by Rivers McCown

As is becoming our custom, we want to apologize for us taking so long to post these. This year we worked hard to review all the game charting and get the data as accurate as possible, but that also delayed things a bit. We're working double-time behind the scenes to complete the book and upgrade our website, which is why content has been scarce and the player pages have not yet been updated with 2012 data and 2010-2012 similarity scores. Hopefully we'll be able to make those updates soon.

As usual, the typical caveats about the game charting apply: This is imperfect data based on the game charting project, which means it comes off limited television camera angles, and it is charted by a group of volunteers plus a handful of FO staff members. Sometimes a cornerback will benefit because he happens to be in coverage when a quarterback throws a bad pass, even if he wasn't covering close. Sometimes a cornerback will benefit from a better pass rush, because it's easier to cover when you don't need to cover for six seconds. As we always say, these stats should not be seen as absolute statements on player value. They're just part of the story.

These tables rank all cornerbacks with at least 40 charted passes. As we do with the cornerback charting stats in the book and on the player pages, we've removed passes marked as Hail Mary, Hit in Motion, Tipped at Line, or Thrown Away. We've also removed wide receiver screens, which aren't really a good way to measure cornerback coverage because a cornerback in man coverage is going to (or at least, is supposed to) immediately get blocked out of the play by another wide receiver.

Because of this year's delay in posting the stats, we at least are able to provide you with our most accurate numbers. These stats have been analyzed to give half-credit on plays where we list two defenders in double coverage, or where we listed DEFENDER1 as "Hole in Zone" but also list a specific defender as responsible for that zone. We also have both actual numbers and the metrics adjusted for the quality of receivers each cornerback had to cover.

Pass interference is included, although no other defensive penalties are included. With defensive pass interference, the defender flagged is almost always the player who was in coverage on the intended receiver; with illegal contact or defensive holding, the flag often comes far away from where an actual pass may be thrown.

We'll start with the cornerbacks who allowed the fewest yards per pass according to our game charting.

Top 10 Cornerbacks in Yards/Pass, 2012 Defender Team Passes Tgt% Rk Yd/Pass Rk Suc% Rk PYD YAC Rk Adj Yds Rk Adj Suc Rk Rec Robert McClain ATL 56 14% 69 4.7 1 63% 3 9.5 2.9 33 4.4 1 64% 3 32 Casey Hayward GB 65 14% 72 5.0 2 70% 1 11.0 2.8 32 5.6 5 67% 1 26 Brandon Browner SEA 64 19% 36 5.5 3 61% 10 13.6 2.5 15 5.5 3 61% 7 30 Captain Munnerlyn CAR 62 14% 71 5.6 4 54% 31 9.1 3.7 59 5.4 2 56% 23 32 Corey Graham BAL 43 10% 86 5.7 5 62% 5 12.9 3.0 37 5.6 4 62% 6 22 Antonio Cromartie NYJ 84 21% 18 5.7 6 61% 7 15.2 2.6 21 6.2 10 60% 10 33 Carlos Rogers SF 80 17% 46 5.8 7 51% 48 9.6 2.9 36 6.3 14 51% 47 48 Chris Harris DEN 62 15% 61 6.0 8 56% 25 9.9 3.7 61 6.4 15 54% 31 33 Antoine Winfield MIN 69 15% 63 6.0 9 54% 35 9.0 2.3 9 5.9 8 50% 54 38 Brandon Flowers KC 74 21% 17 6.1 10 62% 6 12.9 3.3 49 5.7 6 62% 5 34

As was the case in 2011, this list is a list of nickelbacks that had great seasons with two or three starting corners mixed in. It's become clear over the last couple of years that these cornerback charting numbers are very inconsistent from year to year, particularly for nickelbacks but also for starters. There is the Asante Samuel run, yes, but other than that it intuitively seems like the cornerbacks who come out best in our metrics are inconsistent on a year-to-year basis. This is definitely something we need to look at. Are cornerbacks more consistent if we were to compare two-year spans rather than one-year spans? Is there something we can do to change the way we chart in order to better get consistent numbers?

Take, for instance, the 2011 version of this list. How many repeaters are there in the top 10? Zero. There are two people who make two top-10 lists if we include the 2010 stats, and one of them isn't the New York Jets cornerback you'd expect.

During Antonio Cromartie's first stint on the list, in 2010, the thought was something like "Well Darrelle Revis' shadow improved the entire scope of the team's pass defense." That probably is true, but what's also true is that Cromartie improved noticeably in the second half of 2011, as you saw if you clicked the link to those stats. So, really, we are talking about a cornerback who has spent two-and-a-half seasons playing like an absolute star, statistically. That's an interesting twist for a guy who is primarily known on the Internet for being the butt of every child support joke the unwashed masses could come up with. Cromartie was finally selected to his second Pro Bowl this year, but does that happen if Revis never gets hurt?

Beyond Cromartie, the other three cornerbacks that were oft-targeted are guys generally regarded as either stars (Brandon Browner, Brandon Flowers) or close enough to one for the benefit of the doubt (Carlos Rogers). Then there's the cadre of slot cornerbacks, led by their patron saint, and the other player who's made multiple top-10 lists, Antoine Winfield. Winfield had a phenomenal season in our charting, is a terrific defender against the run ... and couldn't even get $2 million guaranteed this offseason.

