Little update on what Dallas has Awuzie doing

[Sydla]

In 2015, Carroll was the 23rd-ranked cornerback, having what many considered his best season while starting 11 games despite breaking his fibula on Thanksgiving. We looked at him that offseason and tried to sign him, more than likely to replace Carr, but he chose to re-sign with Philly instead.

Last year, he was a worse player than Carr, although he did start all 16 games. Pro Football Focus had him ranked 92 out of 112 cornerbacks.

So there are a couple of questions with him.

First, at 30 years old can he get back to the player he was in 2015 or is he now the player he was in 2016 coming off that injury? If he's the 2016 player, then he's a backup at best. (I don't see him getting cut because his cap hit this year is $2 million while it would cost us $3 million to cut him. Next year would be reasonable, though, because we'd save $2 million by cutting him.)

The other question is whether he's a better fit for zone or man. I think we're going to try to switch to using primarily Cover 2 because we now have the personnel for it.

I'm not going to make too much out of a player making a big play against him in drills that favor the offense, so we'll have to wait until camp to see the answers to those questions.

I'll answer your question in simple terms.

He stinks.

 

[gimmesix]

I'll answer your question in simple terms.

He stinks.

I'll wait to see for myself instead of trusting your non-expert opinion.

 

[Sydla]

I'll wait to see for myself instead of trusting your non-expert opinion.

That's fine.

Just remember I warned you. He's a dime a dozen CB at best. I'd rather have scrounged together a million or so more and resigned Claiborne, who at least has a ceiling. Carroll hit his ceiling and got a concussion years ago.

 

[Setackin]

In 2015, Carroll was the 23rd-ranked cornerback, having what many considered his best season while starting 11 games despite breaking his fibula on Thanksgiving. We looked at him that offseason and tried to sign him, more than likely to replace Carr, but he chose to re-sign with Philly instead.

Last year, he was a worse player than Carr, although he did start all 16 games. Pro Football Focus had him ranked 92 out of 112 cornerbacks.

So there are a couple of questions with him.

First, at 30 years old can he get back to the player he was in 2015 or is he now the player he was in 2016 coming off that injury? If he's the 2016 player, then he's a backup at best. (I don't see him getting cut because his cap hit this year is $2 million while it would cost us $3 million to cut him. Next year would be reasonable, though, because we'd save $2 million by cutting him.)

The other question is whether he's a better fit for zone or man. I think we're going to try to switch to using primarily Cover 2 because we now have the personnel for it.

I'm not going to make too much out of a player making a big play against him in drills that favor the offense, so we'll have to wait until camp to see the answers to those questions.

If it comes down to him or one of the young guys, I'll take the young guy, 3mil cap hit isn't the worst thing in the world...

 

[gimmesix]

That's fine.

Just remember I warned you. He's a dime a dozen CB at best. I'd rather have scrounged together a million or so more and resigned Claiborne, who at least has a ceiling. Carroll hit his ceiling and got a concussion years ago.

I consider him on par with Carr. Carr was worse in 2015 and Carroll was worse in 2016.

Claiborne was the better player than both of them last year, but he's being paid this year twice what we are paying Carroll even though Claiborne has not been able to stay healthy for a full season in any of his five years. Claiborne also wasn't smart enough to ever pick up how to play zone, and I believe Marinelli wants to get back to more Cover 2 principles. (He was stuck with more man with Carr and Claiborne in there.)

Carroll's contract does elevate to $4 million for each of the next two seasons, but unless he plays light's out he'll never see that money. He's a stopgap brought in because we only had two corners on the team who could either start or play nickel. You may see him as a dime-a-dozen corner, but Dallas sees him as a player who has been a successful nickel and a successful starter (at times) in his career, and that's more than it knows about the rookies it has brought in or the essentially street free agents who were making up the rest of the corps after Claiborne and Carr left.

I don't have any problem with Dallas cutting Carroll if Scandrick, Brown, Awusie, Lewis and White all prove to be better than he is now, but I think it's more likely that he'll play while at least a couple of these rookies adjust to the NFL.

 

[gimmesix]

If it comes down to him or one of the young guys, I'll take the young guy, 3mil cap hit isn't the worst thing in the world...

I don't have a problem with the cap hit, either. I just think it makes it less likely for Dallas to cut him. However, it doesn't mean he won't be cut if he's bad and there's a fifth option on the team whose better to fill out the corner roster spots. (Could even be six if we only keep four safeties.)

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I'll answer your question in simple terms.

He stinks.

Such depth of analysis. He wasn't suited to Schwartz's blitz heavy man scheme like he was to the zone scheme of the preceding DC, Billy Davis.

If you leave him on an island he is going to struggle. He actually has a similar career arc to Carr and costs half as much.

 

[Floatyworm]

Does this team ever learn? Look @ what they did to Byron Jones....by moving him back and forth. Guy basically lost a years development...because the Cowboys couldn't figure out what to do w/ him. Just plain dumb. And now...they are gonna do it again w/ Awuzie.

