“Just knowing, OK, I could play a little bit more aggressive on the back end just because I know the pressure’s going to get there.”īut as Townsend reminds his DBs, they can’t be too reliant. “There was a play during the year where I got beat on a double-move and by the time I could react, it was already a sack,” he said. In addition to creating plays on the ball, the nine-year veteran saw first-hand how his teammates could bail him out. (Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is on a one-year, prove it deal with the Bears after he was traded from the Packers to the Redskins last season. “We know that the quarterback knows that we have dogs up in our front and they have a clock that’s probably a little faster than normal when they play us, so just knowing that they’re not going to hold on to the ball for that long because we know that our guys are going to get there if they do.” “Just knowing that we don’t have to call a pressure or blitz for the ball to come out,” Prince Amukamara said of how the defensive front impacts a DB’s mindset. It’s Defense 101, allowing the secondary and front to work together to create more plays.

When that internal quarterback clock is cut down thanks to someone like Mack, receivers and tight ends have less time to get open. Just being able to play behind those guys and be able to play fast and not have to think twice about the quarterback holding the ball longer than he’s supposed to makes my job a lot easier.” We have two elite pass rushers and guys that are close enough to being the top pass rushers in the league. “These guys that we have in the front seven, they’re very special. “It takes my game to another level, man,” Clinton-Dix said. Clinton-Dix came to Chicago on a one-year, prove-it deal because of the talent around him. The 2018 Bears had the best defensive DVOA in the league since 2012. Using that same sacks-per-pass-attempt number, his 2014 Packers were pretty good getting after the quarterback - a rate of 7.3 percent, 12th-best in the NFL.Īs far as DVOA goes, Clinton-Dix has never played on a defense ranked better than the 2015 Packers, who were ninth in the NFL. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix said this is the best group of players he’s been around on defense since his rookie season. In Skrine’s eight seasons, only once has his defense been in the top 10 by Football Outsiders DVOA metric (2015 Jets: fifth). A stout run defense puts the offense in more 3rd-and-long situations. It’s not just a pass rush that helps the secondary. Teams that generally play well are ones that don’t give up big plays and that’s always the focus in the secondary.” “Our thing is always to play your technique, make them earn it, no deep balls. “You better do your job first,” Townsend said. Yes, quarterbacks will have to get rid of the ball quicker, but it won’t matter if you’re not in the right spot. That “do your job” mantra is something defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend preaches to his players.

Doing your job, at the end of the day, I’m doing my job and I know everyone else behind me is doing their job.” “Two of the best safeties in the NFL, best D-line in the NFL, linebackers are great. “ Definitely confidence in the front and behind,” Skrine said. In Skrine’s seven seasons as a full-time corner - 2012-14 with the Browns and 2015-18 with the Jets - he never played with a defense that had a mark better than the 2013 Browns, who sacked quarterbacks 6.6 percent of the time, good for 18th in the NFL that season. The Bears sacked opposing QBs 8.1 percent of the time in 2018, which ranked ninth in the NFL. There are a bunch of ways to statistically judge a pass rush, but for the sake of Skrine, let’s use sack percentage - the rate at which a defense brings down the quarterback relative to pass attempts. It’s the kind of thing that can add to an already productive career - one longer than many probably expected for a fifth-rounder out of Chattanooga. Not only has Skrine never been on a playoff team, he’s never been on a defense like this. He knows this is a rare group of pass rushers, from the D-linemen to the edge players, and that will mean more opportunities for someone like Skrine to take the ball away or even knock down a pass. The Bears’ new slot corner has gotten acclimated to his role in Chuck Pagano’s defense, and what it’s like having guys like Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks in front of him.

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