Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo explains why he likes physical CBs for his scheme
The Kansas City Chiefs have been back at work following the bye week, preparing for this Sunday night’s battle with the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs’ defense entered the bye on a tear, shutting down offenses at an impressive rate and earning praise around the league for their turnaround.
One of the most significant factors over the winning streak has been the physical play by the secondary. Led by All-Pro Tyrann Mathieu’s traditional aggressive style, we’ve also seen L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, and others play a rougher brand of football lately. Not only are they making things difficult for receivers in coverage, but they’re tackling better than they have in recent seasons.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is proud of the physical style of play and spoke about how it fits his system during Thursday’s press conference.
”Yeah, you’re a complete corner when you do that, in my opinion,” Spagnuolo said of his defensive backs tackling. “I tend to lean toward those guys. I think that makes us better. Now, you don’t take that at the expense of the skills that you need to cover, and we have a couple guys that have that combination. [Charvarius] Ward does that. He’s physical. He can cover. L’Jarius [Sneed] does it. [Rashad] Fenton’s done it for us. You’re right last year with [Bashaud] Breeland. We tend to lean toward those kinds of guys. I think those guys know that about this system and how I would like them to play. I think it makes us better.”
Spagnuolo has found success assimilating physical corners into his system dating back to his time with the New York Giants. He had players like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara, who were known for their physical brand of play.
In Kansas City, it hasn’t been much different for Spagnuolo. Second-year CB L’Jarius Sneed was a surprise rookie sensation for the Chiefs last year, in part for his aggressive tackling. He currently has the second-most tackles on the team this season. It speaks to how the front office has even started to look for a specific brand of player for Spagnuolo’s scheme.
“Oh yeah. Yeah, that’s a credit to Brett [Veach] and his staff,” Spagnuolo said. “The old cover corner is a little bit taboo to me because you’re kind of limiting yourself, saying all you do is cover. You want a complete football player, and I think what you’re saying and what you’re seeing is those guys do that.”
The Chiefs will need the defense to continue their physical brand of play on Sunday night against the Broncos. A good performance on defense could be the difference between a loss and keeping their 11-game winning streak against Denver alive.
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