Underrated stat makes David Bailey's rookie rise all the more impressive

Remember the days when folks were worried about David Bailey's pass-rush production? While it's true that the New York Jets' top pick got off to something of an uneven start, you'd never know that now, based on how dominant he's been of late.

Bailey ranks 13th among all edge rushers in pressures with 23. He's notched five sacks so far. Despite pre-draft concerns about his run defense, he's been a demon against the ground game, using his speed and athleticism to knife threw blockers and blow up running plays, as evidenced by his fifth-ranked 33% run stop win rate.

The Texas Tech product has flown all over the field, racking up tackles, forcing fumbles, terrorizing quarterbacks, and generally disrupting the flow of opposing offenses. His performance has been everything New York could have wanted and more this season.

After his tour de force Week 5 performance against the Cleveland Browns, Bailey was bestowed with the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award. It was well deserved.

But while we can talk about the pressures and the sacks, as well as the splash plays in the run game, there's another stat that further underscores Bailey's dominance. He's also tied for the league lead with four holding penalties drawn.

Box score doesn't fully register David Bailey's impact, and the best is yet to come

While we often think of sacks as the biggest potential killer of drives, penalties can be even more demoralizing, especially holding penalties. At 10 yards a pop, these set offenses back, drastically alter play calls, and psychologically affect offenses who feel as if these are "unforced" errors.

In reality, they are very much forced. An offensive lineman typically only holds a defender when he's beaten so badly that he knows that the defender is about to blow up the play. Therefore, forcing holding calls can be considered a skill, just the same way generating pressure is.

For Bailey, this is about his explosive first step and overall speed. Bigger offensive tackles have trouble dealing with lighter, faster players who get off the line quickly, and that's Bailey.

However, it also points to something else. Bailey doesn't have elite bend around the edge, nor does he have a full toolbox of refined pass-rush moves. Flexibility to turn the corner can only be improved so much, but becoming skilled at deploying and stacking pass-rush moves together can absolutely be studied and improved upon.

When Bailey learns how to rush the passer with something other than his sheer athleticism, he's going to be a real problem. Once he adds a high-quality swim move, spin move, and other tricks to his bag, you'll find him not only getting to the quarterback even more, but also generating more penalties on opposing offensive linemen.

So far, it looks like the 23-year-old is a fast learner. He's adapted faster than many rookies who struggle. He still has so much more room to grow, and that should scare the rest of the league. David Bailey is going to become a real problem, even more so than he already is.

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