They didnt do a lot of talking. Former Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia had to scratch his baseball itch after taking in ESPN's new documentary about Derek Jeter. Hes like a statue on the East Side, theyre so proud, Coach Tez said. With the Pirates facing a 3rd and 6, clinging to a three point, 43-40 lead with 4:30 left on the game clock, Sauce does a great job of positioning himself at the sticks, and understanding that any route combination will likely seek to gain first down yardage. Coach Tez, like many of Gardners coaches and teachers, recognized an unusual exuberance and fostered it. Gardners statistics from this season arent eye-popping three interceptions, two pass breakups, two sacks and a forced fumble. Gardners older brother, Allante, shepherded him through the recruiting process. That being said, few prospects at the cornerback position have entered the NFL with Sauce Gardners unique combination of size, length, refined technique, long speed, agility, football IQ, and experience in press coverage. The Red Sox reportedly fielded a call from the Mets about a potential trade for first baseman Dominic Smith as they weigh their options ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Its critical that we have Coby, who's the business man, to make sure everybody else understands that, Hey you can act like him.. Regardless, I am higher on Sauce Gardner than I was on either of last years top 10 cornerbacks, Pat Surtain II and Jaycee Horn, both of whom I had a high first round grade on as well. Entering the next level, Sauce needs to understand that he is at his best as a tackler when he is attacking his targets at full speed and taking swift and violent shots at the ball carrier, as with his frame, he wins through his momentum. After sinking into his deep zone in a Cover 3 assignment, Gardner steps up to tackle the crosser, but fails to square up his feet and stops before contact, leading to an open field miss. Below, in a late season matchup vs Eastern Carolina University from his freshman season, Sauce aligns in off coverage at the field cornerback spot, contrary to his traditional press man alignment in the boundary. The talent surrounding Gardner in the Cincinnati secondary shouldnt be overlooked. That being said, there are reps, such as the one below against USF, where he misses tackles due to his inability to properly square up his target. Cincinnati had the most stars for the categories, Allante said of the spreadsheet. 2021: 40 tackles 5 TFLs 3 sacks 1 FF 3 INTs 4 PBUs 1 TD To be the man, hed tell him, you have to inherit this sauce.. Likewise, both his high level coverage skills, his physicality defending the run game, and his high level of productivity as a blitzer, could allow teams to travel with opposing #1 WRs and even play in the slot on occasion. Certain systems, like those of Pete Carroll and his press man disciples, will favor Gardner as hell be mocked to a place like the New York Jets, Dallas or Seattle. Make sure you bookmark All Bearcats for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! Was targeted on average just 2.7 times per game in 2021, allowing just 0.25 yards per coverage snap That being said, entering the NFL having predominantly played as the boundary cornerback at the college level where hashes are far more spread out means that he will have to defend a much larger and more nuanced route tree at the NFL level. Relies on physicality at times when rerouting receivers downfield, might need to refine technique to avoid penalties at the NFL level At the snap, Sauce takes three patient read steps in his pedal, keying the quarterbacks three stop drop and release before using a smooth T-step break, closing on the hitch quickly, and undercutting the route for a 62 yard pick six, giving Cincinnati a permanent lead. And that spoke to Gardners innate gifts. Some of them be [more], No. Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, and the rest of the New England Patriots coaching staff were given official titles on Thursday as the team prepares for training camp. He put together a giant spreadsheet to compare the schools, listing 10 subcategories that included the schools ranking, the number of defensive backs by year and the number of defensive backs they put in the NFL at that position. In terms of major weaknesses in Gardners game, it is tough to identify any after watching six full games of tape. Klay Thompson gave a heartfelt thanks to his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, during his acceptance speech at the 2022 ESPY awards. The Cincinnati staff allows Sauce to be Sauce, the team leader in impromptu dance moves between reps in practice. Allante said that Sauce playing only two years of high school ball, and not finding a home at defensive back until 11th grade, hurt him in high-end recruiting. Gardner shined in spot duty and played corner the rest of that junior season by necessity, and that spring his offer sheet began to fill up. All eight of the former Bearcats will be back on the field together one last time at Cincinnati's Pro Day. Gardner ended up choosing between Iowa State, Kentucky and Cincinnati. That ranked 12th among cornerbacks at the combine. Its like you look back on it, and youre like, Oh crap how did you OK? Fickell said his face contorting through a made-for-GIF gamut of emotions as he recalled the play. Where many young cornerbacks panic in extended play situations and commit frustrating pass interference penalties, Sauce uses broken plays as opportunities