The Ealy Evolution

[top dawg]

Kony Ealy is coming of age. That is a truth that those closest to him on a professional level have been obviously privy to for a while, and I would suspect that his friends and family outside of football are keenly aware of this fact as well.  Impatient Panthers' fans may have questioned Ealy's development and potential during his first couple of seasons---even to the point where I was hearing whispers of "Bust!" right here on the Huddle---but the Panthers knew that Ealy was the real deal. An article by Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer (via WBTV) gives you glimpses of the mindset of Ealy and those tasked with helping him to unlock his potential, as well as affirms that the culture of the Carolina Panthers hinges upon evaluation, looking at the entire development of a player from a mature perspective with an embedded expectation of patience, and ultimately teaching quality human beings. Ealy is becoming the epitome of why the player development of the Panthers is exceptional.

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“I’m a big believer in culture and environment. I really am,” Gettleman said. “Our culture is strong enough where on the assumption a guy is not a bad guy, as long as he’s a good person, we can get him where he needs to get to. That’s part of our job. We’re not getting ready-made players.

“We knew there was an immaturity level there, but we knew he was a good kid. He was too good of value to pass up at the bottom of the second round. I couldn’t believe it. They’re holding me back saying ‘Dave don’t trade up, relax’ I would have traded up for him with that kind of value there. We sat and he’s there and the rest is history.”

I can just picture Dave Gettleman like a kid in the candy store---mental visions of that big ol' hog molly causing him to salivate and bust at the seams.

 

If there was ever any doubt about Ealy's ability to excel as a pro, his historic exhibition in Super Bowl 50 should have made the unbelievers do a double-take at the very least, if not just stop them dead in their tracks or do a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction.  Even I didn't realize perhaps the most stunning aspect of his performance.

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It only took 23 defensive snaps for Ealy to do his damage against the Denver Broncos.

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But in those 23 snaps, Ealy became the first player in Super Bowl history with multiple sacks and an interception. He’s only the third player in the game’s history to record three sacks in a Super Bowl.

 

Ealy's noted narrow focus was the catalyst behind his marked improvement late in the season and coming out party in the Super Bowl, but this "keeping it narrow" was obviously a result of his ability to listen and learn what the coaches were teaching him, and the scary thing for opposing offenses is that he is still learning.

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“The thing he’s doing well is he’s understanding how to put himself in a position to be an effective one-on-one pass rusher,” Washington said. “That’s important for our four-man front and Kony understands what he needs to do within his skillset to put himself in position to be a factor and productive in that way. And he’s still learning in that way.”

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“We try to make sure they understand their growth personally will affect their growth professionally,” Washington said. “And Kony has bought into that. He’s a tremendous listener. He’s doing a great job with the meetings and doing the mental part of the game and we’re starting to see the results of that on Sunday.

Ealy has come a long way, and the Panthers' plan and vision for him are being realized. He's a far cry from the unfocused rookie that admittedly "didn't get it" when he first stepped onto the  field at Wofford. He kinda sounds like he still feels some type of way about what Jones' characterized as Ealy's "rookie initiation", but at the end of the day Ealy still appears to be about business.

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“I’m not crying about everything. You’ve got to be a man in between these lines or you’ll find yourself outside of them real quick.”

The second part of that quote is a nice adage for a football player. 

 

Ealy is not only focused on handling his business on the field, but as coach Washington explained earlier, Ealy is also cognizant of handling his responsibilities off the field as well, the least of which is being a good father to his baby daughter, Royal.

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“It’s about taking ownership of being a man and a father,” he said. “And that starts with the little things, the things I do daily and making decisions on and off the field.”

Let's see how Ealy continues to evolve. He came into the league with the mean streets of St. Louis fresh on his mind, the somewhat self-imposed burden of taking care of his little sister who requires special needs, and obviously feeling the weight of being a pro football player and all that comes with it.  He was a good kid by all accounts that just needed to mature like most. He still has some growing to do if the alleged con job regarding exotic puppies has any real wings, but overall Ealy seems headed in the right direction. The birth of his daughter and mentoring by his coaches and teammates seems to be taking hold in the young man off the field. On the field, the Panthers' teaching seems to have at least cut open Ealy's can of whoop-ass. It's up to him to peel the top off the rest of the way and unleash his full potential. With the Panthers' defensive line, he is in a perfect position to punish the opposition.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/32146058/carolina-panthers-de-kony-ealy-narrows-focus-to-nfl-fatherhood

 

 

 

[electro's horse]

I like ealy as much as the next guy but waaaaaay too much stock is being put on a performance against a qb that couldn't even complete the passing tree, and an offensive game plan that might as well included third down punts. 

[Hogmolliesmaht]

6 minutes ago, electro's horse said:

I like ealy as much as the next guy but waaaaaay too much stock is being put on a performance against a qb that couldn't even complete the passing tree, and an offensive game plan that might as well included third down punts. 

That wasn't exactly his first good game. Also, Ealy is the only defensive end that I've seen handle Russel Wilson one on one in the open field. This kid is gonna be really good. HIs best days are still ahead of him.

[electro's horse]

how can you people be hyper defensive and passive aggressive at the same time

[The Huddler]

28 minutes ago, electro's horse said:

I like ealy as much as the next guy but waaaaaay too much stock is being put on a performance against a qb that couldn't even complete the passing tree, and an offensive game plan that might as well included third down punts. 

get out.

 

outstanding article written by OP and this..

[Chief Keek]

#Kony2016

[mc52beast]

Getty has his work cut out for him, all the good players we have and we can't keep everyone.

[Mistuh Jones]

My god what the fug is wrong with you people? It's already been said that the SB wasn't his only outstanding game. He's gonna be a beast this year with double digit sacks, mark that poo down 

[Pejorative Miscreant]

20 minutes ago, Mistuh Jones said:

My god what the fug is wrong with you people? It's already been said that the SB wasn't his only outstanding game. He's gonna be a beast this year with double digit sacks, mark that poo down 

Usually it takes a few years for a DE to emerge. I am incline to agree with you. He proved the big stage wasn't too big. I think he takes it to a new level. 

[shaqattaq]

" I can just picture Dave Gettleman like a kid in the candy store---mental visions of that big ol' hog molly causing him to salivate and bust at the seams. "

The man certainly has a knack for finding talent on day 2; KK is a beast, Turner (3rd round!) is a beast, Ealy is on the cusp of greatness, and, apparently, Funchess looks like he may be a better all around WR than KB this (or next) season!

...no pressure Bradberry.

[shaqattaq]

Pre-emptive defense for my KB slander in prior post:

http://www.carolinahuddle.com/2016/06/05/breakout-player-devin-funchess/

"His “Kelvin-like” improvement makes sense, considering both Kelvin and Devin were both Gettleman graded first round draft picks. Devin’s only down side was just how green he was, but maybe more a shade of teal these days after a full season under his belt. Funchess is a lot like the rookie Kelvin.

However, Funchess has one big advantage over Benjamin.  He can play all three receiver positions. When it comes to the passing game, he is truly the X-Factor. Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula can place him anywhere on the field where he feels a mismatch may be lurking. For this reason, Devin Funchess may have a more positive impact on the Panthers offense than Benjamin."

 

[MHS831]

Nice, Dawg.  Ealy is developing at the same rate--maybe faster--than Hardy and CJ.  It takes time, which made this a beautiful pick.  Gettlemen does not draft for the upcoming season.  Most rookies suck their first year, so why would you draft for 2016 in 2016?  He peeks into the future.  Luke, Vernon Butler, Kony...Not really needs when we drafted them.

[CPantherKing]

Rivera still does not trust Kony.

[Dilla]

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He got a hard dose of NFL life at his first training camp. Time and again he got stoned by French-Canadian rookie tackle David Foucault, who was still learning the intricacies of playing American football.

Ealy, tired and frustrated, heard his teammates shouting a mixture of encouragement and heckles, and there was a type of rookie initiation being held on the Wofford field that afternoon.

 

This is probably why Foucault is still on the team lol