Gay is a talented but inexperienced player.
He's not going to be making defensive calls anytime soon. The mental aspect of the defense isn't his strong point (yet).
He's starting to flash. They're putting him in situations to succeed. He's playing with more confidence.
It was always going to be a work in progress. We just need to be patient.
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https://theathletic.com/2284362/2020...role-playoffs/
Free Willie? Willie Gay could play bigger role for Chiefs before playoffs begin
by Nate Taylor
Originally Posted by :
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In his own assessment, linebacker Willie Gay has considered his rookie season with the Chiefs to be a massive success.
Gay believes so because the reasons are aplenty. The Chiefs, the NFL’s reigning champions, have won 13 of their 14 games this season to possess the league’s best record. A win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons will secure them the top seed in the AFC, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Gay also hasn’t been thrust into being a starter sooner than he would’ve been ready for such a responsibility. In fact, he has been allowed to learn the complex scheme under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo at a reasonable pace, all while being mentored by several veterans who last season became champions together.
“You can hope for a lot as a rookie,” Gay said last week. “Of course, it can get better if we win a Super Bowl. But right now, it’s going great.”
Gay, though, hasn’t had the type of individual production that would lead analysts or fans to suggest his first season has been memorable.
Through 14 games, Gay’s role, and how often Spagnuolo has utilized him, has been perhaps the biggest mystery of the Chiefs’ defense. Gay has recorded just 29 tackles, three pass breakups and one sack. The statistics could be better if Gay, who the Chiefs drafted in the second round with the 63rd overall pick, had played more than 216 defensive snaps, which is just 23.1 percent.
Before training camp, the Chiefs expected Gay to compete for a contributing role alongside Ben Niemann, a third-year undrafted veteran, and behind starters Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson. During his two seasons with the Chiefs, Spagnuolo has often chosen to trust older players over playing rookies, unless circumstances force the less-experienced player onto the field. An example is Niemann, who has played 442 snaps, which is more than twice Gay’s total despite not possessing the same level of closing speed, athleticism or coverage skills.
“My linebacker room is a room full of great people,” Gay said. “The older guys teach me a lot. I watch them every day, watch everything that they do. Depending on what a team likes to do, my role may increase. Or, my role may decrease. The (coaches) have been doing a real good job of getting me in whenever.”
Against the Falcons, Spagnuolo could be forced to play Gay for more than half of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, which has occurred just twice this season.
Hitchens, the Chiefs’ second-leading tackler, was placed on the COVID-19 list Tuesday and was designated as a high-risk close contact through tracing. If Hitchens doesn’t test positive after being in self-isolation for five consecutive days, he could be removed from the list just ahead of Sunday’s game despite not participating in practice this week. The Chiefs could also be without Wilson, their third-leading tackler, for the third consecutive game after he bruised a knee in the win over the Denver Broncos.
Last week, Spagnuolo complimented Gay’s knowledge of the defensive playbook.
“We’ve kept things pretty much the same in the packages that he’s in there,” Spagnuolo said. “I just think it’s getting out there and playing (more). I don’t know what his total snaps are. It’s going to be a growth process.”
In his final season at Mississippi State, Gay was suspended for eight games by the NCAA for being part of an academic fraud investigation in which a tutor took tests and completed assignments for him in a chemistry course. Despite playing in just five games, Gay was an impactful defender, making three sacks and two pass breakups. He began last season by recording an interception, which he returned for a touchdown, on his first snap. He also recorded a career-high 11 tackles and forced a fumble against Louisville in his final game.
After the draft, Gay arrived in Kansas City amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league eliminated many of the usual on-field elements of the offseason program that rookies experience. No rookie minicamp repetitions. No voluntary OTAs repetitions. No minicamp repetitions. Even preseason games were canceled.
“You miss out on 100-plus reps,” Gay said. “Repetition is big in today’s league.”
His pass coverage intrigued general manager Brett Veach, especially since that skill was one of the most glaring issues among the Chiefs’ linebackers last season. In his time at Mississippi State, Gay earned the highest coverage grade of any linebacker in the draft class, according to Pro Football Focus. He surrendered just 183 yards in 294 coverage snaps.
Spagnuolo, however, has not included Gay much in the Chiefs’ dime and nickel personnel packages. Spagnuolo has instead relied on Niemann and free safety Daniel Sorensen to cover the middle of the field when quarterbacks attempt intermediate passes.
Strong safety Tyrann Mathieu has appreciated Gay’s maturity when it comes to his limited playing time.
“I’m so impressed with him and, really, his character,” Mathieu said earlier this month. “Not everything has gone his way this season. I’m pretty sure he wanted to be a Day 1 starter, but he’s kept his head down, he’s always prepared in meetings and he always knows the answer. That’s all you can ask for from a young player, a guy that’s just committed to the team.”
Wilson missed the Chiefs’ last two games, against the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints, and it seemed possible Gay would have an increased role. Gay instead played a combined 29 snaps.
“One thing I can say I’ve gotten better at is my eyes,” Gay said. “It’s slowing down a lot for me. I can see when (an offensive lineman) pulls, I can see things happening in front of me and then I can react.”
Two of the Chiefs’ four sacks against the Dolphins were supported by Gay effectively covering running back DeAndre Washington, who was the closest passing option to Tagovailoa. The second sack resulted in defensive tackle Chris Jones tackling Tagovailoa in the end zone for a safety. Gay also provided the final block that speedy wide receiver Mecole Hardman needed for his 67-yard punt return for a touchdown.
“(Gay) has the potential to be really, really good in this league,” Jones said. “He can fly around and that’s definitely why he went in the second round. We’ve been able to use him in multiple ways. He’s just got to keep working and keep at it.”
“I truly believe that, at some point in this season, he’s going to make some big plays for us,” Mathieu said. “He’s going to be one of those guys we lean on.”
“It seems to me like he’s becoming more and more comfortable in what he’s doing,” Spagnuolo said. “As that happens, with any rookie, you hope to expand the role. We’ll just see how that goes.”
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