mgteich

The reality is that we have two starting safeties and are looking for help. Our current backups are Tank Williams at SS and Spann at FS. We also have 5 corners, so presumably one of them can be the backup free safety as Lew Sanders was last year. Springs has performed in this role in the past.

So to me, we need a backup SS, not a FS or CB/FS hybrid. We also need a top special teamer since that is always a need, and that is a natural role for a backup safety.

Chung, Moore and Vaughn look like the best bets. Do you agree?

TriplecHamp

William Moore is my favorite saftey in this Draft because of his Big Play ability and his physicality. I think he is best suited in the box shutting down the run.

DW Toys

Why would you assume that Sanders will be the starter? Just curious. Does not BB put the best player on the field regardless of sentiment? I would say this site posters have some issues one way or the other on him. Back-up? Yes and a very good one (how's that cousins? Not bad). Rotation, possibly. I would say it is a pretty fair statement that those on this site who would like to see us draft Louis Delmas would picture him starting sooner rather than later. Is this not an honest assessment of the flavor of this forum?

My wild card is Sean Smith. At 217 lbs and 6' 3" . His cover skills would be an upgrade to both of our safeties. He also has height we are lacking in our Safeties. It appears that the safety role of today has the player do both cover and tackle ala Palomalu. Merriweather seems to be coming on in the tackling department. We need an upgrade there badly. Can Smith jump up to the box sometimes is the question?
DW Toys

captain stone

Completely. To me - and to Mrs. Captain Stone - size matters.

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DW Toys

Leaves me out. I will never get caught in heavy machinery.
DW Toys

mgteich

Yes, there are those in this forum who believe that Belichick signed Sanders for what he did as insurance and to be a swing safety. Perhaps it is a majority who believes that Belichick will start their binky safety instead of the man that he has had call the signals since Harrison went down.

I do not try to reflect the flavor of the forum unless I say so. I usually state my own opinion or my opinion of what the team believes. In this case, I believe and I believe the team believes that Sanders is our 2009 starter, and we are looking to draft a backup safety who can play special teams.

The best player has nothing to do with sentiment. Belichick prefers NOT to start rookies, if he has alternatives. I do NOT expect any of the rookies in this draft to be judged to be a better option on the field this year than Sanders.

With regard to Delmas, I would be shocked if someone with a Wonderlic of 12 were to be drafted to be the eventual signal caller for the secondary of the patriots. If you want a SS to challenge Sanders for his starting spot (in 2009 or 2010), I would suggest Chung, Moore and Vaughn are much more likely to succeed.

Smith woould be a fine pick if Meriweather already wasn't our present and future at FS. He is a corner and a free safety. Do you really believe that he is a better strong safety than Chung or Moore or Vaughn? If we want a strong safety, let's draft a strong safety. Since they are several quality strong safeties available, I see no reason to try to convert a corner to that role.

Feep50

I'm hoping for a SS that can hit someone into another time zone.....

Really gonna miss ya Rodney...

Chung, Moore or Vaughn........

JoeShmoe

Its a really good point .. personally I still like Will Moore who I think will slip but he looks coachable and has the athleticism and we could probably get him late in the second. S and OLB wouldn't be priorities for me on this team, the OL would but I would hope we get a life size Rodney SS clone to challenge Sanders in a few years time

slash83

I want a S that can knock your head off and will make you think twice about coming in the middle and can run and cover TE's.

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Box_O_Rocks

Ideally...
1. Adequate athleticism - he'll need to have enough speed/range to cover the scope of assignments he'll draw, decent vertical to contest jump balls with receivers, excellent balance to stay on his feet while adjusting to sudden changes of direction, good change of direction quickness/speed, the ability to get up to game speed with one or two steps, functional strength to stack & shed blockers, wrap up tackles, and out wrestle bigger receivers for control of the ball.
2. Field Vision - excellent field vision combined with very good football knowledge to see, process, recognize, and react to a developing situation.
3. Communications - excellent communications skills on and off the field to coordinate the secondary with the front seven, discuss & listen to coaches and fellow defenders, and take the game plan from the classroom to the practice and game day fields. EDIT: The ability to encourage and teach others without belittling falls in this category.
4. Attitude/Mental Discipline/Focus - He needs to believe in himself and his teammates, communicate that belief, and have the mental discipline to learn from mistakes (his and others) and move to the next play with no recriminations or emotional/mental garbage to distract him from his job.
5. He has to like contact - It is a plus if he can hit hard, but it's more of a plus if he can absorb a hit and be energized to come back and do it again and again and again.
6. Durability - This is a combination of conditioning and the desire to maintain the conditioning necessary to play at a high level throughout the entire season.
7. Hard Worker - Not just the work to maintain his skill set, but the work to improve his weaker areas and learn new skills.
8. Drive - he's got to want to succeed in each of the areas listed above and in every challenge he faces. There has to be a competitive and disciplined hunger to be the best.
9. He has to thrive on chaos, not be a source of chaos (except to the other side), but someone who rises to the challenge of a chaotic situation and literally grows stronger and calmer amidst the mud, and the blood, and the tears.

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