Kyler Gordon Has A New Nickname: Spider-Man. Now We Know Why
Kyler Gordon was the first pick ever made by GM Ryan Poles. That comes with a certain degree of expectations. The Chicago Bears felt his skillset was so good that they were stunned he hadn’t gone far before he got to them in the 2nd round last year. That made Poles decision easy. After a rough start to the 2022 season, there were ever-increasing examples of why they liked him. None more so than the three interceptions he snagged from October through December. His instincts were undeniable.
That is how his nickname came to be. Matt Eberflus looked at him one day during the season and called him “Spider-Man.” It immediately stuck. When asked why that was the choice, defensive coordinator Alan Williams explained.
‘‘He’s so quick, he’s so agile, he is instinctive. He’s got Spidey senses. He makes a play, and you go, ‘Wow, how did he make that?’ Ding-ding-ding, the Spidey senses are going off.
‘‘[The senses are] saying, ‘Hey, it’s not this play, it’s this play.’ All those things — the quickness, the instincts, they’ve been showing up in a big way.’’
For those who don’t know, one of Spider-Man’s most important powers is an uncanny ability to sense danger even before it happens. Those instincts regularly get him out of harm’s way right at the last second. Gordon seems to have a similar knack for sensing the moment, always maneuvering himself into the right place at the right time.
Kyler Gordon has looked far sharper already.
Reports out of training camp indicate those instincts are as strong as ever. He’s creating headaches for quarterback Justin Fields and is rarely out of position. Those were problems early last season. Quarterbacks picked on him constantly, finding big plays at his expense. Part of the issue was his inability to grasp the demands of zone defense. He didn’t trust what his eyes told him. That is a common problem young corners have. The bigger surprise was how fast he seemed to adjust. His coverage improved considerably by the final quarter of the season, and all of it despite playing behind a terrible pass rush.
None of those handicaps exist now. His understanding of the defense is far greater now. The pass rush should be improved. Quarterbacks eager to try him may have to rethink their strategy if he showcases those Spider-Man instincts that surfaced so often in December. If he lives up to the nickname, it will be fun to see if any others surface with the rest of the Bears secondary.