Every offensive play in the NFL provides a trove of statistics accounting for the yards gained or lost on every throw or run. Quantifying defensive performance has always been a more difficult proposition outside of splash plays like sacks and takeaways. The official tackle stats tracked by statisticians with binoculars in the press box can't account for the quality of the play and tackles that are missed.
The NFL Next Gen Stats department sought a new measurement based on the loads of data generated by tracking equipment to quantify nearly every aspect of the tackle. This initiative aims to take tackling quantitatively to an entirely new level of analysis by leveraging data to get stats like missed tackles, group tackles, and evaluating the quality of tackles.
