RD 2 | PICK 63 - @Chiefs: Willie Gay LB, Miss State
Gay (4.46 40 @ 243 lbs) made our NGS day 2 standouts list with elite athleticism (99 athleticism score) for a linebacker. Suspensions (8 total games) derailed his 2019 season and his production score took a hit (53).#NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/rCpEi7X6qT
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
I think he's slowly becoming the energy of the defense as well. No more of this Frank Clark faux swagger bullshit (seriously, just watching him walk around annoys me; dude is out there sauntering like billy badass - watch it from Arrowhead next time - I hate this guy so much).
Instead Gay is out there firing up his teammates. He's getting charged up in the huddle and between plays. He's gearing his guys up and playing HARD and fast. Bolton is the intellectual center of the defense but Gay may well be its heart.
When he's playing fast, it rubs off. Now I feel like Jones sack finally put them to another level, but even in that first half when they were clearly on their heels - they did just enough to stay in the game and that was largely because Gay kept them fired up, IMO.
I'd be shocked if they can afford to do it, but man I'd love to see those 2 guys patrol the middle of this defense for another 6-8 years and put themselves in the ring of honor. They're just so incredibly complementary.
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
He straight whiffed that tackle for ahuge ooss and allowed a first down.
Made me sick to my stomach.
But outside of that play, he had himself a pretty good game.
I hope to God he cleans that shit up and becomes a 100% reliable tackler. We need that from him and the rest of the LB corps this season. But as a leader, he needs to be a sure tackler before all else.
Sure - I'd like to see him clean that up. We all would.
But what if that comes at the cost of the energy? What if breaking down and making some of those tackles means he's not out there playing with his hair on fire?
I'm not saying 'sound' and 'fast' are mutually exclusive...but they might be. That's just how it goes sometimes.
So if you can have a guy who plays at 90% of that intensity level but is more sound in his technique or you can keep this guy, which would you prefer?
Honestly, given my druthers, I'd take the current version of Gay over that hypothetical one. Because again - Bolton's here. Nick can be the steady, dependable, drop you when he gets his hand on you player. But I want guys nervous when Gay's on the field because sure - maybe you can make him miss, but if you don't he's gonna drive himself through your spine.
I don't want to worry so much about filing his horns that we take the bull out of him in the process. [Reply]
That’s what makes Bolton better than Gay IMO. Willie is more athletic. It’s really not close. But Bolton is like a Jack of all trades. He’s good at everything. It’s amazing how reliable and smart he is.
Willie has potential but he makes a lot of mental errors like that whiffed tackle that was a 25 yard swing. He’s got potential but needs to clean that up [Reply]
Originally Posted by RunKC:
That’s what makes Bolton better than Gay IMO. Willie is more athletic. It’s really not close. But Bolton is like a Jack of all trades. He’s good at everything. It’s amazing how reliable and smart he is.
Willie has potential but he makes a lot of mental errors like that whiffed tackle that was a 25 yard swing. He’s got potential but needs to clean that up
I just don't see either as better. They're just really different.
Bolton simply doesn't have a weakness. He's a 4-pitch pitcher with good command but no wipeout putaway pitch. Gay is a guy who has 4 pitches; his changeup and curve suck but the fastball/slider combo is hell on wheels.
So don't try to make Gay waste time/energy getting beat with his curveball and don't expect Bolton to get his fastball to Gay's level. Let them be who they are and lean into their respective strengths without saying that one of them is inherently 'better' than the other.
Because I think both of them make the other guy better. Neither one of them will be as good without the other guy but either of them could be equally good for any given team depending on the needs of that team. [Reply]
Gonna bump a previous post in this thread to make my point a bit:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Athleticism will eventually show itself once technique is worked out.
But one thing you really cannot teach is aggression at the point of attack. Darron Lee demonstrated it in camp and as soon as the lights came on went back to shirking responsibility and avoiding blockers.
Meanwhile Gay:
Dude is more than willing to power downhill and attack at the point of contact to keep plays from developing while his teammates take out the trash around him.
That will be ENORMOUS as this defense continues to develop an identity and focus on a team concept. If he can be trusted in run situations to simply ensure that he's occupying a man or two and making things more difficult for the runner, he'll be an asset regardless of the box score.
And in time his coverage technique will round into form and we'll see that athleticism flash.
If you spend so much time telling Willie Gay that he needs to come in under control and make sure he never gets put in the spin cycle, you're gonna lose this kind of reckless abandon, IMO. You can't have a thought in your head to blow a play apart like that other than "See run fit, kill run fit - hope ballcarrier is there when I'm done" He's not looking around the G to find the ballcarrier. He's not going Derrick Johnson out there and looking to knife the gap. He's looking to find a motherfucker and hit him. He has his eyes on his target from the moment the ball is snapped and smokes him. Then after he stops the guy, he finds someone else and suddenly he's wrecked an entire gap precisely BECAUSE he's just playing downhill.
Let the guy play at 100 mph - it's what makes him so appealing and what makes him so damn nasty to play against.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Gonna bump a previous post in this thread to make my point a bit:
If you spend so much time telling Willie Gay that he needs to come in under control and make sure he never gets put in the spin cycle, you're gonna lose this kind of reckless abandon, IMO. You can't have a thought in your head to blow a play apart like that other than "See run fit, kill run fit - hope ballcarrier is there when I'm done"
Let the guy play at 100 mph - it's what makes him so appealing and what makes him so damn nasty to play against.
Great points. Literally every offensive player is going to know where he is on the field at all times. That's a huge thing. [Reply]
The tackling will come even if he has to do Derrick Johnson style tackles. The fact that he reacts and gets to the ball so quick is what matters most. He can read a play and get to the ball faster than the majority of LBs in the league. [Reply]
Watching the film back... Willie Gay was tremendous
Playing in space, taking away throwing lanes, pursuit on perimeter - and in particular, I love how fast/violent he triggers downhill and inserts himself into LOS. And doesn't get jarred or knocked off when battling OL pic.twitter.com/NQES0wJyTn
Willie Gay had his best performance in coverage and maybe his best career performance period in this game. In the Super Bowl. He's become a really good coverage LB. Like probably, easily, top-10. [Reply]
Willie has damn near become a must keep. I would prefer to try and get a deal done with him the off-season at a lower rate.. but he might be wise not to take it
This isn’t a criticism… but Bolton is good. Very good. But he will never be a Warner/Wagner. He’s just athletically limited. And that’s what makes this duo so perfect for each other. Bolton is Mr reliable. Reads the run great, doesn’t miss tackles, gets the reads right. Etc. While Willie is your heat seeking missle [Reply]
