Harvey getting pressures, not sacks

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky On the Titans and Jaguars stat sheets, the column reads "QBP." For the Colts it's "PR." In Houston: "QB Press."

As with tackles, quarterback pressures are a subjective number that comes out of a specific team's standards as defensive coaches review film.

The AFC South is loaded with top flight pass rushers: The top four vote-getters in the fan portion of Pro Bowl balloting for AFC defensive ends were from the division.

Scan this list of the top QB pressurers in the division and see if anyone jumps out at you:

AFC South QB pressures (with sacks)

Dwight Freeney, 25 (9.5)
Mario Williams, 24 (11)
Derrick Harvey, 24 (1.5)
Tony Brown, 21 (3.5)
Paul Spicer, 20 (3.5)
Albert Haynesworth, 19 (8.5)
Kyle Vanden Bosch, 18 (4.5)*
Reggie Hayward, 17 (1.5)
Rob Meier, 17 (2)
Jevon Kearse, 15 (2.5)
Robert Mathis 14, (11.5)
*Vanden Bosch missed the bulk of five games with a groin injury

Yes, Harvey, the Jaguars quiet rookie who isn't anywhere close to Freeney and Williams in sacks, is judged by his coaches to be in their ballpark with pressures.

Here's Jacksonville defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on how his team judges a pressure and on the progress of Harvey. These excerpts of Williams' recent chat with Jacksonville reporters come courtesy of the team's PR staff.

On what defines a quarterback pressure for him and why Derrick Harvey has so many despite few sacks: "A pressure for us is if you move the quarterback off the spot and be the cause for an incompletion. Does the quarterback get the opportunity to throw on rhythm or throw like there are no linemen on the field as in a seven-on-seven period? Obviously, when he's doing that you're not doing a very good job in your pass rush. What we're trying to do is move him off the spot, move in from the spot, and the pass has to be an incomplete pass. The hit, when we talk about a hit, is only when you're taking him to the ground. You have to take him to the ground."

OnÂ*what he's seeing from Derrick Harvey, and can he be an impact player: "I would say this; we're always hoping for that to come about. The last two or three weeks we've seen some significant strides. From a technique standpoint and a feel and awareness standpoint; some of the best football players that I've been around have had the feel and instinct of how to play the game outside of coaching and outside of things that you bring up and talk to robots about. He's not robotic. He has a feel for the game, which is good. And the more you play and feel the suddenness and strength and power of an NFL lineman opposed to a college lineman; some things you can do at the level he just came from are just on sheer speed and strength where you win. It's more than that here. You're going to have to have a counter and set people up thinking like a chess match two, four or eight snaps down the road how you're working and impacting your matchup. I'm starting to see those things from him."

On if Harvey has enough moves: "You're starting to see those kinds of moves. When you study you're starting to see him come under and spin. One of the players I had, Sean Taylor, who was just a gifted athlete, had the ability to abort the design of the defense sometimes because he knew where the ball was going to go."

On what the growth period is for a defensive end: "Typically, each one is different. But if I'd have to group it around the one's I've been around that have been successful; they make the biggest impact in that second or third year. You brought up a name and another smile came to my face on Jevon Kearse, another Florida guy who I was a part of. Do you realize that he never put his hand down? He had never been a defensive lineman until we drafted him and put his hand down in mini-camps and started him out that way. It was truly a remarkable first year with a guy like that who had never done it at all. Really the only thing you saw him do that rookie year was line up and go and his athleticism; his speed like a DB or a wide receiver allowed him to make an immediate impact. Now, Derrick (Harvey) isn't that fast. He's not a 4.37 in the 40 at the combine like Jevon was when he came out."

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