The ‘Shock and Awe’ Series: Part One – Defense(LBs and Safeties)

The proper tackling technique is, for that reason, an art. It is a rare and beautiful thing if you are fortunate enough to see it in action. But more times than not, you will see a defender jump on the back of the ball carrier or cut him down by at the knees. I am not really sure how much light I actually shined on the way to tackle properly because I really do not think there is a right or wrong way. – Marc Lillibridge.

A worthy observation about what we could look for in the outlook for the season came from a comment a frequent contributor to ArrowheadOne made when observing two particular players, LB Leo Chenal and Safety Bryan Cook, who have the modus quo: “Shock and Awe.”

Our site manager and ArrowheadOne editor, Laddie Morse, added that this was a term that needed to be applied to our defense and an article written that would address itself to players who hit the grass and characterize the term by their play. To get to the meat of proper technique, it starts with the defender taking the appropriate angle to the ball. From that point on, it’s about addressing the shoulder to the ball-carriers belt buckle or above and driving through the opponent’s body position while wrapping and grabbing a jersey or pad and torquing the ball-carrier to the ground.

In doing so, the new football mechanic of keeping the face turned forward and sliding it to the side is what is being taught at all levels of football now. If the hit is to the waistline or below, the same mechanic is used, driving the shoulder pad through the near side thigh through to the other side, again, sliding the helmet to the side and wrapping up by grabbing cloth or limb and torquing the ball-carrier to the ground. When done properly, as Lillibridge points out in a recent article, it becomes a work of art.

This is the first article in a series that focuses on violent tackling appropriately done(a work of art) by the Defense and Players identified who will fit that description – they create ‘Shock and Awe’ by playing fundamentally sound, solid, hard-nosed, physical football. Here I am going to highlight two safeties and two linebackers. Safeties Justin Reid and Bryan Cook and Linebackers Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal.

The Safeties

Despite the varied roles of the Safety Position and DC Steve Spagnuolo’s nuanced multi-dimensional play sets and player responsibilities, the safeties must defend the pass and make tackles count, reducing the threat of YAC. Weak or Strong, paired with the Cornerbacks in front of them, Tackling with violence to create “shock and awe” in the opponents is the key to success in the secondary. The point here isn’t to address assignments or packages. Instead, the focus is on making tackles timely, from the right angle, and limiting the success of the opposing offense. Safeties must also attack in support of the ground game defense with the same purpose.

The Chiefs have three safeties(at least) who will make the defense success unfold as the game progresses.

Justin Reid- Reid has big shoes to fill, replacing Mathieu as the signal caller in the secondary group. I had initially believed that the Chiefs would retain Tyrann Mathieu with a two or three-year contract. However, it was not to be. Instead, Brett Veach went hunting and offered former Houston Texan Safety Justin Reid a three-year deal.

Reid has a more extensive physical stature than does Mathieu and plays with an attacking mindset — with physicality! This is what I think is part and parcel of the new player acquisition metrics that have highlighted two recent drafts and was quite obvious in the 2022 draft and players signed in the off-season.

The more I dug into Justin Reid’s stats and video, the more I liked the acquisition. It was quite evident in the tape that I reviewed that Reid was a safety who played with physicality and force–that his tackling was applying that force with “violence.” I liked what I saw. In 2021, it appeared that Tyrann Mathieu was not the player he had been in prior seasons. Still, it would be difficult to replace his leadership and intimate knowledge of the Chief’s defense on the field. A newcomer to that backend field commander, Justin Reid, arrived and immediately was well-spoken in front of the press. He immediately took on the mantle of a team leader. Even before the OTAs, I was impressed by Justin’s immediacy in his verbalization of leadership, and his physicality impressed me. He has the “Shock and Awe” presence, which is just what the Doctor Ordered.

Juan Thornhill- The thing about the ‘Juan and only’ is that he had a great rookie season, and an injury set him back in 2021.

He fell out of favor with DC Steve Spagnuolo for several games last year. The Chiefs suffered through the play of another fan favorite, Dan Sorensen. With Dirty Dan’s lack of speed and poor decision-making on the field, Spags brought back Thornhill, who played exceptionally well down the stretch. It seemed the old Juan Thornhill returned with greater confidence, presence, and improved physicality. This pre-season, he has verbalized what he expects of himself, including getting a Pro Bowl nod. What a great thing to see is the return of Thornhill to the realm of physicality in his play.

