Originally Posted by Megatron96
So I just re-watched the first three quarters of the game, just the Chiefs' defensive snaps. Clark was doubled nearly every single down, which gave other guys on our DL several 1v1 opportunities. I noticed that Chris Jones was doubled most of the time as well. This fits with what we know about Gruden; he wants to take our best defensive players out of the game as much as possible.
Based on how Clark played I'm pretty sure that Spags knew that Clark was going to be a primary focus of the Raiders' OL.
In spite of this attention, Clark came off the snap hot throughout the game; I don't think he took any plays off when he was on the field.
He also managed to make a TFL, a tackle for a one yard gain (if he missed it that one probably would've gone for at least a first down), several QB pressures that forced Carr out of the pocket (exactly what we want), a couple tackles on their TEs that might've gone for big gains if Dee Ford had been out there.
Unfortunately, except for the TFL, he didn't have any splash plays. What he did do was play smart team football, drew a lot of attention to himself and helped everyone else on the DL make plays.
Most importantly, I didn't see him make any big mistakes. No lining up offsides, no encroachments, off-sides, losing his assignments, etc.
I really liked how he drove down on some of those running plays and forced the RB back into the middle. He played contain just about as well as anyone can play it.
I know some people are going to be pissed that Clark got a big contract and he didn't snatch Carr's head off every other passing play, but that's not realistic. The Raiders knew coming into the game who Frank Clark was, and they obviously knew exactly where he was on the field every snap. But all that extra attention helped our DL and our secondary at times. Bottom line, our defense has only allowed a couple dozen points in two games, and only allowed one big running play.
And I don't think Clark is in his best game shape yet. He's going to be fine, IMO. He's making our defensive line better, better at tackling, better at containment, and better against the run.
I'm starting to believe that the Ravens will have a hard time getting those big running plays against us next week.
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