Veteran Corners Turned Safety

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country · Feb 15, 2021

The McCourty twin in NE is a converted safety.

I think Xavier Rhodes or Patrick Peterson could convert to safety easily.

Cebrin · Feb 15, 2021

exciter said:
Omg how did you forget our very own, the great Alan Ball. The greatest corner to safety conversion this team has ever seen!

Who?

Cebrin · Feb 15, 2021

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:
The McCourty twin in NE is a converted safety.

I think Xavier Rhodes or Patrick Peterson could convert to safety easily.

Ronnie Lott, too. Though he converted pretty early in his career.

Cebrin · Feb 15, 2021

Bigdog said:
True. Maybe I was just confused with what the OP was asking.

Just picking everyones brain on:
1) Vets changing position
2) How that could fit/or apply to our current roster needs
3) How anyone felt about using this as a means to an end.

cowboyec · Feb 15, 2021

when ken whisenhunt became the cardinals hc...he moved struggling,near bust cb antrel rolle to s and it transformed his career.
he really excelled at it.
he then went to the giants in f/a and continued to play well.

Cebrin · Feb 15, 2021

cowboyec said:
when ken whisenhunt became the cardinals hc...he moved struggling,near bust cb antrel rolle to s and it transformed his career.
he really excelled at it.
he then went to the giants in f/a and continued to play well.

Smart coach.

Chuck 54 · Feb 15, 2021

Maybe Peterson is we think we will be a championship team in the next two years. Otherwise, too old which means no longevity, and too expensive.

fivetwos · Feb 15, 2021

Cowboyny said:
The list of successful conversations is extremely small, it’s not an easy transition as many think

Notice the dudes who did pull it off are legendary type names.

We would have to find out on our watch if Peterson can or can't do it.

I'd honestly rather focus on securing Moehrig or Grant.

Cowboyny · Feb 15, 2021

fivetwos said:
Notice the dudes who did pull it off are legendary type names.

We would have to find out on our watch if Peterson can or can't do it.

I'd honestly rather focus on securing Moehrig or Grant.

Yes, majority who have made successful switches are hall of fame type players. It's not an easy to do, rather draft or sign a pure safety who has experience at the position.

Future · Feb 15, 2021

cowboyec said:
when ken whisenhunt became the cardinals hc...he moved struggling,near bust cb antrel rolle to s and it transformed his career.
he really excelled at it.
he then went to the giants in f/a and continued to play well.

Rolle is a good one that I forgot about.

cowboyec · Feb 15, 2021

Future said:
Rolle is a good one that I forgot about.

it was a genius move.
rolle was doing next to nothing as a corner.
he was 100% a different player at s.

Future · Feb 15, 2021

cowboyec said:
it was a genius move.
rolle was doing next to nothing as a corner.
he was 100% a different player at s.

Well he did have 5 INTs as a corner the year before he moved. It's not like he was a scrub lol

Regardless, he has a profile that matches Peterson quite a bit.

jrumann59 · Feb 17, 2021

The guys the OP named were guys that were upper echelon players, smart players, generational players. Players like that could do anything and not really fail because of intangibles and smarts.

texbumthelife · Feb 25, 2021

Cowboyny said:
The list of successful conversations is extremely small, it’s not an easy transition as many think

I've been saying this for years. Turning and running on an island with a receivers is a lot different than reading and diagnosing from a back pedal.

Players that make the transition well are usually those who've already made a living playing angles because they're not remarbly talented athletically. Charles Woodson was one of the most fundamentally sound defensive backs to ever play the game. He understood angles and used them to his advantage. This helped his transition to safety but also helped him play slot corner at a progressed age--a position usually reserved for quicker twitch guys.

I dont see Patrick Peterson fitting the mold of a player who can make the transition. He's a boundary guy and plays like one. He made his name leveraging receivers against the sideline on an island. He's never been good covering through traffic or diagnosing from the snap. The only thing about Peterson that makes his transition seem possible is his size, but even then he's never really used that size unless bullying smaller receivers. He's never imposed his will on players. He's big, but aside from handfighting, he's not a physical presence.

I'd have no problem bringing Peterson in as a boundary guy, but I don't think he's the type of player who'd make that transition and see a resurgence.

Rayman70 · Feb 25, 2021

Pat Peterson is now a liability at cb. Not a knock on him..just the truth. He really should move to safety. It would elongate his career by several years and he can play high quality ball. I would take him in a heartbeat.

darthseinfeld · Feb 25, 2021

Future said:
Peterson is your best bet there, because I think he can still run a bit.

Otherwise, the game is too fast and passing offenses are too efficient for these 30+ players to make that transition. I don't really remember Williams as a safety, but the Woodson's were also HoF talents at corner to begin with. I don't think Sherman is in their class, but Peterson is at least close.

I think you can make some comps to the Packers moving Woodson to FS. Elite athlete just exiting their prime. Known for having excellent ball skills.

Peterson to FS isnt something I would overlook. Might not be the worst thing for our secondary to have a greybeard that can still fly a FS

Cowboyny · Feb 25, 2021

texbumthelife said:
I've been saying this for years. Turning and running on an island with a receivers is a lot different than reading and diagnosing from a back pedal.

Players that make the transition well are usually those who've already made a living playing angles because they're not remarbly talented athletically. Charles Woodson was one of the most fundamentally sound defensive backs to ever play the game. He understood angles and used them to his advantage. This helped his transition to safety but also helped him play slot corner at a progressed age--a position usually reserved for quicker twitch guys.

I dont see Patrick Peterson fitting the mold of a player who can make the transition. He's a boundary guy and plays like one. He made his name leveraging receivers against the sideline on an island. He's never been good covering through traffic or diagnosing from the snap. The only thing about Peterson that makes his transition seem possible is his size, but even then he's never really used that size unless bullying smaller receivers. He's never imposed his will on players. He's big, but aside from handfighting, he's not a physical presence.

I'd have no problem bringing Peterson in as a boundary guy, but I don't think he's the type of player who'd make that transition and see a resurgence.

Just sign a safety, don't mess around with a player who has never played the position.

JoeKing · Feb 25, 2021

Cebrin said:
Aneas Williams, Rod & Charles Woodson were just some examples of guys that transitioned well, while some that attempted this were not as successful.

There are several veteran pro-bowl caliber corners hitting the market for this off-season. With Dallas in need, who do you think has the best chance at success in moving position? Or why are you against it to begin with? Discuss.

I think the free-agent corners that have the greatest chance at finding success at safety are the ones that avoid the Cowboys for employment.

texbumthelife · Feb 25, 2021

Cowboyny said:
Just sign a safety, don't mess around with a player who has never played the position.

That's how I feel too. You don't address a glaring deficiency by hoping a player can play at a high level at a new position. Then again, that sounds exactly like something the Cowboys brass would do.

texbumthelife · Feb 25, 2021

darthseinfeld said:
I think you can make some comps to the Packers moving Woodson to FS. Elite athlete just exiting their prime. Known for having excellent ball skills.

Peterson to FS isnt something I would overlook. Might not be the worst thing for our secondary to have a greybeard that can still fly a FS

Except that Peterson's and Woodson's skill sets aren't remotely similar. Woodson wasn't just phenomenally gifted athletically, he was incredibly cerebral and often diagnosed routes before players even made breaks. He understood angles and footwork on another level. That's why he acceled on the boundary, in the slot, and at safety. Peterson doesn't have remotely that level of mental acuity to his game.

Honestly, Peterson even in his current state has more value to Quinn's scheme as a boundary corner than he does anywhere else. He's long and very good in press coverage.

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