Leonard Floyd is finally ready for a breakout season
Playing alongside Khalil Mack didn’t magically reevaluate Leonard Floyd’s statistical art, as the Chicago Bears edge rusher compiled a career-low four sacks last year.
The principal issue for Floyd has been wellbeing. While he didn’t miss a game, he coped with a hand injury that hindered his production. When healthy, the prior first-round pick flashed the capability to take advantage of one third blockers. The goal heading into 2019 is for Floyd to eventually be a more consistent force off the border.
LATEST ANALYSIS
??? Team fits for best remaining FAs
??? Ranking deepest place groups
??? NFL triplets positions: Who’s No. 1?
??? NFC West primer: Camp questions ??? Rank: Can Redskins surprise?
New outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino considers Floyd”can be unique” because he works on greater counters to flip stresses into sacks.
“As he gets better at one or two things, his numbers will go up,” Monachino said, via the Chicago Tribune.” (What) may happen first are the effective rushes, right? He can affect the quarterback. The launch stage may be affected by him. He may move a man off the place. However, the more of the ones that come together, the more productive rushes he’s going to get. The more he’s going to get home and complete. Right now we are focused on just a couple of things with Leonard. And it is not because he can’t manage more. It’s because we would like to construct his toolbox in a manner that,’That is my go-to, also this is the counter off of it.'”
Floyd believes he’s making strides after two straight seasons with over five sacks. He generated just 35 pressures last year, per Guru Football Focus, standing 47th among edge defenders. Floyd believes those numbers can skyrocket now that he eventually has a full, healthy offseason to work on his strategy.
“Being violent and just heading out having a mindset of getting to the quarterback,” Floyd said. “I have to sharpen my own tools. It’s been very different because I have been able to train and perform each of the items with no constraints this spring.
“I believe I was playing my best football throughout the second half of last year after I really got over my hand injury. I felt like I had been playing much better and I’m looking forward to this season and just building from that.”
The game picture disagrees with Floyd, because he flashed down the stretch last year, including a postseason sack. Now the Bears want their former first-round choice to eventually break out and disrupt the QB for an entire year.
“If you put him in a phone booth against a big offensive tackle, yes, strength and power is a problem,” Monachino said. “However, his length and his explosiveness in a brief space, they negate all of that other disadvantage. As a power rusher near the top 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 about effort and violence. That’s what it is about. It is all about how we end at the top of the pocket. Because men do not run around other players in this league. Players are too great. So we’ve got to get him really good at how exactly 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’ll happily pay that price if the edge rusher breaks out in 2019.
Read more here: http://afrtncorporation.com/?p=8546