why not use newman as a kick returner?

[Alexander]

Stakes are higher and we don't have the depth or the talent across the board to lose a starting CB.

Last year?

Yes.

This year, we have Glenn as a third cornerback. You cannot get much better in terms of depth than that.

If Newman is a gamebreaking returner, you would be hard pressed not to use him with that kind of depth you would think. If you don't see him back there this year, then you pretty much can assume he simply is not the electric return ace he was touted to be.

 

[Alexander]

Jimmy Johnson never once used a starter at a premium position to return kicks. Not once. And he had a great punt returner in Kevin Smith ... never used him.

Feel free to continue to ignore, it doesn't make it any less of the truth.

He also never had Deion Sanders back there either. No offense to Kevin Smith, but he was not "great", but more of a "very good" collegiate at A&M, which is what it appears Newman was also. It is just that that was part of the package he was marketed as. I still remember the highlights and the Deion comparisons.

If Newman was that much of a gamebreaker, you would see him. Even if it were nothing but a cameo like Darrell Green used to do.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Last year?

Yes.

This year, we have Glenn as a third cornerback. You cannot get much better in terms of depth than that.

If Newman is a gamebreaking returner, you would be hard pressed not to use him with that kind of depth you would think. If you don't see him back there this year, then you pretty much can assume he simply is not the electric return ace he was touted to be.

I'm actually not disagreeing about Newman's skill as a returner. I haven't seen him return kicks to have a true opinion one way or the other. I only considered his return ability (according to articles and such) as just another plus, but not necessarily the determining factor in why I liked him as our top draft selection.

Yeah we have more depth at the CB spot and I'm happy about that, but I also still have nightmares about the turnstile we had at the RCB spot last year. So I'd rather not test the depth too much by having Newman return kicks...

 

[InmanRoshi]

He also never had Deion Sanders back there either. No offense to Kevin Smith, but he was not "great", but more of a "very good" collegiate at A&M, which is what it appears Newman was also. It is just that that was part of the package he was marketed as. I still remember the highlights and the Deion comparisons.

If Newman was that much of a gamebreaker, you would see him. Even if it were nothing but a cameo like Darrell Green used to do.

Who cares about Deion? If Kevin Smith was the best return man on the team, then he should have returned punts for Jimmy. That's the way the legacy of Jimmy is according to the revisionists .... if you were the best man for the job, you did it ...end of story. Yet, Kevin Smith was the best we had on the roster, and Jimmy was too chicken to use him. End of story.

And we did use Newman last year in cameos, when opponents were backed up deep in their territory. Just like we only used Deion when opponents were backed up in their own territory.

Deion was the best CB to ever play the game. Newman is in his 2nd year and has already been elected a Pro Bowl alternate. If a Top 10 pick must live up to the level of the best player to ever play his position, then its funny to me that I don't hear Raven fans complaining that Terrell Suggs isn't Lawrence Taylor, nor do I hear Viking fans complaining that Kevin Williams isn't Reggie White, but Cowboy fans are disappointed that Terence Newman isn't Deion Sanders (Yet they're not upset that Roy Williams isn't nearly Ronnie Lott).

 

[Doomsday101]

Who cares about Deion? If Kevin Smith was the best return man on the team, then he should have returned punts for Jimmy. That's the way the legacy of Jimmy is according to the revisionists .... if you were the best man for the job, you did it ...end of story. Yet, Kevin Smith was the best we had on the roster, and Jimmy was too chicken to use him. End of story.

And we did use Newman last year in cameos, when opponents were backed up deep in their territory. Just like we only used Deion when opponents were backed up in their own territory.

Deion was the best CB to ever play the game. Newman is in his 2nd year and has already been elected a Pro Bowl alternate. If a Top 10 pick must live up to the level of the best player to ever play his position, then its funny to me that I don't hear Raven fans complaining that Terrell Suggs isn't Lawrence Taylor, nor do I hear Viking fans complaining that Kevin Williams isn't Reggie White, but Cowboy fans are disappointed that Terence Newman isn't Deion Sanders (Yet they're not upset that Roy Williams isn't nearly Ronnie Lott).