Bryan Cook- I was almost ecstatic when Brett Veach selected Cook in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft. Adding Cook to the safety group immediately brought a hard-nosed, hard-hitting player to the mix.

Like Chenal, Cook will probably be broken into the defense sets gradually. But his name is already being called on the grass in pre-season activities so far, including a bit of ball-hawking. Cook Played for Cincinnati, and his high positives tell the story about why he was selected in the draft:

• Smart player who plays with excellent overall awareness and vision. He shows anticipation and quick reaction to get a good jump on the balls thrown.
• Good athletic ability and speed to run in coverage. Has the top-end speed to run with most receivers, along with recovery speed to get back in phase.
• Physical player who throws his body around. Delivers a blow on contact and sticks ball carriers for limited extra yards.
• Very good in run support. Fills running lanes quickly and with good angles, while also showing patience to allow plays to develop.

If you look at the film of Cooks’s play, you can see he tackles with ferociousness and physicality, which appears to be part of the new roster-building schematic. I like Veach’s second-round draft pick a bunch.

The Linebackers

Following the 2021 season, it became abundantly clear that 2022’s Linebackers were going to be a powerful pairing with Nick Bolton and Willie Gay, Jr. The drafting of Bolton, the second year in a row Brett Veach had used high draft picks for the linebackers demonstrated the commitment which had been lacking in earlier drafts for the position group. Brett then added a third linebacker in the 3rd sequential season, multiplying the group by drafting Leo Chenal in round three. Though Chenal is a rookie and Spags will break him in slowly as a matter of course, it is my view that Chenal will quickly break loose the rookie mold and become part of a hard-hitting LB crew that will boast sideline-to-sideline speed with Willie Gay and provide the play reads Nick Bolton displayed in his rookie year. The mix of these three players will create “shock and awe” in 2022.

Nick Bolton- We sing all the praises of Nick Bolton coming aboard.

Bolton led the Chiefs in tackles and had 3 Pass defenses to his credit. He was indeed a bright spot for the Chiefs in 2021. You could not ask for a better regular season from a Rookie LB. He will replace Anthony Hitchens as the front-end signal caller(Green Dot). I expect to see an even greater year two from Bolton. There is no reason to doubt it.

Willie Gay, Jr- Willie Gay, Jr. came into his own in 2021. His speed and pursuit ability provide the LB corps with optimal capability from the weak side. His reads were good, as were his PDs. If there is a weakness, it is closing out tackles — his area of work to improve for 2022. Brendan Daly will handle it.

Willie Gay gives the LB corps the speed needed playing off the ball. Even if I think he has an area for improvement, the above photo shows good technique. He had half a sack and 2 PDs in 2021, plus an interception. I look for Gay to come into his own in 2022.

Leo Chenal- Drafting the hard-hitting Chenal is a boon to the linebacker group. We have yet to see him in action as a Chief, but all my review effort educates me that Leo is going to be a player who exudes confidence and effort and has physicality in tackling. Chenal will indeed be a player who brings “Shock and Awe” to the Chief’s defense.

In his own words, he told us in an early interview that what he brings to the team is “Violence.” We can only wait to see Leo in action. I am counting on his contribution to the defense in 2022.

If I were to examine the Superlatives? Here is what I found:

• Chenal is an explosive gap penetrator. He routinely appears in the backfield as if shot out of a cannon. There’s a combination of factors that allow this success.
• Chenal is an above-average athlete
• Plays with a hot motor
• Routinely fighting to the ball in all play situations
• He is an intelligent player whose play diagnosis gives him a competitive advantage.
• Physical, technically sound LB
• violent and aggressive hands with a significant punch
• Sheds blocks with relative ease even against bigger offensive linemen.
• As a pass rusher, Chenal’s showcased refined swim and swipe moves that allow him to pose a pass-rush threat
• Impactful at the point of attack with impressive combat technique.

Sure, he has a weakness – he is not fast, but he is quick and plays downhill to the ball. Why he wasn’t drafted earlier is “advantage, Chiefs. Everything else about him fits the new draft profile to a “T.” Leo Chenal will be an immediate impact player who plays with Football IQ, good technique, a full-speed-ahead motor, and is constantly attacking the point of impact.

That’s the first in the series wrap-up.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne