Pats must overcome fear factor to tackle Seahawks’ ‘Beast’
Published 8:00 am Friday, January 30, 2015
- Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch adjusts his cap during an interview for NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Phoenix. The Seahawks play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015.
PHOENIX-– The coach’s film never, ever lies in the National Football League.
Just watch the film on Seattle’s fearsome rusher Marshawn Lynch, nicknamed “Beast Mode.”
The NFL is stocked with tough guys, warriors and fearless contact hitters who are impervious to pain. Except when it comes to tackling Beast Mode.
“You see it on film, absolutely. Some guys clearly don’t want to tackle him at all,” said Patriots safety Patrick Chung. “Guys who are good tacklers, strong tacklers, they just don’t want to tackle him.”
And therein lies the greatest challenge for the New England Patriots’ secondary on Sunday in Super Bowl XLIX.
Lynch will break through the first two levels of defense. He’s just that good.
How the Pats’ secondary responds, whether it can hold him to nothing more than, say, 20 yards, will likely determine New England’s fate.
How will they tackle the “Beast”?
“You have to come out and wrap up,” Chung said. “He’s going to have his plays. You have to come with some force. You have to wrap up. Tackle him with a will to tackle. You have to want to tackle him for your teammates. You have to be there for them.”
The need to gang-tackle Lynch is a point each Patriot made at one time or another this week.
“They call him ‘Beast Mode’ for a reason,” said Duron Harmon. “He runs hard, he’s agile, he’s quick. You have a plan, you have to stay with that plan. There can’t be a fear factor. Any time there is fear in your heart, that’s when misplays and missed tackles happen.”
“You’re just not as confident to make that play as you know you can be. The ability to tackle and hit and have contact is the reason why you’re a good player. You have to remember that. You can’t fear any man,” Harmon continued.
Harmon’s college teammate at Rutgers, Logan Ryan, enters Sunday with no true barometer for collisions with the “Beast”. He’ll just rely on the words he’s heard from Pee Wee football to today.
“Head up, wrap up,” said Ryan. ”I’ve never tackled Marshawn Lynch personally. But we’ve all played football a long time. It all comes down to fundamentals. Wrap up, stay on your feet and bring him down.”
“You learn how to tackle in this game from Day 1. But it’s a grown man’s league. A lot of people don’t make it in this league, because they are not willing to tackle.”
Rallying to the football, whether you are big Vince Wilfork up front or Devin McCourty in the way back, is the number one key to slowing Lynch down.
Darrelle Revis, who is clearly more comfortable covering his guy than tackling, understands he must be at the ready, too.
“If I get a chance I will hit him,” said Revis. “And I know if he gets a chance, he will come after me.”