How’s this for a great secondary?

[JBond]

one of my favorite secondaries in our history...
'83
CB Everson Walls
S Michael Downs
S Dexter Clinkscale
CB Dennis Thurman

another favorite...'86
CB Everson Walls
S Michael Downs
S Bill Bates
CB Ron Fellows

Lol. Over half the board never saw them play a single game. Then they wonder why we demand greatness.

 

[Bobhaze]

Because they don't matter. The ROI for safeties is never there, except for Tyrann Mathieu and, presumably, Minkah Fitzpatrick...but that's only because they can cover the slot.

You're way better off paying Kazee and, say, La'El Collins, than you are paying Anthony Harris.

I agree with you about not paying Anthony Harris…But…Safeties don’t matter? That doesn’t seem to jive with the history of teams winning championships. 21 of the last 25 SB winners had an All Pro playing safety. And it’s actually more than that if you keep going back through the entire 55 SB winners.

The Safety position has certainly evolved. No question. But to say S’s don’t matter seems short sighted. History- even recent history says so.

 

[Future]

I agree with you about not paying Anthony Harris…But…Safeties don’t matter? That doesn’t seem to jive with the history of teams winning championships. 21 of the last 25 SB winners had an All Pro playing safety. And it’s actually more than that if you keep going back through the entire 55 SB winners.

The Safety position has certainly evolved. No question. But to say S’s don’t matter seems short sighted. History- even recent history says so.

Anything before 2016, as it relates to passing offense and defense, is irrelevant. I think the only All Pro from a Super Bowl winner in that group is Mathieu, who played primarily as a slot corner that year

Traditional safeties don't matter as it relates to quality defense or to winning. You can either play man coverage in the slot, or you do not matter as a safety.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Woodson. All. Day.

Woody's position/role flex would have made him even *more* valuable in today's schemes that try to attack personnel matchups. He could take up the slack wherever the defense was weak.

 

[Bobhaze]

Anything before 2016, as it relates to passing offense and defense, is irrelevant. I think the only All Pro from a Super Bowl winner in that group is Mathieu, who played primarily as a slot corner that year

Traditional safeties don't matter as it relates to quality defense or to winning. You can either play man coverage in the slot, or you do not matter as a safety.

Actually, your statement that there isn’t an All Pro S from a SB winner is not true. You’re right about Matthieu. But in 2017 SB winner Filly had All Pro S Malcolm Jenkins. In 2018, the Pats won SB with All Pro S Devin McCourty, in 2019, the chiefs won it with Matthieu as you noted. In 2020, the SB winner Bucs didn’t have an All Pro S, but AFC champ had Matthieu again.

We can agree to disagree about the role of a S brother. But your point about “anything after 2016 is irrelevant” falls flat. Safeties have evolved in what they do but you can’t actually say they haven’t been making a huge difference any more regarding winning.