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Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
LAS VEGAS — Early in his Chiefs career, L’Jarius Sneed used to call his father, frustrated.
Kansas City had him playing a heavy dosage of slot cornerback, a position he’d never played before. A 2020 fifth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, Sneed lined up on the outside his first three years in college. He played safety as a senior.
He played more than half of his snaps out of the slot as an NFL rookie (50.8%), according to Pro Football Focus. That increased to 61.4% in Year 2.
“‘I hate playing inside nickel,'” Sneed would tell his father, Bobby. “‘I hate it, I hate it.'”
The way Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt sees it, Sneed playing inside so much to start his career — he also played 47.6% of his snaps at the nickel spot last year — prepared him to be what he is this season.
It helped Sneed understand Steve Spagnuolo’s complex defense and his role within the scheme.
“Now he’s able to focus in and say, ‘OK, I have a home now,'” Merrill told FOX Sports.
The rest of the NFL world is seeing it.
Sneed has established himself as a lockdown, No. 1 outside cornerback this season. His goal-line forced fumble against Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers in the AFC Championship Game, which helped the Chiefs punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII, symbolized his national arrival as an elite player at his position. He’ll be key to slowing down 49ers star wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk for Kansas City, which is aiming to become the first franchise in nearly two decades to win back-to-back Lombardi trophies.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has already said it’s a priority for the franchise to re-sign Sneed, who’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, along with star defensive tackle Chris Jones.
“He’s the most aggressive corner that I’ve coached in my 27 years,” Merritt said. “”I don’t want to knock any other branch of the…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/chiefs-cb-ljarius-sneed-doesnt-talk-much-just-goes-in-and-gets-it-done
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Publish date : 2024-02-09 01:41:33
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