Great Read on CB Morris Claiborne

[Everson24]

I wasn't happy when we traded away our second round pick to get him (I wanted David DeCastro) but I must admit that I like what I've seen so far from Morris Claiborne. Can't wait for next season.


Scouting Report on Dallas Cowboys Cornerback Morris Claiborne

When the Dallas Cowboys traded up in first round of the 2012 NFL Draft to select cornerback Morris Claiborne, they believed they had drafted a rare player who could develop into an all-pro much like Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets. The Cowboys traded their first and second round selections in 2012 for the former star cornerback from LSU. But after an up and down rookie year, what are the career expectations for Morris Claiborne as a Dallas Cowboy?

http://thelandryhat.com/2013/04/07/scouting-report-dallas-cowboys-cornerback-morris-claiborne/

 

[Eskimo]

My biggest worry about Claiborn is that he doesn't turn out to be a major playmaker on balls thrown his way. He is a good CB but not a shutdown type CB and he will always need deep help because he doesn't have that extra gear that a guy like TNew has. We saw how much trouble Julio Jones gave him on a fly route and that will always be a potentially exploitable weakness. He needs to compensate for this by stealing passes to become an All-Pro caliber player.

We didn't get to see much of the pass thief but I hope it emerges under Kiffen and Marinelli given their reputations for generating turnovers. The thing that makes me cautious as they have been known for cover-2 schemes which de-emphasizes man-to-man coverage and focuses more on physical corners who can jam WRs and play the run. The problem is that we have invested tons of resources in man-to-man CBs and won't be getting much return for the money if we utilize them in that manner.

I'm anxious to see what Kiffen and Marinelli end up doing with this defensive roster.

 

[Everson24]

I really think we will see him jump more routes in Monte Kiffen's defense. He could have taken a few more chances last year but as a rookie I think he was a little too worried about making a mistake. Better safety play would also help him become more aggressive.

 

[DFWJC]

All I know is last year, after complaining loudly (and correctly) that he needed personnel, Roby Ryan somehow talked Jerry and Garret into dedicating almost the entire offseason last year to getting Ryan his players.
The dropped 50 million to get Carr.
They grabbed Dan Conner
In the draft, they then spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and two 4ths on defense ....the whole draft basically.

They had some terrible luck last year with health.
But I think there had to be some talk that sounded like "you get me all of these guys and we will dominate". When it didn't happen and in fact was near the worst in the league--unfair or not--a certain head rolled.

 

[jobberone]

You'll see a better pass D this year IMO with less complicated schemes. I agree Claiborne didn't impress much last year but I don't know if you can use last year to measure with. He had less mistakes than I thought he would which is a plus. His speed will be less a problem but that won't evaporate in a zone. If the pass rush improves they will all look better but they still need to cover.

 

[Eskimo]

You'll see a better pass D this year IMO with less complicated schemes. I agree Claiborne didn't impress much last year but I don't know if you can use last year to measure with. He had less mistakes than I thought he would which is a plus. His speed will be less a problem but that won't evaporate in a zone. If the pass rush improves they will all look better but they still need to cover.

I agree that the pass defense will be much better this year because we have got better LBs and I also believe Safety play is going to be much better than what we got out of Sensy and McCray last year. Those two were probably in the bottom 10 Safeties in the whole league in zone coverage and tackling. Sensy could always do a decent job in man coverage but we are moving away from that and thus he now became quite a liability and an expensive one at that.

Now that those parts of the team will function properly in their coverages and the assist they afford the CBs, the CBs should be able to more confidently demonstrate their skills. If the CBs know the Safeties will be providing some assistance then they'll know they can gamble occasionally for the INT. I know that Kiffen has traditionally favored physical CBs and we know that is Carr's forte and I believe Mo should be much better now that his wrist is healed and he can do the upperbody work needed to get the strength he needs.

IMO, the whole point of getting Mo was to get him out there and steal passes. I think now that he has seen what the league has to offer (Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Maclin, Desean Jackson, Garcon, Sydney Rice, Mike Wallace, Antoine Brown, AJ Green, Brandon Marshall, Roddy White, Julio Jones, Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, etc) he has a better idea of where he needs to improve and where he can take more chances.

I do think he is going to be a very good player. He was at least an above average CB in the second half of the season. The only problem is that he may always be a victim of Jerry's hype calling him the best CB since Deion. I didn't see anything last year to make me think he will be on that level and he'll have to become a heck of a pass thief to get mentioned in the same sentence as Deion who had incredible make up speed when beaten which isn't in Mo's tool bag.

 

[Frozen700]

You'll see a better pass D this year IMO with less complicated schemes. I agree Claiborne didn't impress much last year but I don't know if you can use last year to measure with. He had less mistakes than I thought he would which is a plus. His speed will be less a problem but that won't evaporate in a zone. If the pass rush improves they will all look better but they still need to cover.

Agreed.....

 

[TwoDeep3]

I watched this player specifically all last year. And what I came away with is a player that will blossom into a quality pro for Dallas.

I read the critiques of him and wonder what player they are talking about.

 

[Clove]

I was impressed. I personally didn't expect a rookie to be All-Pro his first year, he's thin and he'll get bigger and better. I'll wait until after his 3rd year to truly judge him.

