Greg Hardy's Phenomenal Talent Will Create Tough Decisions for NFL Teams By Cian Fahey Mar 1, 2015 
Chris Keane/Associated Press Making personnel decisions in the NFL is all about balance.General managers must be able to balance a potential acquisition's on-field ability against any potential off-field concerns. Because of this balance and because every team will view every available player differently, each player is expected to meet different standards.The least talented long snapper in the NFL obviously can't get away with the same level of off-field concerns as the most valuable quarterback. Whether this is fair or unfair is unclear, but regardless, it's simply the way life works and the way the NFL works.Impending free agent Greg Hardy is going to shine a light on how the NFL's decision-makers are going to weigh these concerns immediately after the Ray Rice controversy.Rice and his then-fiancee Janay Palmer were arrested on February 15 last year. Video of the running back dragging Palmer from an elevator made this domestic-violence incident resonate with the general public in a way that previous domestic-violence incidents involving NFL players hadn't.A two-game suspension wasn't met with satisfaction, but the disgruntlement with the NFL, and Roger Goodell in particular, didn't significantly grow until September when another video surfaced. This time the video showed Rice punching his wife inside of the elevator.Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended further by the NFL, a suspension that Rice would eventually appeal.A few days later, September 12 to be precise, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was "indicted for reckless or negligent injury to a child in Montgomery County," according to SB Nation's Steve DiMatteo. Peterson was deactivated by the Vikings before being placed on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission List that preceded a suspension.Peterson would only play one game during the 2014 season, and now he is expected to force his way out of Minnesota, based on a report by CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.The Rice and Peterson cases have forced the NFL's hand in how they handle these types of issues. Goodell has already altered the rules for suspending players, while seemingly creating the commissioner's exempt list out of nowhere. Hardy was penalized by this shifting culture.Like Peterson, Hardy would only play one game during the 2014 season. He was placed on the commissioner's exempt list because he had previously been arrested on two misdemeanor charges in May.Importantly, for those attempting to evaluate Hardy as a potential offseason addition, the case against him was thrown out in court. This can be viewed in different ways by different teams because there was no ruling. Hardy will blatantly have to deal with some backlash because of the case to some degree, but as a potential NFL addition, he isn't like Peterson or Rice.Rice's career in the NFL is likely over. His off-field concerns are obviously high, and no team would be willing to take on the public-relations problems that would come with taking on the key figure in the whole controversy. As a 28-year-old running back who averaged 3.1 yards per carry during his most recent season in the league, there is simply no temptation for NFL teams to take on Rice and his baggage.Even the better, younger running backs in the league are easily replaced for the most part.Peterson is an exception to most running backs in terms of value at the position. His on-field talent is immense to the point that you can build your whole offense around him. However, he is about to turn 30 years of age, and he is also financially tied to the Vikings even if his agent is trying to force his way out.If Peterson's on-field value is a 60 on a 1-100 scale, then Rice's would be somewhere closer to 25. The caveat for Hardy is that his on-field value is more likely to be closer to 100 than it is 25 or 60.Rice is already on the open market, and nobody has signed him even though he's been available since before the season ended. If Peterson hits the open market, he will be tempting for certain franchises but not the kind of player who will be given a big-money, long-term contract.At 26 years of age, Hardy is entering his prime. His positional value is through the roof because high-quality pass-rushers in their prime are very scarce. They're even scarcer when you are looking for one in free agency.ExplosivenessBending the edge is an element of pass rushing that everyone looks for in an edge defender. At times its importance can be overstated, though. Hardy is a decent pure speed-rusher, but his speed is put to greater use in short bursts after hesitation.Hardy can attack the outside shoulder of the defensive end and simply run around him, but he's most explosive when he gets the offensive tackle off balance before attacking past either shoulder.
Credit: NFL.com On this play, Hardy alters the length of his strides as he comes out of his stance. This, paired with the angles of his strides, creates a hesitation in his advancement downfield that confuses Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donald Penn.Penn is in a good position to counter Hardy at this point of the play, but he obviously isn't comfortable because of the defensive end's initial movements.