Your the only one saying Kevin Smith was the best return man. Kevin Williams and Kelvin Martin both were very good return men.

 

[Established1971]

If he gets hurt we lose a starting cb. That's enough of a reason for me.

Yup
For all intents and purposes it ruined Jason Sehorns career when he got hurt on his 1st return after they made him the return man, he was never the same

 

[Doomsday101]

Yup
For all intents and purposes it ruined Jason Sehorns career when he got hurt on his 1st return after they made him the return man, he was never the same

Would it have made a difference had Sehorn been hurt while playing CB? Kevin Smith blew out his Achilles on a deep overthrown ball no contact involved. Injuries happen it is just part of the game. If you have a dangerous return man like we had in Sanders you would be foolish not to let him return punts because he had the ability to change a game with 1 big play and in the end that is what team are trying to do win games.

 

[Eddie]

I think I'd rather not risk my star CB on returning punts. I'd rather focus on improving the O so it can score points vs trying to get points off of punts.

It's not worth losing him.

Then again, we drafted him for that ability ... to return punts. We've yet to use him in that regard.

So would it have been better to have traded back, get another 3rd rounder, and snag Marcus Trufant???

 

[aikemirv]

I think I'd rather not risk my star CB on returning punts. I'd rather focus on improving the O so it can score points vs trying to get points off of punts.

It's not worth losing him.

Then again, we drafted him for that ability ... to return punts. We've yet to use him in that regard.

So would it have been better to have traded back, get another 3rd rounder, and snag Marcus Trufant???

I really don't know if there were any trading partners at that time but I thought that was the only reason Newman was rated ahead of Trufant (the Deion Mystique - return man)

We should have traded down if that was never the plan.

By the way, wasn't the word that BP wanted Kevin Williams anyway.

 

[Verdict]

If he gets hurt we lose a starting cb. That's enough of a reason for me.

I am concerned that if Newman were used to return punts/kicks and got injured as a result that it could be a real setback for our defense, and secondary in particular. Your point is well taken. The other side of the coin is that many of the players draft position, aguably including Newman, was higher than it might have been otherwise because of their special teams skills. On one hand there is substantial risk in using him as a kick/punt returner, on the other hand if he has the skills ans we aren't using him at all, then why consider special teams at all if you just give lip service to the importance of special teams and then refuse to use the best player available. I would suggest that Parcells decision whether to use Newman for special teams includes the following:

1. How good at special teams is he?
2. What other options the team has available in terms of special teams talent?
3. How much depth does the team have at the starter's principal position?
4. How critical is the particular special team play?

I would truly hate to see us lose our starting CB to a special teams injury, but on the other hand it would be nice to see him make a difference on a critical play which wins a game that we would not have otherwise won.

One other thing to consider. If you don't play your best players, you probably are not going to win in the NFL. I would probably not play him at punt returner in a blowout, but in a critical game situation, I would send him out there and hope he takes it to the house if he was the best player I had available, and there was a significant difference in him and the next best option available.

 

[Alexander]

Who cares about Deion?

Deion has relevance because that is who Newman was compared to coming out of school. He was touted as a "shut down" cornerback and a phenomenal return man. Thus far, he really has not been either.

If Kevin Smith was the best return man on the team, then he should have returned punts for Jimmy. That's the way the legacy of Jimmy is according to the revisionists .... if you were the best man for the job, you did it ...end of story. Yet, Kevin Smith was the best we had on the roster, and Jimmy was too chicken to use him. End of story.

Kevin Smith was better than Kelvin Martin or Kevin Williams? I do not understand quite what you are basing that on. His career at Texas A&M?

And we did use Newman last year in cameos, when opponents were backed up deep in their territory. Just like we only used Deion when opponents were backed up in their own territory.

