All-22 Review of Alex Leatherwood's Debut Vs The Packers
December 11, 2022, 11:13 AM CST
The league really let this man come to us. Nobody else put a claim in on this man. They thought he was a bust after one year of unrealistic expectations being thrown on him. Nobody was willing to take on his contract. Except for the one team that did claim him. The Chicago Bears. Leatherwood has been with the team since the start of the year, but due to catching mono in the early weeks of the season, he didn't make his debut until today. He has dressed but the team has spent time developing him and fixing things that needed to be fixed coming into the league. For example, when watching the film you can see that his technique has improved tremendously from last season. He dominated when going up against guys one on one. It was only 10 snaps, but it was 10 good snaps out of Leatherwood. So, let's get into this review.
The Grading System
- -: A player receives a double minus on offense if he is the cause or reason a turnover happens (defense equivalent is a touchdown)
-: A player will receive a minus if he negatively affects the play. Negatively affecting a play includes dropping the ball, missing a block, a bad running decision, missing a tackle, or giving up on a live play
/: A player will receive a neutral grade if they don’t really have a major effect (good or bad) on the play
+: A player will receive a plus if he positively affects the play, this includes catching passes, making a good block or tackle, making a good run, etc.
++: A player will receive a double plus if he makes an “impact play,” an impact play is a big run/pass/reception, a turnover, a good block to set up that play, or a score
It won't be necessary to link my notes to this article for this review, as since he only played 10 snaps, I can add all 10 into this article.
Observations
As I previously mentioned, I felt as though Leatherwood's technique had improved a lot since we last saw him in action. He was, as Teven Jenkins would say it, imposing his will on opposing defenders. Only one play was he beat, and even then the defender never got fully clear of him. This game gave me a lot of optimism that one of our needs this offseason may have already been filled by a player who's been on the roster since the start of the year. Leatherwood and Jenkins could form one of, if not, the best right sides of the o-line in the NFL for the future. Oh yeah, Leatherwood still had 2 (possibly 3) years left with this team on his rookie deal.
The Film Review
Play 1: /, Fields got a quick throw off, so Leatherwood didn’t really get to show what he’s made of on this play. But from the little bit of footage we have, you can see his good footwork skills in play. Leatherwood's first Bears snap isn't super impressive, as Fields got rid of it quickly. But if you look carefully, footwork is something that will stand out along with positioning as he squares up his defender.
Play 2: + Similar to last play with Fields throwing it quick, but now Leatherwood actually makes a block on his man. And it was a good block too, if Fields had extended the play he wouldn’t have felt pressure from the right side. Another play where Leatherwood sets himself in the right position to make the block, this time actually getting his hands on the defender. Fields threw it to Claypool quickly, but Leatherwood was not letting up that block on this play.
Play 3: +, It just gets better from here out. Darrynton Evans threw a block before going out on a route, and Leatherwood squares up his man one on one and gives Fields time to deliver a dime to Claypool. Leatherwood lets Evans make the block and run his route, while simultaneously positioning himself in the right place to keep the defender from ever having a chance to reach Fields.
Play 4: /, Leatherwood is helping Teven Jenkins a little on this block, but the man he was supposed to defend had gotten held up, and never got pressure on Fields. Leatherwood did a good job here by keeping his eyes on his man and not letting Fields take an easy sack. Fields delivered the ball nicely, but it was “fumbled” by Claypool. It's pretty self explanatory here. Leatherwood and Teven Jenkins double team a player, with Alex always keeping his eyes on the defender he originally was going to cover as he got started late on the play.
Play 5: ++, Another great block here by Leatherwood. He’s done a good job matching the positioning of the defender, keeping that right side locked down and allowing Fields to deliver a deep ball to ESB. Since it went for 56 yards, this will qualify as an impact play. Positioning is a common theme in this review. No real shot Fields gets hit from the right side. Deep ball completion here, which technically qualifies as an impact play in my system.