 

[morasp]

He was such a good pick for us. To come in without a training camp as a rookie and start day one at one of the toughest positions to play is simply amazing. I would be interested to know how many passes he defended because it seemed like a lot of times QBs didn't throw his way which doesn't get you interceptions but is a compliment in itself.

 

[Sarge]

He was such a good pick for us. To come in without a training camp as a rookie and start day one at one of the toughest positions to play is simply amazing. .

Exactly - the guy was a rookie starting Day 1 in a VERY difficult position to play as a rookie. He will be a starter and great player on this team for many years to come.

 

[CyberB0b]

With so many holes on the team, I wasn't happy about the trade. I never saw him as elite in college and thought the FO overrated him coming out. With that said, I thought he played pretty well last year.

 

[blackbull]

I was impressed. I personally didn't expect a rookie to be All-Pro his first year, he's thin and he'll get bigger and better. I'll wait until after his 3rd year to truly judge him.

3rd year? Name me a top 5 pick corner who took that long to blossom. Smh he's not a wr. Stop the man in front of you. Doesn't take a blue chip prospect at corner three years for that. Jeez. If he isn't on the map this year he's a bust. Not saying he won't be good but just not top 5 pick good.

 

[Avenger]

I wasn't happy when we traded away our second round pick to get him (I wanted David DeCastro) but I must admit that I like what I've seen so far from Morris Claiborne. Can't wait for next season.

I was surprised and then happy to see the bold move to go and get Claiborne in the draft.

I agree with you about liking what we saw in his rookie year and am looking forward to seeing him progress in the Tampa II.

 

[Nation]

3rd year? Name me a top 5 pick corner who took that long to blossom. Smh he's not a wr. Stop the man in front of you. Doesn't take a blue chip prospect at corner three years for that. Jeez. If he isn't on the map this year he's a bust. Not saying he won't be good but just not top 5 pick good.

More of them have taken 3 years to be elite than were elite in 1. Football Outsiders did a review of Year 1 1st Round corners and Mo performed as well as should have been expected: http://cowboyszone.com/forums/dallascowboys.php?t=238668

 

[Nova]

My biggest worry about Claiborn is that he doesn't turn out to be a major playmaker on balls thrown his way. He is a good CB but not a shutdown type CB and he will always need deep help because he doesn't have that extra gear that a guy like TNew has. We saw how much trouble Julio Jones gave him on a fly route and that will always be a potentially exploitable weakness. He needs to compensate for this by stealing passes to become an All-Pro caliber player.

We didn't get to see much of the pass thief but I hope it emerges under Kiffen and Marinelli given their reputations for generating turnovers. The thing that makes me cautious as they have been known for cover-2 schemes which de-emphasizes man-to-man coverage and focuses more on physical corners who can jam WRs and play the run. The problem is that we have invested tons of resources in man-to-man CBs and won't be getting much return for the money if we utilize them in that manner.

I'm anxious to see what Kiffen and Marinelli end up doing with this defensive roster.

I don't think Julio Jones giving Claiborne a tough time on a go route should concern you. Julio Jones is quite possibly the second most physically gifted receiver in this league... of course Calvin Johnson being the only one to beat him out. He's a sloppy route runner but he gave Richard Sherman fits as well on pure athleticism. The kid is special.

 

[conner01]

i don't see how you could not be impressed. i think peoples expectations are just way too high. the kid played very well and will only get better. very few cb's come in and become shut down cb's over night

 

[jterrell]

In his rookie season Darelle Revis gave up 3 TDs. He allowed Wes Welker 6 catches in their meeting.

So Revis wasn't a shutdown guy as a rookie. Outside of Deion there hasnt been a rookie shutdown CB ever.

People who didn't see the ability and talent in Claiborne as a rookie shouldn't be allowed to discuss football. He was able to stick with WRs down the field and his only real weakness was in short-area strength contests that he lost to bigger guys.

As a tackler he was certainly mediocre but never lacked effort in that regard.

As to the new system that will only make his job easier. He can make plays on the ball and gamble because he'll have help up top. In fact my guess is he has quality help as we seem certain to upgrade safety for this scheme.

Whether or not using so many resources at CB so close to going to a tampa 2 is a fair debate but getting the consensus top overall defensive player in the draft for the picks we gave up was a great football decision. It may not been the best decision for 2011-2 but you don't draft for one year.

 

[blackbull]

I said if he isn't on the map THIS year. Again, show me a top 10 pick corner who needed 3 years to blossom into a pro bowl guy. He's either going to live up to his position or he isn't. No need to protect him and give excuses. He's a big boy.

 

[DallasJ7]

Overall, I liked what I saw his rookie year. I had some concerns, but it looks like he'll be at minimum a solid starter for us.

However, the question is whether he'll be worth the #14 and #45 pick in that draft. For me, that's definitely not clear yet, and I guess we'll find out over the next couple years or so.

It's tough to define how good he must be to be worth that. Does he need to be a Pro Bowl caliber player? A top 15 CB? It hurt giving up that 2nd rounder given the holes we have to fill, but that's not his fault, so I don't want to think about that specifically when considering Claiborne.