An ArrowheadOne blogger — a friend and frequent commenter — asked yesterday, as I used the adjective “solid” when discussing the Kansas City Chiefs Safeties and Corners, what does “solid” mean? I will explain that as I dig into this article.
What does solid mean?
For me solid means, a football player who is not a journeyman or average NFL player, at any position. He doesn’t have to be a pro bowl player or an All Pro or a Future Hall of Famer or the GOAT (greatest of all time). It means that I have a player that I can depend on to play the position very well. That is my definition of “NFL Solid.”
Today, August 5th, NFL.com had MIke Garafolo and Steve Mariucci in KC to interview Andy Reid, as well as Travis Kelce, Tyrann Mathieu, and Patrick Mahomes. All three interviews were good but, here is a big point: in today’s lineup, NFL.com interviewed 3 Chiefs who were way beyond solid — these three were Pro Bowl level contributors or better, perhaps All Pro and possibly Future Hall of Fame players. In two cases, I think you are going to adjust the credo’s allotted to them to include GOAT (Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes). At this point, I am going to add Tyrann Mathieu, who is breaking into this exalted category as well. These 3 players are, by definition: Game Changers, more than NFL Solid.
Tyrann Mathieu provides the Chiefs a component of what was totally missing with Eric Berry missing from the field of play for 2 straight years: a field captain for the secondary. Tyrann’s influence is already apparent in how he speaks of his fellow defenders and how they speak of him.
Adding Frank Clark to the List
Eric Berry meant a lot to the defense over the 2017 and 2018 seasons. I wrote about this several times over that stretch of 32 games. Having Frank Clark’s leadership and dynamics, being a new acquisition for the Chiefs front 7, is of similar value, and something that was provided by Derrick Johnson in his years with the Chiefs, and less so by Justin Houston. Clark personifies that toughness and is expressed in his verbalization of how the front four need to perform. His play leads the other players to buy-in.
This list of 4 players personifies the “Beyond Solid” level of play to which I am referring as a base for this particular effort.
So then let’s see where else I can go with this evaluation. Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu make the list from the defensive side to add to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the offensive side… players who are game changes, playing at levels above “Solid NFL Contributors.”
Kelce has quieted down his immature outbursts and has become a solid leader for the team and is doing so with the public and the press. He presents himself as being a follower of the greatness of Tony Gonzalez, as an example, giving deference to the man who changed the nature of what a Tight End is and what he can do. Kelce is solidly in that level of ability.
Clark is one of the most creative defenders of the front four who recently was ranked in the top 100 players of the NFL. His leadership, and that of Mathieu on the back end of the defense, is demonstrable in terms of verbalizing success and aggressive achievement of the goals of the defensive front and the other players are buying into it as well.
So here, the Chiefs have leadership for the front and back end of the defense and that bodes well for those two components of play. That is four “Above NFL Solid Players.”
Let’s add to the list of “NFL Solid Players” or better or as a category, think of this as “Best so far” type players. This list is now tripled to 12 solid players and all eight players are “game changers — players who can change the outcome of a game on one single play or who provide the base function of setting blocks or the stage for the skilled players behind them.
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- Tyreek Hill (WR)
- Sammy Watkins (WR)
- Mitchell Schwartz (RT)
- Eric Fisher (LT)
- LD-T (OG)
- Damien Williams (RB)
- Chris Jones (DT)
- Alex Okafor (DE)
Is the Situation at Safety Solid?
It is difficult to write about players of speculation. Tyrann Mathieu as a SS is a solid, dependable game changer. Behind him you could say that Dan Sorensen quietly goes about the business of playing safety and provides a history of growth in the position, he does so with great anticipation, and Dan is a student of the game which should not be overlooked.
Dan Sorensen lacks speed to be considered a game changing type. It also prevents him from being a starter in my view because the other four players listed have that “Speed.” For me his skillset puts him in the hybrid model because he can bounce up to take on a LB role, play in the box and is a great tackler against run. If the Chiefs go with 5 Safeties, with how Dan is versatile, then he is a #5 safety. In front of him are Tyrann Mathieu of course, Armani Watts a 2018 draft pick, Jordan Lucas, acquired in a trade with the Jaguars and 2019 draftee Juan Thornhill.
In as much as I am convinced that Mathieu is a top safety in the NFL, I ma also convinced that Armani Watts is an NFL Football player. Steve Mariucci stated today that Mathieu is the most versatile Safety in the NFL and a leader. Jordan Lucas adds benefit to the group and it showed — plus he is a S/T major contributor. I question why Sutton did not have him playing more defensive snaps when it was obviously needed. For me that was the final coffin nail for Sutton’s career in K.C..
I love Dan Sorensen’s aggressive attacking play and his intelligence in getting the reads down, play in, play out. The drawback for Dan is speed.
