Tag: consistency

Chiefs Trey Smith focused on consistency in 2023

Kansas City #Chiefs guard Trey Smith is focused on better consistency in 2023, hoping to repeat as a Super Bowl champion. | from: @EdEastonJr

The opportunity to improve is one of the many elements that makes training camp important for players after a long offseason, and the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to implement new strategies to develop their young talent in St. Joseph.

The team has been thrilled with the progress of guard Trey Smith since drafting him in 2021 after seeing him become a mainstay on their offensive line. Smith’s physicality and attention to detail made him one of the biggest steals of his draft class, and his presence immediately furthered their goal of revamping the team’s front five to better protect Patrick Mahomes and improve their running game.

Now that Smith is established in the league, the last piece of the equation to better his game will be finding consistency over the course of the season. He spoke to the media after practice on Friday, sharing his thoughts on improvement to that end, and explaining the standards he sets for himself.

“[The] measure my gameplay and who I am as a player ultimately depends on how well I do day in and day out,” Smith said. “The feedback I get from my coaches are obviously a ‘Good job’ or ‘Hey you have to do this better.’ But ultimately, I think the best way for me to measure this year is consistency. How consistent can I [be]; how effective can I be at getting my job done on a consistent basis. That’s what I’m looking for out of myself, way more consistency this year.”

Smith’s desire for self-improvement is a great sign for the Chiefs as they look to continue their constant improvement while training camp rolls on at Missouri Western State University. Watch for Smith to elevate his game with each practice, and with any luck, for him to become one of Kansas City’s steadiest presences on the offensive line during the 2023 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Chargers 2023 roster review: WR Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen is entering Year 11.

Training camp is less than a month away, and with a few more weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.

Justin Herbert’s meteoric rise with the Chargers would not have been possible without wide receiver Keenan Allen to acclimate the young gunslinger to life in the NFL.

In 2022, Allen missed seven games due to a hamstring issue, finishing with 66 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns.

The 10-year wideout has been vital to the Bolts’ offense throughout his professional career. During that span, Allen has caught 796 passes for 9,287 yards and 52 touchdowns.

While he is getting up in age, set to be 31 this season and coming off an injury-riddled campaign, Allen is productive when healthy. He is still one of the best route runners in the league and is a safety blanket on third down.

Contract (2023): $1,165,000 base salary, $11,617,500 prorated bonus, $12,782,500 cap hit.

Acquired: Allen was a third-round selection by the Chargers, taken No. 76 overall in the 2013 NFL draft.

Quote: Kellen Moore on working with Allen:

“It’s been amazing. It’s been awesome for me, even personally, just to have a guy in our room like that who has just played so much football, has so much experience that you can kind of bounce things off of him. I’m really excited, as we build this thing as an offense, to continue to utilize all of those experiences that he has.”

Highlight: 

More than anything, Joe Barry and Packers searching for consistency at safety

What will define the position battle at safety? Consistency, according to Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

One of the biggest training camp battles for the Green Bay Packers this summer is the starting safety spot next to Darnell Savage. With no shortage of options at the position, what is the deciding factor in that decision going to be? Consistency.

This offseason, Green Bay re-signed Rudy Ford and Dallin Leavitt and added Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore in free agency while drafting Anthony Johnson Jr. as well.

Although options can be a good thing as it will help facilitate competition and provide flexibility, the question of whether or not the Packers have done enough at this position this offseason still remains and likely won’t be answered until the summer portion of the offseason has the chance to unfold.

“No,” said Barry on Tuesday when asked if he knew who would start alongside of Savage. “But that’s the great thing about the offseason. It’s May. We get that nine week period where we get to get our hands on the guys, and we are in that fifth week right now. We’ve got some new faces in that room, but that’s what OTAs are for, obviously (what) training camp is for, but we are in the beginning stages of that process of finding that out.”

At a position that has the word “safe” in it, consistency is key, and it’s something that was lacking from this unit in 2022. Coverage breakdowns that led to explosive passing plays happened far too often, while missed tackles, both in the passing and running games, were prevalent as well. Ultimately the Packers are looking for someone who is positioned where they need to be and can bring the ball carrier or pass catcher down when given the opportunity. The playmaking ability, while important, is taking a back seat, however.

“I’m big on consistency,” said Barry via Packers.com. “I’ve bragged over the years, a guy like Kenny Clark, not only is he consistent with his play, but he’s consistent with everything he does, every single day when he’s in this building. When you have a vacancy, especially with a starting spot and you have a number of guys in competition for that, the biggest thing I look for as a coach is the overall consistency every day. Then obviously you have to get into your job, making plays, and being productive, but it starts with being a consistent guy every day to be one of those 11.”

Ford brought some of that needed reliability to the position in 2022, being a willing run defender while also being in the right spots, which resulted in him coming away with multiple turnovers. Owens was one of the best-tackling safeties in football last season, both in terms of quantity, but also soundness, with very few that were missed. Moore proved to be a capable run defender when in San Francisco, while Johnson could fill an Adrain Amos-like role in this defense as someone who rallies to the football, can take on blockers, and line up in the box.

