Ted Monachino made waves right away as Chicago Bears outside linebackers coach. He stated his belief that Leonard Floyd is the more naturally gifted pass rusher than Khalil Mack. It wasn’t an accident either. He meant it. Mack is, of course, the better rusher now, but Monachino firmly believes that Floyd has the higher ceiling. Getting there is the tough part.
Floyd has always flashed over the previous three seasons. He’d deliver some truly impressive sacks. Then he’d frustratingly vanish for an extended period. Health has been a big factor in that. Each year was marked by some sort of injury. Concussions in 2016. A torn up knee in 2017. Then a broken hand in 2018. Keeping his body right is a key aspect of this.
However, Monachino believes he also has the primary issues figured out. He knows where he must focus as Arthur Arkush of Pro Football Weekly revealed.
“Pass rush is about effort and violence, that’s what it’s about, and it’s all about how we finish at the top of the pocket,” Monachino explained. “Because guys don’t run around other players in this league. Players are too good. So we’ve got to get him really good at how’s he going to clear, and how’s he going to finish.”
Leonard Floyd has leaned too much on his talent
Basically what Monachino is saying is that Floyd went from being a big fish in a small pond to being a big fish in an ocean of big fish. The only way he’s going to establish himself over the other big fish is if he works harder than others at his craft. Too often he’s relied on his natural ability and shown a lack of craft at beating tackles with fundamentals.
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Watch this play against Minnesota. Even though it ends up in a safety, this is largely thanks to the pass coverage. Floyd was initially stood up and took too long to break free of the block. A better QB would’ve had the ball out before he ever got close.
The good news is. There were signs towards the end of last season that he’d begun to figure it out. He was beating tackles with much more regularity and putting heat on quarterbacks. Watch him against Jason Peters here. He does a good job of punching at the block and getting off quickly without losing speed. Then he closes on Nick Foles for the sack.
That is the Floyd who Monachino wants to put on the field every single Sunday. If he succeeds, then the Bears defense is going to be even more dangerous than they were last year. There’s no reason to think the coach can’t either. He’s gotten career-best seasons out of several pass rushers including the great Terrell Suggs, Pro Bowler Elvis Dumervil, and even journeyman Erik Walden.
The guy knows his stuff. If he can’t figure out the combination to the Floyd safe, nobody can.