Credit: NFL.com After his three hesitation steps, Hardy explodes past Penn's inside shoulder. His speed and balance to do this, while using his hands to knock Penn backward puts him in the perfect position to advance toward Mike Glennon in the pocket.Glennon attempts to run away from Hardy, but Hardy drags him down quickly for the sack.There is more to being explosive than pure speed. Hardy isn't the fastest defensive end in the NFL, but he does have above-average speed, and, most importantly, he knows how to use that speed to its full potential. Whenever Hardy is left in space alone with an offensive tackle, he can threaten the quarterback.StrengthThe strength in Hardy's hands is obvious. He can bully even the most athletic offensive tackles in the NFL when put in space. He can also move inside into a defensive tackle position on passing downs to work against bigger guards and centers.Despite often being outmatched in terms of sheer size, Hardy's strength can still shine through in these situations.
Credit: NFL.com On this play, Hardy is lined up at left defensive end. The Panthers are in a 4-3 front with the strong-side linebacker lined up toward the other side of the defensive line. This allows Hardy to align on the outside shoulder of the right guard, across from the B-gap.The right guard would expect Hardy to attack that B-gap from this alignment because he is a defensive end.
Credit: NFL.com Instead of doing that immediately at the snap, Hardy instead goes directly at the guard and engages him with his hands. The guard attempts to punch Hardy backward to take control of the situation, but Hardy uses his quick, strong hands to knock his arms away.From there, Hardy arcs his body so that he is further on the outside shoulder of the guard.
Credit: NFL.com Hardy never stops working with his hands to gain leverage against the guard. After sliding onto his outside shoulder, the guard allows his momentum to go forward slightly before Hardy pulls it further forward. This creates a lane for Hardy to penetrate through the pocket.As Hardy advances toward Matt Ryan in the pocket, the guard is falling down from his power.Hardy is listed at 6'4" and 275 pounds. He isn't a long defensive end like an Aldon Smith or Jason Pierre-Paul. Instead he relies on his stout, compact frame to bully offensive linemen while winning the leverage battle on a regular basis.VersatilityFinding a strong and explosive pass-rusher is very difficult. Finding a strong, explosive, versatile pass-rusher is exceptionally difficult. Hardy offers that versatility by understanding how to use his hands and adjust in different situations, but one thing that really stands out is his foot work.A player of Hardy's physical dimensions shouldn't be so nimble and quick. Yet, he consistently shows off outstanding balance and change-of-direction ability in tight areas.
Credit: NFL.com On this play, Hardy is the right defensive end. He is pushed wider of the left tackle, in prime pass-rushing position. Although the left tackle has a running back in position to help him, he must be very wary of Hardy attacking his outside shoulder from this situation.The angle of their starting positions plays to the advantage of Hardy's speed rush outside if he gets a good jump at the snap.
Credit: NFL.com Hardy's release goes parallel to the sideline, so he is attacking outside of the offensive tackle's outside shoulder. That offensive tackle is Terron Armstead, an athletic but not technically sound player. As the image shows, Armstead's feet and shoulders have turned to completely overplay the speed rush.With his release, Hardy has set up an opportunity to cut inside. He times his movement perfectly and has the footwork to immediately angle toward the open space.
Credit: NFL.com Although Armstead can get his upper body on Hardy as he advances infield, his feet are set in such a way that he has no chance to redirect the defensive end. Hardy is able to easily fend off the recovery attempt before disengaging the blocker to attack the quarterback.It's impossible to to fully focus on one of Hardy's strengths. He is too versatile and too talented to be contained so easily.MotorMany exceptionally talented pass-rushers are often criticized for giving up on plays too often or taking plays off from the very start. That isn't a concern with Hardy. This is something that could be seen for his lone sack during the 2014 season.Hardy is lined up as the right defensive end on this play.
Credit: NFL.com The Buccaneers are double-teaming the defensive end from the very beginning of the play. He is initially met by a tight end who is quick to get into a good position at the snap. Despite his good positioning, Hardy is able to swim past him with incredible ease and speed.Because of that speed, Hardy is immediately able to attack the left tackle who is dropping so he is between Hardy and the quarterback.Hardy works into the body of the left tackle, using his strength and aggressiveness to knock him backward before the tight end can recover his positioning to create an effective double-team. At his deepest point of the play, Hardy appears to be blanketed by the two blockers.