Play 6: /, Nice double team with Teven on the right side, but you can see he’s constantly looking for defenders to block. The play is a run to the left for a touchdown, which means this gets a neutral grade. Despite the touchdown, the double team is to the right when Monty ran it to the left. Good block, but not really an impact on the play. Neutral grade.
Play 7: +, The Packers try to send a different defender to bull rush Leatherwood, but with a little help from Teven Jenkins, the defender gets shut down as Fields delivers a deep ball to N’Keal Harry. For some reason that last snap was the final play we would see from Leatherwood until the start of the fourth quarter, which began with a bang as Leatherwood's block gave Fields enough time to deliver the ball perfectly to N'Keal Harry, who went up to make a great catch.
Play 8: /, The first play where I almost gave him a negative, but the Packers used two guys on him and he still held them off just enough to let Fields get rid of it. The Packers stacked like three guys between Leatherwood and Jenkins, as they knew those two were playing great all game. Still, neither of them could break through and get to Fields.
Play 9: +, A run play this time, and despite the defender thinking he can get Montgomery on the opposite side of the block, Leatherwood said no and opened up a hole for Monty. Leatherwood makes a great block on the play, bringing his defender far enough over to where Monty could get through the hole without the worry of being tackled by Alex's man.
Play 10: +, A play where his block had little effect, but this was a dominant enough block to the point that I had to give him some credit. A hole was open for Monty if he saw it, but he cut inside instead. Leatherwood did great one on one against the Packers, and he should start against the Eagles in my opinion. Leatherwood literally brought his man 5-10 yards downfield despite the run being to the inside. Once again, he never lets off his block, and shows why he was a steal by the Bears off waivers.
Conclusion
Alex Leatherwood was always a player that needed a year or two to develop properly, with the potential of him being a star. He didn't get that with the Raiders. But the Bears gave him that, and it showed on Sunday. He should be starting against Philly next week, and he should be getting the majority of the snaps at RT for the rest of the year, not Reiff or Borom. We may have our Right Tackle for the next few years on the roster already, and if that is the case, one positional need can be scratched off our offseason shopping list for next year.
Final Grades
- -: 0
-: 0
/: 4
+: 5
++: 1
Overall: +6
Alex Leatherwood could already be the answer at Right Tackle
Cole Kmet Has Arrived! All-22 Film Review vs Dolphins
November 12, 2022, 5:39 PM CST
Cole Kmet is finally breaking out. What I've been predicting since the start of the year is finally coming to fruition. Under a revamped offensive system, Kmet has three touchdowns in the last two games. Two of those came against the Dolphins. He's going to be one of Justin's favorite targets throughout his career. The film also shows a lot more than we got to see on TV, such as his blocking and route running. I'll explain some of that more in the observations portion of this review. One final thing, I also am dropping a YouTube video on his performance, so go check that out using this link. So let's not delay this any longer and let's get into this All-22 film review of Cole Kmet's game against the Dolphins.
The Grading System
- -: A player receives a double minus on offense if he is the cause or reason a turnover happens (defense equivalent is a touchdown)
-: A player will receive a minus if he negatively affects the play. Negatively affecting a play includes dropping the ball, missing a block, a bad running decision, missing a tackle, or giving up on a live play
/: A player will receive a neutral grade if they don’t really have a major effect (good or bad) on the play
+: A player will receive a plus if he positively affects the play, this includes catching passes, making a good block or tackle, making a good run, etc.
++: A player will receive a double plus if he makes an “impact play,” an impact play is a big run/pass/reception, a turnover, or a score
As with each All-22 review, follow this link to my full notes on every play of Cole Kmet's performance against Miami. For now though, let's get straight into the observations of Kmet's game against the Dolphins.
