Why L'Jarius Sneed is the PERFECT FIT for Titans defense

Intro lerus Sneed is the perfect fit for new Titans defensive coordinator dard Wilson's defense but what is it about sneed's game that makes he and Wilson such a perfect match made in football Heaven well let's explore earlier this offseason you probably know this the Titans traded for and then signed the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback to a 4-year $ 76.4 million extension and Tennessee gave up a 2025 third round pick they also swapped 2024 7th rounders so you have to wonder given this draft Capital given up given the doll contract Sneed commanded given his history with chronic knee problems will the Titans regret this gamble or will Sneed be the missing piece that elevates the Titans defense to Contender status well welcome back to the Music City audible YouTube channel where we talk everything tennessy Titans as I said today we're going to look at why lerus sne was essentially built in a lab to execute dinard Wilson's scheme we're also going to look at the risks associated with his acquisition But ultimately whyne is the perfect fit as that player who can take the Titans defense over the top while you're here be sure to subscribe to this channel give the video a thumbs up and turn on channel alert so you get a notification every time we drop a new video and please drop a comment below to join the conversation also this video is presented by sinkers beverages in East Nashville Bluegrass beverages in Hendersonville stay tuned for more on sinkers beverages later in the video all Dennard Wilson's Philosophy right so before we get to why sne fits perfectly in Wilson's defense first we should probably establish some key components of what this defense will even look like dinard Wilson was a former pro defensive back himself he's been a defensive backs position coach he's been a defensive passing game coordinator he has a clear strategy when it comes to defending wide receivers his philosophy is all about aggression and pressure from day from day one it's we press everythingi Wilson's scheme heavily incorporates the aggression of press coverage as part of a broader attacking pressure oriented approach press coverage a cornerback technique where the defender lines up close to the line of scrimmage engages the opposing wide receiver with physical contact at the line right at the snap the goal here of press coverage is to disrupt the offense's Rhythm by throwing off the receivers route timing and preventing a clean release off the line thus forcing the offense into unfavorable positions and allowing more time for the pass rush to get home so how does press coverage as a component fit into the overall defensive philosophy of dard Wilson well number one it disrupts the offensive timing you can use press coverage to disrupt rece re's route throw off the timing between the receiver and his quarterback which can lead to incomplete passes or even interceptions if the offense isn't in sync and that's a critical component in forcing those valuable turnovers that dinard Wilson emphasizes secondly it can help disguise coverages which Wilson will likely do he'll use press alignments to mask the coverage intentions Defenders can show press or then bail into Zone coverage which can confuse quarterback's pre- snap reads but if they're always at the line of scrimage and they don't always press that can cause confusion also number three it limits quick passes which in today's NFL most offenses are relying on these quick short passes which you know it helps negate the pass rush but if you're press covering if you're up there jamming the receivers at the line of scrimmage it can disrupt these quick hitting plays and finally it offers run support look passing is the name of the game in the NFL but if you can't stop the run you're not going to have a good defense cornerbacks who line up in press are again closer to the line of scrimmage which allows them to engage more quickly in the run defense so this defensive approach of dard Wilson it's highlighted constant press coverage it requires cornerbacks who can do that who are physical who play with good technique and especially who can recover if they're initially beaten so all of those are attributes that lerus need possesses Wilson scheme is likely going to be based around a high-risk High reward strategy it's all about generating turnovers and big plays for the defense can change the game if executed properly so we've covered the Sneed's Fit defensive philosophy how does Sneed fit into this overall philosophy we're going to start with the obvious if press coverage is such a huge component of the defense he's got to be able to play press coverage Sneed has that size speed strength and the footwork which allows him to jam receivers effectively to throw off those routes and create chaos for quarterbacks in fact this isn't just it test this isn't just film study there are stats now that back this up during the 2024 Season Pro Football Focus PFF they began tracking how often Defenders make contact with a receiver in a route Sneed ranked as the fourth most physical defender in the NFL according to PFF charting Sneed made contact with a route running receiver on 33% onethird of his coverage snaps on those snaps where he made contact with the receiver he allowed just a 30.3% completion rate he forced an incompletion 21% of the time and he surrendered just a 46.0 passer rating that is Elite he also only gave up a first down or a touchdown on 18% of the targets that came his way the player who led the NFL last season in this new PFF physicality metric was actually Atlanta Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell he was all the way up at 40% now AJ Terrell last year with this 40% physicality metric was coached in Atlanta their secondary coach last year was Steve Jackson Wilson brought Steve Jackson over to coach the Titans secondary this year he will be lerus sneed's position coach so with Jackson we know his aggressive philosophy in the fold we know dard Wilson just went through his aggressive philosophy with both of those guys now coaching lerus needed I would expect that rate of contact in coverage the 33% rate to rise even higher this year