The five key traits that make up a strong tackler on defense

Everyone knows a good tackle when they see one - but what are the nuanced details that go into converting one? Any time you turn on an NFL broadcast, you will hear at least a couple of linebackers and defensive backs labeled things such as "a sound tackler," "a strong finisher," "a hard hitter," "a guy who always finds the football," and so on. What exactly are the nuanced traits that go into earning these labels? In my view, there are five key facets of the tackling process that occur throughout a defender's journey from his initial position to the football. 1. Recognition and break speed The first step of the process is setting a course for the ball-carrier as quickly as possible. This requires both mental and physical proficiency. How quickly can the player diagnose the play and identify where the ball is going? From there, how quickly can he plant his feet, break, and hit top speed? 2. Closing speed Once a course is set and the player's flight to the football has begun, the value of pure speed kicks in. How fast can a player get to the ball after he breaks on it? 3. Route Wide receivers typically come to mind when you hear "route-running," but the value of running a crisp route is crucial on defense as well. It's important for defenders to correctly predict which point of the field they need to target in order to meet the ball-carrier in a good position to bring him down. A player can be the fastest on the field, but if he is routinely aiming for the wrong spot when in pursuit, his speed is only going to take him out of the play quicker. Missed tackles are often due to misjudged routes that take the defender into a poor position to finish the play. Once a player hits full throttle, he needs to read the situation and the ball-carrier's trajectory to predict the best location to aim for. 4. Finishing The core goal of defense is very simple - get the ball-carrier down. Priority number one at the tackle point is minimizing whiffs. The last thing that a defensive coordinator wants to see is the opposing offense gaining more yards than its playcall actually earned simply because of a missed tackle. In this facet, we're concerned with the consistency of a player's tackling rather than quality. Bone-shattering hits can change a game, but the positive value of those plays is not nearly as profound as the negative value of a missed tackle. We're looking at a player's ability to botch as few tackle opportunities as possible, regardless of how mesmerizing or ugly the tackles themselves may be. A huge part of this facet comes down to decision-making. When a player is closing in on the ball-carrier, he reads the situation and makes a split-second decision on how to attempt the tackle. Do I go low and try to cut him down at his ankles? Do I lower my shoulder? Wrap him up? That decision can make or break the tackle. If the defender thinks the ball-carrier is going to zig, but he zags, he's dead in the water. However, even if the defender does make the correct decision on what type of tackle to attempt, he then needs to execute it. The best offensive players in the game are capable of breaking tackles with sheer physical ability - speed, shiftiness, power - even when the defender approaches him the right way. 5. Power Simply getting the tackle finished up is most important, but there is no doubt that there is value to be gained from landing a hit with authority. Crushing tackles can be more than just aesthetically pleasing and jaw-dropping when executed well. When they bring the ball-carrier's momentum to a complete halt and take away yards that he should have been able to pick up easily, they provide real positive value to the defense. If a player can top off his pursuit with a clean shot that erases any yards after contact - especially if it is done just shy of the first down marker or goal line - it's a delectable cherry on top. Let's take a look at a few examples of these traits in action, courtesy of the 2019 Jets defense. 1. Recognition and break speed On this 2nd & 6 play against Pittsburgh, Arthur Maulet holds a screen pass for Dionate Johnson to a gain of just three yards, tackling him immediately after he makes the catch. Maulet's recognition is what makes it happen. He fully commits to breaking inside the moment he sees Johnson cut, clearly showing that he was ready for the possibility of this play occurring. When Devlin Hodges released the ball, Maulet had already broken off of his right foot and taken another step with his left. This is a perfect example of good recognition/film study spurring a quick break that leads to a big play. Maulet also shows effective route-running as he anticipates the location of the catch and tops it off with a strong hit as he stops Johnson before he can gain another inch. 2. Closing speed Jamal Adams may only have run a 4.56 in the forty-yard dash (51st percentile among safeties) at the Combine, but he plays a lot faster than that in pads. The Jets defense was lacking speed in 2019 (Ashtyn Davis could help fix that), so Adams stands out as the fastest mover on the unit, thanks largely to his play recognition. Particularly in short areas, Adams is able to close ground in a hurry. Adams brings 267-pound Vance McDonald down for a five-yard loss on this play. Watch Adams sniff it out. He is already sensing the play from the jump, steadily inching closer, and then knows exactly what is coming when he sees McDonald allow Tarell Basham into the backfield. When a guy can see things before they happen, he will spend a much higher portion of his time on the field moving at top speed than others do. That will make him one of the game's fastest players even if his actual top speed isn't blazing. Adams is that kind of player. Once again, watch Adams diagnose, break, and cover a small amount of space in a flash. This man never looks anything like a 4.56 player. This next example is a hustle play rather than a play in pursuit, but it is another example of Adams' speed making an impact. He chases down Leonard Fournette (who ran a 4.51) from as many as six yards behind to save a touchdown. 3. Route Marcus Maye's route-running/tracking is perhaps his most impressive attribute. He does an excellent job of anticipating where he needs to be in order to keep a big play from becoming a game-breaking one. It's an especially important skill for him as a free safety in this Gregg Williams defense that often asks him to play extremely far off the ball. Maye perfectly anticipates where to meet James Conner on this play and delivers a hard hit into the sideline. Maye looks like a reflection of Ezekiel Elliott here. He attacks directly outside of the left tackle, shutting down Elliott's initial plan. When Elliott cuts outside, Maye mirrors it. Maye is able to thwart Elliott's attempted spin move and wrap him up cleanly, all thanks to his pinpoint positioning. 4. Finishing We look back to Maye for an example of a great finish in an open-field situation. This is actually an area where Maye has some issues, but he did have some beautiful peak moments. Maye faces Devin Singletary 1-on-1 with his back up against the goal line. He is a little late coming over and takes an aggressive angle towards the sideline to cut off Singletary's outside lane and force him back inside. Singletary comes back in - but he should have been able to easily send Maye towards the sideline and waltz in up the middle. Instead, Maye saves the day as he does an incredible job of halting his momentum and squaring up Singletary. With his advantages taken away, Singletary resorts to a juke, which Maye doesn't fall for. Singletary dives forward and Maye cuts him down to save the touchdown. That is some outstanding athleticism and recognition by Maye to make up for his late arrival and square up Singletary. He follows it up with good patience, not biting on any moves, and finishes with a well-executed low tackle that was a solid counter to Singletary's approach. He may have been better served attempting to wrap up in that situation, but his execution was good enough to get the job done. 5. Power Powerful hits are the most impactful when they limit yardage after contact. On this play, Adams and Maulet - arguably the two hardest hitters on the defense - team up to make a play through their tenacity. Josh Jacobs has a good opportunity to fall forward or cut outside for a gain of at least 5-6 yards on 1st & 10, but Maulet drives his shoulder into Jacobs' knee to stop his momentum, and Adams come in next to give Jacobs a shot in the back that keeps him to a three-yard gain. Saving that handful of yards to bring up 2nd & 7 is a lot more important than it seems. In 2019, the average 2nd & 7 play resulted in a first down 31.2% of the time. On 2nd & 5, the rate ballooned to 41.4%. It soared up even higher to 44.5% on 2nd & 4. This is where those YAC-eliminating hits affect the game. Each yard impacts the expected result of the ensuing down. Adams again shows his ability to use his knack for hard-hitting to impact the game in a positive way. He comes in from 15 yards off the line of scrimmage to bring down Darren Sproles just shy of the sticks and bring up third down. Neville Hewitt was the first to begin wrapping Sproles up, but Adams' power is what denied Sproles the final few inches he needed to move the chains.