12-25-2018, 04:42 AM
Going into the 2014 NFL Draft Cheap Justin Houston Jersey , Dee Ford was quoted as saying “I think I am the best pass rusher in the draft, point blank.” which caught quite a bit of ire in the draft community as a one-year wonder. It was a bold claim for a prospect not widely considered a first-round draft pick. Ford went on to be drafted 23rd overall by John Dorsey and the Kansas City Chiefs with the expectation that he was going to be Tamba Hali’s eventual replacement. Ford had plenty of struggles early on from not being able to identify runs, a poor base on his pass-rush snaps and subpar play strength which all led to limited playing time early on in his career.Going into his second season, Ford was still a backup but showed some improvement to his pass-rush technique. He was still not playing with good strength, base or a variety of pass rush techniques but his bread and butter explosion off the line of scrimmage was starting to connect at the NFL level. The following season, Ford got the start due to injuries and had a big first half of the year. He had started adding counter moves, varying his speed rushes, and figuring out how to set offensive tackles up.Last year, the 2017 season, Ford was in and out of the early lineup dealing with injuries (like he had most of his career) which derailed any chance to build upon the previous season. 2018 hit, and we got a brand new version of Ford, or the version that Ford always thought he was.This year Ford has been on another level compared to any Chiefs pass rusher since Justin Houston’s 2014 season. That all came to a head against the Denver Broncos, as seen by this week’s highest defensive grade according to Pro Football Focus. This isn’t a single-game revelation either, as PFF also has Dee Ford has their second-highest graded EDGE player for the season, being graded as “elite.” He has figured out how to re-work his feet to set up his pass rush, how to convert his speed into power, added a variety of counters to his initial speed rush and become way better against the runFord will be the first to lob credit to new outside linebackers coach Mike Smith and Smith often returns the praise. Smith should be the leading candidate as to why Dee Ford is finally breaking all the way out, well besides his own health, as Dee Ford is a completely different player.Let’s head down into the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory and spend some time learning The Art of The Pass Rush, starring Dee Ford. Dee FordBread and butter (Speed Rush)The one thing that’s never been questioned about Ford his is explosion and acceleration off the line of scrimmage and his ability to speed rush a corner. Well, this year he’s somehow even better at it. Whether that be a slightly better get off by reading the OT, better hand usage at the corner or his footwork coming around the edge allowing him to keep a stronger base. On this play, Ford wins the rep with his first step just being so fast but it’s his third and fourth steps that slide his hips away from the OT while he reduces his surface area by dipping his shoulder inside. This angle he’s moving at around the corner makes it nearly impossible to recover for the RT without holding, who can’t even get in position to do that. Finding his changeup (inside counter)Something that hampered Dee Ford as a younger player was a lack of secondary pass rush moves, and while many chalked it up to not having any http://www.chiefscheapshoponline.com/che...ens-jersey , that may have not been the case. Ford flashed plenty of counters while at Auburn. In the NFL, you have to set up and execute them well and he struggled with that. His play strength and base (footwork) were just not at the level they needed to be allowing him to be shoved around, but now things are different. Ford uses the same upfield three-step get-off, but then skip steps back inside while swiping at the arms of the RT. He uses his inside arm to get under the RT and leans into him to help turn a tighter corner and not get washed. Unfortunately, Case Keenum looks his way at the exact last moment to avoid the sack, evades the rush and completes a long pass. Twice in this game, Ford won on an inside counter that the quarterback was able to just slip away at the last second. Ford also brought back out the inside spin, usually once or twice a game, that beat the RT but the Broncos right guard did a good job passing the defensive end to the center and saving Keenum from a big sack. Taking it to the next level (bend)Again, the footwork should probably get the majority of credit here but Ford has taken himself from a linear athlete to a true athlete at the EDGE position. He’s still super explosive in a straight line but with some handwork (we’re getting there), Ford softens the edge and begins to turn it. Unlike his second and third years in the league, Ford doesn’t get washed out of this play but instead, Ford leans into the OT, keeps his feet moving upfield while flipping his hips and dips lower than the OT can go. This is made possible by the improved hand usage by Ford who uses the cross chop to soften the OT’s arm before using it as a pivot point to turn the corner. Technical details (hand usage)The speed, footwork and bend are all prevalent, but this play highlights some of the nuance that was missing early in Ford’s career. Coming in from a wide 9 alignment, Ford attacks the edge, then uses a stab to set up the rest of the rush. He leans in