for him to bait quarterbacks into ill timed throws where he can force turnovers and create short field opportunities for his offense. I told you Im sweet! Coach Tez recalled him exclaiming over and over in celebration. Hes an elite cover guy, hes big and hes tall. Bryant and sure-tackling safety Bryan Cook (6 PBUs, 4.5 TFLs) have strong chances to be drafted and are perfect complementary personalities. Hell take one side away, Ill tell you that.. Today I am profiling Cincinnati CB Ahmad Sauce Gardner. Ogunjobi was playing for the Browns when Myles Garrett bashed Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet during an [more], Jonas Vingegaard wins final mountain stage on Hautacam Tadej Pogacar crashes on descent; rival Vingegaard waits Vingegaard becomes leader in mountains competition Wout van Aert extends lead in one-man race for green Remaining list of teams and riders after 18 Tour stages. Likewise, I tend to believe that as the want to is there, this is an issue which can and will fix itself at the next level with NFL coaching. 5 Cincinnati the rapid growth of the overlooked, an underdog edge forged from the journey to the top and an arrival to the elite that everyone is still adjusting to. The best draft prospect in team history showed up in style as well. The instincts, cunning and skill it took made it the equivalent of a, No, no, no YES shot in basketball. CINCINNATI Sunday's secondary drills closed out the 2022 NFL Combine and two former Bearcats took part. Curtez Harris, known throughout the city as Coach Tez, has a fun drill with his players where hell throw a ball as high and far as he can and they sprint under it. Sauce impressed in the one drill he participated in (and focused training on)posting a 4.41 40-yard dash time. Had as many sacks, 3 as he did picks in his senior year, showing great versatility. Attitude-wise, practice-wise, he jokes, smiles, laughs, Fickell said. Otherwise, Gardner does have a bit of a tendency to be slightly too physical at times downfield, a trait which will certainly need refinement at the NFL level, where pass interference penalties are not only called more frequently, but are more costly in yardage as well. There are no PFF stats for stoicism penetration, but no one realizes this gift more than Gardner. There's a lot of times where he's making plays on perfect passes because of that length., The other is his instincts/intangibles, forged from the East Side Bengals through Detroit King and on display weekly at Cincinnati. Corners coach Perry Eliano describes Gardner as an old soul in new-age packaging, as they play spades the night before games and Gardner is doting to Elianos sons, Amari and Evan. Far too many young defensive backs tend to panic when the quarterback scrambles and offense is able to work into extended play situations. And the bells will continue to ring well beyond Detroit for A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner.. If you want a big, long press corner, youll eat that up.. Mainly due to his great pre snap disguise and impeccable timing coming off the edge, Gardner was often able to insert into the box quickly and unaccounted for, allowing him to both shut down backside runs and be disruptive as a pass rusher. One knock on Gardner will be the hit-and-miss history of lanky corners, as Tampas Carlton Davis III and Clevelands Greedy Williams will be comps. 3 in the Associated Press poll and No. Combine his movement skills with his patience and situational understanding of route recognition, and it becomes easier to understand why Sauce has separated himself from a majority of this years cornerback class. Also does a good job of playing through the hands when out of phase or unable to locate the football. At Detroit King High School, hed been good enough to receive MAC offers Toledo came first but couldnt nail down a full-time role as a receiver. Heck, he still wont even call Gardner by his nickname. Allowed just 13 catches for 117 yards during his 2021 season per PFF As if Europes Ryder Cup campaign was not in enough of a mess after Henrik Stensons firing as captain on Wednesday, a major-winning candidate to replace the Swede has called the likelihood of Thomas Bjorn stepping up a joke. While larger framed corners can be particularly disruptive in press coverage, at the NFL level, it is imperative that any corner be able to defend a full route tree from both press and off man coverage. Where most cornerbacks would track directly for the back hip, Sauces football IQ and situational understanding allowed him to take a more direct angle, where he could close rapidly and undercut the seemingly wide open route. The coaches know hell be locked in when it matters, and Bryant makes sure that frivolity isnt contagious. Sauce is unique for his size in his ability to efficiently plant and drive coming out of his backpedal, transitioning quickly and covering plenty of ground with his first step. While his football IQ stands out predominantly in his ability to key drops and jump routes, Sauces football IQ also helps him contribute to shutting down opposing teams rushing and quick passing games, where he has shown to be a willing tackler. Has plenty of different techniques in his press coverage toolbox, is able to keep receivers off balance by mixing it up throughout a game Below, aligned in press man coverage against Alabama, Gardner quickly identifies the pick route concept, ditches his man, closes to the flat, and shoots low to stick Jameson Williams behind the line of scrimmage for a loss.