Observations
I thought Kmet played a great game watching it live. The film confirmed it, as he especially made some nice blocks that were hard to see on TV, if you could even see him on the field. As I've mentioned in earlier breakdowns, All-22 gives you a lot more to work with than the live or condensed game footage. It shows you how good players like Kmet are when blocking. It shows you the routes they run more clearly. And it also shows you the penalties the referees missed. In the last two drives, officials missed what seemed like 3-5 defensive holds that were hindering Kmet. It's unfortunate these weren't seen by many, as those were plays that could've changed the plays that happened. Unfortunately, we cannot change them now. All we can do is get straight into reviewing the film from this performance.
The Film Review
Play 1: +, Interesting move here, Kmet lines up on the outside in a WR position. Makes a catch for an 8 yard gain to open the game. (Drive 1)
Play 2: +, Good double team block by Kmet and St. Brown here on the edge rusher to allow Fields to get the ball to Dante Pettis for a nice gain. (Drive 1); I'm going to include these two together, as Kmet had a quick start to this good performance. On the first play, he interestingly lines up on the outside, where guys like Claypool or Mooney would line up, and he caught a pass from Fields that went for 8 yards. Good start to his 5 catch performance. The second play shows off his blocking ability. After looking to his left and seeing Reiff locking his man down, he helps EQ double team a player, and Fields delivers a first down dime to Dante Pettis.
Play 11: +, This is some wacky play calling by Getsy, but it works. Kmet starts out like he’s going to block an inside handoff on third and one, but moves under center to sneak it himself for a first down. (Drive 2); Ever since the play that Luke Getsy called against Green Bay where he had Fields try and run it in from the one yard line in shotgun formation, he's been using the QB sneak a lot. So here, on a 3rd and 1, Fields sets up like he's going to hand the ball off to Montgomery to try and pick up the first. Instead, Kmet comes from outside and goes under center, snapping the ball himself and powering his way through for a first down.
Play 22: ++, Kmet makes his block and releases on his route. He’s wide open, Fields gets it to him, and he finishes the final 13 yards off himself for a touchdown. (Drive 2); We will go to the second quarter for this play. This is such a good play by Fields. He has one of the most perfect fakes you'll ever see, something Aaron Rodgers would do. Then, when it looks like he's about to be sacked, he uses his speed to accelerate away from the defender, creating separation to deliver the ball to Kmet. Cole then finishes off the last chunk of yards himself by running in for the touchdown. Bears 10, Dolphins 7 at this point.
Play 52: /, Kmet gets NFL open on this play. If he gets his hands up he might haul in a big gain. However, not getting it is understandable and holding on through the coverage would’ve been difficult. (Drive 7); Skipping ahead a bit here, as most of Kmet's game was just blocking and route running. This is a deep ball from Fields, and Kmet was covered but also had a good jump on the defenders. He needs to get his hands up. I noticed this on a Fields INT in Week 3, Kmet hesitates on getting his hands up or out, and a catchable ball just goes right by him. He needs to get his hands up and try to come down with the ball. This is a ++ potential play that was scrapped in the end.
Play 57: ++, Fields goes play-action and has Kmet wide open in the endzone for a 5 yard Bears touchdown, and the lead is down to 3. (Drive 7); Kmet is able to make up for his miscue a few plays later though. Fields speed helps him avoid pressure, and he finds Kmet quickly just outside the endzone. Kmet finishes it off and the Dolphins lead is down to just 3 points.
Play 63: -, Gotta make this block here. Although Fields shed the tackle, Kmet needed to block his man. Risky play. (Drive 8); This will be the only negative I will cover in this review. Only the Top 5 running QBs in the league shed the tackle attempted on this play. Kmet essentially stands there not making his block, which results in Fields almost getting taken down but getting away. Despite his great blocking in this game, Kmet still has things to work on.
Play 65: /, Should’ve been defensive holding, as Kmet was held downfield. A lot more missed calls than we thought in that second half. (Drive 8); For the final play I will discuss, it's just another symbol of how the refs screwed us over in this one. Kmet ran a route down field, but was held by the defender. Somehow, defensive holding was not called. Just another missed call in a game that was decided by the refs.
