Jeff Heath - going forward

[Chuck 54]

We don't have any super stars at safety, but we do have quality depth.
Jones is a safety, not a CB....his 1-1 coverage on TE's showed that. I think he had a bit of a sophomore slump, but we are only approaching his 3rd year and 2nd at Safety...Keep him in there.
Church is a valuable player, but unless we can sign him inexpensively, we can do without him. I like what JJ Wilcox showed me this year, in tackling, hitting, and even coverage...steady improvement to where we miss him when he's not there...may be coming into his own.
Then we have Heath, who can play either safety position as a backup or special package when we need Jones 1-1 with TE's.

We need to draft a CB or two....even without Mo's injury, and even if Mo and Carr are both back, it's crazy to carry only 4 CBs these days. If I saw a big CB with coverage skills but 4.6 speed, I might draft him in the middle rounds just to cover the best TE's on teams like the Skins, Eagles, Packers just so I can keep Jones on the back end.

I know it's best player available, but this draft should be focused on CB and WR for certain. Add DE, a good pass rusher, if available, but that's no sure thing drafting at #28. If a TE like OJ Howard (Ala.) or David Njoku (Miami) happened to fall to us at 28, I'd be all over that. I wouldn't take an OT unless one of the top guys who plays LT but projects as a better RT is BPA...I think Green and Cleary both represented themselves well when we needed them. I'd like to see Green complete with Free and Cleary be the swing T. My dream selection would be Adoree Jackson, CB (USC) in round 2, killing two birds with one stone....CB who plays some offense, and a fantastic returner who would push Lucky off the team.

 

[gimmesix]

Blown coverages is a mental mistake though and something that can be improved on.

Just because he made those mistakes as a young player doesn't mean he won't grow smarter and learn from the mistakes hes made.


The guy is making plays. You have to get him on the field more. I'm not saying to start him but give him a path to where he can compete for the starting job. He's earned it.

I have no problem with him competing. I just think fans are overlooking Jones' body of work and pumping up Heath for making a few plays. I don't think he's a starting safety. I think he's a role player. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[CATCH17]

I have no problem with him competing. I just think fans are overlooking Jones' body of work and pumping up Heath for making a few plays. I don't think he's a starting safety. I think he's a role player. There's nothing wrong with that.

Yeah.. I think Byron Jones will be a stud and he is the biggest reason we didn't give up many deep plays this year.


With Heath... I think it's fair to ask the question what kind of overall upside does he has and to label him nothing but a role player or a sure fire starter is really unknown to both sides of everyones argument.


He has earned the right to compete as a starter and let us find out what he is on the field with more reps. We will have backup plans in case he is nothing special or potentially is a liability.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Exactly.

He's going to be a nice special teams, nickel/dime guy for us. There's no shame in that.

But this talk about how we should start shifting guys around to now make room for him as a starter is putting the cart waaaaaaaayyyyyy ahead of the horse.

I agree. He's become a solid guy. But let's don't be foolish. He looks solid in limited snaps. He's a special teams depth guy. People get caught up in measurable with him.

 

[Sydla]

Limited role mean anything to you?

Why is he in a limited role? I mean surely if you guys see the greatness of Jeff Heath, why can't multiple defensive coaches?

And he has over 1100 snaps to his name on defense in 4 years, so he's not some guy getting 60 snaps a year here either.

 

[Idgit]

I've always liked Heath as an athlete and role player, and he definitely gets maligned here stupidly because of one game where he was in position but unable to cover Calvin Johnson, as if that's anything for anybody to be surprised by. The coaches really left he and Carr out to dry that game, and they got clobbered.

He's a guy I'd be ok with stepping in and taking over a job due to injury and holding it down for you, playing surprisingly well. If he were really starter material, he'd be starting by now. We've had coverage issues at S for years.

I'm not in favor of moving Byron Jones, though, and especially not because of one unbelievable sideline catch. We've needed a player like Jones back there for a long while, and now that we've got him, I'm not moving him.

I would like to see us bring in another talented S prospect in the draft, though. That's a position we can upgrade with the right guy in the first 60 picks.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

I traded Heath and Romo to the Browns for 2 first round picks (1 this year and 1 next year) and a 4th next year........in Madden

 

[T-RO]

It's not hate. It's reality. He looked good against GB but that's one game. He's looked lost at other times this year.

We seem to do this every year with a player or two where a guy has a game out of nowhere, and we start to extrapolate well beyond what we should for the guy.

It's called "Recency Bias." Common human thinking--and flawed thinking.

There's nothing here that suggests we should find a starting safety role for him at this point. He's a solid back up safety, nickle/dime guy. Not a starter for us. Maybe down the line he might be that guy, who knows.

I agree. Nice role player. I give him a shot to be more, but I don't let one game make me silly.

 

[Beats_By_Zeke]

I hate it even more just because when it was called they had Mike Pierra on call. He assurd America that it was the right call.
I hate that Storage wars looking MOFO.

 

[TINGS21]

I've always liked Heath as an athlete and role player, and he definitely gets maligned here stupidly because of one game where he was in position but unable to cover Calvin Johnson, as if that's anything for anybody to be surprised by. The coaches really left he and Carr out to dry that game, and they got clobbered.

He's a guy I'd be ok with stepping in and taking over a job due to injury and holding it down for you, playing surprisingly well. If he were really starter material, he'd be starting by now. We've had coverage issues at S for years.

I'm not in favor of moving Byron Jones, though, and especially not because of one unbelievable sideline catch. We've needed a player like Jones back there for a long while, and now that we've got him, I'm not moving him.

