Leonard Floyd is finally ready for a breakout season
Playing with Khalil Mack didn’t magically jumpstart Leonard Floyd’s statistical prowess, since the Chicago Bears edge rusher compiled a career-low four sacks last season.
The issue for Floyd has been health. While he did not miss a match, he dealt with a hand injury that silenced his creation. When healthy, the former first-round pick flashed the ability to take advantage of one third blockers. The goal heading into 2019 would be for Floyd to eventually be a more consistent force off the edge.
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New outdoor linebackers coach Ted Monachino considers Floyd”could be unique” because he works on greater counters to turn stresses into sacks.
“As he gets better at a Couple of items, his numbers will go up,” Monachino said, via the Chicago Tribune.” (What) could happen very first are the powerful rushes, right? The quarterback may impact. He may affect the launching stage. A man might move . But the more of those that come together, the more productive rushes he’s going to have. The more he is going to get home and finish. Right now we are focused on just a few things with Leonard. And it is not because he can’t handle more. It’s because we would like to build his arsenal in a way that,’This is my go-to, also this is the counter off of it'”
Floyd believes he is making strides after two straight seasons with over five sacks. He created only 35 pressures last year, per Pro Football Focus, standing 47th among edge defenders. Floyd believes those amounts can skyrocket now that he eventually has a full, healthy offseason to work on his strategy.
“Being violent and only going out having a mindset of getting to the quarterback,” Floyd said. “I have to sharpen my own tools. It has been quite different because I have been able to train and perform all the items with no constraints this spring.
“I believe I was playing my very best football throughout the second half of the year after I got over my hands injury. I felt like I was playing much better and I am looking forward to this season and only building off of this.”
The game picture agrees with Floyd, as he flashed down the stretch last year, including a postseason sack. Now the Bears want their former first-round choice to finally break out and disrupt the QB for an whole year.
“If you put him in a telephone booth against a significant offensive speech, yes, strength and power is a problem,” Monachino said. “However, his his explosiveness in a brief space, they negate all that other disadvantage. As a power rusher at the peak of the pocket, so I don’t think he is going to get any issue. There are a few things I believe in training pass rushers. Pass rush is all about effort and violence. That is what it is about. It’s all about how we end on top of the pocket. Because men do not run across other players in this league. Players are too great. So we’ve got to get him very good at how is he going to clear? And how is he going to finish?”
If Floyd becomes a force contrary Mack, the Bears are a menace to QBs. This offseason, Chicago picked up Floyd’s fifth-year option for 2020, values $13.22 million. They will happily pay that cost if the edge rusher breaks out in 2019.
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