Chiefs: The “Regulator” Half of a Dynamic Duo Has Singletary Eyes

Chiefs: The “Regulator” Half of a

Dynamic Duo Has Singletary Eyes

by David Bell

The Regulator Arrives at the Kingdom

So okay, this wasn’t where I intended to go for Wednesday’s article. I was headed for a view of the Chiefs Front Three, because….because… well… things change and Paul covered them in brief in his piece on Tuesday which is good enough for now. More can be written and observed. Later for this. Here is a focus upon my “Beloved Inside Linebacker Position” especially important in the 34 and especially important in thumping running backs and fending off blockers behind the front three. I shifted because it came up multiple times this week.

Ragland: the first half of the Inside Enforcing

Double Duo — tough, with Football Nasty built in

We all know how dreadful run defense was until Reggie Ragland came to the roster, albeit new and still recovering from his knee injury. We know that as soon as he got on the field his pairing with DJ and that was a wonderful thing — getting to start next to DJ was the sort of thing I was looking for all along. But DJ was not himself — not the player in 2017 that he had been all along. Ragland stepped up and played damned well — his totally best and most dominating performance was in the playoff game vs. the Titans. Then the season abruptly ended when it should not have.

Back and Forth in Time

When I found the deal was made by Brett Veach to obtain Reggie Ragland, my immediate respect for Veach soared. Why? Because I knew in my heart that Veach was intending to solve a huge defensive problem of both the 2016 and 2017 seasons — the inability to stop the run game of opposing teams. I knew he was bringing a player of good character, a high draft pick and it cost a 4th in 2019. I am now very good with this move that was made in 2017. It paid off that season as well.

When the draft occurred in 2016, I was wanting the Chiefs to draft Jaylon Smith, give up the year and we would have a starting quality draft pick to start the 2017 season and he would be added to whom ever we pick in the first round of 2017. I thought to myself, that could, in two drafts if done properly, get two ILBs, or one of each. DJ was not going to get younger and Ford was not able to get on the field to replace Hali. I was not expecting DJ to run out of his shoes with another Achilles Tendon Injury. You can see, at least my logic and approach to this. Of course, “Cousin Jerry Jones” did what I had wanted to do. And then in 2017, John Dorsey Drafted Patrick Mahomes.

So let’s scoot around the clock: after Mahomes was in house and Veach had taken over, he made an overture to obtain none other than Anthony Hitchens. This was not to be because Jerry Jones nixed the deal it is said that he did so in order to ensure that Smith was healed up, ready to rock n’ roll, and capable of playing at the expected level of performance commensurate with his pay grade. It turns out though, that Reggie Ragland, a second, possibly first round type pick at the time of the draft in 2016, a stout run game regulator out of Alabama, was available from Buffalo and Veach cut the deal giving up a future 4th round pick.

I studied game film related to his supposed weakness — being able to drop into coverage. It so happens that one of the four games I watched (every defensive snap), Ragland had an INT and two pass defenses in those games. I was very satisfied that he was a leader in his collegiate years and there was only high praise for his character and public social behavior. I am good with Ragland and don’t agree that he has a weakness in necessary speed. Nor do I think he is a 2 down linebacker — I proved this to myself with film review and on tape he covers man up with a RB across the short zone and another case he covers a TE off the LoS.

Back in real time, now this past week, Ragland states he wants to be there at crunch time. That he is a 3-down LB and I believe it. Ragland discusses being more of a leader on the field and this was evident as the season wound down. At the time of the draft I had him going in the 2nd round or early 3rd. But the latter would have been in front of the Chief’s selection. I would have been good with trading up to get him. Of course it wasn’t to happen but Dorsey could have pulled the trigger. Dorsey, a former Linebacker, appears to lack judgement about his own position. At any rate, Ragland was selected by Buffalo and I was saying to myself, “Ah, dang it Dorsey… ah that’s just swell… dang it again Dorse!”

