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It has been a tough week for me time-wise. When confronted with the other realities of life, I decided to do the study, but abbreviate it by focusing on the DL only. That way I only had to really watch each play 4 or 5 times instead of double that number. I also stopped the DVR once things got to garbage time. Sorry for the inconvenience but it was either that or not do it at all.
I want to start by keeping things in perspective, when considering the level of domination we showed. Their QB really didn't pose a run threat at all. That freed us up to rush without keeping "contain" so much in the front of our minds. We didn't have to be as disciplined as we might against other more mobile QBs. Additionally, having watched the recording more closely, I am not that impressed by their OL in terms of run blocking. They were far more accomplished in the pass pro mode than driving our guys out of there in support of the run. Perhaps our DL has just become good at defeating the drive block going against our OL. I actually think the former is more true, however. IMHO we are sure to face more stern competition at the LOS in games to come.
Personally, I would give our DL pretty high marks for the contest. We didn't make every play that was there to be made, but we pushed and moved the pocket, while unsettling their QB to a great degree. He had happy feet most of the time. The pressure we got was about an even distribution between beating a man and getting in there quickly, blitzing an extra player to get there quickly, and coverage causing him to hold the ball long enough for our guys to force a throw. I would say 2 out of 3 pass plays, he wasn't letting go of the ball when he wanted to. That is half the battle. We missed some sacks that were there and didn't beat guys as much as an elite pass rushing team would do, but, in my estimation, we did show improvement over last year. That much was palpable.
Player reports:
Adam Gotsis - This guy has improved every year he has been here. What is crazy is that he has improved the MOST between years 3 and 4. Adam is more physical this year. He is stronger, apparently quicker, and his football IQ has grown a good bit too. He has the best, longest lasting motor of the group and the gap between him and number 2 isn't that close. To me, effort is controllable, and the rest of our guys should try and reach his level in that category, even if they never reach his level in other areas. Adam just plain works harder and he doesn't slow down. He separates from blocks better and uses the traffic around him better than previous seasons. He is now a bonafide disruptive force on the inside. Of all the DLs Saturday, he influenced each play more than the others.
Jabari Hunt - Some are questioning his impact. Personally, I think he played pretty well. Jabari faced more doubles than anybody and he held point against them pretty well. He made a few plays on his own and just plain clogged things up a good bit of the time. I am not sure, but I think CTR has placed some restrictions on what Jabari is allowed to do. He appears to be trying to adhere to his core responsibilities and not just going rogue in an effort to make the huge plays. I appreciate that and even though it doesn't seem like it, it makes us a better defense. JH has the quickness and the toughness to make a lot of plays. He steered runners into tacklers and that is job #1 for a DT.
KeShun Freeman - I think KeShun has improved some too. Although still not a physically overpowering DE, he has made strides. He IS stronger and he has a better idea. He made a few tackles with an "attitude", which I appreciate. He is more aggressive and more confident. If he takes a page out of Adam's book in terms of effort and constant improvement, we will have a really good player the next few years. He still beats guys with speed and angles, but he did try and bull rush a few times too. He just isn't quite physically dominant enough to pull it off. With that said, we don't have anybody better at the moment, so I am really glad he is ours.
Francis Kallon - Francis has feet that are right up there with guys like Hunt. He has speed and he hustles. Although he hasn't taken over the other DTs, he has closed the gap IMHO. The motivation factor seems higher. I like his energy in short bursts. Personally, I don't see a huge difference between him and Gamble. Patrick has a better idea how to play football and he is solid on the interior fighting to a stalemate, but he isn't as fast or as agile. There is little doubt in my mind in 5 years Kallon would be the better player, the only problem is that we only have both of them for another year or two.
I saw a little from Saint-Amour and Simmons in the game. Both will be contributors. Saint-Amour did some things that were pretty decent, but the kid needs to learn about CONSISTENT effort. For that matter so does Vic Alexander from the LB position. I cannot stand to see coasting to the ball when it APPEARS like a guy will be going down. You have to fly until the whistle has finished blowing. I know the score had gotten out of hand, but I just can't stand to see that. It drives me up a wall. I would rather be in the position of having enough depth to RS Saint-Amour, but we are who we are, and, like last year with KeShun, we need him on the field.
In the sum total of it all, the DL made things pretty easy for the LBs on this day. That is their primary task. We can't fool ourselves. The Two-Lane WRs had trouble getting separation and their QB was slow footed. There will be bigger challenges ahead. There is little doubt in my mind that our defense will be improved over last year. I feel very solidly that this will prove to be true. However, I am not sure where we are exactly. Most likely, we are good enough to slow better teams down and give our offense enough breathing room to win most games. Single digit totals are unlikely in future contests, but our offense is a great defense too. Our sum total, between TOP / efficient offense plus improved defense, will probably be pretty darned good in terms of point prevention.
I want to start by keeping things in perspective, when considering the level of domination we showed. Their QB really didn't pose a run threat at all. That freed us up to rush without keeping "contain" so much in the front of our minds. We didn't have to be as disciplined as we might against other more mobile QBs. Additionally, having watched the recording more closely, I am not that impressed by their OL in terms of run blocking. They were far more accomplished in the pass pro mode than driving our guys out of there in support of the run. Perhaps our DL has just become good at defeating the drive block going against our OL. I actually think the former is more true, however. IMHO we are sure to face more stern competition at the LOS in games to come.
Personally, I would give our DL pretty high marks for the contest. We didn't make every play that was there to be made, but we pushed and moved the pocket, while unsettling their QB to a great degree. He had happy feet most of the time. The pressure we got was about an even distribution between beating a man and getting in there quickly, blitzing an extra player to get there quickly, and coverage causing him to hold the ball long enough for our guys to force a throw. I would say 2 out of 3 pass plays, he wasn't letting go of the ball when he wanted to. That is half the battle. We missed some sacks that were there and didn't beat guys as much as an elite pass rushing team would do, but, in my estimation, we did show improvement over last year. That much was palpable.
Player reports:
Adam Gotsis - This guy has improved every year he has been here. What is crazy is that he has improved the MOST between years 3 and 4. Adam is more physical this year. He is stronger, apparently quicker, and his football IQ has grown a good bit too. He has the best, longest lasting motor of the group and the gap between him and number 2 isn't that close. To me, effort is controllable, and the rest of our guys should try and reach his level in that category, even if they never reach his level in other areas. Adam just plain works harder and he doesn't slow down. He separates from blocks better and uses the traffic around him better than previous seasons. He is now a bonafide disruptive force on the inside. Of all the DLs Saturday, he influenced each play more than the others.
Jabari Hunt - Some are questioning his impact. Personally, I think he played pretty well. Jabari faced more doubles than anybody and he held point against them pretty well. He made a few plays on his own and just plain clogged things up a good bit of the time. I am not sure, but I think CTR has placed some restrictions on what Jabari is allowed to do. He appears to be trying to adhere to his core responsibilities and not just going rogue in an effort to make the huge plays. I appreciate that and even though it doesn't seem like it, it makes us a better defense. JH has the quickness and the toughness to make a lot of plays. He steered runners into tacklers and that is job #1 for a DT.
KeShun Freeman - I think KeShun has improved some too. Although still not a physically overpowering DE, he has made strides. He IS stronger and he has a better idea. He made a few tackles with an "attitude", which I appreciate. He is more aggressive and more confident. If he takes a page out of Adam's book in terms of effort and constant improvement, we will have a really good player the next few years. He still beats guys with speed and angles, but he did try and bull rush a few times too. He just isn't quite physically dominant enough to pull it off. With that said, we don't have anybody better at the moment, so I am really glad he is ours.
Francis Kallon - Francis has feet that are right up there with guys like Hunt. He has speed and he hustles. Although he hasn't taken over the other DTs, he has closed the gap IMHO. The motivation factor seems higher. I like his energy in short bursts. Personally, I don't see a huge difference between him and Gamble. Patrick has a better idea how to play football and he is solid on the interior fighting to a stalemate, but he isn't as fast or as agile. There is little doubt in my mind in 5 years Kallon would be the better player, the only problem is that we only have both of them for another year or two.
I saw a little from Saint-Amour and Simmons in the game. Both will be contributors. Saint-Amour did some things that were pretty decent, but the kid needs to learn about CONSISTENT effort. For that matter so does Vic Alexander from the LB position. I cannot stand to see coasting to the ball when it APPEARS like a guy will be going down. You have to fly until the whistle has finished blowing. I know the score had gotten out of hand, but I just can't stand to see that. It drives me up a wall. I would rather be in the position of having enough depth to RS Saint-Amour, but we are who we are, and, like last year with KeShun, we need him on the field.
In the sum total of it all, the DL made things pretty easy for the LBs on this day. That is their primary task. We can't fool ourselves. The Two-Lane WRs had trouble getting separation and their QB was slow footed. There will be bigger challenges ahead. There is little doubt in my mind that our defense will be improved over last year. I feel very solidly that this will prove to be true. However, I am not sure where we are exactly. Most likely, we are good enough to slow better teams down and give our offense enough breathing room to win most games. Single digit totals are unlikely in future contests, but our offense is a great defense too. Our sum total, between TOP / efficient offense plus improved defense, will probably be pretty darned good in terms of point prevention.
