DC.com: Safe Assumption? 2011 In-House Candidates At Safety

[CCBoy]

Safe Assumption?
2011 In-House Candidates At Safety
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer



http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=E656ED79-D402-6CC2-14B3C1A1EF842DBA




IRVING, Texas - Easily one of the two biggest position needs on the team, safety was not addressed during the draft.

That's old news by now and it really wasn't a big surprise considering the lack of depth in this year's crop. Last year, two guys - Eric Berry and Earl Thomas - each went in the first 13 picks. This year, the first true safety off the board was UCLA's Rahim Moore at No. 45. Of course Texas' Aaron Williams, who went 34th to Buffalo, can play both corner and safety and might have been an option for the Cowboys had he fallen to No. 40.

But clearly the Cowboys felt no reason to force the issue and take a safety that didn't immediately improve the team.

In free agency, it has to be a different story, right? Luckily for the Cowboys, this is considered somewhat of a deep crop of free-agent-to-be safeties with guys like Michael Huff, Eric Weddle, Dawan Landry, Danieal Manning and Abram Elam all out there, to simply name a few...

[CCBoy]

Free agent Ike Taylor suggested Thursday that he will give the Steelers first dibs on re-signing him once the league year begins.

"I'm pretty sure we're on the same page," said Taylor. "The ball's in their court ... I've been in Pittsburgh longer than any other city since I was born. That's home to me. Steelers Nation is crazy." Beat writer Scott Brown notes that Taylor is "father-son close" to owner Dan Rooney, and the Steelers are "too smart to try and lowball him."

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[CCBoy]

Sturm's Cowboys analysis: Expectations too high for Alan Ball


http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20110512-sturm_s-cowboys-analysis-expectations-too-high-for-alan-ball-.ece



Pre-2010: To properly appreciate your recent Dallas Cowboys defensive history, one has to follow the safety position closely from 2003 to the present day. In 2003, the Cowboys went to the playoffs with a safety tandem of Darren Woodson and young Roy Williams. Woodson's expertise and Williams' young enthusiasm made the position a plus pretty much across the board. When Woodson's back forced his retirement, Lynn Scott and Tony Dixon were the replacements at first, then Keith Davis in 2005 - about the time that the NFL started attacking Roy Williams in space and showing how to expose him. In 2006, Pat Watkins took his turn, before the Cowboys finding Ken Hamlin to play Center Field from 2007-2009. Hamlin offered play that ranged from very good to average over his 3 seasons, but his exit was caused primarily because after the 2007 season he was given a 6 year, $39 million deal. Again, like so many other contracts the Cowboys write, the day it was signed was the day that Hamlin's ultimate release would be planned. It happened in April of 2010, when his nearly $6 million cap number for the 2010 season seemed too much - and he was waived with Flozell Adams. Meanwhile, Alan Ball was drafted in the 7th round of the 2007 draft and in 2007 and 2008 he played primarily as a special teams contributor. He spent part of 2009 as a slot back in the nickel and dime package, but when Ken Hamlin was injured in Green Bay and out a month, Ball slipped in and played Free Safety for four games. His performance was certainly considered passable - and the brass wondered if, like Doug Free replacing Adams after a month tryout due to injury, Ball might be ready to slide in and save the team about $5.5 million in cap space.

2010: So, Alan Ball, who played almost no snaps in 2007 and 2008, and about 300 snaps in 2009, was going to be permanently converted to free safety in 2010 and would be asked to play more snaps (987) than any other member of the defense. They would be turning over the organization of their defensive secondary to a player who was switching positions and had never played full-time before. And, he played like it. According to the game graders at ProFootballFocus.com , there were 85 qualifying safeties in the 2010 season. And Alan Ball's grade in pass coverage ranked 84th best (NYG Antrel Rolle was 85th). There were moments of promise, like when he jumped an Eli Manning pass to secure the win over the Giants or picked off a deep pass to Reggie Wayne in Indianapolis, but for the most part the season was not good at all. Vince Young started it, David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker attacked Ball and Mike Jenkins without mercy, and then the league followed. From Drew Brees to Michael Vick, when the opponent needed something big, it started with attacking the deep-center of the Cowboys secondary. It didn't seem to matter if he was in 2-Deep or Single-High Safety, the decision making and the range was just not where it needs to be on Sundays. It would be foolish to blame all of the big plays on Ball, but it would not be wrong to suggest that his position was circled on the chalk board when opposing offenses installed their weekly game-plans. Ball had ability, but the position conversion and management premise that he could replace a veteran free safety like Ken Hamlin without a bump in the road proved to be quite overly-optimistic by the Cowboys. Surely, in the end, they must feel like the cap savings was not worth it.

2011 Analysis: Moving forward, we assume the Cowboys are targeting a free safety (and maybe a strong safety, too) in free agency to attempt to fix this glaring issue. Alan Ball has some use on this team as corner and safety depth, but to ask him to go from a 7th round special teams contributor to a full-time free safety in the NFL is a rather dubious stretch. I blame the miscasting more than the player for those issues. And, addressing the free safety void in the draft would mean asking another young player with no experience to coordinate against the complex NFL passing attacks that think nothing of throwing 4 verticals at a young safety on a key play. Unfortunately, the Cowboys cannot go find that free agent safety until the Collective Bargaining mess comes to a close. At which time, the window will open and the game of musical chairs will commence. Depending on the rules that are agreed upon, Michael Huff, Quintin Mickell and others will be discussed as proper options for free safety. The Cowboys have been searching since 2003 for Darren Woodson, and it is quite important that they find a dependable option. This should be priority #1 for Dallas when the new CBA is behind the NFL. They need to fix the secondary and the starts with a center field solution...

[casmith07]

I have faith the Cowboys will address the FS position in free agency. I believe our starting safeties for 2011 will be Michael Huff and Gerald Sensabaugh.

[laythewood28]

I have faith the Cowboys will address the FS position in free agency. I believe our starting safeties for 2011 will be Michael Huff and Gerald Sensabaugh.

Depends if Sensabaugh is willing to accept another one year deal. I just can't see him being ok with that and see him signing somewhere else in spite.

[CCBoy]

Depends if Sensabaugh is willing to accept another one year deal. I just can't see him being ok with that and see him signing somewhere else in spite.

Given recent histories at the position, I would think that what is done in free agency will be with a projection for at least a two to three year window this time concerning the safety position. Time to quit playing around with values and holes in the defense. For way too long, opposing offenses have taken the ball right up the middle of the defense, and last season - deep.

[Wolfpack]

Starting Ball was a terrible strategic blunder. They hid him for four games in 09 but to think he was even close to ready for a full season was a grave and arrogant miscalculation.

[stasheroo]

I have faith the Cowboys will address the FS position in free agency. I believe our starting safeties for 2011 will be Michael Huff and Gerald Sensabaugh.

Put me down for Michael Huff and Abram Elam.

Elam would come relatively cheap and has played for Rob Ryan and could assume a 'coach on the field' role in getting the rest of the secondary up-to-speed.

[visionary]

Put me down for Michael Huff and Abram Elam.

Elam would come relatively cheap and has played for Rob Ryan and could assume a 'coach on the field' role in getting the rest of the secondary up-to-speed.

i would be good with this
sign D. Williams as UDFA as a developmental player

[stasheroo]

i would be good with this
sign D. Williams as UDFA as a developmental player

And I would be good with that.

I'm wondering if Butch Davis put in a good word for him with our staff?

[Doomsday101]

Wish we knew more about Akwasi Owusu-Ansah but Dallas has to address safety in FA and hope AOA develops. Too big of a risk to go with an unproven

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