Thomas Davis at SS

specifically, Davis' strength and Minter's weakness - matchups on the TE, something they wouldn't likely do at any point with any other safety. It allows us to finally try to neutralize a TE that's whipping our ass, and/or give us a favorable man cover matchup in blitz situations.

 

Has anyone else wondered if we have a better FS than Minter on the roster? Or is that just blasphemy?

 

Branch has experience at FS already. Giving him reps at SS presumably allows him to back-up both. Meanwhile Bashir and McCree have to learn the system. As for Minter, he's a team leader, and sometimes that becomes more important than a slight drop in performance.

As for Minter at FS and Davis at SS, Minter has experience in the system and can at least make the reads necessary for his coverage responsibilities. I do think that Davis will actually be an improvement over Minter at SS, but the main thing is that Davis just isn't suited for FS any more than he's suited for SLB. He's fast, but doesn't have the best instincts or technique in coverage. His biggest assets are his ability to attack and his tackling.


Black&Blue:
I was expecting someone who looked like Don Vito, so I had to check the name on the media pass before I could be sure it was him. He was fairly short, and not as overweight as he looks in his pic (though still a tad rotund).

No, not really. I know we do. Even if you rule out Branch (which would be premature), there's Bashir.

 

Bashir doesn't break on the ball particularly well, IMO, and isn't a good tackler or run supporter IMO, so he's got far more weaknesses.
He might be a better "true FS" in that he can sit back without a responsibility in the world and find the ball. That's not the same as playing a zone safety, of course. Zone safety is zone safety, and in this system we don't play free anymore - not since Grant. So that's where I feel like it doesn't matter that Minter's at FS or even if Davis were, other than the fact that he's excellent at matching to the TE and to the run, and not at this point very good against the WR. But if someone wanted to, they could make him work well at FS, just as they could at SLB.

That Minter's going to be on the field regardless? Most definitely.

 

:94poopban

 

I enter this thread with trepedation, but this almost "awful" corner (Gamble) was TIED for the NFC LEAD in Pics. Hate to see what a "good" corner would have done.....

 

Three of Gamble's six interceptions came on hail mary passes at the end of halves or games. I imagine you noticed that Gamble got pretty much no consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year, didn't you? Did you ever wonder why?

 

Whose responsibility is the damn TE? The SS's or the LB's or both. Seems like most of the time last year a LB was fucking up that coverage. Davis sure as hell can't play two positions at once.

 

Depends on the coverage, and obviously considering that both the SS and LB would typically be in zone, it could be either. That Minter can't cover the TE wouldn't be news to me, I've been saying that he struggles at that since people started hyping him for the Pro Bowl years ago.

 

Let's see, the guy who won it plays in NEW YORK and Gamble plays in Charlotte. Writers Awards are overrated. I don't remember if he was in the discussions or not. Also writers (who probably didn't watch half our games) thought he benefited from our "great" pass rush.

I have no way of verifying your statement about the pics. Is it your asertation they shouldn't count because they were hail mary's?

I'm sure you would also note that 5 of the 6 came in the 2nd half of the season as he came on and adjusted to the NFL.