So basically, we have these fancy advanced statistics. They tell us that six of the best 10 seasons by yards per target came from guys who play inside, and the best of those guys, Winfield, got a one-year deal for $3 million. Yes, he's old. But this isn't a rarity. Brice McCain ranked second on the yards per pass list last year, and though he had a down 2012 season (46th in success rate), he should still be considered one of the better slot cornerbacks in the league, right? He signed a three-year deal worth $5.25 million. Casey Hayward spent time outside once injuries accumulated for the Packers, but he played extremely well in the slot. Are the Packers willing to put him outside if they lose a couple of yards per play?

That's an interesting dichotomy to me, because it suggests a place where statistical output and scouting input do not intersect closely at all. We are being told that slot cornerbacks are more important than ever, but they certainly haven't been valued that way. (Or, at least, they haven't been valued that way at contract time during offseasons where players have thrown the "collusion" term around and the Cowboys and Redskins were muzzled.)

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Robert McClain, by the way, looks to be the 2012 version of Brice McCain. McClain was a seventh-round pick who couldn't make it with Carolina or Jacksonville before Atlanta picked him up before last season. Given the small sample size, there's a reasonable possibility that McClain's 2012 season was fluky, and an even more likely possibility that his skills in the slot wouldn't necessarily translate in a starting role.

Next, we'll look at the top cornerbacks in Success Rate. Success Rate, to remind everyone, is the percentage of passes that don't manage to get at least 45 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent of needed yards on second down, or 100 percent of needed yards on third down.

Top 10 Cornerbacks in Success Rate, 2012 Defender Team Passes Tgt% Rk Yd/Pass Rk Suc% Rk PYD YAC Rk Adj Yds Rk Adj Suc Rk Rec Casey Heyward GB 65 14% 72 5.0 2 70% 1 11.0 2.8 32 5.6 5 67% 1 26 Greg Toler ARI 40 15% 65 6.3 15 65% 2 15.7 3.9 68 6.2 9 66% 2 14 Robert McClain ATL 56 14% 69 4.7 1 63% 3 9.5 2.9 33 4.4 1 64% 3 32 Tony Carter DEN 58 14% 68 7.0 33 63% 4 15.4 3.6 56 6.7 24 63% 4 25 Corey Graham BAL 43 10% 86 5.7 5 62% 5 12.9 3.0 37 5.6 4 62% 6 22 Brandon Flowers KC 74 21% 17 6.1 10 62% 6 12.9 3.3 49 5.7 6 62% 5 34 Antonio Cromartie NYJ 84 21% 18 5.7 6 61% 7 15.2 2.6 21 6.2 10 60% 10 33 Richard Sherman SEA 88 20% 27 6.7 22 61% 8 14.0 3.1 45 7.1 30 61% 8 36 Asante Samuel ATL 71 18% 44 7.6 49 61% 9 13.8 3.4 52 7.3 37 61% 9 35 Brandon Browner SEA 64 19% 36 5.5 3 61% 10 13.6 2.5 15 5.5 3 61% 7 30

So the Broncos employ Champ Bailey, and Tony Carter, and Chris Harris. Yet they still found space to bring in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie after his dismal year. How does he fit in with them? Is he just the next Tracy Porter? Look, there's Asante Samuel, making his yearly visit to this article!

Finally, for fun, let's take a look at YAC.

Top 10 Cornerbacks in YAC, 2012 Defender Team Passes Tgt% Rk Yd/Pass Rk Suc% Rk PYD YAC Rk Adj Yds Rk Adj Suc Rk Rec Josh Robinson MIN 69 15% 64 6.8 26 45% 73 10.9 1.6 1 6.8 27 45% 74 46 Cary Williams BAL 93 21% 15 8.2 62 42% 80 13.5 1.8 2 8.0 58 44% 79 56 Josh Norman CAR 79 18% 42 8.9 71 41% 82 12.0 1.9 3 8.3 69 42% 80 50 Champ Bailey DEN 71 16% 54 6.8 24 59% 15 13.7 2.1 4 6.6 20 59% 13 37 Ike Taylor PIT 72 21% 11 6.1 12 60% 13 15.1 2.1 5 6.4 16 56% 20 28 Dimitri Patterson 2TM 55 19% 35 6.1 11 48% 66 10.0 2.1 6 6.3 11 48% 63 31 Joselio Hanson OAK 46 12% 80 9.0 74 43% 78 10.1 2.1 7 9.2 77 45% 75 35 Nolan Carroll MIA 73 16% 55 7.6 47 46% 71 12.5 2.2 8 8.1 63 44% 77 39 Antoine Winfield MIN 69 15% 63 6.0 9 54% 35 9.0 2.3 9 5.9 8 50% 54 38 Chris Culliver SF 74 16% 57 7.2 38 54% 32 14.2 2.4 10 7.5 42 55% 27 39

We've never made much of a deal about the best cornerbacks in preventing yards after the catch. These numbers are not here to tell us deep and meaningful things, but to add some color to the results. Ike Taylor, Joselio Hanson, and Champ Bailey have all been in the top 10 for YAC allowed in two of the last three seasons.

Tomorrow: The worst cornerback charting numbers of 2012.