NEWSLETTER
Mel Kiper Jr. is one of the most respected analysts in football history because of his contributions toward making NFL Draft coverage what it is to day.
But sometimes, even the greatest minds offer up head-scratching thoughts.
And leave it to Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard to deliver a priceless response to a clip of Kiper suggesting that the NFL should ban the two-high safety look that is all the rage among defensive coordinators right now:
That one got a legitimate audible chuckle out of me. No “lol” text is needed with that one. I truly, honestly, really laughed out loud. Sigh. I needed that bit of laughter as I continue trying to put the Bears’ loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football in my rear-view mirror.
How the two-high safety look is impacting the Bears and NFL
For whatever it’s worth, the two-high safety shell look is handcuffing NFL passing offenses right now. It isn’t just the Bears, mind you. Check this out from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, whose stat dump puts into perspective what this defensive formation is doing to opposing offenses:
Sometimes, sharing a few numbers can explain so much.
An increase in designed run plays to counter an increasing number of two-deep safety shell looks makes so much sense. If defenses are going to sag like that, then why not try and make opponents pay by plowing straight ahead in the run game. This is the type of punch and counter-punch we’ve been seeing in the NFL since its inception. That Mel Kiper Jr. wants to outlaw the two-high safety look for the sake of the passing game is preposterous.
What stings about this set of numbers is that it looks doubly bad for Chicago’s football team because rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has yet to look sharp throwing it through the air and the team’s ground game isn’t functioning at all. But that doesn’t mean the offense can’t get off the ground. Instead, I would see this as an opportunity to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction and counter with heavy downhill rush attacks. Surely, running the ball effectively would cause defensive coordinators to switch things up and bring their safeties down into the box area. From there, offenses can counter by throwing over-the-top — ideally with play-action passes.
In the end, I’m curious to see if there will be push-back that goes beyond running the ball more to counter two-high safety looks. And I wonder if a team like the Bears would be bold enough to be at the forefront of change. I feel as if a forward-thinking team might see this trend and counter it by investing in more high-caliber offensive linemen who can set a tone in the trenches. Perhaps there is a front office that is bold enough to step away from devaluing running backs and invest in that position group differently moving forward. I’ve long been fascinated by the cat-and-mouse game that is the NFL and am looking forward to what’s next.
