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AFM Magazine


Sudden Impact

Returning interceptions for touchdowns: The key to locking up victories in football
by: TJ Troup
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All coaches preach turnovers as a deciding factor in victory. What impact does the interception return really have on the outcome of a game? From 1946-99, there have been 25,001 interceptions in AFL/NFL history, with 16,409 (65.63 percent of those) accounting for victories. The percentage of victory by interceptions during this 54-year span has never been lower than 57.67 percent (1962 season), and never higher than 69.92 percent (1977).

Thus, year after year, there is little fluctuation and as a result, almost two-thirds of all interceptions occur in victory. During each era there have been players who intercepted in victories, and when they did not intercept a pass, their team lost. The Detroit Lions returned to the championship game in 1952 after a 17-year hiatus. Three consecutive years, Detroit advanced to the championship with an overall record of 28-7-1. The Lions record when Jack Christiansen did not intercept a pass was 14-6, but when Christiansen did intercept a pass, the Lions were 14-1.

At one point in his career, Christiansen intercepted 20 passes in a 20-game span (Oct. 11, 1953 - Dec. 5, 1954). During his career, the Lions won 89 percent of the time when Christiansen intercepted compared to a .41 winning percentage when Christiansen did not intercept a pass.

Former San Francisco 49er Ronnie Lott is the newest defensive back to be added to the NFL Hall of Fame. For a decade, Lott hustled, hit and led the 49er secondary. His sustained excellence as an interceptor is what sets him apart from everyone else. During his time with the 49ers (1981-90), the team was 74-36 (winning 67 percent of the time) when Lott didn't intercept a pass. But when Lott did intercept a pass, San Francisco was 39-3, raising the Niners winning percentage to 90 percent.

All defensive coaches implore their defenders to head towards the goal once an interception has occurred. How much have I increased my chances of winning as my linebacker weaves this way through a broken field or as my cornerback streaks down the sideline to the endzone? From 1941-99, there have been 1,703 interceptions returned for a touchdown, with 1,320, or 77.51 percent of these, occurring in a victory. Last year's Super Bowl Champions, St. Louis, set a team record by returning seven touchdowns, all in victories.

On November 5, 1950, the Baltimore Colts recorded recorded their lone win of the year by beating Green Bay 41-21. The Colts returned three interceptions for touchdowns that day. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost 26 consecutive games as an expansion team, finally got their first win on Dec. 11, 1977 against New Orleans, a 33-14 win, thanks to three interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens' Rod Woodson tied the NFL record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown after recording his 9th such feat against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 5. Both the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, for whom Woodson played for from 1987-96, have won every game in which the former Purdue standout returned an interception for a touchdown.

We practice every day on the interception return hoping to turn a game around with the long return or cementing a victory as the ball is run back deep into our opponents' territory. What happens when we have multiple long returns in a game? A team has turned interceptions of 100 yards or more in a game 337 times with 307 of those (or 91.09 percent) resulting in victory from 1946-99 in the NFL.

The best example of this came on Nov. 3, 1996 when the Cowboys trailed Philadelphia 24-21. Late in the fourth quarter, Dallas drove deep into Eagle territory only to see Philly linebacker James Willis intercept a pass from Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman. Willis returned the pass 14 yards to the 10-yard line, where Willis tossed a lateral pass to teammate Troy Vincent, who raced the 90 yards for the score. This return set the league record for the longest interception return in history.

In summary, we not only want to intercept passes but to intercept passes as often as possible. We want to go as far as we can with an intercepted pass because a 91 percent chance of winning when we do this sounds good to me.






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