That is completely untrue. We did not use Deion to the tune of less than five punt returns over the course of a sixteen game season. Newman may have been used sparingly like that last year when he had a grand total of two opportunities . Darrell Green may have been used sparingly like that with the Commanders. Deion had three seasons with us where he returned 33, 24 and 30 punts a season. So, we had our opponents backed up that many times?

Deion was the best CB to ever play the game. Newman is in his 2nd year and has already been elected a Pro Bowl alternate. If a Top 10 pick must live up to the level of the best player to ever play his position, then its funny to me that I don't hear Raven fans complaining that Terrell Suggs isn't Lawrence Taylor, nor do I hear Viking fans complaining that Kevin Williams isn't Reggie White, but Cowboy fans are disappointed that Terence Newman isn't Deion Sanders (Yet they're not upset that Roy Williams isn't nearly Ronnie Lott).

The difference here is that Suggs and Williams have outperformed Newman in their first two years. Newman gets the comparisons to Sanders because that is exactly who he was compared to.

It was unfair and raised expectations, no question about it.

 

[AdamJT13]

It's not a coincidence that Newman had two punt returns in the first four games last season, then none for the rest of the season after our cornerback depth was ravaged by injuries. If you were Parcells, would you risk your only half-decent cornerback on punt returns, given our lack of players at that position for most of the season? If so, I'm glad you're not Parcells.

 

[Alexander]

It's not a coincidence that Newman had two punt returns in the first four games last season, then none for the rest of the season after our cornerback depth was ravaged by injuries. If you were Parcells, would you risk your only half-decent cornerback on punt returns, given our lack of players at that position for most of the season? If so, I'm glad you're not Parcells.

Nobody is complaining about last year.

This year, if Newman is as good as he was touted, should field more punts. We have addressed the depth situation.

If he does not, then we have our answer.

 

[Alexander]

I might buy into some of this injury concern IF not for the fact the punt return team did not use Newman at end. I know for a fact he played on the right side of the return team as one of the two ends used in blocking the opponent's gunner.

The return men are no more likely to sustain injury as anyone else on the unit. In fact, less so it seems. If they were that concerned about T-New getting dinged in the return game, they'd play him at corner and corner only.

But they don't.

Excellent point, scott.

 

[InmanRoshi]

If he does not, then we have our answer.

Answer to what?

Chris McAllister hasn't returned punts since 2002. He's never been the full time returner in his career. He's only returned punts 2 out of the 6 years he's been in the league. Was he all that he as billed to be coming out of the draft?

Ty Law hasn't returned a punt in his entire career. What exactly does that say about Ty Law's career as an NFL cornerback?

Patrick Surtain hasn't returned a punt in his entire career. What exactly does that say about Ty Law's career as an NFL cornerback?

Champ Bailey has only been his teams punt retuner for 1 year in his entire career. That didn't happen until his 4th year in the league. He hasn't done it since. What exactly does that say about Champ Bailey's career as an NFL cornerback?

Charles Woodson won the Heisman because of his abilities as a defensive back and a return man. He's returned 9 punts in his entire career in the NFL. Has he had a good career as an NFL CB?

Do I need to go farther? Anneas Williams .. never returned a punt. Out of the 7 CB's nominated to the Pro Bowl last year, only two of them returned punts. Nate Clements and Lito Sheppard (who had 2 returns, the same as Newman).

Seems to me that Deion Sanders is BY FAR the exception to the rule when it comes to NFL teams risking their Pro Bowl cornerbacks by returning punts, even among former Top 10 draft picks. So you'll have to explain to me what Newman not returning kicks provides us an answer to.

Newman wasn't drafted #5 because of his punt return abilities. He was drafted because he was the consensus #1 pick in the draft according to according to Goose's poll of 20 NFL General Managers.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Oh Gawd, not this again.

Some people all too obviously don't like the Newman pick and they're never going to let it go until he plays like Deion -- which we all know isn't going to happen.

