Chiefs *****The Nick Bolton Thread***** - Page 75

More to come!

Originally Posted by :
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

[Reply]

Originally Posted by RunKC:
First off, great ****ing coverage from Quinyon Mitchell here.

But yes Mahomes should have taken the shot. If anything it would have forced Fangio to adjust

via Imgflip

Patrick just has to take that shot in that situation, if anything for his own confidence. Compare his play in SB54 before and after WASP, and in SB58 before and after his TD to MVS. He’s a guy who lives off of that adrenaline and energy - and I’d argue his TD to Kelce in 57 got him on from the get go.

Look, I’ve said it already, but I’m not sure there’s a QB in the NFL who gets us to a win last night with our line being caved in like it was and so many of our receivers getting blanketed in intermediate routes, but if we were going to win, it was going to be Patrick going into assassin gunslinger mode and keeping his eyes downfield and pulling the trigger on his first open target despite getting smashed in the backfield.

He willed the team to wins this way a few times in the back half of the 2020 season as our line sustained more and more injuries. The win against the Saints Brees team stands out in particular as he got beat like a drum by Hendrickson but kept taking shots downfield and ended up pulling us to a win.

My only hope is that the last TD of the game (which had 67 air yards, his personal record and a Super Bowl record) gives him the confidence to pull the trigger on these early and often next year - and hopefully we have something other than dogshit at LT to consistently let it happen.
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