This quick film room is from the win over the Los Angeles Rams. All-22 from the Cleveland Browns loss isn’t posted yet so I’m twiddling my thumbs until it gets released sometime tomorrow.
These couple extra days gives us a chance to circle back to the Rams game. One guy I wanted to talk about but didn’t get a chance to with the short week was rookie DL Isaiah Buggs. For the first time since getting a hat following Stephon Tuitt’s season-ending injury, he popped on tape. Two plays to check out. One in run defense, one as a pass rusher.
Nice job here to key the ball, stack and shed the RT, and rally to the runner. Chips in on the tackle for a short gain.
This one was even more impressive. Takes advantage of a bad set by LG Austin Corbett, who overset outside, so Buggs smartly counters inside. Club/swim to get past and force the ball out, nearly registering his first NFL sack.
What you see in both clips is his hand use. One of the most impressive traits I saw from him at Alabama has advanced hand use for a rookie. Lot of great athletes in college. Lot of strong dudes in the NCAA. Only a few of them are technicians. And maybe that technique stems from the fact Buggs isn’t the best athlete. Nor the strongest. Heck, his bad workout numbers is one of the reasons why he fell to the 6th round. He wasn’t blessed with amazing tools. Technique is what gives him the edge, the area he’s had to work out to win his matchups.
Of course, having the same positional coach in college and the NFL, Karl Dunbar, is rare and a big boost to his transition.
It’s still early into his career and he’s still seeing only a previous few snaps a game. About ten a week. But the early results from him are encouraging and he’s in a better place from a 6th round pick than most guys you come across.
