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It’s no secret Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera wants to see more production from second-year defensive end Chase Young. In the first eight games of the season, the reigning N.F.L. defensive rookie of the year has just 1.5 sacks.
Now, with fellow defensive end Montez Sweat out for at least a month, Washington is counting on Young to increase his production. Rivera spoke with the media on Monday and said he recently talked with Young about putting less pressure on himself.
“There’s a lot of pressure on him now with Montez out, and I wanted to just talk to him about it and make sure he understands that he doesn’t have to do something extraordinary,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
“I don’t want him to come in and think that every play has got to be great. Every play has just got to be the play that he’s supposed to be. And he has that skill set and the ability to do it. The biggest thing, as I said, is you want to see him continue to play a little more disciplined and not worry about trying to make so many plays. Let the plays come to him and just continue to work at it, and he’ll be fine.”
Washington needs more from Young, now more than ever. The team is 2-6, and if it expects to turn the season around, Young will need to play better. It’s not as if Young isn’t capable. Rivera made an excellent point about Young feeling he doesn’t have to do something extraordinary. Just beat the man in front of you, and the sacks will come.
Last January, Young wanted Tom Brady. That didn’t work out too well for Young. Now, he gets another crack at the G.O.A.T. on Sunday.