Bears News: Gordon talks personal improvements, Tyrique Stevenson |
CHICAGO - The defense may have been disappointing last season, but there was one bright spot - the rookies. Safety Jaquan Brisker actually led the team in sacks last season, while cornerback Kyler Gordon was second on the team in interceptions, although he was first in return yards off those picks with 78.
Even so, Gordon feels that he has a lot he can improve on in the upcoming season. “I do feel, like, extremely comfortable. I feel like I know my place, where I’m supposed to be, stuff like that,” Gordon said. “So, definitely coming back this second year, like, definitely don’t have any of the ‘Where am I?’ like I did the first year. So, I feel like I know where I’m at, what’s going on, and where I fit.” One sign of a good player is wanting to find their mistakes and fix them. That is exactly what Gordon sought out to do during this offseason. Coming into this season, especially after participating in organized team activities (OTAs) the past few weeks, he is improving and will be a stronger starter. “In the offseason, one of the first things I did was get my body right. I was just going through the season, all the games we played, all the bad plays, good plays, just stuff to work on. So, I went through that about two or three times,” Gordon explained. “I definitely feel way more comfortable in the situations I get put in. I feel like I can be in the same spot I was last year and have more knowledge in that area and not make the same mistake.” An important factor that Gordon and the coaching staff identified was his revolutions per minute (RPMs). RPMs are used to measure how fast something operates during a certain period of time. Because Gordon was on overdrive throughout the entire season, he was not staying on top of his RPMs and using too much energy. Thus, he is working on using an optimal amount of energy to ensure that he does not burn himself out during games. “That was a big thing. I felt like once my RPMs was really high, I feel like I’m using way more energy,” Gordon said. “Being more calm and just being more efficient in the stuff I do just allows me to, you know, just have that energy still in my body to use for whatever I want to use it instead of wasting it.” Another adjustment for Gordon is moving to nickel. A transition like this could be a struggle for a young player, but he is looking on the bright side - the ability to be closer to the ball and make more plays. “I like to blitz and stuff like that, so them giving me the ability to go and do that. That's what I love a lot about being a nickel is being in the run phase, being able to blitz,” Gordon stated. “Hopefully, I go back to corner and go back and forth like I did. I do really love nickel and being near the ball.” The Draft also brought some help to Gordon and the secondary with Miami product Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson was drafted in the second round at No. 56 overall. He was able to make a lot of successful plays with the Hurricanes, defending seven passes last season and two interceptions. Stevenson is set to play on the outside, so he and Gordon have started to develop their chemistry. “Me and him are just going to keep building chemistry, and if he’s outside, you know, that’s just going to be another player that I build chemistry (with) and trust to know that he’s going to do his job on the outside and I’m on the inside,” Gordon said. “So, you know, just kind of building our communication and talking and just getting to learn together and know how we both fit when we’re on the same side and stuff like that.”
The season will start out with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, September 10. Last season, their passing offense was rather mediocre at No. 19 overall.
Now that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is gone and Jordan Love has seemingly taken over the starting job, this opener should allow for an easier opening to help the defense get in the groove of the regular season.