Conclusion
Cole Kmet had his breakout. It's finally happening. He is developing into the star Tight End everyone expected him to be when we used the 43rd Pick in the 2020 Draft on him. Should he continue this production and eventually get extended, him and Fields could be a special duo for a long time coming. All he's got to do is continue to fix the little things, and he will be viewed as a great pick by the Bears.
Final Grades
- -: 0
-: 4
/: 47
+: 18
++: 2
Overall: +18
Cole Kmet celebrates a touchdown against the Dolphins
All-22 Film Review of Jack Sanborn's First Start vs Dolphins
November 11, 2022, 9:56 PM CST
Many kids dream about playing for their favorite NFL team. Jack Sanborn was raised in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and he made his first NFL start on Sunday. The UDFA from Wisconsin was picked up by the Bears, after he shockingly was not picked by any team. He impressed in camp and preseason, earning a spot on the 53-Man Roster. He has played mainly special teams, with a few sporadic defensive plays in there. With Roquan Smith being traded, it was time for Sanborn to step up against the Miami Dolphins. And, he did not look bad at all. He had his struggles, as we will see. But overall, for his first start as a UDFA, it could've gone a lot worse. DC Alan Williams even credited his performance on Sunday when asked who stood out in terms of taking a step forward, saying "he looked like he belong." I believe he looked like he belonged on that field as well, as evidenced by my grading of him. So, let's not waste anymore time and let's get straight into this.
The Grading System
- -: A player receives a double minus on offense if he is the cause or reason a turnover happens (defense equivalent is a touchdown)
-: A player will receive a minus if he negatively affects the play. Negatively affecting a play includes dropping the ball, missing a block, a bad running decision, missing a tackle, or giving up on a live play
/: A player will receive a neutral grade if they don’t really have a major effect (good or bad) on the play
+: A player will receive a plus if he positively affects the play, this includes catching passes, making a good block or tackle, making a good run, etc.
++: A player will receive a double plus if he makes an “impact play,” an impact play is a big run/pass/reception, a turnover, or a score
As will always be the case with these All-22 reviews, I will only go over a few select plays, but I will also provide my entire notes document for you guys to look over should you choose. For Sanborn, follow this link to see my notes.
Observations
Sanborn looked like he could handle playing full NFL games in this one. But it also wasn't like he was elite yet either. He still looked like a rookie, who was adjusting to big league ball. Makes a lot of sense, it's his first start as a pro. He's going to need time to be able to grow and mold into that starting linebacker role that he can hopefully take over for a long time. The potential is there. Especially with his speed. He can be explosive and gets from the middle of the field to the boundary lines in no time. He covers the zone well, although his footing could still use some work when the ball is actually thrown in the general vicinity. His run defense appeared on film to be pretty good, as he was almost always in the pile trying to deny the run. His tape was pretty decent, although a few things to tweak like the footing in coverage.
The Film Review
Play 1: +, Sanborn, in his first snap as a starter, blows up the run as he quickly moves and tackles the runner right as he’s about to break through the hole. (Drive 1); Let's talk about Sanborn's first snap. Immediately he shows off the run defense by going and immediately denying the play from forming. He also gets some help, but was the main guy on the tackle.
Play 2: -, decent job at covering the zone from Sanborn, but what gives him the negative on this play is that he bit too much on covering one route, which left the zone open for a catch. (Drive 1); What I mean by this is that he was doing a pretty good job covering his assigned zone. However, he moves too far over to his left. On his right, a guy gets open in the zone he was covering, and the catch is made for a Dolphins gain.
Play 6: -, This is the Mostert TD, Sanborn didn’t cause it to happen, but a move he made allowed Mostert to score. He had a gap, which he should’ve shot to take Mostert down and prevent a TD. Instead, he shifted his legs and went low, and Mostert got in for a Fins Tuddy. (Drive 1); I mentioned earlier how Sanborn did a good job in run defense but his footing needs to be improved in the pass game. This is the one play that can be applied to the run as well. When watching the All-22, there is a frame on the TD that you can see Sanborn's feet and eyes are staring Mostert directly down through a gap. Instead of shooting the gap though, Sanborn interestingly cuts back and dives low to try and stop the runner, which doesn't end up working.
