PFF: Dexter Under Pressure to Perform

[Spitta Andretti]

You want to jump in and be wrong too?

I just quoted an article that clearly states Chris Morgan told Tev to get ready for guard during training camp

Schofield was signed July 25th

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Are we really a week away from camp arguing about Schoefield?

 

[DanielCCSBears]

Are we really a week away from camp arguing about Schoefield?

With Justin Fields gone they have to argue about something else with me.

 

[bamainatlanta]

Its not about defending Poles. One year deals are not some massive swings at guys you're expecting to work out. So who gives a shit if a guy he signed to compete in camp didn't work out? This isn't any different than your horrible Tyrique Stevenson got worse as the season went along take that you refuse to acknowledge

You can never admit you're wrong on anything

Ain’t that the truth. He has now tried to turn it into a Justin Fields thread.

 

[msadows]

You want to jump in and be wrong too?

I could really care less

I've been wrong a lot and own up to it, its a message board. My dick doesnt grow an inch from impressing someone on here.

Also, I'm pretty sure @Spitta Andretti already confirmed tev was at RG. He started off playing backup tackle and once his lil tantrum was over he started taking starter snaps at RG.

The plan was never to play prison break as a starting right guard

 

[DanielCCSBears]

I could really care less

I've been wrong a lot and own up to it, its a message board. My dick doesnt grow an inch from impressing someone on here.

Also, I'm pretty sure @Spitta Andretti already confirmed tev was at RG. He started off playing backup tackle and once his lil tantrum was over he started taking starter snaps at RG.

The plan was never to play prison break as a starting right guard

You wanted to jump in so

 

[Spitta Andretti]

They brought Schofield in with the same premise as Riley Reiff

One year stop gaps and if their is someone younger and better then they (Schofield) would probably play a reserve role.

Why wouldn't they sign him in free agency before OTAs if the plan was always for him to start?

Oh, because he was never penciled in as a starter and was brought in for competition inside only during TC

 

[gallagher]

Considering it was year 1 of a teardown, pretty sure the entire offensive line was a question mark as to who would start. Which is why Braxton Jones ended up starting at LT and why they moved Tevin to guard.

Tevin moving to guard wasn't some fallback plan because Schofield didn't work out. He was just the better player

I don't understand the criticism or complaints others have made of the decisions made to tear down Pace's roster. Because, let us not forget, the bottom of the barrel was scraped for a reason - Poles cleaned a messy balance sheet. It was his plan from the start to cut bad contracts and dead weight, and to reset the roster.

So of course Reiff, Schofield, and Patrick sucked. They were planned to be short timers from the gun, and they were cheap. Jenkins and Jones working out and having a chance at a long term role with this team is a blessing, in that context.

 

[Myk]

I guess if we can't get a mirror image of an OG in the 2nd and expect him to be good I guess the Bears should just give up on having a defense.
It's too costly to need 11 1st rounders to have an offense.

 

[Runruffshod75]

he played about half the snaps that Dexter did

"After playing as more of a penetrating, three-technique in college, Pickens was asked to play more of a run-stopping role as a one-technique and nose tackle in the Bears’ scheme. As a result, 2023 was a season full of limited playing time for Pickens as he had to rotate with veterans Andrew Billings, Justin Jones and fellow rookie Dexter."


he should get more opportunity with Jones gone but as a one technique, if you're looking for gaudy stats, its not going to happen. always thought he was better suited as a 3 tech




"When evaluating Pickens’ rookie year, it is important to remember that the third-round pick did not see as much playing time due to his role on the Bears’ defensive line.

With only 264 snaps played this season, Pickens simply did not have as many opportunities to shine as other rookies on the roster. Combined with Pickens having to change his game to accommodate playing more nose tackle and one technique, there are reasons for Pickens not to stand out much as a rookie.

Despite these factors, Pickens did have his fair share of flashes during his rookie year. In week four against the Denver Broncos, Pickens recorded his first sack of his young career chasing down Russell Wilson. Later on in the season against the Atlanta Falcons, Pickens had his first game with multiple pressures, finishing the game with two on only 10 pass rush snaps. For the season, Pickens had a pass rush win rate of 7.2%, which was fifth among defensive linemen on the Bears.

