Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr. striving for perfection in 2021 NFL season – Yahoo Sports
Impenetrable defense characterized the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason, and as week one draws ever nearer, the unit seems prepared ahead of their matchup against the Browns. The team’s linebackers have taken a big step forward in the preseason, playing with an intensity led by the young talent they’ve brought in through the draft in recent years.
Anthony Hitchens still headlines the Chiefs’ linebacker corps as an established veteran, but intriguing play from Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. has given fans a glimpse of the future in the middle of Kansas City’s defense. Both of the young linebackers have shown burst in pursuit, adding a level of speed that the Chiefs desperately needed in their Super Bowl loss last season.
While Bolton has played well as a rookie, he is still likely a backup headed into Week 1 Kansas City’s listed starters at linebacker remain Gay and Hitchens, with Bolton likely fitting into a role similar to Gay’s last year.
Gay is expected to be a major contributor this season. An injury late in the 2020 playoffs kept him out of the Super Bowl, where his athleticism and versatility were sorely missed. Now, a year removed from rookie status in Kansas City, Gay has settled into his starting role.
He told reporters after the win against Minnesota that he’s ready to compete, and back to 100-percent after his injury.
“I feel great,” Gay said, “To be out there again, like I said last week, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a real game, so to be out there again two weeks in a row, no matter how long I play, it’s a great feeling.”
He elaborated on his positive outlook, emphasizing that the game seems to be slowing down.
“I’m to the point now mentally where I see the same thing I see in practice and I know that comes with time and repetition, so it’s definitely helped me a lot.”
While acknowledging that a defense can never be totally flawless, he told the media that consistent adjustment will be key for Kansas City’s effort to manufacture stingy defensive efforts on Sundays.
“I think we’re doing pretty good,” He said of the squad’s readiness to play tenacious defense. “Of course, you can never be perfect, but you can shoot for it each and every week, learn from any mistakes you made and keep getting better. We’re in the NFL, so everybody’s going to get yards, everybody’s going to score here and there. So, you just have to fix your mistakes when you can and fix it for the next week.”
The third-string defense started giving up points in the fourth quarter against the Vikings, but by and large, the unit’s stellar play shut down everything opponents showed them in the preseason. Gay seems to be on track to deliver on the promise he showed last year, and his emergence as a reliable starter will be a boon for the Chiefs’ efforts to win another Super Bowl.
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Chiefs 53-man roster projection following preseason finale