I would like to see us bring in another talented S prospect in the draft, though. That's a position we can upgrade with the right guy in the first 60 picks.

I agree
That's one thing about Heath, he always seems to be in the right position to make a play. He may not have the ability to always make the play, but at least he is there. Which is why I also don't see him being a full time starter but a very capable backup or short term starter at Safety.
And yes, Heath was made look silly by some pretty good NFL talent his rookie season but he was in the right position. He just did not have the skill set to stop them.
JJ Wilcox in his first 3 seasons over ran or took a terrible angle on everything Fans couldn't see how bad he truly was

 

[Idgit]

I agree
That's one thing about Heath, he always seems to be in the right position to make a play. He may not have the ability to always make the play, but at least he is there. Which is why I also don't see him being a full time starter but a very capable backup or short term starter at Safety.
And yes, Heath was made look silly by some pretty good NFL talent his rookie season but he was in the right position. He just did not have the skill set to stop them.
JJ Wilcox in his first 3 seasons over ran or took a terrible angle on everything Fans couldn't see how bad he truly was

Yep. JJ is great at tackling a guy in space when he's lined up on him, and he packs a wallop, but he can't be relied on to cover.

I will say, the DB play all around was a half-step better this season. Having enough press corners who can play really helps, but the new position coaches/change of responsibilities seems to have paid off, too.

We need impact DLs, an impact MIKE (I assume that's Jaylon, but who knows), and stand to lose Church, Carr, and/or Mo in the secondary. I can live with Heath as a pre-draft insurance of Church goes (Frazier showed at least a little something later in the year, too), but it's still a position I'd like to upgrade. That could be tough to do, though, this offseason if we don't have a good solution at CB. To get where we need to get, we need 4 quality players there. We've got 3 and a half now, with Mo in and out of the lineup all the time, and two of them could leave.

One thing we have going for us, though, is I think all the FAs who have positions available (i.e., not Leary) probably would prefer to stay in Dallas, all things being equal. We just can't overpay for mediocre defensive talent anywhere because they happen to be the right kinds of guys who know the system.

 

[negativecreep]

Played a great game, and almost won it twice ( sack, overturned int) plus he had another int preventing a long gainer.

Also, just saw he was being trained as backup kicker due to Dan Bailey disk problem.

Guy has some wheels 4.3 best, and is 6' 1" and 212 lbs...

Also recall he is a hitter.....

Idea ... Move Jones back to CB, and give Jeff a try at Safety

Reactions welcomed.....

I disagree with the move, but after this year, let's try anything. This one stung, heck maybe I'm wrong and Heath is another john lynch in this scheme.

 

[dallasdave]

Played a great game, and almost won it twice ( sack, overturned int) plus he had another int preventing a long gainer.

Also, just saw he was being trained as backup kicker due to Dan Bailey disk problem.

Guy has some wheels 4.3 best, and is 6' 1" and 212 lbs...

Also recall he is a hitter.....

Idea ... Move Jones back to CB, and give Jeff a try at Safety

Reactions welcomed.....

Use Heath and Jones as the 2 safety positions.

 

[dallasdave]

Heath has ball skills and a knack for being in a good spot when he needs to be. The same most definitely can not be said for anyone else in the secondary.

I don't understand the hate on the guy, honestly. He was bad his rookie season, sure. But that's quite common.

He has grown and matured as a football player, and in limited snaps, has made more plays than anyone else on the back end of our defense. At the end of the day, football is about production. It's not about "potential" or "freak athletic ability". Give me a guy who is consistently around the ball, making plays over a guy who has all the measurables.

He has instinct, speed, and can lay the wood on guys. I, for one, hope he has an expanded role in 2017.

Well said Indeed Sir

 

[Wolfpack]

The board wanted him cut his rookie year.

He was a practice squad level player that year and I give him credit for working hard and improving but that roster was thin that year back there. He should not have been playing.

 

[mahoneybill]

I traded Heath and Romo to the Browns for 2 first round picks (1 this year and 1 next year) and a 4th next year........in Madden

I'm recommending you for GM

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

He was a practice squad level player that year and I give him credit for working hard and improving but that roster was thin that year back there. He should not have been playing.

I agree but he was young. Not many gave him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Why don't we try to have two free safeties out there? I think some other teams do it. You need to be able to cover WRs these days. The more guys the better. Re-sign Wilcox and put him in when you need someone to knock somebody in the teeth. I'd like a Jones and Heath starting safety duo. We wouldn't have to only rush three D-linemen to get more DBs on the field if we actually had DBs with cover skills.

 

[ShiningStar]

this backs my theory of "mediocrity acceptance" so many professional back ups that flash a few plays should than be considered starters. No, hes a back up. A good back up. Thats it. Irvin is going to and has already proved this. We had a big "David Irvin is going to have a break out season" and thats not going to happen. hes a rotational player. leave it be. Yes, if theres a backup player, play him more.

This was like some players trying to tell us how we are going to Miss "Almost " Spencer. We didnt, but they swore up and down we would. Some players are just back up players. You have a coach who proves to you he cant do it, now the defense is "just get him great players at every position, he ll be the best" He has proven time and time again hes not a good coach but most are prepared to keep at it til he wins.

Yet players like Ware, and Newman run out of town. I just dont get it.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

Use Heath and Jones as the 2 safety positions.

I am coming around that we need to coverage players at all 4 (or 5) defensive back spots. There simply is no longer room for safeties like Church and Wilcox in today's NFL, and specifically on our defense, which lacks a consistent (any?) pass rush. Whatever we give up in big hits or in the box tackling ability, I think we make up for in downfield coverage and coverage sacks.