Here's what Steve Spagnuolo wants to see from Chiefs' defenders in preseason Week 1
Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo is a creature of habit.Every year, he has been consistent in emphasizing the same thing to his players ahead of preseason Week 1. Of course, that one thing is fundamental to the game of football and the only thing that the team really can't practice until they're actually playing […]
Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo is a creature of habit.
Every year, he has been consistent in emphasizing the same thing to his players ahead of preseason Week 1. Of course, that one thing is fundamental to the game of football and the only thing that the team really can't practice until they're actually playing in a game.
"I think I’ve probably said this every first preseason game, I’m particularly more interested in finding out where we are as a tackling group," Spagnuolo said. "Where we are at eliminating big plays. You got to do that stuff first before you think about being any good."
Even though training camp features padded practices and contact, you can't truly simulate the type of tackling you're going to be doing on a football field.
Chiefs TE Blake Bell actually explained it best during his press conference. When you're tackling teammates in practice, it's much different than when you're in a game because the target area is different. You're going to "thud" your teammate and tackle them up high, but in an actual game, players are going to go for the ankles, knees and generally have a lower target area.
When the Chiefs' defense holds their team meetings in New Orleans on Saturday evening, Spagnuolo will be placing a major emphasis on tackling. Especially with the young players who are still adjusting to the speed of the game.
“The first thing I will talk about on Saturday night is tackling,” Spagnuolo explained. “That’s the first thing we will talk about. I might spend the whole 30-minute meeting on it. I feel like if we don’t do that or come away thinking that we are a decent tackling team, I mean, we are going to be back here going back to ground zero. So that's the first thing. The mental part of it will be important, but there won’t be that much on them. I just want to see if (the young guys) will go play. Let’s see if they can do the things that we saw them do when they were playing in college.”
How the team performs when it comes to tackling in the preseason will largely determine their practice focus for the remainder of training camp and the preseason. If you tackle well, everything else typically comes along with it, whether it's turnovers, pass-rush, or situational play. If you don't tackle well, it's back to the basics and fundamentals for the entire defense.
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Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
