DMN: RICK GOSSELIN: Cover safeties on NFL wish list

[ethiostar]

Watkins might can control a zone, but he'll never be able to cover a great TE or slot WR in man coverage. He's too gangley and awkward. If you need to refresh your memory, think back to what he looked like covering Hank Basket in the Philly game. Its like asking a giraffe to stay with a gazelle. The other 31 teams in this league weren't idiots when they passed on him for four rounds. He played for Florida State, its not like he was off the radar.

I'm not ready to giveup on Watkins just yet. The guy has a 4.44 speed, which doesn't mean much by itself, but considering the lack of pass rush last season, i don't know many FS who won't get burned. If i remember correctly, he also picked up his play towards the end of the year and did a much better job. Let's not forget he was just a rookie who was thrown into the fire. I will like to see what he can do with a full year under his belt and with an improved pass rush, which should make who ever is back there look better.

 

[Angus]

If the free safety is supposed to be the quarterback of the defensive backfield, Watkins doesn't seem suited for the role. He may be a good player from a physical standpoint, but he didn't seem to pick things up readily.

Someone like Eric Weddle is needed, a person like Woody who can not only play the position well but direct others so they can play well. Weddle's study habits are impressive!

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I'll say it again, anyone who has ever watched Weddle knows he's a player. He could definitely be that QB of the secondary that Wade wants. And he might score with the ball when he intercepts it.

I still think that on passing downs we're going to see some kind of defense with both Watkins AND another safety back, with Roy in some kind of intermediate zone or blitzing. That's why taking a safety doesn't necessarily mean giving up on Watkins.

 

[InmanRoshi]

People look just at starters and backups, but I look at guys who bring a dimension to the team that we currently don't have that could earn him a lot of snaps, even if he doesn't have his name called as a starter in pre game festivities. One of the dimensions the Cowboys are currently lacking is a safety who can line up and cover a nickel WR in the slot or a split TE like Darren Woodson could. It just gives you so much flexibility as to what you can do in your nickel, and even base packages. One of the reasons Parcells liked to stay in base defense and didn't like going to nickel is teams like to line up in multiple WR sets, spread out your defense and then run on you, particularly if you got a midget nickel back that they can knock 15 yards off the line of scrimmage. When you got a safety who can cover a slot and protect against run, you can cover all angles.

I don't care how straight line fast Patrick Watkins is, he is too long, too awkward, too gangley and too stiff in the hips to line up against a slot WR or split TE and cover him man to man. He'll get turned inside out all day. I see him more of a situational player who can sit back in nickel defense 25 yards away from the line of scrimmage and cover centerfield.

 

[marchetta]

Eric Weddle CB/S Utah​

STRENGTHS
Eric is a solid CB with good techniques and excellent tackling ability. He is quick to come up and support the run and does a good job keeping his body control to intercept the ball. He is a fighter and a smart player. Eric has impact speed and shows a good burst when the ball is in the air or when he’s going to make a tackle. He does a great job fighting for the ball against bigger opponents and will not be out muscled around the goal line. He shows good special teams skills along with strong leadership qualities; he can make the players around him better.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Eric has good speed and burst, but he is locked in the hips a little and although he has very strong CB techniques, he is more of a zone CB or safety for the next level. He lacks the quickness and flexibility to be a true cover corner, but to be honest, he could be a solid CB. The problem for Eric is that he could be an impact Free Safety, but for some reason, he wants to try being a solid CB.

TALENT BOARD ROUND: 3
I have seen this kid play all over the field and to be honest, except for his tackling abilities, I have never been overly impressed. He seemed to be a jack-of-all-trades –- ace of none -- type of guy. Until the last play of the recent bowl game, I was going to profile this kid as an average player for the next level; a player who doesn’t have a true position for the next level. Then I saw him play in a prevent zone for the last play of the game in what I would consider a free safety position. His burst and north-south speed in the air to intercept the ball made me realize that this kid would be an excellent two deep zone safety with good cover skills and the speed to go sideline to sideline as a single safety. Add to this his leadership skills and tackling techniques and you have yourself an impact player for your defense and a player you can build your defense around. Here is the big problem: is this kid ready to change positions? If he wants to stay at CB, he is not going to impact. He should be a solid #2 CB -- it’s just that simple. This is a kid that thinks he can do anything he wants to on the field. At the college level, he is made out to be a god. If the kid wants to move to the safety position without first trying to be a CB, then he should be able to help a team right away. However, if he wants to stay at CB, then he will help out at first as a nickel-dime DB and on special teams. Sometimes the biggest problem for a kid like Eric is coming down to earth and realizing that maybe he is a standout college player, but at the next level, he will be lucky to be just another good player.

- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)