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Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins can pressure the quarterback. Wait. You've heard that one before? Well it's true and the football mavens at Pro Football Focus have generated a statistic to simplify their grading scale, applying a combination of stats accumulated over time.
They call it the Pass Rush Productivity grade, which combines quarterback sacks with hits on the quarterback and hurries against total pass rush snaps. Additionally this isn't a statistic the reflects any particular year; rather the combination of the three most recent seasons. It shows consistency over a period of time, lessening the weight of a single great season silhouetting mediocre seasons.
According to their grading scale, Atkins scored an 8.70, second in the league only to San Francisco 49ers' defensive end (and former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end) Justin Smith, who scored a 9.16. Of the 727 pass rush snaps that Atkins has taken part in, 80 of generated a quarterback sack, pressure on the quarterback or a hit on the passer after throwing the football.