Kyle Fuller's Physical Play Excites Everyone Except Himself
Kyle Fuller gives up words in a press conference the way he gives up receptions on the football field.
Considering Fuller allows 46.2% completions when he's targeted, you can imagine what his press conferences are like.
"Just vision," was Fuller's answer Saturday to inquiries about how he stopped Teddy Bridgewater at the goal line last week on a run.
Fuller on whether he has to watch to make sure he doesn't stop from being aggressive after getting penalized for big hits that keep getting flagged: "Sure."
Fuller on Rams receivers: "They're good."
And so it went.
They pay Fuller not to be an orator but to cover and hit, and he does both effectively, although officials seem to think he's doing one a bit too early on some plays.
Fuller has been flagged twice for hits too effective this year, including one last week that gave Carolina a first-and-goal situation. He had another flag for a big hit against Tampa Bay picked up on a play resulting in a critical Bears fumble recovery.
Fuller's other hit against Carolina on a pass led to a Pick-6 by Eddie Jackson that was wiped out for pass interference, although the replay clearly showed a change in the ball's spin and trajectory after passing Bilal Nichols' hand. This should have negated any pass interference, but there is no longer a replay for interference.
Fuller has six penalties to lead the Bears by one flag, and his 91 penalty yards are tops for one of the league's most penalized teams.
His hits have been so close to the legal/illegal border they're tough to judge, but teammates find them a joy.
"I've never been around a corner that hits like him," Bears safety Tashaun Gipson said. "I've been around some physical corners, like I think (Rams cornerback) Jalen (Ramsey) is one of the most physical corners in the league, but Kyle Fuller man, he's got a mindset. I've never seen a corner with that type of mindset.
"It's refreshing to know that one, your corner's not scared to tackle, but your corner's laying boomsticks, hitsticks on people. Instead of the safety having people scared to come across the middle, we've got a corner that's got teams scared to throw crossing routes across the middle. It's cool though because he doesn't even get excited. I think I get more excited when he lays a boom than he does. He's just an even-keeled guy. He'll knock a guy out and just walk off."
Fuller said he has always prided himself on his ability to be physical and acknowledged big hits can fire up a defense.
"You know there's a momentum," Fuller said. "I just treat it like another play."
So the cool demeanor Fuller shows in press conferences is not much different than his reactions on the field?
"It's cool because the more you're around Kyle, you just realize that his personality, he's always at a (level) 2," Gipson said. "His intensity might never get past a 4. A 4 is pushing it, man.
"But the man can flat out ball, and when you’re talking about physical cornerbacks, he’s never shied away from contact. And that’s refreshing to know that you’ve got a cornerback that can come in and do that."
The hitting isn't lost on coach Matt Nagy.
"He can do everything back there," Nagy said. "And you know what, too, that I really appreciate about Kyle is the amount of work he puts in off the field at home in regards to just studying film.
"Here’s a guy that’s been in this league for a long time and seen a lot of different wide receivers, a lot of different route combinations from teams, so what you see is a guy that has great ball skills, has really good eyes and vision and super smart and he's not scared to go ahead and throw his shoulder pads around a little bit."
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