by Lance Callihan
6. November 2009 15:45
Football is often a game that comes down to one or two plays or even a mental mistake. I have tracked every play in every game this season searching for the intangible plays that make all the difference in a close game. Examples of negative plays I charted were missed blocks, blown assignments, mis-reads, being driven out of the play or simply showing poor tackling form. Examples of positive plays would be the shedding of a block, beating a double team, staying in a proper lane or getting a hand in the QB’s face. Ideally a great game by a player would result in no negative plays and a few positive plays. On most plays there isn’t a mis-read or an extraordinary effort by a player. Keep in mind that a negative play in the future could result in a QB being blindsided or a simple toss play turning into a 80 yard touchdown. Players start out with a 5, or an average game, and are charted up or down based on their performance.
| Player |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Avg. Perf. |
| Brandon Graham | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8.75 |
| Mike Martin | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7.13 |
| Craig Roh | 10 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7.00 |
| Ryan Van Bergen | 10 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6.63 |
| Donovan Warren | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 6.38 |
| Obi Ezeh | 10 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6.29 |
| Stevie Brown | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6.00 |
| Greg Banks
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5.25 |
| J.B. Fitzgerald | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | 5.14 |
| Floyd Simmons | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | 5.14 |
| Kevin Leach | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5.13 |
| Jordan Kovacs | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5.00 |
| Brandon Herron | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5.00 |
| Renaldo Sagesse | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4.88 |
| J.T. Floyd | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.75 |
| Troy Woolfolk | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4.50 |
| Jonas Mouton | 5 | 4 | - | 4 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4.29 |
| Mike Williams | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3.86 |