Take a trip in your way-back machine. We’re going all the way to the mid-2000’s. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is the greatest quarterback going. He’s already won three Super Bowls — and he’s on the verge of winning another.
One problem. He’s run into a New York Giants team loaded with pass rushers coming at him from every angle. Pressure up the middle, in particular, gives him fits. The old mantra is the quickest way is through, and the Giants defense takes that to heart.
The coordinator for
that defense? None other than current Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.
His Giants defensive lines in the mid-2000s came at opposing offenses in waves. Players shifted up and down the line. It made life miserable for even the best quarterback of the era.
The Chiefs are hoping to steal a page out of that playbook. What’s old is new again.
Getting pressure from the interior isn’t some new or modern idea. It’s a tale as old as time. I’ll never forget those Jacksonville Jaguars teams with Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. What the hell were you supposed to do against that duo clogging the middle of the field?
That was more than 20 years ago!
The league is trending toward getting bigger bodies on the field once again. The running game is making a comeback, which means teams must now be capable of stopping the run in order to have the privilege of rushing the passer. Doing both requires wildly talented players along the interior of the defensive line.
Chris Jones certainly fits that billing, and the Chiefs have been riding that train for years. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew for much of his professional career, but he can no longer do it alone. He now clearly needs a running mate (or two), and the Chiefs are hopeful their offseason additions are exactly what the doctor ordered.
At the start of free agency, the Chiefs signed former Patriots nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to a 3-year, $21 million deal. Weeks later, they drafted Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the 29th overall selection. That’s some serious investment in the position to go alongside Jones. The early returns at OTAs appear to be positive.
“I’ve been really, really impressed with Pete,” Spagnuolo said Wednesday. “Not only what he does on the field, but the way he carries himself… He’s focused [in meetings]. And that’s a good thing, especially for a lineman. It seems like he’s got football ‘get-it.’ I thought he made a couple good plays today. So, we’re hopeful for him.”
“[Woods is] big, he’s explosive, he’s athletic,” defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. “He played multiple positions at Clemson. He has a high motor. He’s 310 pounds and he has quickness, explosiveness and he’s athletic. He can bend for a big guy.”
Cullen is high on what the veteran Tonga and rookie Woods can combine to add to the room.
“You look at Tonga, what he did in New England and what he’s done in his career, and then Peter Woods — those are big guys who can do more than stop the run,” he added. “They’re explosive off the snap. They’ve got power and they’ve got great motors.”
The need for multiple interior rushers has become clearer in recent years, especially as the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks emerged teams to beat in the NFC. The four teams represented on this past season’s Championship Sunday were representative of this shift in philosophy.
The Seahawks’ interior rushers — Byron Murphy II (38 hurries) and Leonard Williams (36 hurries) each ranked among the top 12 in the NFL in quarterback hurries last regular season, according to Pro Football Focus. The duo also produced a total of 17 sacks.
Seattle’s NFC Championship Game opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, had three defensive tackles — Kobie Turner, Braden Fisk and Poona Ford —rank among the top 27 interior rushers in hurries per PFF. The trio combined for 12 total sacks.
The AFC Champion Patriots had an interior duo of Christian Barmore (39 hurries) and Milton Williams (27 hurries). Barmore and Williams each ranked among the top 22 interior rushers in quarterback hurries last regular season, per PFF. They combined for 5.5 sacks.
And, finally, the Denver Broncos’ interior rushers of Zach Allen (27 hurries) and John Franklin-Myers (23) each ranked among the top 30 interior rushers in quarterback hurries, per PFF. The duo finished with 18 total sacks.
That’s a lot of words and numbers to say something simple: The best teams in the league are getting consistent pressure from multiple players in the interior of their defensive line. It can’t just be one player. It has to be defenders attacking from multiple gaps. Even in what most would consider a down year, Chris Jones produced 37 quarterback hurries and seven sacks, per PFF. Those are more than respectable numbers, but Kansas City’s next best interior defensive lineman on the Chiefs was Jerry Tillery — who added just 10 hurries and 1.5 sacks.
The Chiefs knew they had to upgrade. It was time for an infusion of talent. We’ll see if Woods and Tonga prove to be the right players to bring in, but the offseason process is sound.