Now, if Newman doesn't even get a chance to return punts, it can't possibly be that Parcells doesn't want to risk him -- it must be that he's really not that good at it anyway. And all because we signed Aaron Glenn.

As IR and others have said, I just don't understand this Deion comparison business. Are we going to spend thread after thread talking about what a letdown Ware is if he's not as good as Lawrence Taylor? I hope not, because he's not going to be. Me, I'll be happy if he's a big upgrade over what we had and a player who helps the team win. That's all. All these comparisons diminshing players because they aren't Hall of Famers are ridiculous.

 

[scottsp]

Newman's return ability certainly did have something with him being rated so highly. It's what elevated him ahead of Trufant. Terrence's measureables were outstanding as well. But he didn't get all the way up to five just on his cover ability. Not in the Big XII.

Gosselin has only said it a hundred times.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

I would like to see Newman return punts, not all of them, but at least some of them in certain situations.

We know Newman ain't Deion, we saw that last season. There is just disappointment that he isn't better than he showed. Nothing wrong with disappointment, sure we need to accept what he is, but nothing wrong with expecting more. I expect him to be a shutdown corner, that is what he was drafted for, otherwise we could have filled another hole. If he can't do that, I will continue to be disappointed with him. Maybe thats a hard way to look at it, but it is reality. Watching him get embarrased made me sick to my stomach.

I hope he changes my opinion this year, really anything he does in the return game probably won't change my opinion anyway. Be a CB that we don't have to send help to all the time, and I'm happy.

 

[scottsp]

Yeah, I'm not lobbying for Newman to be our regular punt return guy. A few (a very few) times in a season, great. Go for it.

Just don't use him as a regular on the unit if the concern is injury.

 

[Alexander]

Answer to what?

The question that was asked in this thread.

It was not about a single solitary thing in relation to his abilities as a cornerback. It had to do with his supposed abilities as a return man.

Chris McAllister hasn't returned punts since 2002. He's never been the full time returner in his career. He's only returned punts 2 out of the 6 years he's been in the league. Was he all that he as billed to be coming out of the draft?

Ty Law hasn't returned a punt in his entire career. What exactly does that say about Ty Law's career as an NFL cornerback?

Patrick Surtain hasn't returned a punt in his entire career. What exactly does that say about Ty Law's career as an NFL cornerback?

Champ Bailey has only been his teams punt retuner for 1 year in his entire career. That didn't happen until his 4th year in the league. He hasn't done it since. What exactly does that say about Champ Bailey's career as an NFL cornerback?

Charles Woodson won the Heisman because of his abilities as a defensive back and a return man. He's returned 9 punts in his entire career in the NFL. Has he had a good career as an NFL CB?

Do I need to go farther?

No, please don't because you went on a long-winded diatribe that had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Seems to me that Deion Sanders is BY FAR the exception to the rule when it comes to NFL teams risking their Pro Bowl cornerbacks by returning punts, even among former Top 10 draft picks. So you'll have to explain to me what Newman not returning kicks provides us an answer to.

Deion is the exception to the rule.

As I said before, the comparisons were unfair. And when a cornerback prospect gets compared to Deion then you have natural expectations.

Yet, people such as yourself feel content to chastise fans for applying the comparisons and also try to sugarcoat the selection.

I fully expect Newman to come around.

But, I have also come to the conclusion that is he is not nearly as all-world as he was touted to be when he came out. We drafted a good cornerback with the potential to be very good. To hear some talk at the time, we were getting a special player, shutdown corner and return dynamo all in one. I am still waiting for that special corner. Patiently. I could care less about the return duties. I would be pleased with a cornerback who makes plays.

Newman wasn't drafted #5 because of his punt return abilities. He was drafted because he was the consensus #1 pick in the draft according to according to Goose's poll of 20 NFL General Managers.

So, if you had a do-over would you feel justified about taking him number one overall? Help me understand what this statement is supposed to mean other than apologize for the selection.