because it's how both of these coaches want their Corners to play and it's where Sneed truly excels but what is it about Sneed that makes him so good in press coverage I mentioned the physical tools the size the speed the length the footwork he also has the right mentality because it's not just the physical attributes that allow you to play press coverage at a high level the quarterbacks out there need the right mental approach they have to be aggressive and fearless press coverage can be a gamble sometimes it will lead to big plays for the offense if you get beat off the line of scrimmage but as a Defender you cannot worry about those few times that you do get beat you got to move on to the next play and sne does a great job of this he does not let the negative plays affect his mentality so that attacking attitude meshes perfectly with Wilson's aggressive overall approach in Wilson's defense these skills are invaluable sneed's ability to disrupt timing and Route at the line of scrimmage it should give the pass rush extra time to get home it should be able to force quarterbacks into rushed ill-advised throws which allows the defense overall to be more aggressive with blitzes and again creates opportunities for those ever valuable turnovers there's a few other reasons it's not just press coverage there's a few other reasons why Sneed can excel in this scheme he's a great like I just went through a great man coverage press corner but he has the skill set to play man and Zone and Wilson is going to you know he's going to mix up the coverages he loves defensive backs who can wear multiple hats so it's not going to be all man out there he's got going to have to play some Zone coverage too and he's good at it in Wilson's defense creating turnovers is key I've said it five times now which means ball skills in the secondary are important sne has 10 interceptions in the last four seasons he has shown he's got a nose for the football he's got instincts and playmaking ability that could be a GameChanger for this defense he was fifth among all Corners last season with 12 pass breakups to go along with two interceptions last year he also has some blitzing ability we know dard Wilson's going to bring the heat from all over the the formation on defense Sneed is no stranger to rushing the passer he is pil held up 6 and a half sacks in his career proving that he can get to the quarterback when called upon I don't expect this to be a huge component of what Sneed does for jard Wilson but I expect it to be up at some element of what the defense does when you least expect it here comes lerus Sneed on a blitz and finally like I mentioned earlier yes defense stopping the pass is all the rage in the modern NFL but you got to be able to stop the run too and larius needs tackling ability is another aspect that sets him apart for most cornerbacks dard Wilson needs his defensive backs to be short tacklers and sne is known for this solid tackling ability especially for a cornerback he got the corners playing tight to the line of scrimmage and press coverage you're going to need those Corners to be active in run support needs physicality and tackling technique make him a pretty reliable last line of defense give to Williams he's tripped up he had a little bit of a seam there but lerus KNE made an excellent tackle and to Pro to back this up with stats among all corners who met a minimum snap threshold last year Sneed with sixth in the NFL in total tackles just on run plays last season so Sneed is nothing short of the ideal corner for Wilson's defense but that doesn't mean this will be a home run acquisition I mentioned there might be some risks so let's get into those risks and then talk about how Sneed can Elevate the Titans defense to True Contender status but first a quick Ad Break break to remind you all this video is brought to you by sinkers beverages in East Nashville and Bluegrass beverages in Hendersonville sinkers beverages is the premier wine spirits and beer store in East Nashville serving the community since 1985 their knowledgeable staff is proud to help you with large parties themed events or finding something unique for a special occasion from birthday parties to Milestone celebrations to Everyday moments sinkers can help with the right drink for every occasion plus sinkers is available on Uber Eats the most convenient way to get all the booze you need delivered straight to your front door if you check the link in this video description or head to sinkers beverages.com you can join The In Crowd incrowd members get access to allocated wines and spirits exclusive events Early Access to Barrel releases and more all Risks of Acquiring Sneed right back to lerus Sneed so as I said the move to acquire Sneed does not come without significant risks clearly Rand carthon was comfortable taking those risks but let's talk about some of them number one first and foremost as I mentioned Sneed has dealt with chronic knee issues these first appeared in the week leading up to the 2023 Super Bowl the one against the Philadelphia Eagles and they persisted all throughout last season he was granted permission to seek a trade late February of this year and when that happened NFL Insider Tony Pauline went out and reported on these lingering knee issues he wrote on March second I have learned from numerous sources that Sneed has been dealing with a knee injury that prevented him from practicing for long stretches last season now these medical red flags were concerning enough the Vikings who had shown interest in trading Force need when they found out about these medical concerns they backed out of trade talks they were no longer interested that's how concerning they were however it it would appear the Titans were not scared off by these reports team president Chad Brinker told Paul koharski back in April the Titans were confident in sneed's long-term Health they exchanged information with the Chiefs about sneed's knee and then Brian Callahan echoed that sentiment during a recent press conference after a training camp practice and we also talked to Kansas City you know they we we had our our trainers have reached out and talk asked about the program he was on and how they did it and then uh