Chiefs 2021 Linebackers In Sync

To say that the Kansas City Chiefs Linebackers have not been very good the past few years would be an understatement, and a rather disingenuous notion at that. As much as I have wanted for the linebacking corp to be good, they have not, but that is about to change in a big way during the 2021 season. The Chiefs 2021 Linebackers will be in sync this year, and playing together, perhaps as well as any Chiefs LB corp since the 1970s, when Bobby Bell, Jim Lynch, and Willie Lanier roamed the middle ground.

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Let me make myself clear, the Chiefs LB corp this year will not be among the league’s best, or even rival the stellar Bell-Lynch-Lanier crew, but they will not longer cause Chiefs fans to grimace and groan. Hopefully, this season, the grimacing and groaning will only come from opposing teams players.

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So, why, when it comes to the Chiefs linebackers, should Chiefs fans expect to be so full of pluck and pleasure? First of all, is the play of ILB Anthony Hitchens during the home stretch of the 2020 regular season which continued throughout the playoffs. Since you brought up Hitchens… let’s begin with him.

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Anthony Hitchens

Anthony Hitchens has been a thorn in my side for the past few years. That is until he magically seemed to get better overnight, late in the season. In my younger days, as is true for some of our other writers, I played the middle linebacker position. Consequently, I often keep my eyes focused on the middle of he Chiefs defense to see what “Hit Man” (a nickname he goes by) has been doing. So, I guess you could say I scrutinize that position more than the others because of my own background. Whatever the reason, Hitchens has not been even average most of the time and his huge contract has made matters worse.

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The first question you have to ask is: why the change in Hitchens performance level? The answer may be more straight forward than you think, as it appears that he got better because DC Steve Spagnuolo believes in him. Listen to what Spags had to say about Hitch in December:

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“Look, when you’re in charge, when you’re the leader of any unit offensively or defensively, and you can let things roll of your back and just be solid as a rock, I think that’s a great quality to have in the position he plays.”

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What many of us fans don’t know about all of the players… is what they’re like off the field… or what their relationship is like with a coach or their teammates. In the case of Anthony Hitchens, that means everything, because Spags has to have a leader on the field and if he can’t trust him off the field, why would he put him in a position of trust, on the field? He wouldn’t. However, in the case of Anthony Hitchens, he does — place him in a position of leadership on the field — because he does — trust him off the field.

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So, he does… because he does.

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That raises another question: why, if Spags trusted Hitchens previously, was he such a poor ILB? The answer to that question lies in the tenure of his experience. Hitchens first year in K.C. was under DC Bob Sutton. The next season, Hitchens second year in K.C. he was under Steve Spagnuolo, but it was his first season in a brand new defense. That brings us up to last season when what appeared to be a light coming on for Hitch, was really him getting completely comfortable… and knowledgeable… in Steve Spagnuolo’s system. While most Chiefs fans can grasp the idea that it takes two seasons for a new WR to learn Andy Reid’s playbook… it should also be easy to grasp the idea that it takes more than one season for an ILB — who happens to have more on-field responsibilities than anyone else on the defensive side of the ball — to learn the defensive playbook.

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The next question is: can Chiefs fans, in 2021, expect Anthony Hitchens to be the second half of 2020 ILB… more than he was the first half of 2020 ILB? The answer to that is a clear cut, YES!

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The skills to play linebacker begin with having vision. The best LBs in the business can see a play developing before it develops. What that really means is… within the first two steps that key offensive players take, the LB knows whether the play is a run or pass, left or right, option or keeper, but more than anything, that “vision” allows him to act quickly and take his first steps in the correct direction. It’s amazing to me to have seen Anthony Hitchens go from not being able to diagnose a play (what I just described) to suddenly being able to perform that skill, with aplomb.

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Now that Hitchens has, “got it”… I see no reason why he’d suddenly, lose it.

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Willie Gay Jr.

That brings me to Willie Gay Jr., (6-foot-1, 243 lbs.) because Gay is not only faster than Hitchens — 4.51, 40 to 4.74, 40 — but Gay is also twitchier. What that means is, once Gay decides where he’s going to go on a given play, his reaction time is less and his response time is quicker. Although Gay was injured at precisely the, wrong time (of course, there is never a right time)… it was just prior to the Super Bowl. Patrik Walker at CBS Sports said, Gay went on to have meniscus surgery, which takes four months of recovery time (so, his rehab should be done by June 1st-ish). Walker also stated:

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“Gay was active in all 16 regular season games and logged eight starts — impressive when considering the presence of Damien Wilson, Anthony Hitchens and Ben Niemann. This is a nod to the potential of Gay….The speedy 22-year-old was a key piece of what the Chiefs did on defense in 2020, but they’ll have to wait until September to see him take the field again.”

