Twitter: PFF: DaRon Bland - Highest Graded Defender from Week 13

[Captain43Crash]

Teams won’t shy away from Bland. Those two crappy passes from Ryan won’t scare anyone.

What a dumb comments. Those were excellent interceptions. Bland jumped both those routes!!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

What a dumb comments. Those were excellent interceptions. Bland jumped both those routes!!

I never said they were bad interceptions or whatever you are butt hurt about. I said they were crappy passes with no zip on the football.

If you think teams are going to shy away from him you are as silly as the other Captain Crash.

 

[AsthmaField]

Agree. It's nice to read someone who has conviction in their opinion. I always laugh when I read the gutless "wait and see" or "it's yet to be seen" crowd.

I feel like Bland could have started on the outside before preseason.

Yep. We haven’t “seen it” as far as him being a shutdown corner and making pro bowls, obviously. However, we have seen excellent play from him. His instincts stood out to me immediately in the preseason. I remember writing on here that his reactions, reaction time, and closing on the ball looked more like a seasoned veteran than a raw rookie that spent most of his career at a community college. It was something that you almost never see.

I was really kind of stunned at how he played in the preseason. If you had told me he was the Cowboys first round pick and he was playing like that, I would’ve thought that Dallas really hit on their premium pick. Frankly you really don’t see first round corners looking that polished and in control in their rookie training camp.

The coaches also verified what our eyes were telling us back in camp. They said that he was smart and a fast learner. Quinn also said that he made some mistakes, but that once he made it, he never did it again. That is music to the fans ears because that is exactly what you want.

It is between his ears that has allowed him to come in and shoot so quickly up the depth chart. Right after the draft, it was clear that Bland had all the physical traits that you could want. He has length, speed, loose hips, is hyper athletic, and is explosive. But he is smart. Not just common sense smart either. He has a ton of football IQ, which lets him take advantage of angles, leverage, and all of the other minutia that goes into the mental part of being a good NFL player.

The only thing that I really saw him do wrong in training camp was in a preaseason game. I can’t remember who they were playing (maybe the Chargers?), but he got a bomb for a TD thrown on him. He was in perfect position and running stride-for-stride with the WR, but he never got his head around to find the ball. Which is something a lot of pro DB’s are guilty of (Anthony Brown, Chidobe Awuzie, for example). However, he has completely changed that and, as his 3 INT’s can attest, he now is always looking for the ball. Like the coaches said: He learns from his mistakes, takes the coaching and fixes it.

Anyway, I’m going on and on about him but his skill and maturity have been impressive. I just really like him as a player and I’m happy for Dallas to have stolen one in the 5th round.

 

[BoysfanfromCanada]

You're overstating the problem with Kelvin Joseph.

He almost blocked an extra point.

Guy just wants to make a play...And really hasn't been good or bad this year.

On the play he got scored on, his coverage was about as tight as it gets.

He's been great on ST. He's there on almost every play. Fans just don't know what they're talking about as far as the player. They're too hung up on the incident from this offseason.

No ones complaining about Joseph on special teams (well other than his penalties), but there's a higher expectation for a 2nd rounder. And he's never shown anything at corner to believe he'll be good. In the preseason against backups he was getting beat on the regular. He's been targeted a decent amount the last couple of games and hasn't made the play. Almost isn't good enough when you're giving up TDs. He's solid at run defense, I'll get him that.

Its not like I want him to fail, I want him to help this team win.

 

[Pass2Run]

Yep. We haven’t “seen it” as far as him being a shutdown corner and making pro bowls, obviously. However, we have seen excellent play from him. His instincts stood out to me immediately in the preseason. I remember writing on here that his reactions, reaction time, and closing on the ball looked more like a seasoned veteran than a raw rookie that spent most of his career at a community college. It was something that you almost never see.

I was really kind of stunned at how he played in the preseason. If you had told me he was the Cowboys first round pick and he was playing like that, I would’ve thought that Dallas really hit on their premium pick. Frankly you really don’t see first round corners looking that polished and in control in their rookie training camp.

The coaches also verified what our eyes were telling us back in camp. They said that he was smart and a fast learner. Quinn also said that he made some mistakes, but that once he made it, he never did it again. That is music to the fans ears because that is exactly what you want.

It is between his ears that has allowed him to come in and shoot so quickly up the depth chart. Right after the draft, it was clear that Bland had all the physical traits that you could want. He has length, speed, loose hips, is hyper athletic, and is explosive. But he is smart. Not just common sense smart either. He has a ton of football IQ, which lets him take advantage of angles, leverage, and all of the other minutia that goes into the mental part of being a good NFL player.

