With the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs making ready for his or her second preseason sport this Friday, defensive backs coach Dave Merritt shared his ideas on the event, challenges and strengths of his group. Talking after Tuesday’s coaching camp follow, Merritt touched on every thing from rookie studying curves to the flexibility of his veterans.
In rookie cornerback Nohl Williams, Merritt sees a participant a coach can meld.
“I simply love the truth that the child takes teaching,” declared Merritt. “Quite a lot of guys, typically they arrive in and also you don’t know what you’re getting. It’s like a field of sweets: you don’t have any clue what you’re going to get. However he takes teaching, so we love that about him.”
Merritt likes the resilience he sees in Nazeeh Johnson, who performed as a security throughout his school profession at Marshall. With Jaylen Watson lacking follow time whereas within the league’s concussion protocol this week, the fourth-year participant has been persevering with his evolution to cornerback.
“[I like] the truth that he’s in a position to bounce again up,” mentioned Merritt. “Even when he will get beat, the child continues to bounce again up and compete. NJ is a younger man that final 12 months was type of baptized as a nook within the NFL. And so the actual fact now that he’s actually going into his third 12 months as a nook, it’s going to assist him out. He has lengthy velocity and he has quickness, so hopefully he continues to get higher.”
Merritt can also be happy with Christian Roland-Wallace, who’s transitioning into one of many secondary’s chess items throughout his second NFL season.
“Chris has executed a beautiful job for us,” famous Merritt. “We’ve him at a number of positions. He did that his rookie 12 months, [when] we performed him at security [and] performed him at nickel. [We] moved him from outdoors and actually performed him nearer in the direction of the field.”
Merritt referred to as Roland-Wallace a “very cerebral” participant.
“He’s in a position to decide up the defenses,” remarked the coach, “after which he can do a variety of issues for us — [as a] robust [or] free security — in addition to play a bit of dime and nickel. Having that type of Swiss Military knife goes to assist us out.”
Then there may be the matter of Merritt’s veteran chess piece: All-Professional Trent McDuffie, who’s engaged on refining his sport even additional.
“As soon as Trent will get in section,” defined Merritt, “one of many issues we’re engaged on is ensuring that he’s in a position to get nearer to the receivers — and pin the hip as they’re taking place the sector.”
As a result of McDuffie isn’t one of many league’s taller corners, physicality shall be a key to his success.
“He’s going to must get into the physique of those guys,” mentioned the coach, “and attempt to outwork them as they’re taking place the sector — versus separation the place the blokes can simply soar. It’s simply actually engaged on getting nearer to receivers. He’s doing a superb job.”
There’s, nonetheless, one other urgent matter: getting Kristian Fulton in control earlier than the common season. The sixth-year cornerback had extensively been thought of as somebody who might play on the surface throughout from Watson, opening the door for McDuffie to play the place he has been essentially the most profitable: as an inside cornerback enjoying towards slot receivers. However he’s missed practically all of coaching camp as he recovered from a cleanup surgical procedure on his knee.
“I feel the challenges for Kristian is simply to get his cardio,” defined Merritt. “You’ll be able to go and work along with your offseason coach [and] you’ll be able to go and work with the trainers. However whenever you come out right here — and also you’re working with knowledgeable coach in addition to going towards knowledgeable offense — your cardio is the very first thing you’re going to see.”
Merritt mentioned Fulton needed to push by fatigue in follow.
“I feel at this time, he needed to faucet out,” revealed the coach, “and I simply advised him to maintain going as a result of he wants that — play after play after play. If he can proceed to develop and open his lungs, that’s going to assist us all out.”
Merritt’s assessments present a mixture of pleasure and excessive expectations. The Chiefs’ secondary has younger expertise, versatile veterans and returning gamers pushing for sport readiness. However as Friday’s preseason sport towards the Seattle Seahawks approaches, Merritt is ensuring that the usual stays excessive. Each rep, each project and each little bit of resilience will matter.
