Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones has become one of the most disruptive forces in the NFL. Though he had only two sacks in 2016, he racked up three of them on Sunday against the Eagles.
Those three sacks came against Carson Wentz. Last year, the players Jones sacked were Andrew Luck and Cam Newton. So Jones can drag down mobile quarterbacks; why isn’t he sacking pocket passers?
“Man, that’s what I’m asking myself,” Jones said on PFT Live. “Like what is really going on? I’m asking myself what is going on? I’m sacking the guys that everybody knows they’re hard to bring down. Like Cam Newton and Andrew Luck and Carson Wentz, but I can’t touch a guy like Tom Brady who just sits in the pocket in one spot.”
With Wentz, Jones showed not only an ability to corral the quarterback, but also a knack for tackling the football -- a technique that Rodney Harrison always preaches when it comes to chasing down Ben Roethlisberger. It wasn’t an accident or a coincidence.
“I’ve got to give props to my defensive line coach, Britt Reid,” Jones said. “He gave us this drill, a simulation drill, where we’ve got to tackle the guy into a standup bag that has a taped on ball to it. So you’ve got to tackle the guy, secure the tackle, and also get the ball out and the other guy’s got to come and scoop it. We just do that all week to simulate tackling the guy, securing the tackle, and getting the ball out because we knew he was the type of guy. His arm strength is ridiculous.
“To give you an example, [safety] Dan Sorensen jumped over the running back, grabbed Carson Wentz’s arm, Carson Wentz still threw the ball like 25 yards. So that just tells you the amount of arm strength the guy’s got. So when you grab him you got to go for the ball also because that kid is remarkable.”
Jones is remarkable, especially since he wreaked so much havoc on Sunday despite being part of a rotation. Does he want to be out there as much as the offensive linemen that he faces are?
“One thing about our coach, Britt Reid, he wants everybody playing at one hundred [percent],” Jones said. “If you feel like you get tired, it’s just like charging yourself up. Charge yourself up so you can go back out there and give another hundred. It’s all about keeping everybody fresh for four quarters so we can give maximum effort throughout the whole game and play relentless.”
It’s working, for Jones and the rest of the defensive line. Which means it’s working for the Chiefs, who are 2-0 and on their way to what should be some great same this year against the likes of the Raiders twice, the Broncos twice, the Cowboys, and the Steelers.