obviously with the our doctors and our trainers and some input from him just what the best thing is for him to stay as as healthy and fresh as possible for you know 17 games plus so while sne did not miss a game in 20123 outside of week 18 which he was held out of for rest he played 98% of the team's defensive snaps when he was active the knee injury was still enough to keep him out of practice for the majority of the season so this injury management is something the Titans will just have to deal with in order to keep sne healthy and ready for a 17 Game season uh possibly more than 17 games if the Titans achieve their goal of making the playoffs and there's a lot of people that probably don't think they will but in the from the Titans perspective you got to be able to manage it however that all that concerns said sne himself does not think it will be a problem oh man ain't nothing wrong with my KNE I'm I'm I'm fine you know I played the whole season and years before that I played as well you know I had a couple problems you know I had banged up knee before but I'm good right now nothing is really wrong with my knee well aside from the injury risks the Titans also parted ways with draft Capital substantial cap space to bring in Sneed this will potentially impact their future roster building capabilities so it's that's a risk just in and of itself and one last thing an area where seed has struggled a bit the one thing that maybe keeps him from being in the top three cornerback mix in the NFL he's committing too many penalties he has a look a very physical nature which just is going to lead to more Flags than you'd like last year we saw him commit an NFL High 17 penalties mostly for holding a receiver so that's just a result you're going to have to live with in order to maximize this press coverage heavy scheme Brian Callahan doesn't seem too concerned about the occasional flag if it means mostly shutting down the opposing team's top receiving weapon no you definitely don't want penalties you don't want to you never want to be the highest penalized in anything um but it is part of his play style I think you can there's some technique things you can clean up uh when you guys get a little grabby and handsy at the top of routes but um he's just an incredibly aggressive corner and uh you got to live with that that's the cost of doing business sometimes when guys play that way and and he's going to make a whole lot more plays he's going to give up Why Sneed Takes Titans Defense To Contender Status all right so we acknowledge all those risks even so I still think Sneed is the type of Premier Corner who can take this Titans defense from Pretender to Contender he's still just 27 years old so he should be able to maintain his high level of play for at least three to five more years maybe not quite that long but enough time to maximize the will Levis rookie contract window and throughout his career sne has taken on the challenge of matching up with the opposing team's best receiver on a weekly basis and he often limits their production when matched up against them so let's look at some of the receivers he matched up with just last year AJ Brown allowed one catch for eight yards Stefan Diggs who's now in the division in Houston sneed's going to see him twice a year he allowed four catches only 24 yards against Justin Jefferson arguably the best receiver in the league Sneed conceded just three catches for 28 yards and yeah quarterback play was an issue in Minnesota last year but it didn't stop Justin Jefferson when he was on the field from being extremely productive what did stop him was lerus sneed's coverage in fact lerus Sneed did not allow a single touchdown as the nearest defender in coverage in the entire regular season last year he recorded 570 coverage snaps without allowing a score the most in the NFL his first touchdown allowed did not come until the Chiefs divisional round playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills Sneed has also historically been a playoff Riser played a huge role in helping the Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls last year let's just look at last year alone in the Wild Card match up with the Miami Dolphins Zen allowed Tyreek Hill to gather just one catch for only nine yards then the conference Championship Game Baltimore Ravens were poised to take a late lead in a game where touchdowns were really hard to come by Z flowers was about to score he was about to cross the goal line and give the Ravens the lead Sneed comes flying in at the last second pops the ball out of flowers grasp right at the goal line a a truly game-saving play saved their Super Bowl run and in the Super Bowl itself Sneed held Brandon auk a super Dynamic receiver to just three catches for 49 yards he also had key coverage on Jan Jennings on a crucial third down from Their Own nyd Line in overtime if the ners score here they win the Super Bowl but check out this play here is a great example of how we can see press coverage being so effective Sneed uses that physicality throws off the timing between Jennings and Brock pie forces an errant throw and gives Patrick Mahomes the chance to drive down the field and win the game which is exactly what he did in ESPN's Anonymous poll of League Executives coaches and Scouts ranking the NFL's best corners Sneed came in at number four with at least one executive listing him as the number one corner in the game no one in this poll ranked him lower than the 10th best corner in the game his numbers speak for themselves when it comes to sneed's place as one of the truly Elite shutdown Corners in the game today so there you have it lerus sne skill set seems to align perfectly with what dard Wilson wants in a defensive back could this be the start of something special what do you think is need the missing piece to take the Titans defense over the top let me know in the comments Outro below thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video again remember be sure to subscribe to the channel give this video a thumbs up like and turn on channel alert so you get a notification every time we drop a new video until next time yall stay safe out there and tighten up a broadway sports media production