When Dee Ford was asked what excited him most about the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense
http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/allen-hurns-jersey , the fifth-year linebacker could have talked about finally being healthy or an influx of new young players.
Instead, the first thing that came to mind was the revamped coaching staff.
Ford hardly meant that as a slight to Garry Gibbs, the longtime linebackers coach who was let go after the Kansas City defense folded like a lawn chair in the playoffs. Rather it spoke volumes about the benefits that came with coach Andy Reid separating one position into two: Mike Smith was promoted to outside linebackers coach and Mark DeLeone was promoted to inside linebackers coach.
”I’m very happy for a lot of young coaches that have an opportunity now,” said Ford, who enters the final year of his rookie deal trying to recapture what once made him a first-round draft pick.
”We brought in some great guys,” he said, ”and some new faces in new positions.”
The decision to restructure defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s staff was in response to the way linebackers are used in the modern NFL. There is very little in common between outside linebackers and inside linebackers these days, and the increased use of hybrid linebackers – essentially safeties that have moved into the box – adds another layer of complexity to the defense.
The way they rush the quarterback is different. Same with the way they drop into coverage or stop the run. And one of the inside linebackers carries the headset connecting him to the coaches; that means he’s responsible for calling the play and getting everybody in position.
”That’s a big position to just have one person doing, so we did split it up and it seems to be working fine,” Reid said. ”They’ve been able to get more individual work, more film study, specific to their positions
Anthony Castonzo Jersey , and they’re completely different positions.”
Especially in the 3-4 defensive scheme.
”When you have both of (the linebackers) in the same room and you’re talking about inside, what are the outside guys doing?” Smith asked. ”Now you’re talking about pass rushes, so in a 3-4 you have to separate them. … You just get to focus on those guys and you really get to dive in deep.”
It’s especially helpful this season, when the Chiefs are trying to rebuild a linebacker corps without Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali for the first time in years. Newcomers such as Anthony Hitchens and rookies Breeland Speaks and Dorian O’Daniel get more one-on-one time with the coaching staff, allowing them to get up to speed much more quickly.
The Redskins and 49ers have similar setups on their coaching staffs, and new Titans coach Mike Vrabel brought in Tyrone McKenzie to coach inside linebackers and Shane Bowen to work with the outside linebackers when he was hired this past offseason.
Joey Porter handles the outside for the Steelers and Jerry Olsavsky handles the inside.
”It’s great because we have somebody who keys in on the things we’re going to do at practice that day,” Redskins linebacker Preston Smith said. ”We’ve got a lot of emphasis on a lot of technique we need to work on throughout the day, and on the plays we’re going to run and the footwork and the things it takes as an outside linebacker. It’s kind of hard for an inside linebacker coach.”
Packers associate head coach Winston Moss handles outside linebackers and Patrick Graham doubles as inside coach and run game defensive coordinator. A few other teams have a quality control coach lending a hand. But the majority of teams still rely on a single linebackers coach.
”It’s great just to have an outside linebackers coach,” said Justin Houston, now the elder statesman of the Chiefs’ corps. ”There’s so much we get to do now just focusing on ourselves and the little things we need to work on. I think last year, we had a lot going on. You have to coach a lot of guys, inside and out. It’s hard to do that in the little bit of time you have. Now you have a separate coach
http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/blake-martinez-jersey , we can just focus on one thing: that’s us.”
Notes: DT Derrick Nnadi left on a cart late in Wednesday’s practice with an elbow injury. WR Marcus Kemp hurt his ankle. … ILB Reggie Ragland (knee) and RB Charcandrick West (concussion) were not on the practice field. … ILB Otha Peters practiced for the first time since signing a contract Tuesday. He was wearing No. 52.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this story.
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Amari Cooper's upward career trajectory took a major detour last season when a combination of drops, injuries and overall poor play plagued him all season.
After topping 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons in the NFL for Oakland, Cooper didn't even reach 700 yards last season in a fall that was emblematic of the Raiders descent from 12 wins in 2016 to just six a year ago.
That all contributed to the move to bring Jon Gruden back for a second stint as coach and Gruden made it clear earlier in the offseason that fixing Cooper would be a priority and that he expected him to be a focal point of the offense.
"It was cool. Obviously as a receiver, you want to go out there and make plays for your team and win," Cooper said Tuesday. "So for him to say that, it really meant a lot to me. I'm just ready to come out here and work and prove that I deserve to have those opportunities."
Cooper was on a star track after being drafted fourth overall by the Raiders in 2015. He had 72 catches for 1,070 yards as a rookie and then 83 receptions for 1,153 yards in year two, becoming the third player to start his career with back-to-back seasons with at least 70 catches and 1
Leonard Floyd Jersey ,000 yards receiving after Odell Beckham Jr. and Marques Colston.
But he took a major step backward last season when he had just 48 catches for 680 yards with nearly one-third of that production (210 yards) coming in a Thursday night win over Kansas City. Cooper had more than 70 yards receiving just one other time all season, when he gained 87 of his 115 yards on a single catch in the season finale.
Cooper caught just 50 percent of his 96 targets last season for the third-worst mark in the NFL last season, according to SportRadar.
"I wouldn't say it was great," Cooper said. "Definitely some things I need to work on coming into this year and some things that I have been working on so that I can be better on for this season."
Holding onto the ball will be a big key. He dropped three passes in the opener and five in the first four weeks, according to SportRadar, to get his season off on the wrong track. He reduced those as the season went on, but was unable to perform consistently as the Raiders offense struggled as a whole with Derek Carr at quarterback.
But drops have been a recurring problem for Cooper in his career with his 30 dropped passes since entering the league in 2015 ranking worst in the NFL. The Raiders have 135 as a team in that span, also ranking last in the league and a priority for Gruden to fix.
"Sometimes the quarterback throws the ball in there early. Maybe he didn't take the proper drop. Sometimes the receiver might lack concentration. There's a lot of reasons. You have to catch the football," Gruden said.
"We have to catch the ball better. We have to improve. Our receivers have to rise up, play better than they've ever played. We've made changes there in this core and they have to obviously take the torch and run with it."
Cooper is part of an offense that should maximize his talent this year. In 11 years as a coach, Gruden had a 1,000-yard receiver every season
http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/jordan-poyer-jersey , including two in 2001. The Raiders also bolstered their receiving group by signing Jordy Nelson to replace the departed Michael Crabtree and adding a deep threat in Martavis Bryant, whose game-breaking speed should create more opportunities underneath.
Having two talented receivers by his side also should allow Cooper more opportunities to play from the slot, where his deft footwork and route running should make him a difficult matchup.
"We have a whole lot of plays even right now this early," Cooper said. "We have something for everything. Every defensive look, we can audible to something to get in the right play for any defense."
NOTES: The Raiders traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the New York Jets for quarterback Christian Hackenberg, a second-round pick in 2016 who has never taken a snap in the NFL. ... Edge rusher Khalil Mack remains out of the voluntary offseason program while seeking a long-term contract. ... S Obi Melifonwu, a second-round pick in 2017, remains sidelined by a hip injury and Gruden said he's not close to returning. "I haven't seen much of Obi except in the training room," Gruden said.
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