Floyd plays option well
although he has shown flashes dating to his rookie season. And those highlight-reel moments illustrate his top-10 traits because that’s what he is — a high-level athlete. Now, he’s playing faster more consistently, which allows Fangio to do different things with him.
“I just feel like I’ve got my whole arsenal,” Floyd said.
“The games (early in the season), I really didn’t have my whole arsenal. I just feel like I can do any move I want to.”
In the Rams game in Week 14, Fangio used Floyd to match running back Todd Gurley in the flat with great success, giving recent Rams opponents a blueprint to defend against play-action routes that had been very successful for Jared Goff. The Bears figured the 6-foot-4, 251-pound Floyd was athletic enough to cover Gurley, one of the league’s better receivers out of the backfield, and while Goff targeted Gurley seven times, the running back caught only three passes for 30 yards.
When the Rams run play action, Gurley releases to the flat. Floyd’s ability to cover him allowed inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith to remain in the box, match seam routes underneath and get depth as zone defenders to help the safeties. The problem the Rams created for opponents earlier in the season was that the play action would create a huge window at the second level and put the curl defender in a conflict — take away the crosser or jump to Gurley? If the curl defender sank, Gurley had ample room — maybe 15 yards — to run after the catch.
Teams have followed the Bears’ lead and are taking away Gurley in the flat, meaning Goff can’t get to the top of his drop and just sling the ball because the opening isn’t there. That’s forcing Goff to go to the back side for his reads, and as a young quarterback he’s not entirely comfortable doing so.
Floyd still flashes as a pass rusher. He has been impressive coming off twists and stunts, closing with great speed on the quarterback. Counter moves remain an issue, and playing opposite Khalil Mack, Floyd doesn’t face nearly the number of double teams and chips he would see otherwise.
Floyd also has improved against the run, and the Bears have taken notice. He’s stronger at the point of attack after getting tossed around a little in his first two seasons. He’s much better because of technique and game reps, learning how to take on blocks and having a feel for when the running back is going to bounce outside. That has helped Floyd become a more complete player.
He probably could add some bulk this offseason, but looking ahead to 2019, a healthy Floyd has a chance to develop into more of a game changer. He’s never going to be able to bully offensive linemen on the edge like Mack does, but Floyd has settled into a role that makes it clear: He’s part of the Bears’ future. Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts. Dalvin Cook, 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, is in his second season out of Florida State, selected 41st in 2017. Cook suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 4 last season but has returned to form. He was slowed in the first half of the season by a hamstring injury but he’s playing well now and has benefited most from Mike Zimmer’s decision after Week 14 to fire offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and replace him with Kevin Stefanski with a mandate — run the ball.
Cook had a season-high 19 carries for a career-high 136 yards two weeks ago against the Dolphins and ran 16 times for 73 yards last week against the Lions. The Vikings will look to be more balanced against the Bears, who are second in the NFL allowing 81.1 rushing yards per game.
“Finally looks healthy,” a scout said. “Looks like the Dalvin Cook we saw before the knee injury, where he’s got high-level game speed, really good vision and he can get small through the hole. The question he answered last year before the knee injury and again now, he’s got the speed to bounce the ball to the edge. That was one of the knocks on him coming out of Florida State, that he didn’t have enough speed, he’s a 4.5 guy (4.49 seconds at NFL scouting combine) or something like that, not a home-run threat. But he had a 70-yard run against Detroit and he was flying down the field. He doesn’t have elite straight-line speed, but he’s got intermediate burst ability, so when he hits that edge and puts his foot in the ground, he can really scoot and get to top speed quickly, and that allows him to cut down angles in the secondary.
“Last week against Detroit he didn’t have the numbers he had two weeks ago but it was tough running yards. That’s what he is going to have to do against the Bears and have to do in the playoffs if they play the Bears again — be able to make something out of a 2-yard run and be able to push the pile and get 4 and then get 5 the next time.”