Reed Doughty and Chris Horton: The Depth Chart Switch And That Penalty From Last Week
Posted by Matt Terl on October 1, 2009 – 6:40 pm
Things have been pretty good for Reed Doughty this season, and he knows it. Every time I’ve spoken to him, he’s emphasized just how much better he feels, how much smoother he’s playing, what a difference this is from the start of last season.
Here’s what he had to say on Monday about his steadily-increasing role in the defense: “Whatever coach wants, whatever he feels is necessary at that point. I’m focused on special teams and I’m playing third down; if he says, hey, you’re up with first defense, I’m up with first defense. That’s just how I play it.”
Today, that’s pretty much what the coach said, elevating Doughty to starter in place of second-year safety Chris Horton.
“Reed’s playing as good of football as he’s ever played for us right now,” defensive coordinator Greg Blache said (between long paragraphs of throwing himself under the bus). “He’s got experience, he’s very savvy player. So we always thought those guys were 1 and 1. One guy has a little bit better athleticism, another guy’s got a little bit more in experience and recognition, and it was just a decision that we made.”
Horton and Doughty are close — the two are always together around the edges of the practice field, almost always talking with the elaborate hand motions that go with describing plays and coverages — and this will do little to change that relationship.
“It’s great,” Horton said, when I asked him to describe his relationship with Doughty. “I don’t know how many guys could have a good relationship with the guy you’re actually competing with week in and week out for a starting job. But for us, it’s not gonna be our decision who the coaches decide to play. We’re just always looking for ways to help each other. If something happens while I’m playing and he sees it, he’s gonna make sure that I saw it as well.”
And Horton can hardly argue with Blache’s sentiment that Doughty has more experience.
“I think we’re both good in-the-box players,” Horton said. “We both cover well out there. He has a little bit more experience; he’s seen a lot more in his four years than I have in my two. That’s the main thing.”
Safties coach Steve Jackson describes the disparity in even simpler terms. “There’s really not much difference between them,” he said today, “it’s just that right now, one of them’s playing at a higher level than the other one.”
Everyone involved is emphatic that this isn’t directly related to anything specific in Horton’s play.
Here’s Blache, sounding that theme: “It’s not that it was [Horton's] fault. Trust me.”
Jackson: “Chris is fine as far as playwise. Reed’s playing better. It’s not that Chris is playing worse or less than anybody else. Reed’s just playing at a high level.”
Head coach Jim Zorn: “Chris [Horton] works hard and he gives great effort, but every time that Reed has been on the field he has been there – he’s been in the gaps that he’s needed to be in, the coverage that he’s needed to be in – so that’s why we are making that change.”
But there was one play that stood out last week, and even in the middle of his assurances that this had nothing to do with Horton’s play, Blache did allude to it: the crucial fourth-quarter pass interference that moved the Lions into position for what amounted to the winning touchdown.
“He had a play last week with bad eyes and got the interference call,” Blache said.
Horton was still beating himself up over the call today, whether it contributed to the depth chart change or not. “I should’ve been in a lot better position” on the play, “based on what I saw on film [as opposed to what] I thought I saw on the field. In the heat of the game I can see how I might’ve thought I saw something else, but I should’ve been in a lot better position on that play. But it is what it is. It’s a football game.”
Talking about the play left Horton visibly disappointed with himself and with the call. “At the time, I thought I got down there and got myself back in position. I thought I did a pretty good job. It was just one of those things where I thought I got there and got my head around. It’s just one of those calls in a difficult situation.”
I had spoken to Doughty about the play on Monday, and he had nothing but praise for his fellow safety. “I watched it last night on Tivo when I got home,” he said. “You know, it’s tough, because when somebody gets by you, you’re running, you’re trying to see when he’s seeing the ball, and I thought Chris did the best he could in that situation. When the guy turned to look for the ball, he turned to look for the ball too. It’s hard to stop your momentum or know if the ball’s thrown short until you turn around. It’s a tough call; I feel like he put himself in the best position possible considering the position that he was in, but the official, if he sees any contact, they’re gonna throw that flag.”
Blache emphasizes that this isn’t a flat-out benching for Horton — “You’ll still see Chris on the field,” he said — but for the moment, Doughty has been given another opportunity to show just how much better he really is feeling this year.
Tags: Chris Horton, ChrisHorton, Reed Doughty, ReedDoughty
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