Babb: Glenn Dorsey’s discipline has the Chiefs excited about his future
 

Glenn Dorsey’s discipline has the Chiefs excited about his future
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

They tried to make him understand with humiliation. Then excruciating work. The Chiefs just needed Glenn Dorsey to accept that success begins with discipline.

Those afternoons seem distant now, when Dorsey pedaled and hiked and lugged equipment because he hadn’t been disciplined enough to practice. That was training camp in 2009, and at the time, the Chiefs were uncertain about the future of Dorsey, one of their most talented defenders.

But however it happened, he had to understand: Dorsey’s future was a cloudy one if he couldn’t learn restraint.

On this defense, that’s where it starts. And it doesn’t end at junk food.

More than a year later, Dorsey has made an early impression because of what he hasn’t done. He wasn’t drastically overweight when he began the offseason workout program. He didn’t rely only on his instincts. He didn’t abandon his assignments and chase big plays.

He finally understood.

“You realized, ‘Hey, we look a lot different without him,’ ” coach Todd Haley said.

Haley said he emphasizes discipline more than anything. Because if a player can’t be trusted to stay in shape each offseason, how could he be counted on to stay committed to an assignment that gives the big plays to someone else?

Through four games, Dorsey has 15 tackles, half a sack and zero forced turnovers. Those aren’t the kinds of numbers the Chiefs had in mind when they drafted him fifth overall in 2008. But regardless, Dorsey has been one of Kansas City’s best defenders this season. His job as a defensive end in this 3-4 scheme is to fill gaps, allow linebackers to attack and, as Haley said Thursday, “fight the urge to go make a play.”

When the Chiefs’ defense is at its best, Dorsey is passing up chances at a tackle to fill a predetermined space on the field.

It’s an odd thing, and more than a year after the Chiefs abandoned Dorsey’s preferred 4-3, he appears to have embraced his role — and, more than that, his requirements. Dorsey wasn’t in the Chiefs’ locker room Thursday when reporters were permitted inside, but Tyson Jackson knows how difficult it is for Dorsey, one of the most explosive defenders in college football three seasons ago, to pass up big opportunities.

“Your basic instincts tell you you’re a football player; you want to go out there and make as many plays as possible and help the team win,” said Jackson, who played with Dorsey at LSU. “But you’ve got to look at the bigger scheme of things.

“You’ve just got to take the pride and put it to the side for the team.”

The good thing for the Chiefs is that they believe Dorsey can further improve and perhaps emerge into a defensive playmaker — one of those players with the big numbers. When he played defensive tackle in Herm Edwards’ 4-3, Dorsey was a rotund wrecking ball designed to go forward and hit what was in front of him.

Now, at about 30 pounds lighter and much quicker, Dorsey can go in multiple directions — and coaches think that, as he gets more comfortable with his weight, he can combine those old instincts and his new speed to be a disruptive force on an emerging defense. The Chiefs have used Dorsey occasionally this season in sub-rush formations, and those chances could increase in the future.

For now, Dorsey still has to prove himself weekly. That’s the life of a football player, but the Chiefs pay close attention when Dorsey makes weight each week, a signal that the discipline is becoming ingrained.

“He wants to be good,” Haley said, “and I think he’s showing signs of that all the time.”

More, he has shown a willingness to do what’s necessary to be good in this system. It no longer matters how the Chiefs forced Dorsey to embrace discipline as his top priority; all that matters is that he’s done it, and he is discussed among Chiefs insiders as one of the team’s future stars, alongside linebacker Tamba Hali and cornerback Brandon Flowers.

Now Dorsey has to continue improving, continue understanding and continue avoiding temptation.

“It’s not going to happen overnight because those instincts are there,” Haley said. “They’ve been developed over years, and you’ve got to almost retrain your habits.

“He’s a much more disciplined player. Much more disciplined person.”

As well as he played this year, it still makes me sad to think what he could do in a 4-3 as a penetrating 3 technique at his current weight.

Considering the guy is not built for a 3-4, he is really showing why the Chiefs drafted him at 5. If we were still in a 4-3 I have no doubt the guy would be looking at monster stats this year.

God, Herm Edwards was shitty ****ing coach.

To be perfectly honest, given how Hali has played this year, I think he'd be a pretty good RDE, even if he has lost some weight.

RDE: Hali
3T: Dorsey
NT: Smith/Edwards
LDE: Jackson

On passing downs, you could bring in Gilberry or Magee to play the nose. Put Williams at WLB, and DJ or Belcher could man either MLB or SLB.

The dude is getting insane penetration this year. Next to Hali's sack, the way he crushed Addai in the backfield was the signature play of our defensive domination last week.

They should name a candy bar or something after him

:facepalm:

That didn't take long.

We've been down this road before Hamas. That's not what he is good at. That is not what he did at LSU. He is not a natural pass rusher and never was.

Well, thats not what they sold him as when he was drafted. Most everyone was comparing him to Warren Sapp.


IM happy hes playing well now though....water under the bridge.

Its so refreshing to read positve news about our defense and one of our young drafted players.

I have NEVER understood the Sapp comparisons. EVer.

That's why people keep saying this shit though. The only reason for the Sapp comparisons is because their size was similar. And that is where the comparisons end. Dorsey was a two gapper at LSU and did a lot of read and react and gap control. He did have a lot of tackles for losses but if you watched games it's because he was great at read and react and holding his ground THEN getting to the ball carrier. Not because he was busting ass up field play after play.

Dorsey has never had good hands, where Sapp did from day 1. Dorsey still doesn't transition well in terms of pass rushing when I watch him. People will say shit like he's more suited to a 4-3 but he's really not a 1 gap guy. The reason he looked better last year, and even better this year is because he's being asked to do something more similar to what he did in college. If he were in that gap and a half scheme like the Giants ran a few years ago when Cornelius Griffin and Strahan was there, he would excel in that too. But he is NOT a Warren Sapp or a "get up the field" penetrator type player. That has never been his strong suit EVER. If anyone watched him at LSU they would know that, because that is NOT what he did.

Pass rushing can be taught but it's actually a pretty natural gift for the best guys, and Dorsey is not great at it nor will he ever be. He will be a guy that beats his guy to get to the ball carrier a lot, but he's never going to collect a lot of sacks, no matter what scheme he's in. He's in a great scheme for his abilities right now, which is why he has looked like a beast a lot of weeks. Hamas just cant' get this through his head, nor can other people who bought into the bullshit Sapp comparisons.

This.

If he ever reaches his potential he could be the best 3-4 DE in history.

Period.

And so far, this year, he's been great. It's not in his nature to be a "passive playmaker" (absorb blocks and wait for the play to come to him) but that's exactly what he's doing.

Despite his 4-3 DT pass rusher tag (OMG TEH NEXT SAPP!1!) he's been the 2nd best (behind only Hali) at transitioning to the Pats 3-4.

He's been HUGE in the running game and he's starting to get his feel for what's expeted.

If we had a legit NT this defense would jump 10 spots in yards allowed...

I know there is an interview with Dorsey from either TC or preseason this season saying he likes the techniques and played them in college.

I friggin' love Dorsey and he's been one of my favorites ever since he fell to us at #5. Glad to see he's finally realizing some of that potential. And what's scary is that he should continue to improve...by a lot.

Gawd, it's fun to actually see results from all those shitty seasons. Hopefully when he comes back, Jackson can continue to play well. I certainly don't expect him to ever match the #3 overall pick, but if he plays well, this defense is well on its way to being dominant again.

I was one of the first and loudest to say him moving to a 3-4 was stupid and a waste of his talents...








...there really is a reason I'm not an NFL head coach.