Jack Del Rio is glad Chase Young is coming back soon…but he is not going to change his message.
Young tore an ACL in the ninth game in 2021, a home win over Tampa Bay. Young played in 15 games in 2020 contributing 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 4 passes defended, 3 fumble recoveries, 10 tackles for a loss and 12 QB hits.
But 2021 was a very disappointing season, as Jack Del Rio and Ron Rivera exhibited frustration and talked of players needing to do their jobs and play as a part of a unit. Del Rio this year went as far as to say that last year some players played like “they were independent contractors.”
Del Rio Thursday expressed to the media his expectations for Young when he returns.
“Play hard. Do the best you can to help the team. The biggest thing is not to make it about him personally. Just come out, give great effort, fit into the rotation and do your job. That is what our guys have been doing to allow us to play well. That’s not going to change.”
There you have it. Del Rio is saying the defensive players have played together, accepting their roles and their calls in given situations, Del Rio stating publicly he expects Young to do the same.
Del Rio wisely stated he expresses and emphasizes these principles to the defensive unit and that too will not change.
“The whole group. We talk about that all the time. It is about us working together. It will be no different when he returns. I know there will be a lot of attention on him and I’m excited to get him myself, to have him return. It is still really about us doing our job, how it works together and how it leads to a lot better results on Sunday when you’re doing it.”
Del Rio’s message is so simple for each defensive player. It’s not about you; It is about the team.