The only thing that I really saw him do wrong in training camp was in a preaseason game. I can’t remember who they were playing (maybe the Chargers?), but he got a bomb for a TD thrown on him. He was in perfect position and running stride-for-stride with the WR, but he never got his head around to find the ball. Which is something a lot of pro DB’s are guilty of (Anthony Brown, Chidobe Awuzie, for example). However, he has completely changed that and, as his 3 INT’s can attest, he now is always looking for the ball. Like the coaches said: He learns from his mistakes, takes the coaching and fixes it.

Anyway, I’m going on and on about him but his skill and maturity have been impressive. I just really like him as a player and I’m happy for Dallas to have stolen one in the 5th round.

Agree with you. Bland is going to be a nice player for us in the future.

Glad we landed him. Love his mentality, like you say.

 

[Creeper]

Teams won’t shy away from Bland. Those two crappy passes from Ryan won’t scare anyone.

I agree one game is not going to scare anyone away from Bland but there is the old joke about the two guys running from a bear and the one guy asks the other, "can we outrun a bear?" and the other guy responds, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!". In this case teams have a choice of going after Joseph of Bland. The two INTs by Bland may point QB in the direction of Joseph.

But, we also have to remember Bland had a long day against Green Bay.

 

[Cebrin]

Right. But 15 passes defensed is the reason that Gardner is drawing a lot of praise. He's been tough to throw against. Didn't think it was fair to just point out that he has fewer interceptions than Bland.

Oh for sor sure, man.

 

[DandyDon52]

I and many others here noticed him in PS, wanted him to make the team, and knew he had potential.
luckily the cowboys liked him enough, and after injuries to others, is getting time on the field.

 

[FanofJerry]

You have to hit on a certain amount late draft picks and UDFAs.

So?! But we are arse at drafting 2nd picks...therefor our FO is trash.

Keep the Devil alive!

 

[stilltheguru]

Teams won’t shy away from Bland. Those two crappy passes from Ryan won’t scare anyone.

They forgot how he got lowkey ate up in green bay

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

They forgot how he got lowkey ate up in green bay

Yeah forgot real quick.

 

[Beaker42]

Why hadn’t he been starting? Classic case of a guy who only gets a shot when the worse player he’s behind gets hurt. Brown sucks and I hope we’ve seen the last of him in a Cowboys uni.

 

[Quint]

Too bad his last name isn’t SPLASH.

 

[manster4ever]

So pretend Bland was the 2nd pick and Joseph was the 5th rounder. If that were the case we’d be happy. So we should still be happy. That’s my new fuzzy math and I’m sticking with it…

Not fuzzy math at all IMO....makes total sense. Simply not gonna hit on every 2nd rounder and when you get TWO late round picks like Bland and Clark....I mean DAMN that's nice boys

 

[reddyuta]

He is really good when the play is in front of him but only ok when he is trailing and that is fine for a rookie.

 

[Pass2Run]

Bland makes the lack of impact of Joseph so far sting a bit less. He's been fantastic. Most games you don't even hear his name because QBs aren't throwing his way. He'll give up the odd pass but tackles the receiver immediately, and now has 3 picks. What more can you ask for.

The problem is teams will shy away from throwing to the two ball hawks (Bland and Diggs), which means they will keep attacking Joseph when he's on

Everyone pretends Joseph is made of glass.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Teams won’t shy away from Bland. Those two crappy passes from Ryan won’t scare anyone.

No team would ever shy away from their slot receiver. That's the hardest spot to cover as a DB. The slot WR has an automatic two way go and a lot of room to play with. That's why there is no such thing as a shutdown CB in the slot.

Bland picked two passes. One was a little bit behind the WR. The other was a late throw. Kudos to Bland for being in position to make those plays. But, like all interceptions, they don't happen with better throws.

 

[plasticman]

Bland makes the lack of impact of Joseph so far sting a bit less. He's been fantastic. Most games you don't even hear his name because QBs aren't throwing his way. He'll give up the odd pass but tackles the receiver immediately, and now has 3 picks. What more can you ask for.

The problem is teams will shy away from throwing to the two ball hawks (Bland and Diggs), which means they will keep attacking Joseph when he's on

So true. If Bland had been the 2021 2nd round pick and Joseph was a 2022 5th round pick, I would be completely satisfied with both today.

 

[BoysfanfromCanada]

No team would ever shy away from their slot receiver. That's the hardest spot to cover as a DB. The slot WR has an automatic two way go and a lot of room to play with. That's why there is no such thing as a shutdown CB in the slot.

Bland picked two passes. One was a little bit behind the WR. The other was a late throw. Kudos to Bland for being in position to make those plays. But, like all interceptions, they don't happen with better throws.

Jourdan Lewis had been covering the slot for the start of the season and he wasn't getting a ton of passes his way. Bland has been playing for what, 5 games now? Teams aren't targeting him much. Obviously he's not a shut down cb but he's doing a great job for a rookie.

 

[BAT]

One of them is a starter

Bland is a starter too.