JOEY BOSA, THE STAR THAT COMES

Everything that surrounded Joey Bosa before he put the Chargers' helmet was complicated. In his pre-draft evaluation, he went from being the undisputed number one pick to even being taken out of the top 10. There were voices who questioned his talents or his transition into the NFL because he could land into a different system from the one he played in college. After that, these voices became louder when a lot of animosity happened between him and the San Diego’s franchise in the process of signing his first professional contract.

He did not participated in training camp and, when regular season play began, Bosa did not change his mind and missed the first four games. After that fourth game, the Bolts and the player reached an agreement to make the player get into the field with his armor and helmet. His first game was against the Raiders, who possessed one of the best offensive lines in the league, and we realized the real value of this guy. From that moment, Bosa made us clear that he is not an ordinary player but  the man who deserved to be number one in his draft.

4-3 or 3-4?

Pass-rushers are special people in the NFL and they become essential with the passing game being more and more important in this age. The issue comes when we want to put them in a scheme where they can lose certain elements of their game. Or this is what many people thinks.

Today, talking 3-4 or 4-3 is very risky. The defensive package call by the defensive coordinators change the perspective of a single style to play defense. Right now, any team develops different spots so their defensive linemen express their best values.

When the Chargers chose Bosa, people got their hands on their heads because San Diego’s defense played in a 3-4 base, something that didn’t match with a 4-3 formation which he had always played at Ohio St. He did not seem to care much, "I can see myself playing anywhere on the defensive line. I’ve working standing up and working on my linebacker drops, so I definitely feel I’m ready to play in a 3-4 or a 4-3. I guess you can say I’d more comfortable (in a 4-3) because I’ve never played in a 3-4. But I can’t speak for it because I’ve never played in a 3-4. I think I’ll be comfortable (playing) wherever they see me." And he was right.

The key is not to draw schemes when we speak about defensive lines. The key is to talk about alignment. In a base defense 3-4 (Okie Front), the three inside men of this line (RDE, NT and LDE) have a two-gaps responsibility, while the OLBs have to maintain outside contain, to defend the cutbacks and to attack only the edge. However, these schemes have evolved towards a more hybrid defense. Wade Phillips is one of the most prodigious minds in terms of defense, and he has been able to mix concepts rising the play of each individual, whatever the scheme.

When Joey Bosa landed in San Diego, he joined a line formed by Brandon Mebane as NT, Corey Liuget as DE, Melvin Ingram like an OLB and the doubt about if he will play in OLB spot or in a DE spot. Obviously, this DE’s spot plays in a 5-technique (or 4i-technique) with two gaps responsibility, which Bosa almost did not play in college. When he was a starter in Ohio St, the responsibilities to those four line men (except the nose tackle, maybe) were one gap and most of the time he was called in 6-7 or 9-technique. It could be complicated to Bosa if he has to play in a situation when he never had played, right? The answer is no, because if your spot is still one gap, Bosa will continue shining whatever it is that we draw on paper.

If the Chargers wanted Bosa playing only one gap in a 3-4, they had to change a few things, but nothing dramatic. For this, the 3-4 base became, when the rookie was in the field, in a 3-4 under.

Here, we can see how the strong side’s DE is aligned in 5-tech with the sole responsibility of one gap, since the other gap that he should defend is occupied by one of the two middle linebackers. At his side, and in 9-technique, we have the OLB, in charge of doing the contain or the outside rush in case that the play goes to the air.

But the most important thing is that Bosa could also adapt to play the OLB spot when his responsibilities are outside rush and contain. His fantastic reads allows him to line up in 9-technique on the strong side. In addition, the Chargers were able to put Joey Bosa in 3-technique when they played in Bear Fronts. This is how we saw Joey Bosa play in the Chargers’ 3-4 formations and showing us that he could play in many different fits.

However, when I was watching Chargers games in 2016, I realized that most of the snaps Bosa played, he did in a four men front, leaving him mostly in situations where he was more comfortable (6 -technique, 7-technique, or wide 9), so his transition wasn’t as traumatic as many people thought.

