*****The Nick Bolton Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

Bolton played in all 13 games as a true freshman (22 tackles, one sack) after earning Dallas Morning News first-team all-state honors at Lone Star High School (130 tackles, 16 for loss, five interceptions). He went from promising youngster to SEC star in 2019, earning first-team all-conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 for loss), intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others in 12 starts. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-SEC and a Butkus Award finalist in 2020, leading his defense with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss (including two sacks), while breaking up five passes in 10 starts. Bolton's father, Carlos, played football at Louisiana Tech. -- by Chad Reuter

Overview
When you think about strong, forceful inside linebackers, Bolton is the type of player you might be envisioning. He's going to fall below typical NFL starter standards from a size standpoint, but his rugged frame and forceful demeanor help make up for it. Play recognition and pursuit instincts help carry him to the football and he's a message-sending striker when he gets the runner squared up. He has functional short-area burst between the tackles but will struggle to run down the outside run if he's not close enough to the action. He will need to lean heavier on his instincts to help speed him up because of size and speed limitations. Bolton plays with good field recognition when dropping into zone and has a history of making plays on the football in coverage. He's a three-down linebacker who can make an immediate contribution on special teams and has the potential to become a future starter.
Strengths

• Very tough with a physical edge.
• Plays with demeanor teams look for in the middle.
• Field-savvy with instincts to diagnose misdirection.
• Identifies and communicates.
• Heavy hands with good pop to take on blocks.
• Pursues ball-carrier with patience and leverage.
• Fluid alterations to his pursuit angles.
• Excellent feel for attack timing downhill.
• Meets runners with violent collisions in the hole.
• Strikes like he's trying to send a message.
• Great awareness and ballhawking as spot dropper.
• Has enough man-cover talent to play on all three downs.
• Thrived on kick- and punt-cover teams early in his career.

Weaknesses

• Average lateral quickness traps him behind climbing blocks.
• Inconsistent to strike and separate from blockers.
• Needs to improve angles to elude box traffic.
• Might need to take a few more chances as a pro.
• Top-end speed appears below average.
• Loses ground when pursuit flows wide.
• Below-average lateral agility as open-field tackler.
• Will have to play quicker to deal with NFL slashers.

.@_nickbolton2 gets the call from One Arrowhead Drive �� pic.twitter.com/1XgaCeBy8R

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 1, 2021

[Kiimo]

DJ was thought of as a bust for nearly two years.


Then suddenly the light came on and suddenly everyone on the other side of the line was in big big trouble.

Gay looks better earlier than DJ, Gay looks like DJ year 3.

Bolton looks nothing like DJ in my opinion.

[KCUnited]

Bolton kind of reminds me of Melvin Ingram's son

[scho63]

Bolton reminds me a little of Troy Paleamua.

[Kiimo]

Troy Polamalu was a 5'10 200lb safety but you do you

[CoMoChief]

Bolton reminds me of Willie Roaf.

[KCUnited]

Reminds me of a sturdier Snapon

[Dunerdr]

Bolton reminds me of Dick Vermeil. They both have two hands and feet.

[louie aguiar]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

DJ was thought of as a bust for nearly two years.


Then suddenly the light came on and suddenly everyone on the other side of the line was in big big trouble.

Gay looks better earlier than DJ, Gay looks like DJ year 3.

Bolton looks nothing like DJ in my opinion.

Didn’t Haley bench DJ and Charles? What an idiot that guy was.

[Kiimo]

The guy in charge of managing DJ and Charles' careers tried to pawn off his wife to a guy in a bar and got suplexed and his hip shattered.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

The guy in charge of managing DJ and Charles' careers tried to pawn off his wife to a guy in a bar and got suplexed and his hip shattered.

Say wha?

I knew there were rumors he was a swinger, but never heard about that incident...

[penchief]

Originally Posted by louie aguiar

Didn’t Haley bench DJ and Charles? What an idiot that guy was.

Not really accurate, IMO. DJ and Dwayne Bowe went from disappointing to studs during Haley’s tenure. And I’m not really sure that Charles had yet established himself as a star when Haley first took over.

[St. Patty's Fire]

Bolton reminds me of Michael Bolton

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by New World Order

I feel like we got a Derrick Johnsonish player here

I may be wrong. He could be better.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by penchief

Not really accurate, IMO. DJ and Dwayne Bowe went from disappointing to studs during Haley’s tenure. And I’m not really sure that Charles had yet established himself as a star when Haley first took over.

Not until CAKN IT PARTNA was released

I remember him sitting in a massage chair in Independence Center after the throw the ****ing ball Brodie game and nobody had a clue who he was.

[Kiimo]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Say wha?

I knew there were rumors he was a swinger, but never heard about that incident...

https://www.nfl.com/news/todd-haley-...p3000000901996


Pittsburgh chatter during this time was this was a proposition gone wrong

Per CBS- Report: Steelers' Todd Haley 'shattered' his pelvis during New Year's Eve incident
By Sean Wagner-McGough Jan 4, 2018 • 2 min read
Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley's hip injury, which he reportedly suffered when he was shoved outside a bar on New Year's Eve, is more serious than we initially assumed. On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette reported that Haley "shattered" his pelvis during the incident. Despite the injury, Haley was able to return to work on Wednesday after spending two days in the hospital.

When Haley spoke to reporters on Thursday, he described the incident as a "situation" and a "non-issue," but he declined to take questions.

"A few nights ago unfortunately I was in a situation," Haley said, per the Post-Gazette. "The situation, though not of my doing, has been made clear to me by the Steelers that it is a non-issue to both the team and the Steelers organization.

"My sole focus is on preparing for next week's playoff game, so it won't be addressed further."

And so, that's that. Haley doesn't appear to be willing to provide clarity to the report that emerged Tuesday, when NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Haley suffered a hip injury outside a bar near Heinz Field, where he was shoved. The situation is confusing because police told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo that Haley's wife was involved in a "minor scuffle" inside the bar, but that there weren't any injuries sustained in that incident. Police also told Garafolo that they have no information about the situation that happened outside, which is where he reportedly suffered the injury.

Despite the odd circumstances and the severity of the injury, Haley said he doesn't think the situation will be a distraction to the team as they prep for their opening playoff game on Sunday, January 14.

"Once we step into this building everybody's really focused on trying to be the best we can be," he said. "We got a tight group of guys and I think when you have outside things that could fracture you it either divides you or brings you closer together. In our case, we've just grown tighter as a group. When you're tight, you care about each other, you're usually at your best."

Haley has been at his post since 2012. In each of the past four seasons, the Steelers have finished as a top-10 scoring team. Haley was expected to draw some interest as a head coaching candidate.