Credit: NFL.com Instead of being content with drawing the double-team to give his teammates one-on-one opportunities, Hardy keeps working through contact. He shows energy and power as he spins away from the left tackle and pushes past the tight end before accelerating to the quarterback.From there he is able to hit Josh McCown in the pocket to cause a fumble with great force.Nothing about this play from Hardy was lazy when he had every opportunity to be lazy and still have value. This wasn't simply a once-off burst of energy from Hardy. He plays with this kind of intensity both as a pass-rusher and run defender.Hardy may not be an every-down defensive end, but he's as close to one as you're likely going to get when acquiring a top tier pass rusher in today's NFL.It's rare that a former sixth-round draft pick would have this kind of pass-rushing skill set. Hardy wasn't your typical sixth-round pick, though. He was considered a top prospect in 2009, but he decided to return to college. Injury, poor production and a muted combine performance caused him to fall in the 2010 draft.Hardy's individual talent has clearly shone through during his time in the NFL.Over five seasons, he has 34 sacks in 63 games. That number is even more impressive when you consider that Hardy was just a rotational player during his first season and hasn't always been a starter. Most significantly, most of his sacks came in his third and fourth seasons after he had developed further.In 31 regular-season games from 2012 to 2013, Hardy had 26 sacks. He wasn't simply racking up easy, clean-up sacks either. In 2013, analysis of his sacks proved to be very impressive.Every single team in the NFL would like to add a player with Hardy's skill set to their roster this offseason. Most of those teams would invest a significant amount of money or a high draft pick to acquire that player. They would all commit to him on a long-term contract if the decision was solely about his skill set.How much they pursue that inevitable temptation will be determined by how they judge his off-field concerns. One team that has reportedly decided to move on from him is the Carolina Panthers, according to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review (h/t Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk). This makes sense for both parties involved considering their recent past.When Hardy hits the open market, he may decide to sign a one-year deal to re-enter free agency in 2016.That likely won't be necessary, though, because there are plenty of teams with huge amounts of cap space and situations that lend themselves to desperation.•The Jacksonville Jaguars were projected to have $68,197,511 in cap space entering the offseason. General manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley are entering their third seasons after finishing each of the past two seasons with a top-five draft pick. Hardy would be an ideal fit in Bradley's defense as a defensive end.•The Oakland Raiders were projected to have $55,427,735 in cap space entering the offseason. General manager Reggie McKenzie is entering his fourth season and is already on his second head coach, Jack Del Rio. Del Rio needs to find foundation pieces for his roster on both sides of the ball and pairing Hardy with Khalil Mack would go a long way to setting his defense up for short- and long-term success.•The Cleveland Browns were projected to have $53,740,896 in cap space entering the offseason. General manager Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine are relatively new to their positions, while it's likely still too early for the Browns to move on from Barkevious Mingo and Paul Kruger as their primary edge defenders.•The New York Jets were projected to have $51,448,474 in cap space entering the offseason. Mike Maccagan and Todd Bowles were just appointed as the Jets' general manager and head coach. Bowles, the Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator last season, is inheriting a great defensive line but is in desperate need of a quality edge-rusher.•The Indianapolis Colts were projected to have $45,189,186 in cap space entering the offseason. Although head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson have had improved results over the years, much of that must be attributed to stumbling into a great quarterback. Too many of Grigson's moves have missed for him to feel comfortable, and pass rush is a major need with uncertainty surrounding the future play of Robert Mathis.•Each of the Tennessee Titans ($44,413,630), Cincinnati Bengals ($40,815,577) and Atlanta Falcons ($33,513,036) have significant cap space with a glaring pass-rushing need.The scrutiny that's imposed upon free agents such as Hardy in this post-Ray Rice era of the NFL is going to have a significant effect on most players. It will obviously affect Hardy too, but in the overall context of how the NFL typically works and his relative value, that effect will likely be relatively minor.It will be a major surprise if Hardy signs a long-term contract for muted compensation. If he does sign that kind of contract, it will truly be evidence of how the NFL has changed.At least, it will be how it has changed for the immediate future even if not for the long term. Salary-cap information is courtesy of Over The Cap.comlink
