Cole Kmet Explains What Makes Colston Loveland a Matchup Nightmare
Chicago's veteran tight end breaks down how Loveland's elite blend of size and speed forces defensive coordinators into impossible personnel choices, creating a lethal advantage for the Bears.
Video Transcript
Grant Breaker here for Bears on Roundtable.
The Chicago Bears have a very versatile weapon in tight end Colson Loveland as he's entering his second season in the NFL after a breakout rookie campaign.
He led the team in receiving yards and made great plays when the team needed him the most, whether that was in the regular season or in the wildcard round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, for example.
He had that a hundred-yard game against the Cincinnati Bengals where he caught the, the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of the game, bouncing off of multiple Bengals defenders.
And then he had another one hundred-yard game against the Packers as Caleb Williams continued to look to Loveland as his safety valve whenever he ran out of options going through his progressions.
No one knows, it better than, Loveland's teammates about just how dangerous he is, and fellow tight end Cole Kmet shared, what makes him a matchup nightmare when a reporter asked him at a recent press conference if he was a defensive coordinator, what he would do to try and slow down Loveland.
Kmet tried his best, but he really could not think of a great way to slow down Loveland.
When you think about it, most teams will usually try and put a linebacker on a tight end, which usually doesn't go well if you're someone like Loveland who is very good at route running and can get open quite easily.
Then you can also try and bring a safety or a cornerback to cover him if the linebacker struggles, but that means there's going to be one less cornerback or safety in coverage to, handle the receivers, which could let someone get open.
Then there are teams who, sometimes want to get smaller to try and handle, tight ends like Loveland.
But for the Bears, they are definitely a run-first team, and if a team comes out and tries to play small, then, that will just motivate the Bears to run the ball down their throat even more.
At the end of the day, there really is, not a great way to stop a player like Loveland.
Even if he is, he's covered, that means that there is someone else who is going to be open on a certain play with, him being the main center of attention.
The Bears don't realize just how special, Loveland is, as he can, not only create plays on his own, but if he is a, focus of the defense, it can open up things for someone else to have much more success.
