Team has to look at SS if status quo remains.

[Doomsdayblitz]

My hope here is that Roy Williams will return to form & Pat Watkins has gained solid weight, and that the SS position will be one of the strengths of the team. Secondary coach Dave Campo stated that he has dedicated himself to getting RW back to the confident hitting machine that we grew to love. Watkins has all of the athletism and speed you need for the position & more, and can jump through the building. This is an important year for both players.

Having said that, the worse case scenario could still happen. If just one of the aforementioned players doesn't live up to expectations, the SS position will continue to be a weakness, with thin depth. That is why I look for the team to go to SS in the 1st rd. of the 2009 draft.
The safety position is probably the most critical one on the defense. They are the first players a QB looks for to analize the defense. All you have to do is look at the teams that have All-Pros at that position to see how vital it is.

The guy I have had my eye on lately is Taylor Mays, FS, S. Cal. Talk about size-speed ration, this guy has it all. At 6-3, 225 lbs., he runs an unbelievable 4.25 in the 40! I know there are several safeties being talked about in next yrs' draft, but this dude leaps out at ya. What I found amazing is a recent Mock Draft that didn't even have him going in the 1st rd. Sounds good to me. If he is there at the #32 spot, we have to take him. By the time the draft rolls around, we'll probably have to use our extra 3rd & 4th to move up to get him. I would do it in a heartbeat.

Everyone talks about our WR position, but I think by Spring '09, we'll have seen enough from Isaiah Stanback, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and of course, Patrick Crayton, that WR will be a position we can afford to look at in the 2nd rd.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

We dont really have any holes, but you could start to see a few potential trouble spots.

LT, LG, SS back up QB all could need some attention next year. But more in the 2nd-4th rounds But unles Roy is cut, or has a worse year I still think we need a young WR first. Crabtree might be a long shot, but Bey, Harvin and Britt are intruiging

and at S, Rolle reminds me of War at SS, just has verything you ask for....

 

[the kid 05]

no way does Watkins move to SS hes a true FS with his body style

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

no way does Watkins move to SS hes a true FS with his body style

Never say "no way". Watkins had 77 tackles his Sr. year at Fla. St. Just because he's lanky doesn't mean he can't put on another 17 lbs. of muscle. That would put him at 6-5, 225. Besides, I've seen more than one depth chart put him as backup at both safety positions.
The point is that we don't have much in the way of depth at the SS position. Courtney Brown, 6-1, 203 & Dowayne Davis, 6-0, 200, are the other safeties on the roster from last year. Neither is what you would call SS size. Brown has speed, but is too small to stick his head in there like a Roy Williams, & Roy Williams is too much of a liability in coverage.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

We dont really have any holes, but you could start to see a few potential trouble spots.

LT, LG, SS back up QB all could need some attention next year. But more in the 2nd-4th rounds But unles Roy is cut, or has a worse year I still think we need a young WR first. Crabtree might be a long shot, but Bey, Harvin and Britt are intruiging

and at S, Rolle reminds me of War at SS, just has verything you ask for....

I appreciate your willingness to disagree without being disagreeable. I know what you mean about Rolle. He is one of the best in the nation. What I like best about Mays, though, is that, with his freakish speed, he can play either safety position, maybe even a little corner. Can you imagine having a 6-3, 225 lb. cornerback?...haha. He's currently playing FS for SoCal & doing a bang up job, so I can't imagine moving to SS would be any trouble for him.
A mock draft I read today had Mays as the first safety to go at #14.

I know what you mean about WR. Either way, you get a quality player in the draft, but pass on another. Looks to me that you seem to feel that none of our current WRs has the ability to move to the #1 spot. I think we'll have a much better idea towards the end of this season. I was a little shocked & impressed, though, to see that Sam Hurd had a reception average, (16.5), just fractions behind Terrell Owens (16.7). Of course Owens caught 4 times as many passes as Hurd did. If anyone is going to come forward to prove they are ready to take over once Owens leaves, it would be either Hurd or Stanback. Crayton, to me, is no more than a solid #2.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

safety isn't the most critical position on defense. There's a reason why until recently safties rarely went top 10 or so in the draft. Even now the safties that go high usually end up being really good.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

safety isn't the most critical position on defense. There's a reason why until recently safties rarely went top 10 or so in the draft. Even now the safties that go high usually end up being really good.

That's what I'm talking about. A GREAT SS! When commentators on NFL Live went over the NFC East, and discussed who the best defensive player in the division was, not one DE, DT, or OLB was mentioned. Both commentators brought up the same player's name--Safety Brian Dawkins, Eagles.

When you look at the last several DMVP of the league, close to half have been safeties. Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, etc. He is the first & last player a QB looks to see where he's at during a passing play. You get a great one who is a great athlete, as well as one who is intelligent enough to bait the QB into making a bad throw, and you have a player who is a game changer.

That's why I like Taylor Mays so much. Any player who is 6-4, 225, runs a 4.35 40, and has a 38" vertical, and can play either safety position can & will make a difference in your defense. Remember what a difference Roy made before teams realized his coverage limitations? QBs and receivers alike made sure they knew where he was on every play. That's what we need again. It will make DWare & Spencer so menacing, this will be Doomsday again.