SPORTS

Sunday a step forward for DB tackling

Paul Dehner Jr.
pdehnerjr@enquirer.com
St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason (27) is brought down by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (27) in the third quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. The Bengals routed the Rams 31-7, improving to 9-2.

When told he led the Bengals with 10 tackles in Sunday’s victory against the Rams, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick pointed out that’s not the number he heard.

“Coaches told me it was 11,” he said.

Not that he’s counting, of course. For Kirkpatrick and the rest of the secondary, shoring up tackling which caused a multitude of problems in the run game earlier in the season evolved into a point of emphasis in recent weeks.

Too often running plays or checkdowns made their way to the edges, only to see a missed tackle by a defensive back break for a third-and-long conversion. Often, Kirkpatrick ended up the victim, though he was far from alone.

“It’s my job to make the tackles,” said Kirkpatrick, who admitted injury hindered his movement early in the year. “I don’t like to make excuses, early on I missed a few tackles, it’s unacceptable. I’ve got to make those tackles. That’s the best part about football. You get another opportunity to gather yourself, get your feet in back right. I feel like second half of the season my body is starting to come back around so I can show what I can really do.”

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It showed Sunday when he not only led the team in tackles but also led them in stops (solo tackles creating an offensive failure). According to Pro Football Focus, Kirkpatrick on the year has five missed tackles in run support and 10 in the pass game leaving him with the lowest in the NFL in tackling efficiency among qualifying corners.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther pointed out a missed tackle on third-and-16 in Arizona that allowed a drive to stay alive for a Cardinals touchdown. Not only with Kirkpatrick, but all the defensive backs ability to bring down Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin (outside of one run) on Sunday offered the latest example of group on the rise in an area which garnered rightful scrutiny early in the year.

In the first six games the Bengals allowed seven rushes by running backs of 15 yards or more. Over the last five games, only two have been allowed, if counting the 60-yard sweep by wide receiver Austin on Sunday as well as a 55-yard run by DeAngelo Williams in Pittsburgh.

“We missed some tackles earlier in the season as the ball squirted through there,” Guenther said. “That’s something with the big runs we have given up. If you give up long runs, typically the safeties are missing the tackle. They are the last line of defense and they are doing a better job of that.”

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Guenther pointed out the Bengals "missed a few" Sunday, but on the whole left little to complain about in containing Gurley to nine rushes for 19 yards.

Iloka plays out the tackling dilemma in his head even as the game unfolds. Such was the case Sunday in trying to track down Austin and Gurley. As much as tackling comes down to schemes and technique, execution means trust.

He recalls specifically missing a tackle on a screen the second play of the game where Austin spun out of the tackle. Iloka hesitated rather than attacking the ball carrier.

“Coach Lewis was like, ‘Shoot your gun,’ ” Iloka said. “He was on me right there because it happened on the sideline. Next play, different situation, but same idea with a running back in the open field and I shot my shot. It worked. I was pointing at (Lewis), like, all right there you go. That’s why he’s a great coach. I got to start listening to him more often. I listen to my coaches, but I have to start trusting everything they say.”

Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga (58), left, strong safety Leon Hall (29) and strong safety George Iloka (43) celebrate Hall's 19 yard interception return in the third quarter against the Rams at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday November 29,  2015. The Bengals won 31-7.

Throw in another batch of instinctive, sound plays sniffing out wide receiver screens by slot corner Leon Hall and Reggie Nelson avoiding any tackling miscues while notching his NFL-best sixth interception and smiles surrounding the defensive meeting room. End result turns into the Bengals leading the NFL in points allowed per game, allowing 10 or less in four of the last five contests. Only the 34 points against Arizona blemish the run.

Struggles tackling on the edge marked the frustration of that day, but the hope among the secondary is the rest of the season will look more like Sunday going forward. The game’s biggest moments often come back to it’s simplest details.

“This point in the year you get back to the fundamentals of everything,” Guenther said. “It’s not so much the plays and blitzes and coverages, it’s the fundamentals of everything.”