Chicago Bears OLB Sam Acho Becoming a Reliable Piece in Vic Fangio’s Defense
Published by Matt Eurich on October 13, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears signed veteran Sam Acho in the offseason to back up Jared Allen at outside linebacker, but Acho is quietly becoming a reliable piece in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio‘s scheme.
The Bears tried to convert Allen from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker during the offseason, but he struggled in the team’s first three games of the year and was traded to the Carolina Panthers before Week 4.
After Allen was traded, Fangio discussed what Acho‘s role would be moving forward.
“I think Sam will play a good bit of the base stuff and then Lamarr [Houston], Willie [Young], Pernell [McPhee] and then Sam [will be] in the mix to play the sub stuff,” Fangio said in late September, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com.
Acho got the start at outside linebacker opposite of Pernell McPhee in the team’s Week 4 matchup with the Oakland Raiders, and according to Pro Football Focus, Acho‘s 27 snaps on defense were second most at outside linebacker behind McPhee‘s 51 snaps.
He finished the game with three tackles, and he also recovered a fumble on a bad pitch from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to running back Latavius Murray, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Patrick Finley:
The Bears originally released Acho before the start of the season because he was dealing with an illness, but they re-signed him following their loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. Even though he missed time because of his illness earlier in the season, head coach John Fox was happy with what Acho was able to do against the Raiders.
“He’s a guy that we had great feelings for as a starter earlier in our process,” Fox said about Acho, per Finley. “But he got ill and missed some time, so he’s been away from this. So it’s good to get him back healthy.”
After making his first start in Fangio‘s defense in Week 4, Acho spoke about how he and the rest of his teammates are progressing in the team’s new defense.
“I don’t think it’s a new defense,” said Acho, per Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. “This is our defense, we’re taking ownership of it and there’s definitely areas we can grow as a unit, but it’s not new anymore, it’s starting to become our own defense.”
Acho once again started opposite of McPhee in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and according to Pro Football Focus, he played 35 of the team’s 58 snaps at outside linebacker and finished with a plus-3.5 overall grade.
The veteran linebacker recorded six tackles and one pass deflection, and he made contributions against both the run and the pass, per CBSChicago.com’s Dan Durkin:
One of Acho‘s best plays on Sunday came late in the second quarter with the Bears trailing 14-3.
The Chiefs lined up with running back Jamaal Charles next to quarterback Alex Smith, while wide receiver Jeremy Maclin lined up to the right of Smith on the outside. Maclin motioned from the right of the formation to the left of the formation, and Acho slid out to his right as soon as Maclin motioned to his side of the field:
After snapping the ball, Smith hit Maclin on a screen pass on the outside:
Travis Kelce attempted to block Acho, but the veteran linebacker was able to shed the former Cincinnati Bearcat tight end, and he stopped Maclin for no gain:
The Bears had struggled to slow down screen passes to that side of the field before that play, but Acho read the play well and was able to make a big stop on second down, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Rich Campbell:
In addition to playing well on the field, Acho has also stepped up as a leader in the locker room. The Bears have five permanent captains, but one player is selected each week by Fox to be the team’s sixth captain. Acho was Fox’s choice for Sunday’s game against Kansas City.
“Leadership, experience, physical play and playmaking is what I bring and I think what a lot of guys are going to bring, too,” Acho said back in May, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.
Acho has not been dominant when on the field this season, but he has helped bring some stability to the outside linebacker position in recent weeks. Many teams have focused on slowing down McPhee as both a pass-rusher and a run-stopper, opening up more opportunities for Acho to make plays.
Acho plays with discipline in the running game, and he rarely takes bad angles when trying to make a tackle. He has the speed and athleticism to keep up with running backs in the passing game, but he is also strong enough to defend big, athletic tight ends.
He is not an elite pass-rusher, but he does a nice job of creating pressure on the edge when asked to rush the passer. Acho‘s stats will never jump off the page, but he is the type of player good defenses need in order to be successful on a weekly basis.
Acho has only been a starter for the last two games, but he is quickly becoming a reliable piece in Fangio‘s 3-4 defense because of his ability to make plays downhill against the run and his ability to cover both running backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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