Originally Posted by :
Bolton played in all 13 games as a true freshman (22 tackles, one sack) after earning Dallas Morning News first-team all-state honors at Lone Star High School (130 tackles, 16 for loss, five interceptions). He went from promising youngster to SEC star in 2019, earning first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 for loss), intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others in 12 starts. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and a Butkus Award finalist in 2020, leading his defense with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), while breaking up five passes in 10 starts. Bolton's father, Carlos, played football at Louisiana Tech. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
When you think about strong, forceful inside linebackers, Bolton is the type of player you might be envisioning. He's going to fall below typical NFL starter standards from a size standpoint, but his rugged frame and forceful demeanor help make up for it. Play recognition and pursuit instincts help carry him to the football and he's a message-sending striker when he gets the runner squared up. He has functional short-area burst between the tackles but will struggle to run down the outside run if he's not close enough to the action. He will need to lean heavier on his instincts to help speed him up because of size and speed limitations. Bolton plays with good field recognition when dropping into zone and has a history of making plays on the football in coverage. He's a three-down linebacker who can make an immediate contribution on special teams and has the potential to become a future starter. Strengths
Very tough with a physical edge.
Plays with demeanor teams look for in the middle.
Field-savvy with instincts to diagnose misdirection.
Identifies and communicates.
Heavy hands with good pop to take on blocks.
Pursues ball-carrier with patience and leverage.
Fluid alterations to his pursuit angles.
Excellent feel for attack timing downhill.
Meets runners with violent collisions in the hole.
Strikes like he's trying to send a message.
Great awareness and ballhawking as spot dropper.
Has enough man-cover talent to play on all three downs.
Thrived on kick- and punt-cover teams early in his career.
Weaknesses
Average lateral quickness traps him behind climbing blocks.
Inconsistent to strike and separate from blockers.
Needs to improve angles to elude box traffic.
Might need to take a few more chances as a pro.
Top-end speed appears below average.
Loses ground when pursuit flows wide.
Below-average lateral agility as open-field tackler.
Will have to play quicker to deal with NFL slashers.
Originally Posted by notorious:
If this team pulls their head halfway out of their ass the rest of the AFC will be shitting their pants in the playoffs.
Nobody will want to face the Chiefs because they know the ceiling is higher than any other teams’ ceiling. (Maybe not TB. They are rolling)
Tb have beaten up on poor teams all year because they don't have a 1st place schedule. [Reply]
Originally Posted by notorious:
If this team pulls their head halfway out of their ass the rest of the AFC will be shitting their pants in the playoffs.
Nobody will want to face the Chiefs because they know the ceiling is higher than any other teams’ ceiling. (Maybe not TB. They are rolling)
Don't think they'll pull it off soon enough to salvage the season. Playing the Cowboys and Packers so soon probably fucks us. Not to mention both Raiders games. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
I think it's the best thing for us. We're relatively healthy.
Who gives a shit about being healthy? Maybe having a couple of these loafing chuckle fucks blow out a knee would actually improve the product on the field just on the principle of addition by subtraction. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Don't think they'll pull it off soon enough to salvage the season. Playing the Cowboys and Packers so soon probably ****s us. Not to mention both Raiders games.
The same Washington offense that our D shutdown was on the GB goalline around five times yesterday..Heinikie was tearing them up for most of the game. The Dallas D were getting beat up by Mac Jones too the other day..even if our D hasn't improved before them games shootouts can go either way. [Reply]
Originally Posted by UChieffyBugger:
The same Washington offense that our D shutdown was on the GB goalline around five times yesterday..Heinikie was tearing them up for most of the game. The Dallas D were getting beat up by Mac Jones too the other day..even if our D hasn't improved before them games shootouts can go either way.
:-) Shootout? The way our offense is performing we're playing Russian Roulette with all 6 chambers loaded. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Who gives a shit about being healthy? Maybe having a couple of these loafing chuckle ****s blow out a knee would actually improve the product on the field just on the principle of addition by subtraction.
Jones has played three games
Clark has played three games and had no preason games
Ward has played three games
Gay has played three games
Thornhill is just starting games now
So four key pieces on the defense has played less than half the games and yesterday was the first time they've all been on the pitch together.
Yes, much of the problems have been down to players not being good enough (Dan, Niemann, Hughes etc), players playing out of position ( Jones and Bolton) etc but for a defense to show it's best self you need to things..one is for your best players to be on the field..and two for your unit to actually play together and build chemistry..so far those two key things have evaded the Chiefs defense..that's just a fact.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the longer the defense has been on the field throughout the game these last three weeks, the better they have done. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle: :-) Shootout? The way our offense is performing we're playing Russian Roulette with all 6 chambers loaded.
Yes because scoring 30 plus four out of seven games and having some historic numbers during the first six weeks obviously indicates they are bad :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by UChieffyBugger:
Yes because scoring 30 plus four out of seven games and having some historic numbers during the first six weeks obviously indicates they are bad :-)
I'm not concerned about Mahomes and the offense other than Brown being a disaster.
But we're not going far in the play-offs if we somehow got in. It's a waste of time, energy, and draft position. [Reply]