Mathieu and Thornhill: Starting Safeties
Solid? That is the question our frequent contributor replies to… to my most recent look at the defense. I am going to make the judgement that yes, Thornhill is the real deal. He is already gaining a greater percentage of snaps with the ones… meaning, starting next to Tyrann Mathieu. He has good judgement about where to get to when he ball is in the air… or about to be. He is making plays deep and coming up in run support as well. He has closing speed and gets to the ball to defend or intercept with good frequency, or influence the play to be an incompletion. From all that I have seen he is fulfilling dailing what is needed from the Free Safety player at the back end of the defense.
If that is not enough? He is faster than Dan Sorensen so he should, barring setbacks, take over the starting role as a FS. Does this mean he is NFL Solid? Nope. It does mean he has a shot to be a good player out of the gate and in the NFL that is saying a lot.
My own judgement about Thornhill has not waivered since we started but, my support for him has grown. He will succeed and do so early in 2019, enough to say that after a few starts if not immediately, then Thornhill will erase concerns about the position. At the same time? It’s possible that Armani Watts could do the same. He was coming on with his play in 2018 when he was hurt. We are hearing good things about him this year as well. Worse comes to worse, Watts should show the ability to be Safety #3. Watts was flashing very well before in 2018. What I see is two very young players of good ability to form the triumvirate at the back end of the defense.
My confidence comes from researching players and seeing how Brett Veach was fitting the talents drafted to the needs of the team as well as putting the best “Football Player” and “Athlete” on the field with any given pick. For me, I see it so clearly this year for Hardman, Thornhill and Saunders, that I was sold before they got back home after being drafted.
Cornerback Needs a Solid Addition
Bloggers and commenters have surely tempered my optimism but the Safety position appears strong. The Cornerbacks are a different story so let’s turn the page back to 2018. Steven Nelson stood last year — 33rd best CB in 2018 by PFF — which is not a poor ranking for a Cornerback where you are going to have at least 120 listed and ranked. Keep in mind my caution about this as well: the Chiefs Cornerbacks in 2018 had virtually no support over the top and were constantly playing the game on an Island.
Despite all the critique and having poor support from the safeties, Nelson played pretty well for a Chiefs. Further, it is illuminating that the Chiefs field captain for the back end of the defense was AWOL for nearly all of 2 straight seasons. Is there any wonder that the secondary performed poorly? That lack of leadership at safety is solved with Mathieu, both as a defender and setting the coverage duties. His play will immediately aid other Safeties and the players in front of him.
It should be observed that I also blame DC Bob Sutton’s schemes as being inept and the players no longer buying into what he was doing. You get the sense of that by the verbalization the players are speaking to the outlook they have now.
If I buy that Steven Nelson took it on the chin for the team in 2018 and I judge Bashaud Breeland to be a similar level player (or better), then am I losing ground? I don’t think that is the case. I cannot conceive of the 33rd ranked corner as not being solid in the NFL. It takes at least 4 safeties to man the position and 3 of those players have got to be qualified… or “Solid.”
Think about it: 2 outside players per team plus a player in the slot and a 4th player to provide rest or handle a spot start? Just with 3 players per team that is 96 CBs. We also must consider the change in how penalties are called and the clear advantage this has given the offensive player over the defender.
Let me add in then: Charvarius Ward. I do not think Ward had a bad season as a new starter at the end. His first game in was shaky. After that? He was solid and a bit more. Indeed, in the face of playoff competition, you could say Ward handled himself very well and came up with the INT, save Ford’s nefarious offside, that would have put the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
I am buying Ward. I am buying Fuller. I am buying Breeland. I am not yet sold on D’Montre Wade. I also think that Veach has got to add a Solid Defender to the Cornerback group — a proven player that can help resolve a weakness– an exposure. I am accepting Ward’s success as proof because he played well in front of playoff crowds and handled it. I accept that Fuller was often miscast by Bob Sutton and he will return to tops with play in the slot, where he was rated #1 in 2017. I think Breeland matches up to the level of Steven Nelson. Is that “Solid?” Face that question squarely and see where the starting 3 corners truly are.
So what am I saying? To cover things, they need to add a top skilled player to the group. I wrote about it being this or that player in the past and would really like it to be “Player X.” My player “X” is Patrick Peterson but, it could be, Jalen Ramsey, either way, give me a solid starter and I think that changes the CB room to a solid group of players. It will still need work with F/A signings and the draft but it could solidify the defense enough to project it’s moving up in ranking to the 15-20 level, far superior to what the defense has been since 2016.
Pundits wax philosophic about their dream team players and… should’a could’a, would’a… scenarios. I am trying to show that this 2019 team can win the Super Bowl. It could have done so last year but fell short. My point is, it was positioned to get there. Each year, various appraisers do not have the Chiefs winning the division or getting to the playoffs. Each year, save one, they have been wrong since 2013. Which means my own view has prevailed about the quality of the team since 2013 with a single failure the year they did not make the playoffs.
In fact, think of 2013 as well? If the WR foot is placed inside the right side line marker and not out, a FG wins the Chiefs a playoff game over the top rated Colts. What happens then? That is also a… should’a, could’a would’a… and it don’t mean “Nuthin.”
Is any of this a guarantee that this is the year? Nope. However, I would and will lay a good sized bet on it.
David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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