So I had made up my mind that Ragland could do the deal very nicely. No, he wasn’t my top ILB pick. I had Smith as the guy to go after in round one. I came away from all my investigations with the view that Ragland was a 3-down tough, run-stopping thumper that could pursue on the weak-side as quick as any ILB, do well to get outside to the strong-side except in rare speed merchant cases. I am convinced I’m right about this.

So Veach with stopping the run at the foremost of his attention, bringing the run-stopping ILB “Regulator” to the Kingdom.

Fast Forwarding

Here I am going add some feedback in my studies about Ragland and those who appraised his ability. Recall that I am also a Packer Fan right? I follow them and have since the Chiefs faced them in the beginning playoff between the NFL and AFL. I still do since my younger son is a huge Packer fan and well, I sort of buy into the Packer persona as well.

Cheesehead TV’s Assessment (these guys are pretty good) had a very high ranking of Ragland observing that he was a likely rookie starter which would allow Mathews to move back outside — they wanted that to happen. For the full review of that Packer Football article go here.

Former NFL DE Chuck Smith, now a pass rush trainer and who had worked with Ragland since his sophomore year, stated that the team that drafted Ragland would be getting the best linebacker in the draft (2016). In an article for GN he went on to say,

“…Reggie Ragland doesn’t take a backseat to anyone….. I don’t care who else is in this draft. It is going to be a mistake if a linebacker goes ahead of Reggie Ragland. He’s better than the kid from Notre Dame (Jaylon Smith) and he’s better than the kid from UCLA (Myles Jack).”

Reggie Ragland Metrics

• Height: 6’1’’
• Weight: 247
• Year: Senior
• Hometown: Madison, AL
• Experience: Sr. – 2 year starter

Ragland Combine Measurables

• 40 yard: 4.72
• Broad jump: 116 inches
• Vertical: 31.5 inches
• 3-cone: —
• 20yd. Shuttle: 4.28 seconds
• Bench Press: —

Notes about Reggie Ragland

• 2015 Captain of the Defense & SEC Defensive Player of the year.
• 2016: 102 tackles, 6.5 for a loss
• 2015: 93 Tackles
• Ragland played WILB and SILB and situationally RDE.
• Solid 2016 Senior Bowl Performer
• NFL Draft Scout – Round 1 rating

In the 2015 player profile at SI.com, they concluded with the following:

“He’s a natural fit with any 3–4 team as an inside guy who will move around in hybrid sub-packages, but he’d be just as dangerous as a moveable MIKE linebacker in a 4–3. Ragland will help to solidify his team’s defense from Day 1, and from there, it’s just a matter of how well he rounds out his ancillary skills.”

Toughness and Intensity

My thoughts? I thought he was round 1 pick who might fall into round two – perhaps as far as the Chiefs pick, largely due to his being characterized as an old style ILB, something which I disagreed with, though he is a thumper. I know that this season, Ragland has dropped (don’t know how much) his playing weight to improve his sideline-to-sideline speed. At the time of the draft pundits that I noted considered him to be a sure first round selection.

But then? There was Buffalo, and Ragland sustained a season ending ACL tear which is one reason that he was made available for the trade I would venture. The other? Big Rex Ryan, Head Coach of the Bills, had moved on as a new Sheriff in town. When Rx Ryan moved on, Ragland was allowed to slide and Brett Veach took full advantage of it.

The 2017 season in the curtain call game for the Chiefs proves my point. The next good part? Now we have added Brett Veach’s target of the ‘Boys — Anthony Hitchens. All good things come to those who plan and have patience. Veach got both players. What luck!

Veach was very calm and polite in his presser after the trade: he observed about Ragland: “I think we’re all excited about him and we think he can be a star,” Veach said, via the team’s website. In an article at NFL.com in April, Author Edward Lewis quotes Veach as stating: “We were very fortunate to be able to execute that trade.” In that same article, Brett Veach sees the duo: “We think him and Anthony Hitchens will be a dynamic duo…. and as I said earlier, will kind of change the mindset and bring a temperament with them.” See the complete NFL.com article here.

The thing I see in Reggie Ragland’s eyes? The focus and intensity you could see in the eyes of Mike Singletary.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne