In the seventh installment of this series, it's time to take a look at the Chiefs young defense. This week we'll focus on Glenn Dorsey. The third year man out of LSU really stepped up last season, catching the eye of fans and pundits alike. Can he continue his rise in the league?
As we all know, Glenn Dorsey was drafted #5 overall in 2008 to play the 4-3 DT position. He was looked at by most experts as the best player coming into the draft. In his rookie season, many felt as though the Chiefs had a bust on their hands. He was often invisible, but towards the end of the season started to show progress. In the second campaign Dorsey began to emerge. While Kansas City was still atrocious, Dorsey was starting to show flashes of promise consistently on the line. His footwork and technique was better and the Body by Haley program had him in the best shape of his career.
Last season, young Glenn really shined. The youngest player on the defensive line (out of the starters, Jackson didn't really start for most of the season), Dorsey showed why the Chiefs stayed the course with him. With a 3-4 DE, it's sometimes hard to quantify the impact through stats. The position is more about commanding a double-team and holding up blockers to allow others to make plays, rather than make the play themselves. It's also the DE's job to penetrate and push the pocket, something Dorsey excels at, especially in the running game.
Dorsey has seen his tackles total climb each year (46,54,69) along with his solo tackles (32,41,51). For camparision purposes, these are the numbers of a potentional Hall-of-Fame 3-4 DE in his first three seasons. His tackles were 44, 56, 57 respectively along with his solo tackles 25, 33, 34. This player had more sacks by a good bit then Dorsey (16.5 to 4) to be fair, but this man was also playing on a great defense with Hall-of-Fame talent around him. His name is Richard Seymour.
So the question isn't can Dorsey continue to play well, but can he become one of the game's elite?
My Verdict: He not only can, but he will. Throughout this series I've been very honest with my feelings, taking away from the equation that I'm a Kansas City fan. I've said Bowe may take a step back, and that Charles won't rush for 6.4 YPC again. However, Glenn Dorsey is going to have a tremendous year.
If the Chiefs can get Aubrayo Franklinor someone else of significance at nose tackle, Dorsey will start to completely dominate. It was easy to see he was really starting to understand the position last season under the tutelageof Anthony Pleasant and Romeo Crennel. Dorsey has made the tough transition from college to NFL, and from 4-3 defense to 3-4 defense. This will be his third season in the 3-4 and second season under Crennel.
Dorsey is the most underrated player on Kansas City. He's vital to their success as a cog in their young, vibrant defense. Due to the position he plays, he doesn't get a lot of acclaim which is really too bad. He isn't racking up sacks like Tamba Hali or intercepting passes like Eric Berry, but make no mistake, he's extremely important. He frees up players like Hali and Johnson to make the crowd-pleasing plays.
There isn't a player I respect more on the Chiefs than Glenn Dorsey. The offenses that play him this season will feel the same way.