Vic Fangio calls for Kyle Fuller to improve play, be more confident
Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller is in the midst of a sophomore slump.
After a stellar rookie season, Fuller has cost the team with his penalties and lapses in coverage this year. As a result, the former first-round draft pick was benched at the end of last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
"He just needs to play better," defensive coordintor Vic Fango said, per Jeremy Stoltz of Bear Report. "I know that’s a vanilla answer but [he needs to] execute his assignment and technique correctly and the plays will come to him. Until he does that, he’ll struggle a little bit. But he’s capable and hopefully he’ll start doing that."
Fangio attributed Fuller's second-year struggles to a lack of confidence, via Bear Report:
I think ultimately it’s playing with confidence. Tiger Woods these past two years hasn’t been the Tiger Woods we know and everybody’s over-analyzing him. The fact is that he hasn’t been able to take his game from the range to the course and he’s not been playing with confidence.
Kyle’s got to be able to take his game from the practice field to the game field and play with confidence. You’re not going to have confidence until you do good things. You can’t just can’t say 'I’m whoever' and go out and play and have results.
Fuller must rebound against the Seattle Seahawks this week. Perhaps he can pick up a few pointers from Seattle's Richard Sherman, who's one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
Even Sherman, a three-time All-Pro, admits there was a point in his career when he lacked confidence.
"When I was really young," Sherman said, per John Mullin of CSN Chicago. "I think in order to get to this level, you have to have a tremendous belief in yourself and what you do and what your abilities are.
"I haven’t not had confidence in a long time."
It's still way too soon to give up on Fuller. For all we know he's the next Richard Sherman, a shutdown corner in waiting.
(h/t Bear Report, CSN Chicago)