In general, Pickens’ play improved from week eight and on as the coaching staff put him in more positions to play his natural three-technique spot. For reference, in weeks one through seven Pickens played 38% of his snaps lined up over the “A” gap according to Pro Football Focus, traditionally the alignment for nose tackles and run stuffers. After week seven, Pickens’ snaps lined up in the “A” gamp were reduced to just under 9% of his total snaps. As a result, the Bears started to see Pickens play some of his best football of the season as he was put into spots to penetrate the backfield as a three-technique."

^THIS^. Matt Eberflus is a schmuck whose never had a defense ranked above #10 and never will unless Poles trades for a dominant pass rusher to overcome the fact that Matt Eberflus is the coach of this team.

 

[RuszBron1]

Gervon Dexter looks like a new man this year, and his teammates notice a difference​

We got a monster on our hands boys..

Gervon Dexter looks like a new man this year, and his teammates notice a difference

Dexter took on marathon training to up his game in a big way

www.nbcsportschicago.com

 

[Sculpt]

10 NFL players under pressure to perform in Year 2

From Carolina's Bryce Young to Dallas' Mazi Smith to Tennessee's Will Levis, here are 10 players who are under real pressure for a big Year 2 jump.

www.pff.com

The Chicago Bears transformed their offense this offseason in preparation for Caleb Williams to take over at quarterback and propel the team forward.

Though they made a couple of strategic additions on defense, the overall approach has been more one of keeping faith with the young players they have in place and letting them improve as they develop.

One of those key defensive players is the team's 2023 second-round defensive tackle, Gervon Dexter.

Dexter flashed potential as a rookie, and the Bears are extremely high on him, but he recorded a 36.2 PFF run-defense grade in his first season. His pass-rush production was significantly better, with 29 total pressures coming from 297 pass-rushing snaps, but Dexter needs to take that leap in Year 2 to justify Chicago’s faith and not put a cap on how good this defense can be.

I didn’t realize he was that awful against the run.

Typically not a great strategy to be relying on a late 2nd and early 3rd round draft pick for anything more than solid rotational players with potential starting capability

They were late 2nd and early 3rd, but anyone could tell both these guys were projects.

I wonder what Dexter weighs now, after he did his marathon training to be a quick 3-tech instead of NT? Bears site has him 6'6" 312lbs.

Both players should have been decent at stopping the run. Surprised Dex had such a low RunD score.

Dexter is freaky strong, with good balance and instincts/smarts. I hope he can rush the passer well this year at 3t. He's worth the try. But I didn't mind seeing him at 1T.

Pickens was drafted as a 3tech. So, I'm not sure if Bears are officially changing him to 1T now, or he's staying 3t? Who's backing up Billings at NT? I thought maybe in a couple years Pickens might be a decent 3T, but not sure he'll be that effective at 1t.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

They were late 2nd and early 3rd, but anyone could tell both these guys were projects.

I wonder what Dexter weighs now, after he did his marathon training to be a quick 3-tech instead of NT? Bears site has him 6'6" 312lbs.

Both players should have been decent at stopping the run. Surprised Dex had such a low RunD score.

Dexter is freaky strong, with good balance and instincts/smarts. I hope he can rush the passer well this year at 3t. He's worth the try. But I didn't mind seeing him at 1T.

Pickens was drafted as a 3tech. So, I'm not sure if Bears are officially changing him to 1T now, or he's staying 3t? Who's backing up Billings at NT? I thought maybe in a couple years Pickens might be a decent 3T, but not sure he'll be that effective at 1t.

My guess is the UDFA DT from Illinois makes the team as the 1T backup.

 

[Nelly]

My guess is the UDFA DT from Illinois makes the team as the 1T backup.

Remember the name... Keith Randolph Jr.

 

[gallagher]

They were late 2nd and early 3rd, but anyone could tell both these guys were projects.

I wonder what Dexter weighs now, after he did his marathon training to be a quick 3-tech instead of NT? Bears site has him 6'6" 312lbs.

Both players should have been decent at stopping the run. Surprised Dex had such a low RunD score.

