The Chicago Bears defense has been every bit as good to start 2019 as they were in 2018. Well, for the most part. While they’ve still had a dominant front seven spearheaded by Khalil Mack, their secondary has lost some of its playmaking ability. Eddie Jackson remains without an interception through five games. The same goes for Prince Amukamara. Yet the most maddening situation in the minds of many sits with Kyle Fuller.
The All-Pro cornerback is tied for the team lead with two interceptions to start the year. That’s the good news. However, one cannot be fooled by that stat alone. The truth is Fuller is off to a much worse start this season than he was last year. Quarterbacks are completing 79.5% of their passes when throwing in Fuller’s direction with a 90.4 passer rating. Both are significant spikes from 56.2% and a 63.7 rating in 2018.
So what gives? Why is he so much less effective in this regard? The answer according to many is his sudden shift in types of coverage he’s playing. People have noticed Fuller lining up in off-coverage a lot more often this season against opposing receivers. This means he’s giving 5-10 yards of cushion with the idea that he’s able to keep his eyes on the quarterback. However, there is a trade-off to this.
Giving receivers that extra cushion can often lead to easier completions, which in turn lead to easier down-and-distance situations which in turn lead to easier opportunities to extend drives via a first down. Why this sudden change? An explanation finally came from the Bears coaching staff.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Kyle Fuller is getting more freedom from Chuck Pagano
Against the Oakland Raiders, Fuller played off-coverage on six of his first seven snaps when directly lined up on an opposing receiver. It’s clear he is doing that far more often than he did last season. Apparently that isn’t by accident. According to defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend, Fuller has more freedom to play coverages he feels are best depending on the situation thanks to his excellent film study.
However, this seems to have had a side effect in that he’s begun to play coverages he’s more comfortable with. That being the off style. Something that former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had to persistently urge him to avoid too often.
Fuller always has excelled playing with his eyes on the quarterback. Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio encouraged him to press receivers at the line of scrimmage in recent seasons, including last year when Fuller was a first-team All-Pro with seven interceptions.
Under new coordinator Chuck Pagano, Fuller has exercised freedom to give receivers a cushion at times, even if the line to gain is within that cushion.
By the sound of things, Townsend is learning why Fangio did that.
It seems the coaches have learned they may have to start encouraging Fuller to get more aggressive in his coverage moving forward. One of the drawbacks of what he’s doing is it can lead to longer sustained drives by opponents who are able to take advantage. Already the Bears have seen their defense crumble late in games, giving up go-ahead touchdowns when they had opportunities to slam the door. This due in large part to exhaustion.
“He understands down and distance and those types of things, so there’s a lot that goes into it for him,” Townsend said. “But it’s always just coaching them on: ‘Hey, let’s go challenge them. Let’s get closer.’ For us, it’s always finding ways to get ourselves better, and that’s just one thing for him. Play your game. And when you’re up there in press, challenge him, and whatever happens, happens.”
Kyle Fuller may not like playing press coverage because he doesn’t feel comfortable doing so. That’s understandable. Nobody likes getting beat over the top, which can sometimes happen in such situations. However, the potential trade-off is huge. Quarterbacks have a much harder time getting easy completions, which can disrupt their rhythm and timing. It’s also clear that turnovers come a bit more rapidly to him when he plays aggressive.
Nobody is saying he should play press all the time, just more than he has. Opponents are taking advantage of his cautious approach and it’s hurting the defense.
