Eddie Goldman impacts the game. We just do not see it on the stat sheet. In Week Three Goldman may have been the player of the game.
Nose tackle is a thankless job. Your job is to hold the lineup, create pressure, and take away running lanes. There are no stats for any of these things. Therefore, fantasy football fans or your average fan who goes by box scores will not understand what Eddie Goldman does to impact games. For example, his two tackles could equal a pedestrian day n Sunday. However, his winning ways were on display in Week Three as his Chicago Bears picked up win number one against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Run Stuffer
Goldman wins against the pass and the run. Watch the play below as Goldman dominates against the run. Le’Veon Bell has a hole between number 74, Chris Hubbard and number 85, Xavier Grimble. That is until Goldman blows up perennial All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, tosses him aside and wraps Bell up for a big tackle.
Bell stays patient in the backfield and a huge alley between 53, Pouncey and 66, David DeCastro forms. As Bell is ready to step up and take the space, Goldman frees himself from 67, B.J. Finney and forces Bell to the outside. Danny Trevathan gets the tackle but a play that could have equaled a huge gain was stuffed by Goldman.
Pass Rush
Goldman usually subs out in the nickel, but he can get after the pass rusher if needed. Below Goldman stunts and flies by left tacle Alejandro Villanueva. Villanueva tries to keep up with him but a subtle push leaves him on the ground. This forced Ben Roethlisberger to move out of the pocket in a play where he eventually threw an incompletion.
Below is a third and goal late in the game. It was not an immediate rush, but Goldman held up the star center Pouncey until he had an alley and shot himself free into the backfield. He forced a Ben Roethlisberger throwaway and a fourth down.
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These are just a few of the impact plays that Goldman has been able to make. He is a key contributor to this defense and was the best player on that unit in their teams first victory.
If Goldman can stay healthy for a full season, something he has yet to do, he could start to see some real national recognition.