James Harrison. Dick “Night Train” Lane. Antonio Gates.Over the years
Womens Dick Butkus Jersey , there have been several undrafted free agents who have left indelible marks on the game of football. Despite not being seen as worthy enough of an NFL Draft selection, these players have overcome the odds and have gone on to become successful NFL players.Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken a look at 10 of the undrafted free agents that the Chicago Bears signed this offseason to try and determine who stands the best chance of making it to the 53-man roster. In this article, we’re diving into the player who finishes No. 2 on my list: Ryan Nall.BackgroundNall had a prolific career at Oregon State, as his 2,216 rushing yards is the eighth-best total in school history. He has a career yards-per-carry average of 5.8, which ties for the highest average, and his 24 touchdowns in the seventh-best total. Nall started off his collegiate career as a tight end, scoring three touchdowns and tallying 564 yards from scrimmage as a freshman in 2015, although most of his production came as a runner. He moved to running back the following year and ran for 951 yards and 13 touchdowns on 147 carries. He followed that up with 810 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 on 165 carries. Nall proved to be a receiving threat, as well, catching 56 passes for 563 yards and four touchdowns with Oregon State. Nall attended Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon, where he shined as a first-team all-state player at both running back and linebacker as a senior. He ran for 1,684 yards and 22 touchdowns in his senior year, resulting in his being named the Oregon Sports Awards Prep Football Player of the Year. He led his team to their first state championship victory in 60 years and was also a member of the basketball team.Skill setThere are a handful of cut-ups of Nall, including his outing against Stanford from last season:One of Nall’s biggest selling points in making the Bears’ 53-man roster is his versatility. With experience at running back, fullback and H-back tight end, he can be used in a lot of different ways and offers play calling flexibility. The six-foot-two, 237-pound back has a muscular frame and is built to take punishing hits at the next level. He has a strong lower body and good balance, and he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to pick up extra yards.Nall is more than just a bull in a china shop, though
William Perry Jersey , as he has impressive athleticism for his size and has good breakaway speed. He has good inside ball-carrier vision and hits the hole hard as a downhill runner. He also has smooth hands and is a solid route runner, giving him value as a receiver in addition to his running ability.Nall isn’t the most agile of running backs, however. He can be a bit stiff-hipped when he runs, and he doesn’t have the ability to bounce outside of the tackles when plays blow up inside. The former Beaver will have to prove himself as a reliable blocker if he wants to secure a role as a fullback, as he didn’t do much blocking in college.Chances of making the 53-man rosterRyan Nall is no lock to make the active roster, but he definitely has a shot to make it. With the Bears already having the likes of Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen and Benny Cunningham on the roster, Nall’s chances bank on whether or not the team will choose to add a fourth running back to the roster. He could also be brought on as the team’s fullback, but that depends on if Chicago will even keep a fullback. Even if they do, then he will have to fight with four-year veteran Michael Burton to make the roster. Given his skill set, youth and versatility, though, an argument could be made that Nall would be the better choice in that scenario. Overall, the rookie has about a 50/50 chance of making the 53-man roster.Jacob Infante is a Chicago Bears writer at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron. He is also an NFL Draft writer at USA Today SMG’s Draft Wire. He can be reached through Twitter @jacobinfante24 or emailed at
jacobinfante1208@gmail.com. Robert S. dives into the film vault to evaluate both new Bears and old, analyzing the play tendencies of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteWindy City GridironWindy City Gridiron - Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansFiled under:Xs and OsVideoRoster AnalysisFilm Study: Comparing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian AmosNew,64commentsRobert S. dives into the film vault to evaluate both new Bears and old, analyzing the play tendencies of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos.CDTShareTweetShareShareFilm Study: Comparing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian AmosClinton-Dix tracks Barkley out of the backfieldGeoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsThe Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have a historic rivalry. Their fanbases don’t like each other, so when the teams swapped safeties in free agency no one was surprised to see each side proclaim their new safety to be the better safety of the two. But which safety is better? And how do they fit into their defenses? I’ll attempt to answer these questions and more in this two-part film study!We’ll discuss Clinton-Dix and Amos as players in this article, part 1, before assessing how they fit into their new defenses in part 2. As usual, if the videos don’t show up on your platform simply look for the italicized portion of the paragraph, it’ll be a link to the video I’m referencing. Without any further ado
