Tag: Blocking

Why tight end Noah Fant will fit well in Seahawks ‘balanced offense’

Tight end Noah Fant sees the Seattle Seahawks offense as similar to what was run in Denver and thinks he’ll fit right into the scheme.

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant plans to “take the leap” this year entering into his fourth professional season in the NFL and thinks Seattle is just the place to do it.

“I’ve gotten to talk to the OC, the tight ends coach, coach (Pete) Carroll,” Fant told reporters during his press conference this week. “I know this is a balanced offense. This is the offense that runs the ball, that’ll play off play–action, that uses their tight ends, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Fant believes he’ll be a natural fit into the Seahawks’ scheme because of the similar personnel style the Broncos used in Denver.

“We had two powerful backs that we had to block for, and both of them rushed for close to a thousand yards last year,” Fant explained. With Chris Carson hopefully on the mend and Rashaad Penny inked to a contract extension, that’s exactly what the Seahawks want to have this season.

“I think it’s going to be something similar in that aspect,” Fant continued. “And so that’s exactly why I want to make sure I get in and understand the offense and then really be able to contribute in the run game, which will help me even more in the pass game also.”

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Lions coordinator Brayden Coombs: C.J. Moore ‘has had an outstanding camp’

Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs recently said safety C.J. Moore “has had an outstanding camp”.

Getting coaches to comment on a player’s progress during the offseason can often be a chore. So when a coordinator brings up a player unprompted and then praises him, it’s worth taking notice.

That’s exactly what happened on Sunday when Lions special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs virtually met with the Lions media and brought up safety C.J. Moore and his contributions during training camp.

“Hesitate to single anybody out, but I would say, C.J. Moore is a guy who has had an outstanding camp,” Coombs said. “I would say first off, you talk about just a great kid, hard worker, has worked for everything.”

Moore, an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi in 2019, made the Lions roster last season based on his ability to contribute on special teams as a starting gunner. But Coombs has asked Moore to change roles this offseason and he has taken on Tavon Wilson’s old role as Personal Protector (PP).

The “PP” is a massively important role on special teams as he is the last line of defense for the punter, typically setting up five-yards back from the long snapper. The PP is responsible for recognizing the punt rush formation and making blocking adjustments accordingly.

“To be perfectly frank,” Coombs continued, “(Moore) is a guy probably that I underestimated coming in as a new coach and probably I was just wrong on just going off of the tape and my perception of him coming in but has really just kind of took the bull by the horns.

“You know, the guy had multiple tackles as a gunner last year, was a starting gunner and I’m sure you guys have seen – kind of I came in and asked him to move to PP, and not only the PP, but moved him to be the backup PP and he never complained. Never tried to convince me that he was best where he was, just really embraced it, dove in headfirst, wore me and ‘Mule’ (Don Muhlbach) out all offseason just learning the protection aspect of playing that position and did a great job, has really earned everything that he is getting right now in terms of playing time and opportunities.”

As the Lions fifth safety on the depth chart, Moore entered camp firmly on the roster bubble, but his ability to stand out on special teams could earn him another year in the NFL.

“So, that would be a guy (Moore) that I am very, very excited with, excited for, and really proud of,” Coombs continued. “I would say, just the way he handled everything, the way he approaches everything on a daily basis. We have a team of 53 guys like that, we’ll be in great shape. There’s a lot of other guys I could rattle off, but a guy who’s really stood out in camp as one of our best players would be C.J.”

Go ahead and find a spot for him in your 53-man roster projections.

Kyle Pitts the top tight end in 2021 class, per The Athletic

Florida Gators tight end Pitts is expected by many to be one of the top tight ends in the country in 2020 and The Athletic agrees.

UF tight end Kyle Pitts is garnering himself quite a bit of offseason attention. Coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he made 54 catches for 649 yards and five touchdowns, Pitts is expected by many to be one of the top tight ends in the country in 2020.

In an article from The Athletic comparing the nation’s top draft-eligible tight ends, Pitts was ranked in the No. 1 spot. He was praised for his “freak athleticism,” as his agility is comparable to that of a smaller receiver. He was also praised for his route-running, which was on full display in his matchup with LSU corner Derek Stingley Jr., in which he won most of his battles.

However, The Athletic also said he needs to improve on his finishing skills to solidify himself as the top tight end prospect. Pitts drops one of every eight catchable passes, a rate that needs to improve for quarterback Kyle Trask‘s top target. The No. 2 tight end in the class, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, drops one of every 16 catchable passes.

Still, Pitts was deemed to have first-round potential and was compared to longtime NFL tight end Jared Cook. If he can work on his consistency and blocking, he has all the physical tools to have a dominant season in 2020.

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Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz explains what it’ll be like blocking for Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line won’t have to change much to block for new RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The offensive line won’t have to change much in order to block for new Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire according to RT Mitchell Schwartz.

During Friday’s media availability, Schwartz was asked about what he’d have to keep in mind in order to block for a smaller and shiftier RB like Edwards-Helaire. He’s blocked for a number of different running backs in Kansas City since his arrival in 2016, including Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, Kareem Hunt, Damien Williams and others. As far as Schwartz is concerned, the offensive line won’t have to change what they’re doing no matter who is running the ball in 2020.

“You just kind of want to get the smallest opening you can and trust him to do the rest,” Schwartz said. “From our perspective, we don’t change what we’re doing. The kind of premium is on moving the line of scrimmage, and your run game, as far as the running back can get past the line of scrimmage is going to be the most beneficial. It’s going to pull the linebackers onto the o-line. If you look at the running back, if there’s penetration and he’s making a cut three yards in the backfield, it’s the timing of the play. Maybe the center, who is climbing up to the linebacker, he’s probably not going to be there yet because you know the linebacker is going to jump behind based on the cutback early, and then the center can’t get there and the play is completely dead.  Whereas if we have a yard or two on the line of scrimmage, the running back can get right back behind there and the linebacker is kind of frozen, he’s stuck, he doesn’t know what to do. Then that brings the linebacker to us. So, that’s always the premium we’re thinking about.”

So long as the Chiefs’ offensive line can create movement, keep the timing of the play right and suck the linebackers in, Edwards-Helaire should be able to find success. That wasn’t always the case when the Schwartz and the rest of the offensive line tried to run block in 2019. There’s room for improvement this offseason as far as that is concerned.

Schwartz is confident that the coaching staff will get Edwards-Helaire prepared so he can properly synergize with the offensive line. He even believes that Edwards-Helaire’s natural ability has the chance to save the offensive line from some potential headaches.

“When you look at Deland [McCullough] and EB [Eric Bieniemy] and how they coach running backs, they coach them very hard, and that’s because it’s all interconnected,” Schwartz explained. “If you have a running back who kind of freelances and does his own things, things don’t mesh too well. It’s a really good harmony and it is nice to know if somebody gets cut loose, you throw that devastating spin move and jukes him out of his shoes and maybe he [Clyde Edwards-Helaire] can make us look good.”

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