Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 11:41:04 GMT -6
Bears could be forced to find pass-rush with creative blitzes
ByMatt Eurich 23 hours ago
In the NFL the nature of the game on offense is moving the football through the air, while the defense is focused on getting after the quarterback. The Chicago Bears believe they have their quarterback in place, yet their plan on defense for this upcoming season appears a bit more muddled than it was a year ago. Chicago brought back defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this season after his unit finished 10th in overall defense a year ago. Fangio is a great start when trying to become one of the league's most feared defenses, but a lot of questions still remain in terms of how the Bears will be able to get after the quarterback this season.
One of general manager Ryan Pace's first orders of business this offseason was to move on from veteran pass-rushers Pernell McPhee and Willie Young. McPhee signed with the team in 2015 and put up 14 sacks in three years, including four sacks last season. Young, who was signed by previous GM Phil Emery, racked up 26 sacks in four years but just two a season ago. On the surface it was understandable why the team moved on from both players this offseason. McPhee never lived up this billing and Young will turn 33 in September. Moving on from the pair was fine, but Pace's approach to replacing them has left many scratching their heads.
Once free agency opened, Pace went after Aaron Lynch to help fill the void. A draft pick of the 49ers, in his first season in San Francisco under Fangio, Lynch appeared in all 16 games with three starts. He was used primarily as a rotational/pass-rushing outside linebacker. He finished the season with 23 tackles, six sacks and four pass deflections. Fangio moved on to the Bears in 2015, but Lynch put together another solid season with a bigger workload that season. In 14 games with 13 starts he recorded 38 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three pass deflections.
In a change of philosophy in 2016 defensively under head coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, Lynch saw a dip in production. He only appeared in seven games, missing four due to a suspension from the league, and ended the year with just 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 2017 the 49ers made the move to a 4-3 scheme, forcing Lynch to play with his hand in the ground as a defensive end. He added weight to his frame but only recording nine tackles and one sack in seven games. There is hope he can revitalize his career, but there are no guarantees.
Additionally, Chicago also added Kylie Fitts in the sixth round of this year's draft to help fill the void at the position. After beginning his career at UCLA he made the move to Utah. After sitting out a year due to NCAA rules, he played all 13 games in 2015 before getting sideswiped by injuries the last two seasons. He saw action in just two games in 2016 before he was forced to miss the rest of the season. Last year he only saw action in eight games while battling a variety of different injuries.
As it stands, Fangio will have to make due with Leonard Floyd, Sam Acho, Lynch, Fitts and Isaiah Irving at the outside linebacker. Even though that unit does not inspire a lot of confidence on paper, Fangio was still able to apply pressure to the quarterback with a banged up defense in 2017. The Bears finished last season seventh in sacks with 42, despite being without McPhee, Young and Floyd at times last year.
Defensive end Akiem Hicks led the way with 8.5 sacks last season and is expected to once again apply pressure to the quarterback. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman has also shown flashes of his ability to collapse the pocket and should once again be a threat to apply pressure up the middle. But one area Fangio can get creative with is in terms of blitzing.
Projected inside linebacker starters Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith both have the ability to get after the quarterback. Trevathan notched two sacks last season, while Smith racked up six sacks last season at Georgia. Fellow inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski has also shown an ability to get after the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, in 230 snaps against the pass last season, Kwiatkoski was asked to rush the quarterback 31 times. During that stretch he racked up two sacks, two quarterback hits, four quarterback hurries and amassed eight total pressures. His pass-rush productivity was the highest on the team among inside linebacker for those with 200 or more snaps against the pass. In his rookie season he saw action in 237 passing snaps and rushed the quarterback 41 times, resulting in a total of nine pressures, the most on the team from the inside linebacker position.
Fangio has also not been afraid to send pressure with his secondary. According to PFF, Fangio sent cornerbacks Cre'Von LeBlanc, Sherrick McManis and Bryce Callahan as pass-rushers in 33 snaps. That turned into two sacks and five quarterback hurries. Fangio also sent safeties Eddie Jackson, Adrian Amos and DeAndre Houston-Carson as blitzers in nine snaps, per PFF. In Fangio's final season in San Francisco he sent cornerbacks after the quarterback 33 times and racked up a total of three quarterback hits and nine quarterback hurries.
The numbers prove it is not an exact science for Fangio, but it is a method he has at least explored in the past when needing to get more creative up front when trying to apply pressure to the quarterback. In an ideal world, Floyd will take the next step in his development and the others behind him on the depth chart will fall in line. But if that does not happen, do not be surprise to see Fangio increase the amount of blitzes he sends this year both from the inside linebacker position and off the edge with his defensive backs.