http://www.thebearslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-ditka-jersey ;, let’s get into it!Ha Ha Clinton-DixWatching HCD play the pass is, simply put, a lot of fun. He exhibits all the traits you’d expect of a true free safety, namely range and anticipation on deep throws like those shown here. When the ball is in the air, Ha Ha’s at his best.Pay close attention to Clinton-Dix’s hips at the release point of each throw and you’ll see what makes him so effective — Ha Ha’s big plays come from his ability to get his hips turned towards the intended receiver before the QB’s even finished throwing the ball. This is what “instinct” looks like, and it’s quintessential to making plays as a free safety. Ha Ha’s instincts make him dangerous.But the ball isn’t always in the air, and that’s bad news for Clinton-Dix. Whether he’s missing tackles outright, giving up extra yardage, or getting blocked into oblivion, Ha Ha rarely contributes positively against the run/short pass game. The play where Jason Witten blocks him from stopping a touchdown bothers me the most — Ha Ha doesn’t seem to make much of an effort to escape Witten’s grasp, and the Packers give up a touchdown because of it.HCD also tends to struggle when taking angles towards runners, often overrunning them altogether. While obviously not a good trait, this does help explain why HCD so rarely plays downhill — there’s no sense attacking an RB/WR downfield if you’re not confident you can finish the tackle. Regardless, his angles and tackling cost his defenses yards.All of this said, it should be noted that Ha Ha can still fill holes against the run (play 1) and actually plays quite well when moving laterally. He seems comfortable shuffling sideways, even taking on blocks well while doing so. He misses many less tackles from his shuffle too. This gives me the impression that Clinton-Dix’s tackling problems come primarily from situations where he has to attack downfield and that he becomes a much more consistent tackler when allowed to let the runner come to him.The Verdict: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix displays traits of a classic free safety, doing his best work with the ball in the air. He has experience playing single-high, two-deep and NCB, making him a versatile tool for Pagano to use. Tackling/downhill play is a legitimate concern, but his instinct in coverage and turnover generation skills go a long way towards making up for his poor tackling.Now let’s move on to...Adrian AmosLet’s start with what he’s best known for — reliable positioning and great form tackling. Amos plays fearless, active football and consistently meets runners as they breach the line. I love this last play because it highlights’ Amos tenacity when rallying to runners.Amos also has a reputation among Bears fans as being a lackluster cover safety, and that’s simply not fair. Amos does a great job covering anything in front of him
Womens Richard Dent Jersey , tracking short throws well and demolishing WRs at the catch point. He’s also sound in man-to-man coverage (play 3).Amos’s coverage struggles come in situations that ask for instinct rather than speed, namely deeper throws. The helmet-to-helmet hit on Ertz, for example, could’ve been avoided if he’d reached the sidelines quickly enough to play the ball. Instead, what should’ve been a 3rd down stop becomes a 1st down due to penalty.Instinct (or lack thereof) is a funny trait, and it’s one that’s certainly more visible on film than it is on a stat sheet. Amos’s tape is littered with plays like these that could’ve been INTs, but weren’t. His inability to generate takeaways is no-doubt his biggest “flaw”.It’s worth pointing out that this deep coverage issue is pretty much the only major flaw I see in Amos’s game, and I mean that as a compliment. Amos is positionally sound, covers well, attacks downfield, and can tackle both in a pile and the open field. He’s a very, very good player, and a great pick out of the 5th round.The Verdict: Adrian Amos has all the tools that make up a great box safety. He’s actually faster than Jackson/Clinton-Dix when it comes to sheer footspeed, but his utter lack of anticipation tends to make him look slower. He struggles with the nuances of deep coverage, often leaving him vulnerable to deeper sideline throws as well as lobs over the middle. But if you can protect him in coverage, he’ll offer all of the run/short pass support you could ask for from a safety.As for who’s better? From a pure player perspective, I think it’s Amos. Jackson proved that a great free safety can cover his weaknesses, but you can’t cover for bad tackling. Every player on the defensive side of the ball is expected to tackle eventually, so I have little doubt that Clinton-Dix’s weakness will hurt the Bears regardless of the talent placed around him. Whether he’ll outright miss tackles or simply give up enough yardage to allow first downs is something I can’t predict because we don’t know his role in the defense yet.That’s the problem with evaluating “Ha Ha versus Amos” right now — we don’t know their defensive roles. Amos’s effectiveness will totally depend on whether he’s asked to play in the box versus playing deep coverage, and Ha Ha should spend as little time in the box as possible. We’ll cover what each defense generally looks like as well as a strategy I think the Bears may employ to help Ha Ha in part 2.
