A Closer Look At Rookie Linebacker Justin Houston

We're going to take a look at Justin Houston in this post. I know that this post has changed from week to week but I wanted to write about something positive and re-watching the Jets game one thing stood out early, and that was Houston showing off his versatility. So I thought why not just show-off our rookie third-round linebacker and have a discussion on him and why it's so huge that he's come around these last few games.

He hasn't been perfect by any means but he's given us another pass-rushing threat opposite of Tamba Hali recently, and it is HUGE that he's come around and shown that he can make some plays for this defense. There's no reason to think he won't continue to develop every time he steps on the field and that's one less position to worry about heading into the offseason.

It's not going to be long before most fans' attention starts wandering towards the mock drafts and player rankings for those declaring for the draft this year. A teams' success can be directly related to at what point in the season most of the conversations switch toward mock drafts and trade scenarios for the fans. That's about now for any Chiefs' fan that hasn't already started based on the recent Chiefs' struggles.

But most people can say right now that the SOLB position for the Chiefs is going to be held-down by Justin Houston and his back-up, Andy Studebaker, heading into next season and beyond. And not just as a position filled, but a position (and player) to be optimistic about when thinking about an entire, healthy Chiefs defense in 2012. Here are some examples from the Chiefs recent game against the Jets of why being optimistic about Houston holding down the SOLB position for the Chiefs in the future is a good thing.

Here are six plays that show the versatility this guy brings to the Chiefs defense. Thanks again to Clay for editing these clips.

In these consecutive plays on the Jets first possession you'll notice what makes him such a talented all-around linebacker and one of the great ‘finds' of this season, if we want to look for such a thing.

First play. 1st quarter - 3rd and 4 with 13:07 left. Houston is lined up on Jets' running back LaDanian Tomlinson. After the motion, (And DJ probably reminding Houston of his responsibility) you'll see Houston take a few steps up-field. I believe he's been called to blitz/cover the RB. Basically try and take him out of the play. If LT stays in to block, you blitz, if not, you cover him. Either way on this 3rd down play you'll see a very understated athleticism for a SOLB in a 3/4 system.

LT was Sanchez' first look when he dropped back and began his progression. The line did a good job picking up the blitz but by Houston coming up-field on those first few steps, he took away Sanchez' first option. LT may have had a wheel route called from the beginning, or option-route (sideline or upfield), and was the hot-read on a blitz, but when he turned his route up-field, Houston was right there with him stride for stride.

I'm not impressed that Houston can run with LT, I'm impressed that he could change directions like he did after taking those first few steps up-field. It's nothing earth-shattering or highlight-reel material. But when looking for classic examples of what you need from a guy in that position, this is a good example of having ‘fluid' hips for a LB and covering in space.

Because covering RB's in space is just one piece of the puzzle, the other being a physical enough player to take on the strong side of an offensive formation and play against the run. The SOLB must be able to disengage lineman and make plays in traffic. That skill combined with what we saw Houston do in the last play is why finding a good SOLB isn't always easy. You must be athletic enough to cover in space, but also big and physical enough to take on offensive lineman. The other side of that spectrum is next.

Second play. 1st and 10 with 12:19 left in 1st quarter. You'll see on this play, which is coincidentally the very next play in the game, that Justin Houston uses his physical skill-set to get off the double-team and make a play on the running back. Houston gets double-teamed on this double-tight to the strong-side play and still Houston makes the tackle for just a one-yard gain.

Finding a player that can perform like he did on these last two plays isn't easy and the Chiefs have found a good one. Like I said above, these aren't all-world plays, but it's showing off a versatile skill-set that's needed to be a 3-down linebacker in the NFL in this kind of defense.

Third play. Same drive. 1st and goal with 9:45 left in 1st quarter. Houston is lined up head-on Dustin Keller (#81) split-right. I'll just call this an example of recognition and reaction skills. Not only does Houston get a quick jam on Keller, he gets to his "zone" in the right flat, where LT is quickly headed, fast-enough and through a possible ‘pick play' by the WR in the perfect time that Sanchez looks LT off when he sees Houston there.

After the pass (bottom of screen) and in the second replay you'll see LT open in the end-zone, but he was the first-read for Sanchez on this play, and Sanchez made a quick, bad decision on where to go with the ball after Houston initially got in the throwing angle of Sanchez going to LT in the flat. You'll see Sanchez' hand come off the ball as to say, "I want to throw it now but that Houston guy just jumped it and now I have to go somewhere else". That thought-process could have been an INT for the Chiefs if Flowers was 6'3, or 6'1 and had mad one-handed skills.

Fourth play. 3rd and goal with 8:59 left in 1st quarter. Does this need more than a link to explain? He's lined up outside the RT and is about to 'do work'.

Fifth play. 1st and 10 with 13:40 left in 2nd quarter. The defensive line did a great job as a whole on this play, which resulted in a loss of yardage. But Houston sealed the edge and kept the play from being bounced to the outside, which is one of his main responsibilities and something Studebaker had struggled with this year. Great job on this play by Houston.

Sixth play. We're going to end this post with this one. 3rd and 3 with 12:19 left in 2nd quarter. I'm hoping to see a lot more of this over the next few years. How about you? Interesting to note that in this dime defense by the Chiefs, Houston is lined up on the weak side while Tamba is on the strong side.

Thoughts on Houston and what his development could mean for the defense heading into next season?