and stabs with one hand to maximize his length but the best part is the outside hand up high and ready to control the outside wrist of the LT if he reaches for the outside shoulder of Ford. After winning the corner, Ford transitions to a rip with the inside arm but the LT got his arm up high around Ford’s neck to slow him down while Ford is turning the corner. The savviest part of this play came next. Ford is leaning into the block, feels the OT’s weight with that arm around his own neck, so Ford violently drops his inside arm and dips his shoulder. This breaks the contact the OT has on Ford and it’s just up to him to maintain his balance long enough to get to the QB, which he does. It’s not all finesse (speed to power)Ford isn’t a power rusher and while he is improving in that department, he likely never will be. That doesn’t mean if an OT gets on their heels racing to the back of the pocket he can’t transition his speed into a solid bull rush. Ford gets his hands inside of the LT’s hands, gains all the leverage and extends to create space. Ford doesn’t quit there, though—he keeps working across the face using that initial leverage to rip under with his inside arm and eventually forces the OT off balance and to fall while he makes yet another hit on the QB. OTs are often caught off guard by Ford’s bull rush if he sells his rush up the arc Eric Fisher Jersey , and he is generating enough power to create space he can then take advantage of with his speed.Improving the deficiencies (run defense) This is a pass-rush review, but I must mention Ford’s run defense, something that was obviously a major weakness of his game. Mike Smith (the OLBs coach) has recently said that Ford’s recognition of everything (OL sets, weight shifts, motions, alignments, etc) has improved a ton and that seems very evident watching him against the run. Ford no longer is trying to sit back and read if it’s a run but rather still attacking and reading on the fly. Could be a slight redistribution of rules for the OLB or just simply his improvement but the takeaway here is that Ford is no longer a weak link against the run. Teams can’t run at him and block him with a tight end, allowing the OT to move to the second level. Even when using an OT on Dee Ford, he can hold his gap—not get blown off the ball, and “do his job.” Ford is not a great run defender, unless in chase, but he’s no longer a liability, which goes a long way with his pass-rush skills.Improvements on the horizon (reading pass sets)This isn’t a consistent issue but is something that pops up from time to time. Ford has the ability and skill to adjust his pass rush mid-rep when he correctly identifies what he needs to do, but he also can get stuck in the mindset of running around the arc that he misses obvious counters. The RT takes a deep vertical set and essentially sells out to stop the speed rush. The RT is matching if not dropping faster than the QB, and Ford still tries to force the edge. At his third step, Ford has to identify the OT’s hips starting to open to push him wide and transition to an inside counter through the open space. With the five-man rush, Ford may have an assignment to take the outer most rush gap but even then, he should just work on condensing the pocket rather than running around the edge.The bottom lineAfter four full years in the NFL, it looks like it’s all starting to come together for Dee Ford. Some have credited the contract year; others are crediting his health. The third option that has to get consideration is just how good a true pass-rushing coach has been for him.Ford isn’t just winning based off insane athleticism but rather through attention to detail, technical work and overall improvement to every aspect of his game.The best part for the Kansas City Chiefs, or at least Ford, is that this 100 percent looks sustainable barring his health, and he could get even better as he continues to read offensive linemen at a faster rate. Fresh off a big victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs stay home for another week and take on a familiar adversary: the Denver Broncos.Here are five things to watch during the game:1. Dueling blowoutsMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsBoth of these teams are coming off blowout victories in the previous week — and as it happens, the final score of both games was 45-10.That seemed like an odd coincidence to me Cheap Mitch Morse Jersey , so naturally, I wondered what kind of history there is for this kind of situation.The RundownSubscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.It turns out that since the 1970 merger, there have been only four games in which both teams won their previous game by 35 or more points — the most recent in 1986.In 1972, the Dolphins beat the Jets 28-24 in Week 10.(That Miami team, of course, is the one that went undefeated through the Super Bowl that season).In 1973, the Falcons defeated the 49ers 17-3 in Week 7.In Week 9 of 1977, the Raiders beat the Oilers 34-29, and in 1986’s Week 5, the Bears blanked the Vikings 23-0.So in a very limited sample size, half of the games saw the teams put up a fair number of points in a one-score game, and in the rest of the games, one of them walloped the other. (I didn’t really expect to learn anything from this.It was just fun to look up.I love my job!).In this game, both defenses have just given up fewer points than any other game this season.And both offenses have just put up their biggest scores of the season.