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Gay was nurtured along slowly in 2020, but ended up with 241 snaps on defense, almost exactly the same number as Ben Niemann, who will continue his backup role this season. Wilson is now with the Jaguars, so the Chiefs figure to lean heavily on WIllie Gay this year. Every time he entered a game last season, he made a positive impact so his increased role will help improve the defense overall.

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WR Tyreek Hill is the twitchiest player I’ve ever seen in person. I was visiting training camp three years ago and standing directly behind the second practice field where players were taking turns catching punts from Dustin Colquitt. Special Teams coach, Dave Toub, would simulate game action by placing a DB right in front of the player receiving the ball and that player was to make a first move, then attempt to get around the defender. When it was Tyreek Hill’s turn, he’d catch the ball, pump his feet while faking with his hips back and forth about 8 times in a fraction fo a second… then take off in one direction or the other. It’s one of the most amazing physical feats I’ve ever seen up close and personal.

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So, why mention Hill when we’re talking about linebackers? Because that’s a big part of the reason the Chiefs drafted my next subject: Nick Bolton.

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Nick Bolton

Nick Bolton will be the Chiefs most twitchy LB on the field, whenever he’s in the game. Is he as twitchy as Tyreek Hill? I don’t think so, but he’s pretty darn close. He’s what you call a, new age linebacker: someone who is good in coverage, who is smaller and quicker, can diagnose a player faster, and arrive to the point of contact sooner. Another plus for Nick Bolton is, he’s a very good tackler and he loves to hit.

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Many have brought up the fact that Bolton is not as big as Gay or Hitchens, but if you think of Nick Bolton as a Tyrann Mathieu in a linebackers body, you get the idea. That’s how I think of Bolton. No one is complaining about Mathieu’s size, in fact, GM Brett Veach will likely have an extension done for Mathieu before offseason is over. Am I saying Bolton is Mathieu? No, I’m just saying, Bolton’s size should not be a primary concern.

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Note: Bolton is 6-foot-0, 232 lbs., while Anthony Hitchens is 6-foot-0, 235 lbs. so let’s not get so carried away by saying Bolton is tiny for a LB.

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“He seems to know where the ball is going,

when it leaves the Center’s grasp.”

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That’s exactly what I’m referring to when I say, “A good linebacker has vision.” The earlier a LB can pinpoint where a play is designed to go, the earlier he will be able to make a play. You also have to love the play Bolton makes on RB Najee Harris here, against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He strikes like lightning and should end up as the Chiefs eventual starting ILB.

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While Nick Bolton has great mental acuity… our next LB has elite agility: Kamalei Correa.

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Kamalei Correa

Correa was taken with the 42nd pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens as a DE out of Boise State. Correa has played for the Titans, and the Jags as well, and while he may be more of a rush LB, or a blitzing backer, he gives Steve Spagnuolo another look, another option at the position. Correa’s agility gives him the ability to be used several different ways and while his 40 time is 4.69, his best skill is getting after the QB.

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Here, both Travis Kelce and Damien Williams miss Correa and he gets a sack on Patrick Mahomes:

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Kelce may have thought Correa was going to cover him, so he doesn’t block him, but Correa heads straight upfield and Mahomes has no chance.

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Kamalei Correa is now the Chiefs biggest LB at 6-foot-3, 243 lbs. and give Steve Spagnuolo a fast DE for rushing the QB. DE Frank Clark, at, 6-foot-3 and 273 lbs. runs a 4.79 40, and Taco Charlton, at 6-foot-6, 270 lbs., runs a 4.91 40. Correa’s 4.69 40, along with his “elite agility” — from his college RAS — becomes a weapon Spags can employ whenever he wants to throw another look at an offense, or disguise his defense, and go away from his base 4-3.

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With Anthony Hitchens playing a his top shelf level, with Willie Gay entering the second year of his pro career, with Nick Bolton bringing his edgy quickness, and with Kamalei Correa adding another component to Spags attack, the Chiefs Linebackers in 2021, will be more in sync than we’ve seen them in years, maybe decades. If the LBs live up to my expectations, and the Font Four are improved as we expect them to be with the addition of Jarran Reed, the process if coverage may be a lot easier for the DBs. I have no worries at Safety, but if the Chiefs need to bring CB Bashaud Breeland back, it won’t likely be until after mini-camp, so they can evaluate what they’ve really got in house first. In any event, the LBs are going to be a fun watch this year! What do you think?

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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