For OTAs, your favorite S is still starting

[Sydla]

Can't have stars everywhere. Every team has their share of, "mediocre," starters.

This is a total canard often cooked up by Heath fans.

You could have upgraded SS and not needed to get a star or pay if money.

 

[Sydla]

Did you think a bum like Iloka would push him out?

If Iloka is a bum, so is Heath.

 

[Haimerej]

This is a total canard often cooked up by Heath fans.

You could have upgraded SS and not needed to get a star or pay if money.

Heath fans think he's mediocre? I thought I was making a pretty straightforward point.

To elaborate- what makes you think he's a, "pet cat," of the staff? Was it all the safeties they looked at pre draft? The safeties they looked at in FA? Or the safety they took in the draft?

 

[Fredbeard]

It is hilarious to see so many people try to defend heath. Can we be real for a minute and admit that
He has been a liability for most of his time with Dallas? Let’s call a spade a spade for once

 

[CPanther95]

Never mind. Thought this was a Matt Johnson thread.

 

[Sydla]

Heath fans think he's mediocre? I thought I was making a pretty straightforward point.

Heath is an average to below average S. You could have upgraded the position without needing to grab a “star”.

 

[Fredbeard]

Never mind. Thought this was a Matt Johnson thread.

That’s weird . I was just thinking of Matt Johnson.
Another player the cowboys held onto for to long because they liked him

 

[Haimerej]

Heath is an average to below average S. You could have upgraded the position without needing to grab a “star”.

They looked at them pre draft and in free agency. What makes you think he's a, "pet cat"?

 

[gimmesix]

Heath’s coverage ability is overrated. Iloka has played a pretty fair deep safety in his career.

You simply overrate Heath, especially relative to another average player like Iloka.

According to what I read, he mainly played strong safety during his years with Cincy. He competed for the starting spot there as a rookie but ended up being a backup. In 2013-15, he started at strong safety with Reggie Nelson starting at free safety. In 2016, he was re-signed and remained the starting strong safety with Shawn Williams starting at free safety.

He is a big player with limited speed. He and Heath are not even remotely the same. Iloka is more like Church. He knows how to play the game, which puts him into good position when playing the underneath zones. He gets exposed when he has to cover the deeper routes.

Heath is a deep safety who does that job pretty decently when he's given the opportunity. You obviously do not think much of him so you seem to run down all aspects of his game when it is his run defense that is sorely lacking.

 

[Sydla]

They looked at them pre draft and in free agency. What makes you think he's a, "pet cat"?

They didn’t look hard enough. They took a quick pass at Thomas but he was too expensive. They kicked the tires on an oft injured Berry and then signed a mediocre re-tread in Iloka.

There were quite a few options out there and they passed. It’s pretty clear Heath is a coaches fave at this point.

 

[Fredbeard]

This is a total canard often cooked up by Heath fans.

You could have upgraded SS and not needed to get a star or pay if money.

True . I’m so tired of the disingenuous argument that
“ you can’t have a superstar at every position “

 

[StarBoyz83]

Heath is an average to below average S. You could have upgraded the position without needing to grab a “star”.

Way below average

 

[Sydla]

According to what I read, he mainly played strong safety during his years with Cincy. He competed for the starting spot there as a rookie but ended up being a backup. In 2013-15, he started at strong safety with Reggie Nelson starting at free safety. In 2016, he was re-signed and remained the starting strong safety with Shawn Williams starting at free safety.

He is a big player with limited speed. He and Heath are not even remotely the same. Iloka is more like Church. He knows how to play the game, which puts him into good position when playing the underneath zones. He gets exposed when he has to cover the deeper routes.

Heath is a deep safety who does that job pretty decently when he's given the opportunity. You obviously do not think much of him so you seem to run down all aspects of his game when it is his run defense that is sorely lacking.

He played deep safety as well in Cincy. He wasn't Earl Thomas out there but he also wasn't terrible.

As for Heath, he's not that great a center fielder either. He's often slow to react and see plays develop, etc. He has average "feel" out there during games as well. It's peculiar that people are so defensive of such an average to below average player here.

But there were people who defended Nick Hayden too despite the evidence he wasn't very good.

 

[StarBoyz83]

You guys are overreacting. The defense will be fine with heath


Sarcasm/off

The defense will be fine. Just wish theyd at least try upgrade. Heath is really bad

 

[Haimerej]

They didn’t look hard enough. They took a quick pass at Thomas but he was too expensive. They kicked the tires on an oft injured Berry and then signed a mediocre re-tread in Iloka.

There were quite a few options out there and they passed. It’s pretty clear Heath is a coaches fave at this point.

If by, "fave," you mean, "the current guy on the roster holding the starting position," then... ok. But it's not like they're satisfied. It's not like they weren't looking to upgrade.

 

[Fredbeard]

If heath remains in cowboys starting lineup, then the cowboys are not serious about
Becoming a legit contender

 

[Stash]

It is hilarious to see so many people try to defend heath. Can we be real for a minute and admit that
He has been a liability for most of his time with Dallas? Let’s call a spade a spade for once

Many can't handle any criticism of their team or its players.

 

[Stash]

According to what I read, he mainly played strong safety during his years with Cincy. He competed for the starting spot there as a rookie but ended up being a backup. In 2013-15, he started at strong safety with Reggie Nelson starting at free safety. In 2016, he was re-signed and remained the starting strong safety with Shawn Williams starting at free safety.

He is a big player with limited speed. He and Heath are not even remotely the same. Iloka is more like Church. He knows how to play the game, which puts him into good position when playing the underneath zones. He gets exposed when he has to cover the deeper routes.

Heath is a deep safety who does that job pretty decently when he's given the opportunity. You obviously do not think much of him so you seem to run down all aspects of his game when it is his run defense that is sorely lacking.

And Iloka can handle the physicality, proper angles, and tackling required of the strong safety position, while Heath cannot.

 

[CyberB0b]

If Iloka is a bum, so is Heath.

They're both bums, but Heath is the incumbent. It's clear they have no interest in replacing Heath.

 

[gimmesix]

He played deep safety as well in Cincy. He wasn't Earl Thomas out there but he also wasn't terrible.

As for Heath, he's not that great a center fielder either. He's often slow to react and see plays develop, etc. He has average "feel" out there during games as well. It's peculiar that people are so defensive of such an average to below average player here.

But there were people who defended Nick Hayden too despite the evidence he wasn't very good.

I try to be fair to all players instead of letting biases taint my viewpoint. Heath is a decent starting free safety and a poor starting strong safety.

His coverage skills have improved greatly since he was thrown out there as a rookie from a small school. He was often out of position that year and late getting to the ball. He shouldn't have been starting any games, but injuries and a lack of depth pushed him into the lineup.

Most fans seem to still see the Heath of 2013. Too slow to react, poor recognition. However, he has developed over the past few years in those areas when it comes to playing the pass. He made a major step forward in 2016 as primarily a deep nickel/dime safety, which is the reason Dallas tapped him to replace Church as the starting strong safety. Playing out of position in 2017 got fans back on his back and made some of them have blinders on when Dallas switched him to free safety, where he played well for the rest of the season. Being back at strong safety last year moved him away from what he does best and justifiably brought back the criticism.

You seem to be an all-or-nothing fan — either you like a player or you don't — who can't see that players can be pretty good at one thing while being pretty bad at another. Heath is a pretty good coverage safety. He's not great and he's upgradable, but you can easily do worse in that role. He's not very good as a run-support safety, which is sadly the role Dallas has him in.

I'd prefer that he go back to being a deep nickel or dime safety.