Tyson Jackson says the Chiefs haven't been negotiating a contract

[Titty Meat]

With him but could in the next couple of weeks.


Hes on Sirius XM right now.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Man, Chiefs fans and their propensity to want to hang onto mediocre players.

You've COMPLETELY missed the point. COMPLETELY.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

True.

Yet another reason not to put too much hope into Allen Bailey. He was drafted by the same guy that drafted Alex Magee.

It's not really Bailey that I'm more interested in seeing in a more expanded role, it's Catapano.

He's relentless in his effort, showed better burst and pass rush moves than Bailey even though he was just a rookie, and he's intelligent enough for the coaches to trust; plus he's jumped up to 290 in order to hold up better against the run. At worst, Catapano will become our main 3rd down interior pass rush specialist to help out Poe.

Teams would neutralize our pass rush in sub packages by doing one simple thing.

They would have their tackles cheat on the inside to always force Hali and Houston to take wide rushing lanes. They would then double Poe on the inside and then leave our 4th guy, usually Bailey and sometimes Jackson, 1 on 1.

That is the guy that has to win the majority of his match-ups; neither Bailey nor Jackson were ever able to do that on a consistent basis. Catapano never really got a shot at it and only really played in that Chargers game where he was able to produce.

My big issue with Bailey is that, even now, his get-off is still so damn slow; he has almost no snap anticipation at all. In college, he was consistently the last guy off of the line at the snap of the ball and was almost always a step or two behind his teammates; that problem still exists for him in the NFL.

[Sully]

I like Bailey, for what he is, a spot player.
I'm not sure he can be a full time player, especially at LDE, at his size. Sure he's strong as a mule, but he's still going to be severely outweighed. It's no coincidence that TJax's best year was one in which he gained a ton of weight.

[htismaqe]

Catapano was a pure bull rusher in college. He doesn't really even have any pass rushing moves. He certainly didn't show any last year. He got pushed around like the rest of them.

Does that mean I think he's a bust? Certainly not.

But counting on him to be some kind of epiphanic upgrade at the position isn't realistic. He's a low-drafted Ivy Leaguer for a reason...

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Catapano was a pure bull rusher in college. He doesn't really even have any pass rushing moves. He certainly didn't show any last year. He got pushed around like the rest of them.



Does that mean I think he's a bust? Certainly not.



But counting on him to be some kind of epiphanic upgrade at the position isn't realistic. He's a low-drafted Ivy Leaguer for a reason...

Just out of curiosity, do you expect any of our young guys to experience a meteoric rise in production this coming season? If so, who?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Just out of curiosity, do you expect any of our young guys to experience a meteoric rise in production this coming season? If so, who?

No, I really don't.

And I'll readily admit that the bulk of it comes from the fact that I'm exceedingly jaded when it comes to this team.

Another big portion of it just comes from historical context, though. Catapano was a 7th-round draft pick out of Princeton. His chances of becoming a full time starter, let alone an impact player, are exceedingly low.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Catapano was a pure bull rusher in college. He doesn't really even have any pass rushing moves. He certainly didn't show any last year. He got pushed around like the rest of them.

Does that mean I think he's a bust? Certainly not.

But counting on him to be some kind of epiphanic upgrade at the position isn't realistic. He's a low-drafted Ivy Leaguer for a reason...

Here, let this guy break down his 2013 game tape for you.

Here, you find Catapano opposite the right guard, playing the part of interior pass rusher. As you can see, he's managed to get a very good first step out there.

Catapano is FAST. I mean genuinely, truly athletic. He makes Bailey (our resident "Wow, he's athletic for his size" guy) look like a lumbering slowpoke out there. I laughed at people who said the Chiefs should try him at outside linebacker. I was absolutely wrong. He could absolutely rush from the edge. His speed is exceptional. When he gets a window to the quarterback he's on him almost instantly. A good example of this (and other things I liked) are seen in his lone sack of the season...

(Catapano is the second Chief on the left. You know, the one who isn't Houston, Bailey, or Hali.)

All right. There are a BUNCH of things we could take out of this series of pictures (for one, did anyone else think Houston ever got stonewalled by one guy? Blew my mind). But let's focus on Catapano, because this play represents a lot of what I like about his film.

Catapano does a good job getting his hands to the inside and creating leverage to start the play off. He then quickly moves to rushing half a man (fun football terms!) and putting a solid rip move on the guard assigned to him. Coming free, he closes on Terrelle Pryor too quickly for him to escape. Again, this play demonstrates a lot of what I liked about what I saw.

First, Catapano does a very good job with hand placement. Multiple times in the snaps I watched, he got inside the pads of OL he was facing. Because of this he was able to set offensive linemen up for a rush move, or even pull off a bull rush and move the offensive lineman backward despite his lack of brute force (again, he's not as big / strong as I'd like). Another example of Catapano getting push because of good hand placement (Catapano is second from the right).

Second, Catapano uses actual, you know, pass rushing moves. He's not limited to a bull rush the way Powe is. I saw him execute this same rip move multiple times with success, and also do a version of Poe's swim move (not nearly as violently as Poe) to go along with a bull rush that's decent. This, combined with his hand placement, makes him appear more purposeful when he's rushing than Bailey (the incumbent interior rusher, remember). When I see Bailey rush, I see a lot of pushing and running without identifiable hand-fighting or rush moves (at least not identifiable by me).

Third, Catapano's speed / burst / athleticism is exceptional. Interestingly enough, he ran a slightly slower 40 than Bailey ... BUT, he outperformed Bailey in the 20-yard shuttle by a full .25 seconds, and in the three cone drill by over .3 seconds. Basically, Bailey can close the gap when sprinting down the field, but Catapano is much quicker in small spaces. That differences is easily (EASILY) seen on the field. He genuinely looks like an outside linebacker out there.

Fourth, Catapano doesn't quit. Like, ever. He just doesn't quit trying to get to the quarterback until the whistle. Of course, most backups play like that, but it's still fun to see.

IMO, Catapano showed a lot of promise to me. If he can keep most of his burst and athleticism while gaining power from his added weight, he can be huge for this defense next year.

[htismaqe]

I've seen his game tape. You could probably go ahead and post the rest of it while you're at it. There's so much of it you could fit it all into one post.

I'm glad you have high hopes for Catapano. Don't be surprised if he never becomes what you think he will.

[OldSchool]

Let me put it this way.

If you want to have your guy capable of winning a 1 on 1 match-up on the inside, I think Catapano gives you the best chance out of anyone else that we currently have on the roster.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Let me put it this way.

If you want to have your guy capable of winning a 1 on 1 match-up on the inside, I think Catapano gives you the best chance out of anyone else that we currently have on the roster.

I can dig that.

But that also tells me we're most likely in for a LONG year...

[The Franchise]

Houston got "stonewalled" by one guy because he wasn't rushing the ****ing passer.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I've seen his game tape. You could probably go ahead and post the rest of it while you're at it. There's so much of it you could fit it all into one post.

I'm glad you have high hopes for Catapano. Don't be surprised if he never becomes what you think he will.

I wouldn't be, odds are always against 7th round picks from a lower division school. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a great player for us.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I can dig that.

But that also tells me we're most likely in for a LONG year...

Just really curious to see what he looks like this pre-season with the added weight. If he was able to add strength and keep his speed and movement skills, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people.

[Sully]

for one, did anyone else think Houston ever got stonewalled by one guy? Blew my mind

Judgment alert!
Houston stayed outside the entire day, because Pryor always flushed to that side.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Sully

Judgment alert!
Houston stayed outside the entire day, because Pryor always flushed to that side.

Yup, he was in contain.