(It’s the Internet, so I know some wag is going to point out that the Chiefs offense only scored 38.OK, fine.The Broncos offense only scored 31.Feel better?).You could reasonably expect both units on both teams to come out swinging.And it’s a division game.The Chiefs are 6-5 against the Broncos since Andy Reid’s arrival.Reid lost five times in a row, and has now won six straight — but only three have been relatively easy victories.In each of the last two — both with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback — the Chiefs have had to come from behind to win.So don’t look for a blowout in this game.Look for it to be an incredibly physical battle that will be played to the final whistle.2. Don’t overlook the Broncos defenseMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsAs a division rival, it’s easy for Chiefs fans to discount the Broncos.But it would be a mistake to discount the Broncos defense.The unit is, after all, the only one to hold the Chiefs to less than 30 points this season — albeit on their home field.They no longer have some of the players that made them one of the NFL’s top defenses, but there are still some very talented players on the Broncos defensive roster.This week, Broncos safety Justin Simmons told Denver’s KDSP that Denver knows what it needs to do.“If we want to win this game, it’s going to come down to us defensively, and we didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter,” Simmons said of the first game against the Chiefs. “This time it’s the same recipe.It’s going to come down to us — not only holding them to less points but creating more turnovers Womens Eric Murray Jersey , creating more opportunities for the offense to have more time of possession and more chances to move the ball down the field. If we’re going to win in KC that’s what it’s going to take.”Simmons told KDSP that he might be playing in the slot more against the Chiefs — something that Broncos head coach Vance Joseph seemed to be hinting in remarks about Simmons on Monday.“He’s a good football player, he’s very smart,” Joseph said. “He allows us to play some base versus three-wide because he can cover the slot for the most part.He’s guy that’s valuable to us — as a leader, as a guy that can cover slots and as a blitzer that plays the ball from the high zone.”3. Organic pressureIsaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY SportsLast week, I pointed out that the Chiefs were going to have to pressure Andy Dalton without blitzing him — because Dalton isn’t good under pressure, but is good at making defenses pay for blitzing.Apparently, Bob Sutton knew that, too. As Craig Stout pointed out in his analysis of the Chiefs defense against the Bengals, Sutton blitzed Dalton exactly once — but still got a pair of sacks, a quarterback hit and 11 pressures on 33 passing attempts. Dalton slinked away from Arrowhead with a passer rating of 63.6 on the day, and the Chiefs held a good offense to just 10 points.Case Keenum isn’t quite in the same league as Dalton, but pressure will disrupt him, and like any experienced NFL quarterback, he capable of making a blitz backfire. Sutton would be wise to adopt a similar approach this week.4. Embracing the chaosRon Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsSince their backup quarterback Chad Kelly was arrested for criminal trespass in the early hours of Tuesday morning after attending teammate Von Miller’s annual Halloween party — and was subsequently cut by the team — it would be pretty easy to conclude that the Broncos are self-destructing from lack of leadership.And it’s possible that’s exactly what’s happening.But from long experience observing these kinds of incidents on NFL teams, I think it would be a mistake to assume that’s what’s going on.It’s not at all unknown for something like this to galvanize a team.It’s easy to imagine that Von Miller — embarrassed because this happened in connection with his party — to be doubly motivated to have a big game.It’s possible that Keenum — suddenly without a quarterback controversy swirling around him — could react in a similar way.In short, it’s impossible to predict what effect this incident will have on the Broncos. But it will be more than interesting to see how it plays out.5. More Mahomes recordsMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsPatrick Mahomes has thrown 22 touchdown passes in the first seven games this season — a feat that only Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have accomplished.If he gets three more against the Broncos — can you believe we’re calmly discussing the possibility that a Chiefs quarterback could throw three touchdown passes in an upcoming game as if it’s something that happens all the time? — he’ll have 25 in eight games.Both Brady and Manning have done that, too — but it would exceed the number thrown in eight games by Andrew Luck, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers and Dan Marino.That’s some pretty hefty company.It’s also worth noting that if Mahomes makes it to 25 touchdown passes on Sunday, he’ll be the youngest player to throw that many through eight games of a season.Manning has done it twice — at 28 and 37 — and Brady didn’t do it until he was 30.Those three touchdown passes would also keep him ahead of Kurt Warner’s record for touchdown passes through nine career games — and in all probability, also push him above Warner’s passer rating of 116.1 through those games.