 

[sideon]

I still think he ends up as a starting safety alongside Jones. At corner, we've got Scandrick, Carroll, Brown and Lewis.

At corner, we have much bigger question marks, especially if Heath can't handle playing a bigger role.

Carroll might lose his spot during the preseason

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Jones can play any position in the secondary. Heath can play FS, SS, and big nickel. Chido can play both corners, nickelback and dime S. Brown and Carroll can play both corners and nickel. Lewis and Scandrick can play nickel and RCB.

Now granted, Woods is a FS and Blanton and Frazier are SS that all might have flex on nickel and dime but overall the ability to roll/disguise coverages is going to be outstanding. It certainly seems like they are drafting with that intent.

You can blitz any of them and roll coverages and expect the guy rolling to execute the assignments at a high level. Heath Awuzie, Scandrick, and Brown are all plus blitzers from the DB position as well. If opponents run bunch/stacked/combo routes then the QB is not going to be able to tell who is assigned to what presnap particularly to Jones's side of the field.

It is going to take some time to gel and people need to display better/more consistent ball skills but the unit has the potential to be outstanding.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Does this team ever learn? Look @ what they did to Byron Jones....by moving him back and forth. Guy basically lost a years development...because the Cowboys couldn't figure out what to do w/ him. Just plain dumb. And now...they are gonna do it again w/ Awuzie.

Lost? He is now the QB of the defense and gets everyone lined up. A player doing that in his second year is a mark of outstanding development and scheme mastery.

When Scandrick and Claiborne went down last year he filled in at corner and was proficient.

Now sure he still needs polish as a FS but that will come and he is one of the more dynamic DBs in the NFL.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Giving Chidobe the "Jones treatment" has good and bad aspects to it. I like position flex but we already have enough guys that can play safety and CB. I think they need to commit Jones and Chidobe as the starting safeties and let the rest work itself out at TC.

If you really want to maximize your ability to disguise coverage then everyone on the field needs to be able to play multiple positions. It's not like the DL where you line up and at most shift one gap. A DB can range pretty much anywhere on one half of the field presnap.

 

[Silver Surfer]

And he will do what? Armpit farts? Do a crowd participatory count of their Super Bowl trophies, starting at the number 0? Reminisce about McNabb vomiting in the Super Bowl? That should get the audience in a real lather.

You've been awarded one "like" for use of the term "armpit farts".

 

[casmith07]

position flexibility is nothing new to Chido, he played everywhere at CU.

It's nothing new to every DB we drafted.

 

[DoctorChicken]

Giving Chidobe the "Jones treatment" has good and bad aspects to it. I like position flex but we already have enough guys that can play safety and CB. I think they need to commit Jones and Chidobe as the starting safeties and let the rest work itself out at TC.

Chidobe was a dominant, natural CB in college. Why commit him to Safety?

 

[gimmesix]

I still think he ends up as a starting safety alongside Jones. At corner, we've got Scandrick, Carroll, Brown and Lewis.

At corner, we have much bigger question marks, especially if Heath can't handle playing a bigger role.

Whoops, that second part should say at safety.

 

[Nirvana]

 

[Nirvana]

 

[Sydla]

I consider him on par with Carr. Carr was worse in 2015 and Carroll was worse in 2016.

Claiborne was the better player than both of them last year, but he's being paid this year twice what we are paying Carroll even though Claiborne has not been able to stay healthy for a full season in any of his five years. Claiborne also wasn't smart enough to ever pick up how to play zone, and I believe Marinelli wants to get back to more Cover 2 principles. (He was stuck with more man with Carr and Claiborne in there.)

Carroll's contract does elevate to $4 million for each of the next two seasons, but unless he plays light's out he'll never see that money. He's a stopgap brought in because we only had two corners on the team who could either start or play nickel. You may see him as a dime-a-dozen corner, but Dallas sees him as a player who has been a successful nickel and a successful starter (at times) in his career, and that's more than it knows about the rookies it has brought in or the essentially street free agents who were making up the rest of the corps after Claiborne and Carr left.

I don't have any problem with Dallas cutting Carroll if Scandrick, Brown, Awusie, Lewis and White all prove to be better than he is now, but I think it's more likely that he'll play while at least a couple of these rookies adjust to the NFL.

Carr is a better CB than Carroll. And I was never a Carr fan at all.

I don't think people realize just how blah Carroll is.

 

[Sydla]

Such depth of analysis. He wasn't suited to Schwartz's blitz heavy man scheme like he was to the zone scheme of the preceding DC, Billy Davis.

If you leave him on an island he is going to struggle. He actually has a similar career arc to Carr and costs half as much.

1) Schwartz is not a blitz heavy guy. That's false. He had one of the lowest blitz percentages in the league. He's a wide nine guy that wants to get pressure from his front four.

2) Schwartz likes man but Philly played a lot of zone last year because of problems at CB.

Carroll struggled whether they were playing man or zone last year.