Play 16: +, Sanborn’s good coverage on the play saved a potential TD pass to end the half. (Drive 3); Sanborn here was great in the zone, and his man was locked down. Tua had to throw it over the endzone just to get the ball away. This would not have been possible without the good coverage by Sanborn.
Play 31: +, Sanborn blows up the run play as the RB is trying to power through him. Got pushed back a little, but still brought the RB down. (Drive 5); Skipping ahead a few drive here, this is an excellent example of Sanborn's speed to cover the run. He moves quickly and stops Mostert in his tracks. He did get knocked down on the play, but does well to bring the runner down with him instead of allowing Mostert to go through him.
Play 35: +, Quickness results in him almost blowing up the run, but just misses. Makes enough impact to use a blocker and let another guy make the tackle. (Drive 6); Sanborn just barely misses the tackle, however, the use of a blocker on him allows another player to finish off what Sanborn started. This is why I gave him a plus, because even though Sanborn didn't make the tackle, he still made a big impact on the play and starting to bring the RB down.
Conclusion
To finish this off, I'm going to make a bold prediction for Sunday's game. Sanborn will get either a sack, FF, or interception against Detroit. He's done well, and I think a weaker Lions offense could get him and this defense back on track. His tape shows nice things. I would recommend going and watching it if you have access to the All-22. It's well worth it, and you can make your own opinions on Sanborn's play. You could be harsh in your grading, or you could factor in this being his first start like I ended up doing with some plays in my notes. Either way, Sanborn is taking the first steps towards becoming a consistent starter in this league. He's just got to continue improving each week and using this good start to his career as the building block for the remainder of his season.
Final Grades
- -: 0
-: 6
/: 33
+: 11
++: 0
Overall: +5
Jack Sanborn celebrates an INT in the preaseason
N'Keal Harry All-22 Film Review vs Cowboys
November 5, 2022, 11:33 PM CDT
There were people this summer who said N'Keal Harry wasn't worth even a seventh round pick. The Bears "overpaid" for him. It actually looks like they underpaid this whole time. I noticed Harry playing more and more on Sunday, as he had limited reps against his former team, New England, after coming off his high ankle sprain. As this is my first week with NFL+, and therefore access to the All-22, I decided to focus on N'Keal Harry. I wanted to make sure that what I saw on TV was accurate to what the film showed. And actually, it seems Harry was better than what we saw during the live broadcast. I'll probably start doing these film reviews as a series, with hopefully two per week (one offense, one defense). For the first time though, Harry will be the only one I will review for the Cowboys game. Now, in order to judge a players performance, I need a grading scale. So prior to beginning my film watching, I created a system on how I will grade players.
The Grading System
- -: A player receives a double minus on offense if he is the cause or reason a turnover happens (defense equivalent is a touchdown)
-: A player will receive a minus if he negatively affects the play. Negatively affecting a play includes dropping the ball, missing a block, a bad running decision, missing a tackle, or giving up on a live play
/: A player will receive a neutral grade if they don’t really have a major effect (good or bad) on the play
+: A player will receive a plus if he positively affects the play, this includes catching passes, making a good block or tackle, making a good run, etc.
++: A player will receive a double plus if he makes an “impact play,” an impact play is a big run/pass/reception, a turnover, or a score
So now that I got that out of the way, it was time to break down film. I won't be including every play and my notes on it with this article, I'll only be posting some significant plays. But if you are interested in the full thing, I'll link it here. Now then, let's get to some observations.