Within the Joe Barry defense, the safety group is asked to do a lot. Along with keeping everything in front of them and being positioned correctly to stop plays through the air because of how often light boxes are utilized, the safeties are often tasked with playing an important role in the run game as well. This includes filling gaps, taking on blockers, and being that reinforcement at the second level to limit big plays.

Without question, interceptions are great, and this defense could use more of them. But at the end of the day, being able to be relied upon down-in and down-out to fill the variety of roles that come with playing safety under Barry has far greater value.

Ravens OC Todd Monken says consistency in the passing game will be team effort

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said that consistency in the passing game will be a team effort moving forward

New Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has high hopes for the team’s offense in 2023, and told reporters about his vision for the team’s attack plan in his introductory press conference. Asked about what he might be able to do to establish more consistency through the air next season, Monken made it clear that all efforts in that regard will only be successful with a full team effort.

“Well, it starts with working together. An elite passing game is timing; it’s working together, and I think the less you have of that, based on offseason or rotating your skill players, I think the harder that becomes. And I think the more consistent … The other thing is we have to do a great job of building concepts that fit together, so it fits in a quarterback’s brain – that, ‘OK, this is X, Y, Z, whatever, but it’s very similar [or] the same [as] how we start.’ And I think the more you go down that road, the easier it becomes. Obviously, the better you run the football, the better you throw it, so it starts with an excellent run game and then go from there.”

Monken’s success in his first year as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator will be determined by the performance of Baltimore’s quarterback next season, whomever that may prove to be. Certainly, he would have a leg up if the team can retain Lamar Jackson in the offseason, but should the worst come to pass, Monken will have his work cut out for him to scheme up an effective air attack in 2023.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby9dgr2e1eyts4 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Joe Lombardi speaks on how Chargers can find more offensive consistency

Keeping the unit out of three-and-out situations is crucial.

The Los Angeles Chargers have found a fair amount of success this season in quarterback Justin Herber’s third year under center. Nonetheless, there remains room for improvement, especially relative to the consistency that they are able to muster on offense week to week.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi went in-depth on his unit’s ability to find their groove and stay in it in his comments to the media on Thursday. Keeping his unit out of three-and-out drives, he said, would be crucial to their success moving forward.

“The guys play hard every week,” Lombardi said. “But, you’ve all felt that, there’s just a spirit, sometimes, that gets into a group. There’s a little bit of, I don’t know if the momentum is real, but it sure feels like it’s real sometimes. Sometimes, you just feel like things are going your way. It’s easier to be excited and to bring that energy into the huddle, into the games. I never question our guys’ overall effort, but sometimes there’s just a little bit more hop in their step.

“Sometimes, you’re getting success early, and that helps. One play builds into the next. When you get on an early run and things are going, it feels like you’ve got that energy, and when you’re going three-and-out, it feels like you don’t. I definitely know what [Head Coach] Brandon [Staley] is talking about. Hopefully, we can keep having consistent drives. I think that everyone will feel that way.”

The Chargers are ninth in total yards per game (359.8), fourth in passing yards per game (268.2) and 13th in points per game (22.7). Despite having the third-worst rushing offense, averaging only 91.6 yards per game, they showed signs of improvement with a 192-rushing yard performance against the Rams last Sunday.

With elimination games starting in earnest next week, the Chargers will need to play their best football to make a push for a chance to win a Super Bowl title in February. If they can keep their offense in rhythm and find the consistency Lombardi talked about, they should have no issues being a hard out against the best teams that the AFC has to offer.

Cliff Avril: Seahawks must find consistency to return to Super Bowl

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril stated that the team must find some consistency in 2021 to return to the Super Bowl.

Former Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril appeared on NFL Total Access along with former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew to discuss how the blue and green can make a championship run in 2021.

Avril more or less stated the obvious, saying that Seattle must find consistency when it comes to their best play on both sides of the ball.

“They’ve got to be more consistent,” Avril said. “The first half of the [2020] season, Russell Wilson was basically the MVP of the league. You know, people were chanting ‘Let Russ Cook,’ he balled out. And the defense definitely didn’t look anything like we’re used to seeing, nothing like those 2013-2014 years. And then halfway through the season, it felt like it flipped. The defense, when they got Jamal Adams, they got Carlos Dunlap, and then the defense played probably some of the best defense they’ve played in an eight-game span, and then the offense wasn’t anywhere to be found.”

2020 was indeed a tale of two halves for Seattle, but the Seahawks were able to squeak out wins on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, their 12-4 record turned out to be for naught as the Rams bounced them in the wild card round by a score of 30-20.

“So consistency is the name of the game for the Seahawks right now,” Avril said. “If they can play the entire [2021] season like the offense played in the first half and the defense played in the second half, I think the Seahawks can actually make a run and also possibly win the Super Bowl.”

The Seahawks must continue their strong defensive performance from the second half of 2020 and the offense must produce under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. But most importantly, they must do so simultaneously. As Avril said, consistency is the key to returning to the Super Bowl.

[lawrence-related id=73393]