James Harrison. Dick “Night Train” Lane. Antonio Gates.Over the years Womens Dick Butkus Jersey , there have been several undrafted free agents who have left indelible marks on the game of football. Despite not being seen as worthy enough of an NFL Draft selection, these players have overcome the odds and have gone on to become successful NFL players.Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken a look at 10 of the undrafted free agents that the Chicago Bears signed this offseason to try and determine who stands the best chance of making it to the 53-man roster. In this article, we’re diving into the player who finishes No. 2 on my list: Ryan Nall.BackgroundNall had a prolific career at Oregon State, as his 2,216 rushing yards is the eighth-best total in school history. He has a career yards-per-carry average of 5.8, which ties for the highest average, and his 24 touchdowns in the seventh-best total. Nall started off his collegiate career as a tight end, scoring three touchdowns and tallying 564 yards from scrimmage as a freshman in 2015, although most of his production came as a runner. He moved to running back the following year and ran for 951 yards and 13 touchdowns on 147 carries. He followed that up with 810 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 on 165 carries. Nall proved to be a receiving threat, as well, catching 56 passes for 563 yards and four touchdowns with Oregon State. Nall attended Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon, where he shined as a first-team all-state player at both running back and linebacker as a senior. He ran for 1,684 yards and 22 touchdowns in his senior year, resulting in his being named the Oregon Sports Awards Prep Football Player of the Year. He led his team to their first state championship victory in 60 years and was also a member of the basketball team.Skill setThere are a handful of cut-ups of Nall, including his outing against Stanford from last season:One of Nall’s biggest selling points in making the Bears’ 53-man roster is his versatility. With experience at running back, fullback and H-back tight end, he can be used in a lot of different ways and offers play calling flexibility. The six-foot-two, 237-pound back has a muscular frame and is built to take punishing hits at the next level. He has a strong lower body and good balance, and he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to pick up extra yards.Nall is more than just a bull in a china shop, though William Perry Jersey , as he has impressive athleticism for his size and has good breakaway speed. He has good inside ball-carrier vision and hits the hole hard as a downhill runner. He also has smooth hands and is a solid route runner, giving him value as a receiver in addition to his running ability.Nall isn’t the most agile of running backs, however. He can be a bit stiff-hipped when he runs, and he doesn’t have the ability to bounce outside of the tackles when plays blow up inside. The former Beaver will have to prove himself as a reliable blocker if he wants to secure a role as a fullback, as he didn’t do much blocking in college.Chances of making the 53-man rosterRyan Nall is no lock to make the active roster, but he definitely has a shot to make it. With the Bears already having the likes of Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen and Benny Cunningham on the roster, Nall’s chances bank on whether or not the team will choose to add a fourth running back to the roster. He could also be brought on as the team’s fullback, but that depends on if Chicago will even keep a fullback. Even if they do, then he will have to fight with four-year veteran Michael Burton to make the roster. Given his skill set, youth and versatility, though, an argument could be made that Nall would be the better choice in that scenario. Overall, the rookie has about a 50/50 chance of making the 53-man roster.Jacob Infante is a Chicago Bears writer at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron. He is also an NFL Draft writer at USA Today SMG’s Draft Wire. He can be reached through Twitter @jacobinfante24 or emailed at jacobinfante1208@gmail.com. Robert S. dives into the film vault to evaluate both new Bears and old, analyzing the play tendencies of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteWindy City GridironWindy City Gridiron - Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansFiled under:Xs and OsVideoRoster AnalysisFilm Study: Comparing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian AmosNew,64commentsRobert S. dives into the film vault to evaluate both new Bears and old, analyzing the play tendencies of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos.CDTShareTweetShareShareFilm Study: Comparing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian AmosClinton-Dix tracks Barkley out of the backfieldGeoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsThe Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have a historic rivalry. Their fanbases don’t like each other, so when the teams swapped safeties in free agency no one was surprised to see each side proclaim their new safety to be the better safety of the two. But which safety is better? And how do they fit into their defenses? I’ll attempt to answer these questions and more in this two-part film study!We’ll discuss Clinton-Dix and Amos as players in this article, part 1, before assessing how they fit into their new defenses in part 2. As usual, if the videos don’t show up on your platform simply