Observations
N'Keal Harry has elite blocking traits. Like, he is good at blocking. It was his most valuable asset on the Patriots, and it is a valuable asset here. However, I see us being able to utilize him as more of a big body receiver. He is 6'4, and looks like he can provide WR3 type production with us now having Claypool and Mooney ahead of him on the depth chart. I also saw the coaching staff utilizing him in more plays in the second half than the first half. Towards the end of the second quarter, he scored his first touchdown as a Bear, coming on his 15th play of the game. He got in 16 snaps in the first half (one more called back due to a false start), but he got into 32 plays in the second half for a total of 48 regulation plays. There were another 2 plays in the second half, both two point conversions, that he also got into, for a grand total of 51 snaps. Tomorrow, I expect him to get significant snaps against Miami as our WR3. He might even be WR2 tomorrow, depending on how much Claypool plays for us. Now that we got some observations out of the way, let's take a look at some specific plays from my notes.
The Film Review
Play 1: -, Harry comes inside to make a block, but he misses the block which contributes to just a one yard gain on a 2nd and 20 running play. (Drive 1); It wasn't a great start to the game for N'Keal, as he missed a block that would've helped the running back get more yards and chip away at the 2nd and 20 situation we were in. This would be the only snap he would take on this drive, as we went 3 and out and had to punt.
Play 8: +, Harry gets his second plus in a row on this one as he makes another good block on an outside run, which caused the defender to lose his footing. Again the play didn’t go for much, but he still was a positive impact. (Drive 4); Harry started to see an uptick in reps on Drive 4, this particular play he made a block for Khalil Herbert to be able to get outside. The defender was close to breaking towards Herbert and giving Harry a -, but Harry is a guy who finishes his blocks and did so right here with this play.
Play 15: ++, following a called back INT, N’Keal is able to use his big frame to beat the young Kelvin Joseph and haul in the catch and withstand the Joseph tackle to get in for his first Bears touchdown. (Drive 4); As I mentioned in the last play, Harry saw a significant uptick in plays in the 4th Bears offensive drive. After just six snaps in the first three drives, Harry took nine on this one, setting himself up for the second half. The final snap of his longest drive of the game so far, he used that big frame to pick on the young Kelvin Joseph and haul in a Fields pass for a touchdown to cut the lead to 28-14.
Play 23: ++, N’Keal makes a block downfield, which is just enough to get Khalil Herbert into the endzone for a score. (Drive 6); A lot of snaps N'Keal took were blocks on the outside and downfield that didn't really contribute to the play, so he got a neutral (/) grade for those. This one was different however. N'Keal almost missed the block on this one, but as I said, he finishes his blocks. His block was just enough to make the defender a split second late at tackling Herbert, and the Bears cut it down to a one score game out of nowhere.
Play 37: +, Close to impact play territory, N’Keal makes a block that keeps the hole open for Khalil Herbert to get a big gain on the play. (Drive 9): This is one of the only blocks downfield that Harry made that had an impact. This was a 36 yard gain by Khalil Herbert, and if he had gone just four more yards, I would have considered this an impact play. Nonetheless, Harry had kept the hole up the middle formed by the offensive line open with his block, and Herbert basically flipped field position for us.
Play 45: +, Harry is open for a touchdown, but Fields doesn’t throw to him as he’s running the other way to avoid a sack. (Drive 9); The final play I will make note of, this was the fourth down play that Fields threw behind the line of scrimmage. This is where All-22 film shows you things you don't see on TV. You don't see that Harry could've had his second touchdown of the game if the O-Line had held up just a little longer. It happened a few times too where Harry was open but the O-Line just didn't allow Fields the time to make the read to Harry. If they improve against the Dolphins, we could see Harry take a big step tomorrow and show why he's a keeper.
Conclusion
N'Keal Harry's tape is showing why he was a steal of a pickup by Ryan Poles. His blocking has been good, he has been getting open even when he's not thrown to. His frame could make for some great combos with Chase Claypool as tall guys with Darnell Mooney being a smaller, shiftier receiver. If Harry keeps up this level of production throughout the remainder of the season, he might be a keeper. I'll dare say that if the season were to end today, I would extend him for 1-2 years.
Final Grades
- -: 0
-: 4
/: 30
+: 15
++: 2
Overall: +15
N'Keal Harry celebrates his first touchdown as a Bear