Examining Willie Young’s Improvement at Outside Linebacker for the Chicago Bears
Published by Matt Eurich on December 8, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Willie Young led the Chicago Bears in sacks last season, but he struggled earlier this year to adapt to his new role as an outside linebacker. After a slow start to 2015, Young is showing improvement on a weekly basis in Chicago’s 3-4 defense.
In March 2014, the Bears signed Young to a three-year deal to play defensive end in Chicago’s 4-3 scheme, and then-general manager Phil Emery was excited about Young’s fit with the Bears, per ESPN.com:
When we went into free agency, we felt that if we could find a way to get two starting defensive linemen we would have made forward progress. We’ve been able to accomplish that. Our goal or our thoughts about defensive players is to get the toughest most aggressive, instinctive players that have a little bit of an old-school mentality, a Bear mentality and we certainly feel like Willie has those attributes. Excited about him being here.
Young tore his Achilles in Week 16 against his former team, the Detroit Lions, but he finished the year with 39 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, he registered five quarterback hits and 22 quarterback hurries in 683 snaps in 2014.
After the Bears opted to move on from former head coach Marc Trestman and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and transition into a 3-4 defense under new head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Young appeared to be a bad fit in Chicago’s new defense.
Because of his rehab for the injury he suffered late in 2014, Young was unable to get much work on the practice field during minicamp and OTAs earlier this year. He was cleared to begin practicing just before the start of training camp, and he admitted he had a lot of work to do in order to get comfortable at his new position.
“I don’t know anything about playing linebacker,” Young said in late July, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Dan Wiederer. “So obviously I study day in and day out now. There’s never a day off.”
Young made his debut at outside linebacker in Chicago’s second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, but he played just 11 snaps on defense. He played 34 snaps in the third preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts and registered a sack in the final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.
After playing just 30 total snaps against the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and Week 2, Young was inactive against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Adam Jahns:
Young was active in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, but he played just 18 of the team’s 58 snaps on defense. A week later, he recorded his first sack of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he reportedly asked for a trade in October, according to ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio.
Just before the trade deadline on November 3, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reported Young was available:
The Bears held onto Young, and he has seen his snaps, as well as his production, increase in recent weeks. He played 40 snaps against Detroit in Week 6 and just seven snaps in Week 8 against Minnesota, but he has played 234 snaps in Chicago’s last five games.
It took the former North Carolina State standout a while to look comfortable at his new position on the outside, but after recording his first career interception in Week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, Young insisted he is still a defensive end, per Wiederer:
You got your recorder on? Let me tell you something, man. I can’t lose my identity. At this very moment, I’ve got (as many) plays in the secondary (as) I do in the backfield. But I am technically a defensive end. This is a worldwide alert. I am a defensive end. I repeat: defensive end. I’m not a linebacker. Although I am capable of making plays in the secondary, I am a defensive end. Let’s not forget that. I want to give a shout out to all my fans right now. And let’s not get this thing confused now.
Playing out of a two-point stance for the first time in his career and being asked to drop back into coverage on occasion has limited Young’s impact as a pass-rusher this season, but he has been making plays all over the field for the Bears since Week 9 against the San Diego Chargers.
In the last five games, Young has recorded 3.5 sacks, 17 tackles, three quarterback hits and 17 quarterback hurries. On Thanksgiving night against the Green Bay Packers, he recorded one sack, two quarterback hits and a season-high five quarterback hurries.
While outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense typically rush the quarterback out of a two-point stance, Young has had success this season when lining up with one or both of his hands on the ground.
In Week 12 against the Packers, Young recorded his first sack of the night in the middle of the fourth quarter when he squared off against Green Bay right tackle Bryan Bulaga.
After walking up to the line of scrimmage, Young dropped down into a four-point stance before the snap of the ball:
Young gained leverage off the snap with his hands and worked to the outside before cutting back in front of Bulaga to the inside:
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stepped up in the pocket to buy himself some time, but Young drove him to the ground for a four-yard loss:
On Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Young had his way at times with former All-Pro left tackle Joe Staley.
Late in the fourth quarter with the Bears holding a 20-13 lead, Young lined up in a four-point stance opposite of Staley:
Young exploded off the ball quickly, and after engaging with Staley off the edge, the veteran pass-rusher used a swim move to get past Staley on the outside:
Because of how quickly Young beat Staley, 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert did not have enough time to step up in the pocket, and Young brought him down for the sack:
After the game, Young admitted he spent the week watching film on Staley.
“I just told [Staley after the game], ‘I didn’t get no sleep all week watching you. This didn’t happen overnight.’ I told my son, ‘go on and watch TV or something, I’ve got some studying to do. Joe Staley this week.’ My hat go off to him. He’s a great player,” Young said, per Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com.
Young has been at his best this season when given the freedom to rush out of either a three- or four-point stance, and starting outside linebacker Pernell McPhee says he has seen a lot of improvement in many different areas from Young in recent weeks, per Arkush:
His focus level. Earlier this season, he wasn’t playing that much. He stayed focused. He stayed asking questions. When he got his opportunity, he just took it to another level. And you can see every day he’s improving. He’s asking questions about dropping into coverage, and he really takes it into consideration, as he moved from D-end to outside linebacker.
It took Young some time to get comfortable playing a new position in a new defense this year, and while his season started off a bit rocky, he has proven over the course of the last five weeks that he can be a productive part of Chicago’s defense moving forward.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus 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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