The Chicago Bears are holding their rookie mini-camp this weekend, and the media is abuzz on Dillon Thieneman's first looks on the field at the Bears training facilities. Being a first round draft pick usually comes with a certain amount of grandeur and spectacle on tape, but Dennis Allen mentions something more important.
Dennis Allen has been around football for a long time, first taking a defensive coordinator job back in 2011 with the Denver Broncos, where he was then hired as the head coach of the Raiders. It's safe to say that he understands the defense well, and that certainly extends to Thieneman's own safety position. Allen is insistent that the safety position is a position of production that often relies upon instinct.
Dennis Allen sees a safety who naturally finds the football
“Look, I mean, obviously you can see his athleticism on the tape, but I just think, you know, the biggest thing was he found his way around the ball a lot. And to be able to do that, you know, there has to be some intelligence about him, and there has to be some instincts about him.”
More and more these days, prospects are being drafted not only for their physicality, but also for their knowledge and understanding of the position. A position player that can align their playing philosophy with their coordinators can be far more effective than a player that prefers to use brute force. Allen's comments show us he thinks Thieneman must be a cut above the rest.
Kevin Byard left behind some mighty shoes to fill. The Bears already addressed the safety position this offseason with the addition of Coby Bryant off of his Super Bowl run with the Seahawks, but will the pair of Bryant and Thieneman be enough to replace the production and locker room presence Byard carried?
The Bears are looking for consistency in their safeties. With Bryant signing a three year deal with the Bears, and the selection of Thieneman in the first round, this should ensure the Bears have a lock on the safety position for at least a couple seasons. Now all that's left is for Bryant and Thieneman to find a coexistent environment that complements each other's play, and the Bears may be onto something.
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