look for the italicized portion of the paragraph, it’ll be a link to the video I’m referencing. Without any further ado http://www.thebearslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-ditka-jersey ;, let’s get into it!Ha Ha Clinton-DixWatching HCD play the pass is, simply put, a lot of fun. He exhibits all the traits you’d expect of a true free safety, namely range and anticipation on deep throws like those shown here. When the ball is in the air, Ha Ha’s at his best.Pay close attention to Clinton-Dix’s hips at the release point of each throw and you’ll see what makes him so effective — Ha Ha’s big plays come from his ability to get his hips turned towards the intended receiver before the QB’s even finished throwing the ball. This is what “instinct” looks like, and it’s quintessential to making plays as a free safety. Ha Ha’s instincts make him dangerous.But the ball isn’t always in the air, and that’s bad news for Clinton-Dix. Whether he’s missing tackles outright, giving up extra yardage, or getting blocked into oblivion, Ha Ha rarely contributes positively against the run/short pass game. The play where Jason Witten blocks him from stopping a touchdown bothers me the most — Ha Ha doesn’t seem to make much of an effort to escape Witten’s grasp, and the Packers give up a touchdown because of it.HCD also tends to struggle when taking angles towards runners, often overrunning them altogether. While obviously not a good trait, this does help explain why HCD so rarely plays downhill — there’s no sense attacking an RB/WR downfield if you’re not confident you can finish the tackle. Regardless, his angles and tackling cost his defenses yards.All of this said, it should be noted that Ha Ha can still fill holes against the run (play 1) and actually plays quite well when moving laterally. He seems comfortable shuffling sideways, even taking on blocks well while doing so. He misses many less tackles from his shuffle too. This gives me the impression that Clinton-Dix’s tackling problems come primarily from situations where he has to attack downfield and that he becomes a much more consistent tackler when allowed to let the runner come to him.The Verdict: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix displays traits of a classic free safety, doing his best work with the ball in the air. He has experience playing single-high, two-deep and NCB, making him a versatile tool for Pagano to use. Tackling/downhill play is a legitimate concern, but his instinct in coverage and turnover generation skills go a long way towards making up for his poor tackling.Now let’s move on to...Adrian AmosLet’s start with what he’s best known for — reliable positioning and great form tackling. Amos plays fearless, active football and consistently meets runners as they breach the line. I love this last play because it highlights’ Amos tenacity when rallying to runners.Amos also has a reputation among Bears fans as being a lackluster cover safety, and that’s simply not fair. Amos does a great job covering anything in front of him Womens Richard Dent Jersey , tracking short throws well and demolishing WRs at the catch point. He’s also sound in man-to-man coverage (play 3).Amos’s coverage struggles come in situations that ask for instinct rather than speed, namely deeper throws. The helmet-to-helmet hit on Ertz, for example, could’ve been avoided if he’d reached the sidelines quickly enough to play the ball. Instead, what should’ve been a 3rd down stop becomes a 1st down due to penalty.Instinct (or lack thereof) is a funny trait, and it’s one that’s certainly more visible on film than it is on a stat sheet. Amos’s tape is littered with plays like these that could’ve been INTs, but weren’t. His inability to generate takeaways is no-doubt his biggest “flaw”.It’s worth pointing out that this deep coverage issue is pretty much the only major flaw I see in Amos’s game, and I mean that as a compliment. Amos is positionally sound, covers well, attacks downfield, and can tackle both in a pile and the open field. He’s a very, very good player, and a great pick out of the 5th round.The Verdict: Adrian Amos has all the tools that make up a great box safety. He’s actually faster than Jackson/Clinton-Dix when it comes to sheer footspeed, but his utter lack of anticipation tends to make him look slower. He struggles with the nuances of deep coverage, often leaving him vulnerable to deeper sideline throws as well as lobs over the middle. But if you can protect him in coverage, he’ll offer all of the run/short pass support you could ask for from a safety.As for who’s better? From a pure player perspective, I think it’s Amos. Jackson proved that a great free safety can cover his weaknesses, but you can’t cover for bad tackling. Every player on the defensive side of the ball is expected to tackle eventually, so I have little doubt that Clinton-Dix’s weakness will hurt the Bears regardless of the talent placed around him. Whether he’ll outright miss tackles or simply give up enough yardage to allow first downs is something I can’t predict because we don’t know his role in the defense yet.That’s the problem with evaluating “Ha Ha versus Amos” right now — we don’t know their defensive roles. Amos’s effectiveness will totally depend on whether he’s asked to play in the box versus playing deep coverage, and Ha Ha should spend as little time in the box as possible. We’ll cover what each defense generally looks like as well as a strategy I think the Bears may employ to help Ha Ha in part 2.