The Bucks are hoping for more production from their defensive line this year. And they put a lot of resources into that part of the roster to make sure they hit their target.much has been said about them draft class It included three defensive linemen to reinforce the force. But the most important addition may be the lesser known one.A more understated move the team made was through free agency when it signed the former Rams defensive tackle. One year contract with Greg Gaines.
Greg Gaines’ career so far
Since being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, the former Husky has steadily built a solid NFL career as a tribute to future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Donald’s presence helped Greg Gaines improve his work, and Gaines’ abilities helped bring out Donald’s sublime talent to the fullest. Gaines has a total of 122 tackles, 11 lost tackles, 24 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks in 59 career games (25 starts). Gaines didn’t become a full-time starter until 2021, but has since racked up 91 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
How he fits into the Bucks’ defensive line
Greg Gaines isn’t a pass rushing prodigy like rookie Kariya Kansi. And he’s not a midsize giant plug like the NT Vita Vea. Instead, Gaines offers the kind of hybrid, do-it-yourself player the Bucks expected from Akiem Hicks last year. At 6-foot-1 and weighing 312 pounds, Gaines is as huge as he is compact.hit Mock Draft Babels has his height in the 5th percentile for all defensive tackles, but his weight in the 84th percentile. It’s just a size dichotomy.
Bucks DT Greg Gaines – Photo Credit: USA Today
And with his unique physique, Gaines has found the versatility to play across head coach Todd Bowles’ defensive line. Focus Gaines has split most of his career between nose tackle and three technique, according to Pro Football. Last year, he lined up in the a-gap 332 times as a nose and in the b-gap 371 times as a three (or 4-i). That’s a 47/53 split. Looking at his entire career so far, his ratio reverses to his 53/47 in favor of the nose.
What does it look like when you put this in the context of the Bucs line? becomes possible. If Gaines is out on the field with Veer on early downs, Gaines can play as a three-man, with Veer’s massive build jammed in the middle of the field and taking on a double team. As the downs lengthen in the second half, the two can be replaced, with Gaines effectively absorbing the double team, allowing Vare to win one-on-one with the guards.
With Gaines teaming up with Kansy and former second-round pick Logan Hall, he has the opportunity to play Nose with ease and use his speed and physical tools to quickly win over young, athletic players and chase quarterbacks. would be able to give The best way I can sum up Gaines is that he’s the Swiss Army knife the Bucks want to unleash the wealth of physical talent the rest of the defensive lineman has.
Greg Gaines wins by head
In many ways, Greg Gaines stands in contrast to other interior defense linemen who sit at the top of the Bucks’ tier. This can also be seen from the difference in relative motion scores after college. Using his physique and strength, Vea 9.53 (on a scale of 0-10). Kansi, though much smaller, showed incredible movement skills by landing just ahead of Vea with a 9.60 RAS score.
Kariya Kansi is a DT candidate for the 2023 Draft class. He earned a 9.60 RAS out of his 10.00. This ranked his 64th out of 1585 DTs from 1987 to his 2023. #RAS pic.twitter.com/W2ibNltPey
— Kent Lee Pratt (@MathBomb) April 7, 2023
Hall was a bit of a blend of the two. Similar results for 9.38. Gaines are not the same The same stratosphere as those three. It’s not that he’s completely athletic. He has some explosive power in his lower body, but he doesn’t register insane and measurable explosive power like the other three.
He wins by being very clever and cunning. He rarely launches the ball faster than anyone else, but being able to read where the ball should go before and after the snap makes sure he’s in the right place.
Gaines (who lined up just off the right shoulder of center as a nose tackle) quickly crossed with the right guard and felt the guard move him to the left of the offense to open a hole in the B gap. I pushed it in and closed the hole. This forces the running back to cut runs to the left, ultimately for minimal gains.
Gaines is also adept at defending an ever-growing wide-zone offense.
Here he is again lined up on the nose just above center. As the play widened to the right of the defense, Gaines turned to the backfield to keep an eye on the running backs. He never over-rotates his hips to the playing side, and when a running back tries to cut the field right behind him, Gaines is able to fill the hole away from center, resulting in a defensive stop. will occur.
Greg Gaines is a decent pass rusher
He’s going to have a tough time if Greg Gaines, the up-and-coming inside pass rusher, asks him. But I hope that’s not his role on the Bucks’ defense. In his career, he has experienced 64 pressures in 1,106 pass rushing snaps. His 5.8% pressure rate is nothing to write home about. His high was in 2020 when he generated 38 pressures in 476 pass rushing attempts (8.0% pressure rate). But given the chance, Gaines can push the pocket.
And every now and then, Gaines throws a hand swipe or a dip in the shoulder, using his short stature to sneak under and around linemen to force big plays.
Greg Gaines likely has a job if he doesn’t realize it
Greg Gaines probably doesn’t like the comparison given the fact that it’s his job to fight them every play, but he’s a lot like an offensive lineman. He’s at his best in the role, even if it doesn’t get noticed much.
That’s because his job is to hit the darker side of the defensive line. Beat double teams and put your athletic teammates in a position to win more often.
Gaines is the new Will Golston. New Rakeem Nunes Roche. The new Akiem Hicks (he in 2022 and the one we expected). Gaines was contracted as a lynchpin who holds everyone else together as the best versions of themselves. And I have a feeling he’ll play that role all the way to the “T” and help take the Bucks’ defensive line to a level that some might find surprising.