Video: Special Edition: Safe at Safety?

[TwoDeep3]

 

[Redball Express]

Hmm..

So it's all fine and well to watch these guys playing half speed covering.

But I just don't think this group will change much over last year.

Philly killed us with 2 really strong TEs and no WRs we could name. It got them to the playoffs.

Our safeties were invisible.

Without all the additions on the DL to speed up getting to the QB..these guys playing Safety would otherwise get shreaded.

If ET doesn't magically appear..we will be 'all be saying "woulda shoulda could" all season.

 

[jazzcat22]

Hmm..

So it's all fine and well to watch these guys playing half speed covering.

But I just don't think this group will change much over last year.

Philly killed us with 2 really strong TEs and no WRs we could name. It got them to the playoffs.

Our safeties were invisible.

Without all the additions on the DL to speed up getting to the QB..these guys playing Safety would otherwise get shreaded.

If ET doesn't magically appear..we will be 'all be saying "woulda shoulda could" all season.

difference between then and now....a real coaching staff...that’s all, you are welcome.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Coaching will help absolutely.

But if you keep putting 6th rounders and journeymen at the back end of your defense and you wonder why you can't stop the deep ball in critical moments, you can't act surprised.

 

[Maxmadden]

I see Stanback is still on the Cowboys payroll.

Good to see his hard work spent on the practice squad has paid off. Everybody labeled him as a JAG but he gave it a shot at everything they asked him to do.

As a young person I would have loved to be a JAG.

 

[JoeKing]

So no ET?

 

[gimmesix]

Hmm..

So it's all fine and well to watch these guys playing half speed covering.

But I just don't think this group will change much over last year.

Philly killed us with 2 really strong TEs and no WRs we could name. It got them to the playoffs.

Our safeties were invisible.

Without all the additions on the DL to speed up getting to the QB..these guys playing Safety would otherwise get shreaded.

If ET doesn't magically appear..we will be 'all be saying "woulda shoulda could" all season.

If we don't sign Thomas, I think one of our corners eventually ends up starting at safety. It appears Woods will hold down one spot, but it could end up being Robinson, Worley or Awuzie at the other, depending on who ends up as the top three corners.

 

[gimmesix]

Hmm..

So it's all fine and well to watch these guys playing half speed covering.

But I just don't think this group will change much over last year.

Philly killed us with 2 really strong TEs and no WRs we could name. It got them to the playoffs.

Our safeties were invisible.

Without all the additions on the DL to speed up getting to the QB..these guys playing Safety would otherwise get shreaded.

If ET doesn't magically appear..we will be 'all be saying "woulda shoulda could" all season.

There's a good article on dallascowboys.com about the outlook (sans signing Thomas):

The philosophy has been evident through these two weeks of training camp.

It's normal to see corners shift between the slot and the boundary, as has often been the case with guys like Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis. But in these practices Robinson hasn't been the only one to cross-train between safety and corner. Veteran Daryl Worley has moved all over the field, spending time at safety, cornerback and nickel back. Even Lewis, who has been sidelined by an ankle injury, worked into some safety-specific positional drills before he got hurt.

"By no means are you just one position for us," Linguist said. "You play defensive back, and we all know how this thing kind of guys throughout the season. We'll see multiple people at multiple different positions."

Another good point. That plays out across the NFL on a yearly basis. In 2017, injuries forced Xavier Woods into the slot for much of his rookie season. Just last year, as a member of the Oakland Raiders, Worley rotated into the safety spot because of injuries at the position.

There's also the benefit of learning the defense that much better. Linguist said the best defensive backs he's been around have an understanding for every assignment on the field, as that knowledge can help a player excel at his own position.


"If I know exactly where the safety is and I'm a corner, well that's going to help me better understand what my technique is at corner," he said. "If I know exactly what a corner is doing at the safety position, it can help me move six inches to the left or six inches to the right and be successful."

Naturally, there are likely limits to this. The coaches are still going to fit players into their most natural positions. Neither Diggs nor Brown has spent time at safety, and Chidobe Awuzie told reporters last week that the coaches had not talked to him about playing safety, despite an offseason of speculation. But the message seems clear: the more you can do, the more likely you are to earn a roster spot.

For a secondary full of unknowns, that might be the best bet to field the best unit possible.

"I think one of the worst things you can do is say 'This is what I am,'" Linguist said. "Because what it's going to allow us to do is plug and play the next best person, the next best player – not necessarily just the 'backup' of the position. How can we find the best spots – six, seven, eight DBs – and get them on the field together in a rotation."

 

[Techsass]

Just saw a story on The Wire saying they're moving Robinson to safety. Didn't really sound like a definite decision has been made, though.

They did quote DB coach Linguist as having told the players that they are all DBs & to quit locking themselves into any particular position.

 

[Redball Express]

There's a good article on dallascowboys.com about the outlook (sans signing Thomas):

The philosophy has been evident through these two weeks of training camp.

It's normal to see corners shift between the slot and the boundary, as has often been the case with guys like Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis. But in these practices Robinson hasn't been the only one to cross-train between safety and corner. Veteran Daryl Worley has moved all over the field, spending time at safety, cornerback and nickel back. Even Lewis, who has been sidelined by an ankle injury, worked into some safety-specific positional drills before he got hurt.

"By no means are you just one position for us," Linguist said. "You play defensive back, and we all know how this thing kind of guys throughout the season. We'll see multiple people at multiple different positions."

Another good point. That plays out across the NFL on a yearly basis. In 2017, injuries forced Xavier Woods into the slot for much of his rookie season. Just last year, as a member of the Oakland Raiders, Worley rotated into the safety spot because of injuries at the position.

There's also the benefit of learning the defense that much better. Linguist said the best defensive backs he's been around have an understanding for every assignment on the field, as that knowledge can help a player excel at his own position.


"If I know exactly where the safety is and I'm a corner, well that's going to help me better understand what my technique is at corner," he said. "If I know exactly what a corner is doing at the safety position, it can help me move six inches to the left or six inches to the right and be successful."

Naturally, there are likely limits to this. The coaches are still going to fit players into their most natural positions. Neither Diggs nor Brown has spent time at safety, and Chidobe Awuzie told reporters last week that the coaches had not talked to him about playing safety, despite an offseason of speculation. But the message seems clear: the more you can do, the more likely you are to earn a roster spot.

For a secondary full of unknowns, that might be the best bet to field the best unit possible.

"I think one of the worst things you can do is say 'This is what I am,'" Linguist said. "Because what it's going to allow us to do is plug and play the next best person, the next best player – not necessarily just the 'backup' of the position. How can we find the best spots – six, seven, eight DBs – and get them on the field together in a rotation."

Good post.

Am sure everybody will read this and understand it better.

Thanx a bunch.

It's scrimmage time.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I see Stanback is still on the Cowboys payroll.

Good to see his hard work spent on the practice squad has paid off. Everybody labeled him as a JAG but he gave it a shot at everything they asked him to do.

As a young person I would have loved to be a JAG.

Talk to kaiser about being a JAG his whole life.