of the Best
Give the man his due
Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 2:30 PMOver the last few weeks, I've continuously made a case for Corey Webster as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. And despite being snubbed in both Pro Bowl and All-Pro voting, most New York Giants fans have stuck to their guns and stayed firm in their belief that he tops the league at his position.
Now, with most regular season statistics finally accounted for, Football Outsiders has helped make a case for him as well.
According to success rate, a statistic that measures "percentage of plays targeting a defensive player on which the offense did not have a successful play," Webster (64 percent) is tied for seventh in the league, with only a mere 3 percent separating him from the No. 3 spot (Charles Woodson).
In addition to Webster's impressive success rate, he also tied for fourth in the NFL in yards per pass (5.1). And Kansas City's Brandon Flowers, the player who tied him for fourth, has a significantly lower success rate (55 percent).
So what does this all mean? Quite simply, it means that Webster was one of the Top-5 cornerbacks in the NFL this year ... statistically. It also means that he greatly improved from only a year ago, and seems to be making great strides early in his career.
The one negative to all these statistics, and specifically related to Webster's success, was the effect it had on teammate Aaron Ross, who allowed 8.9 yards per pass (bottom 10 in the league) and had a success rate of only 50 percent.
Surprisingly, Kevin Dockery was not listed on any of these charts. Traditionally, he has fared poorly under these particular formulas, and actually appears to have improved a bit from only a year ago.
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