Dexter is freaky strong, with good balance and instincts/smarts. I hope he can rush the passer well this year at 3t. He's worth the try. But I didn't mind seeing him at 1T.

Pickens was drafted as a 3tech. So, I'm not sure if Bears are officially changing him to 1T now, or he's staying 3t? Who's backing up Billings at NT? I thought maybe in a couple years Pickens might be a decent 3T, but not sure he'll be that effective at 1t.

The man is a mammoth and if he is in marathon shape, then I have no idea if you want to put a cap on how he aligns. In the Atlanta game last year, he was successful in 1-, 3-, and 4-tech alignments.

That raw strength tells me that he is made to play closer to the middle - if he really shoots out of his stance and can play 67% of snaps (a quick google search indicates he hit 40% last year), then I think we are going to see him rotate through several alignments with success like he did against Atlanta. I don't want to get into predicting sacks and turnovers, but a lot of us fans have been wondering who would step up this year with Sweat fully in the mix at DE.

EDIT - btw I love that you have thehungersite.com in your signature, and every time I see you post, I click the link. Way to be, man.

 

[Bearly]

In the camp film I've seen, he looks quicker off the snap and is lining up with his ass lower and less straight legged. Something I was suggesting he needed all of last year. He's certainly putting in the work and has a immense talent.

 

[SugarWalls]

They were late 2nd and early 3rd, but anyone could tell both these guys were projects.

I wonder what Dexter weighs now, after he did his marathon training to be a quick 3-tech instead of NT? Bears site has him 6'6" 312lbs.

Both players should have been decent at stopping the run. Surprised Dex had such a low RunD score.

Dexter is freaky strong, with good balance and instincts/smarts. I hope he can rush the passer well this year at 3t. He's worth the try. But I didn't mind seeing him at 1T.

Pickens was drafted as a 3tech. So, I'm not sure if Bears are officially changing him to 1T now, or he's staying 3t? Who's backing up Billings at NT? I thought maybe in a couple years Pickens might be a decent 3T, but not sure he'll be that effective at 1t.

Dexter is huge and ‘strong’ but he did t really handle the run well at all last year and was completely crushed by double teams consistently, moved off the point with ease. I don’t see any upside for him at 1t but I guess maybe

 

[Nelly]

Dexter is huge and ‘strong’ but he did t really handle the run well at all last year and was completely crushed by double teams consistently, moved off the point with ease. I don’t see any upside for him at 1t but I guess maybe

Seems that was all pad level which he appears to have improved in. We'll see.

 

[gallagher]

In the camp film I've seen, he looks quicker off the snap and is lining up with his ass lower and less straight legged. Something I was suggesting he needed all of last year. He's certainly putting in the work and has a immense talent.

Dexter is huge and ‘strong’ but he did t really handle the run well at all last year and was completely crushed by double teams consistently, moved off the point with ease. I don’t see any upside for him at 1t but I guess maybe

Seems that was all pad level which he appears to have improved in. We'll see.

All of this inspired me to reach out to a civil engineer I had used as an expert witness before. Dexter's athletic improvement is a different application of the same formula that he uses for how much impact a dam or a high-rise is rated to withstand.

So not only will his pad level and burst improve his performance, but we can measure it.

 

[bears51/40]

The man is a mammoth and if he is in marathon shape, then I have no idea if you want to put a cap on how he aligns. In the Atlanta game last year, he was successful in 1-, 3-, and 4-tech alignments.

That raw strength tells me that he is made to play closer to the middle - if he really shoots out of his stance and can play 67% of snaps (a quick google search indicates he hit 40% last year), then I think we are going to see him rotate through several alignments with success like he did against Atlanta. I don't want to get into predicting sacks and turnovers, but a lot of us fans have been wondering who would step up this year with Sweat fully in the mix at DE.

EDIT - btw I love that you have thehungersite.com in your signature, and every time I see you post, I click the link. Way to be, man.

I think to many fans think of Dexter as only a 1T or 3T where I think the Bears envision Dexter as a matchup nightmare for opposing OL's by moving up and down the LOS, much like how KC uses Chris Jones. So, like that Falcons game this will be the norm for Dexter this season.