THE EXCELLENCE OF BOSA

Bosa changed their defense dramatically. It was to the point that he managed to change offenses and forced them to play double teams against him, easing the work for his teammates. Despite the plague of injuries that hit the team, Bosa created for himself and for others, running a defense caught with pins during the latter part of the season.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 left clear signs of his entire arsenal in just 12 games played. Joey Bosa finished with 10.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 23 hurries and 1 forced fumble. In 12 games and being rookie. Absolutely amazing.

The first thing that jumps into our eyes is his reaction to the snap. His get-off is explosive when the down begins, that is what allows him to develop all kinds of rusher moves. It is rare not to see him take any advantage from the moment the offense puts the ball in play. Once the rush begins, and we see him engaged with the blocker, he shows his upper body strength. His arms and hands are very powerful and he is able to put offensive lineman on skates. Also, he’s able to put his hands on the Tackles’s chest because he plays an amazing hand placement.

But not everything is power. His hands usage allows him not to get caught up with the rival when he tries to change direction. It is usual to see him use his hands to fight off the offensive tackle to be able to play an inside move or to initiate the pursuit to the ball. I told you earlier that his snap explosion was his main virtue. The second is his motor.

Bosa is relentless. Always keep his head up and his eyes on the ball to know where he has to go. If the quarterback moves in the pocket waiting for a wide open receiver, Bosa ends up finding his way to get pressure. If, on the other hand, the quarterback leaves the pocket, the former Ohio St Buckeye will begin the pursuit until he tackles him. It is amazing the effort and passion that he shows up in each snap.

With all of this, the get-off, the hands and the motor, many players could stand out in the league, but Bosa has even more skills. The bull rush is joined by spin moves, rip moves, speed rush or swim moves. He dominates many aspects of the game and uses them with very good judgment. His quick feet is a constant every time he rushes, either to change direction and attack the inside gap, to play counter steps or to use the spin moves.

On the other hand, he also works very well against the running game. His great reads and instincts allow him to be close to the ball. His explosiveness to the snap makes it easier to be able to penetrate the backfield to make the tackle for a loss or to make the running back to change direction and be stopped by a teammate. It is difficult to see someone dominate him because he closes his gap very well. He plays a splendid leverage and doesn’t let the offensive linemen push him trying to take him out of his responsibility. In turn, when he plays like cutback defender, he gets to minimize the damage with his outstanding tackle’s technique.

THE FUTURE WITH GUS BRADLEY

The arrival of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley should be a further incentive for Bosa to  develop his talent. Bradley is going to change the base defense to a 4-3, although as I explained above, it shouldn’t affect Bosa's game too much. A fe days ago, Joey Bosa said on this change that “it’s not huge. Last year I really saw myself in the game a lot in sub package, which was a 4-3 defense, the 5-technique and 6-technique. It’s mostly just stay outside, contain the defense and get to the quarterback. It’s getting back to what I played in college in a 4-3 scheme. It’s not too huge of a change just like changing to a 3-4 last year, I thought it was going to be a big deal and it wasn’t too crazy. I think it’s been going great.” And he’s right, again.

The proposal of Bradley will be to play several times with four linemen fronts. We’ll see a 4-3 Over and a 4-3 Under. This 4-3 Under is what as well result gave to him in his stage with Pete Carroll in Seattle. In this defense, Bosa can play as LEO or even in 5-technique, something the Seahawks do with Michael Bennett. Also, Melvin Ingram’s versatility is going to make this 4-3 Under a true headache for rival offensive lines.

I would also like to see Bosa play in a Wide 9. Leaving him so open, with so much space and with that excellent get-off, the speed rush or his inside moves can be a nightmare for offensive tackles. That feet quickness can be devastating as long as the blocker tries to avoid the outside rush and concedes the hole inside.

Contrary to what many people may think this is a season that looks promising for the Chargers. The move to L.A. have made a lot of people forget that the Chargers played at a high level for the first part of 2016. Then injuries started to ravage the team and were the main culprit for them to finish in last place in the division and the coaching staff’s renovation that followed. With a very interesting draft hope should be growing among the fans. Bosa is not going to disappoint them, because they have a guy that appears every bit a franchise player. He's going to be a star in this league.