When the Lions had a 5-10 record late in the 2020 season, there was one particular play by linebacker Jahlani Tavai that told me everything I needed to know.
Minnesota star receiver Justin Jefferson was on his way to picking up 38 yards off a reception, and Tavai chased him down from behind like it was the game-saving tackle in the Super Bowl.
He made a similar touchdown-saving tackle against Carolina a few weeks prior, when the speedy Curtis Samuel was on his way to the end zone. Detroit was 4-5 at the time, yet there was Tavai racing to make the stop.
That is the kind of stuff a team can not coach -- players who play like they want to win.
Tavai is what he is. He is like any other inside linebacker in the league. He has some physical limitations that can not be changed, which is why he plays on the inside and not on the outside. However, a team can not coach that desire. Having that "want" is ultra important, and it is the intangible that helps a team create a winning culture.
I have liked Tavai since I first evaluated him in 2019 (B grade). I thought back then that he was a classic run-and-hit LB who was active, physical and had above-average playing speed.
When I turned on all 59 of the plays he was featured in on NFL Gamepass in 2020, I saw the same player, who, if anything, looked like he had improved on his technique of being able to use his hands to shed blocks.
He still got hung up on some blocks way too long, and could not make the tackle until several yards downfield. But, he still was that same fighter who was trying to make it happen.
He looked identical both seasons in coverage. He was dependable enough to make the tackles after the receptions were made.
Tavai has shown in both seasons the ability to stay healthy and stay on the field, playing in all but one game.
He was also consistently productive (2019: 58 tackles, 2020: 58 tackles), and the thing I really like about him is that he is a solid wrapping and jarring tackler, who has the potential on any given play to knock the ball loose and create a fumble. Tavai gets after it.
Now, Detroit is going to a 3-4 base defense (three defensive linemen and four linebackers), which perfectly fits Tavai.
The challenge for Tavai now is not shifty running backs or chasing down fleet receivers, but instead fitting into a new scheme, with a new regime leading the way.
Here are the four keys to success for Tavai in 2021.
1.) As elementary as this may sound, he has to want to continue to improve.
All improvement starts and ends here.
Only if he wants to improve, will he be open to the new coaching staff's direction and input. Believe it or not, once players start getting paid, this is anything but a given.
2.) Tavai has to find a way to become one of the new regime's guys.
This is something seen throughout the NFL -- every team wants "its own guys," players that each team's present regime either selected or had on another team prior.
Translation: Tavai will really have to prove himself in order to endear himself to the new regime.
3.) While Tavai gives it everything he has in pass coverage, he needs to study film of Detroit's 2021 opponents.
He needs to do this to put himself in even better position to anticipate the routes, to compensate for his aforementioned physical limitations.
This will give him the best chance to be able to make plays on the ball, instead of just making the tackles after the ball is caught.
4.) Tavai needs to continue to improve at taking on and shedding blocks on running plays.
As I pointed out, he has shown improvement in this area, but still far too often, he gets tied up on a block and can not make the tackle until several yards downfield in those situations.
He clearly shows the ability to work through the trash -- all the players around him -- to get to the ball carrier in other situations laterally that extend out to the sidelines. He just needs to do the exact same thing inside the box (inside the offensive tackles).
So, the keys to Tavai making the team and being a more effective linebacker partially hinge on politics and partially on him.
All he can focus on is his part of that equation, and then let the chips fall where they may.
I personally believe, based on what I have seen on film, Tavai will find a way to endear himself to new Lions head man Dan Campbell, because of how Tavai plays the game.
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