Off The Grid

One In a Million, Brother Mayo!!



Mind you: I wouldn't've traded for this guy in a billion years, but it's certainly not because I don't think he can be an extraordinary ~ even All Pro ~ PressMan Corner. This lunatic has Verticity up the WAZOO!! Hah!!

God, I love the FootBall player we just snagged. To pull in a truly physical Corner, one who gets great accolades for'is Run Defense and clearly enjoys contact...and actually boasts such phenomenal Verticity when he Flips the Hips and runs, and who is young and healthy ~ physically, anyway ~ is nothing short of thrilling.

And if this does portend a permanent move of Devin McCourty to Free Safety, and a shift back towards more of a One Deep set, color me giddy.

I've always considered Free Safety to be the most critical position in the Secondary ~ and nothing has supported that Philosophy more that the horrifying pyrotechnics of the last one and an half nerve-racking Seasons ~ but that doesn't mean that it requires the rarest SkillSet, or that your "best" DBack ought necessarily man the position.

Indeed, if it were possible to quantify "Talent", I expect we'd pretty much all agree that Aqib Talib has significantly more'f it than Devin McCourty.

Frankly, superior Verticity ~ the ability to Flip Hips and Turn & Burn well enough to stay even in the same Zip Code as Wide Receivers who have the advantage both of knowing what Play is called and of running forward ~ baffles and amazes me: I can generally run forward and in a straight line for 5 or 10 yards without falling down, most days. Ask me, on the other hand, to run backwards or sideways, while trying to rapidly react to the redirecting and hornswoggling Wide Receiver I'm trying to cover, and I assure you that I will break both ankles.

And that, of course, is why I treasure that attribute.

Well, plus the fact that I consider it the aspect of any Corner's Game ~ especially a Press Corner, of course ~ that is more essential than all other aspects combined.

I believe that Devin McCourty actually possesses that attribute in significant quantity, and that he's been playing pretty well, this year. But I believe ~ as you clearly and eloquently do, Brother Mayo ~ that as a CornerBack he makes one Hell of a fine Free Safety. Haw.

A Free Safety, in my view, needs, above all else, superior Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, and Burst ~ Short Speed ~ and I believe that Devin McCourty commands those in spades.

Aqib Talib, on the other hand, boasts a spectacular combination of Verticity and beautifully brutal physicality, both in Press and in Run Support.

In a word: He was born to play PressMan Corner, and McCourty was born to play Free Safety, a position I consider even more vital to our Championship Quest than Corner.

And if this acquisition portends a division of the Safeties' responsibilities into more of a classic Free Safety/Strong Safety division, allowing Pat Chung to play far more of the latter, we have substantially upgraded three Positions.

And not just three.

It seems highly likely that allowing Pat Chung and Tavon Wilson to play more "downhill" spreads the joy to the MidFielders, as Hill also points out: if Chung actually returns to making most'f'is plays in front'f'm ~ now possible with a potentially All Pro Caliber Free Safety in McCourty now behind'm, which in turn is possible because of the arrival of an equally potentially All Pro Corner in Talib ~ then Brandon Spikes' job suddenly become significantly easier: He, too, is freed, to a greater extent, to play less reactively and more "downhill." And that, of course, plays to'is considerable strengths: Brandon Spikes, freed to simply react and attack what's in front of'm, is terrifying.

Yes. We are talking about significantly improving four positions.

And that, of course, should enhance the freedom of movement of everyone out there, right down to the Tackles.

Imagine ~ I'm quite sure that you already have ~ what Chandler Jones might accomplish with a drastically improved Pass Coverage behind'm??

Of course, the Pass Rush as well as the Run Defense of the entire Front 7 will benefit...and that's without accounting for the exceptional psychological boost that this move is going to give everyone, the Impact of which can, in and of itself, be spectacular.

The 2006 Colts ~ sorry, this is the best example that I know of!! ~ were burdened by an historically horrible Run Defense all season long...And yet when Bob Sanders rejoined them just in time for the PlayOffs, the entire unit was transformed, and they played extraordinary Run Defense.

The potential Ripple Effect of acquiring the services of Aqib Talib, combined with the accession of Alfonzo Dennard, and what I already fully expected would be a tremendous second half surge by our Defense ~ helped in no small measure by an anticipated tremendous second half surge by our Offense, allowing for many "Pin Your Ears Back" Sets for our D!! ~ can best be put in the fine words of our man Brother Mayo:

"Super Bowl, Baby!!"

Now we just need to remember to frisk the guy before he enters the locker room.

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Love HURTS!!

Snake Eyes

Excellent post, you did a magnificent job of explaining "impact", I certainly hope we get a nice boost from this acquisition.

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"The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery, you must learn it's riddle, Conan, you must learn its discipline, for no one in this world can you trust, not men, not women, not beasts...this you can trust"


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mayoclinic

See post #11 re the Honey Badger. This OP was written before his latest MJ run in, and before we got TB's 7th round pick. I've already suggested in the Aqib Talib thread on the main forum that "he has Tampa Bay's 7th round pick written all over him", as you so eloquently put it.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Off The Grid

Thanks, Bro.

It's like my good friend, Bill The Mad (Genius) is fond of saying:

"In Brother Mayo...We Trust."

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Love HURTS!!

Off The Grid

I heartily agree with the Top Line, there.

Honestly, I never see reason to spend heavy Draft Capital on the Secondary, as it seems to me that there are always exceptional raw Talents available on Day 3 and UFA.

If anybody's taking up a collection to spend on an Elite Level D Back Coach, on the other hand...

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Off The Grid

1 ~ Do you seriously think that the Bucs would trade Aqib Talib for a deferred Day 3 Pick? Please.

2 ~ Devin McCourty to Free Safety ~ real Free Safety, with Pat Chung back in The Box where he belongs ~ would be a Dream Come True: Free Safety is in my mind the most important position in the Secondary ~ though I believe that the highly underutilized Strong Safety ought to be ~ and sending McCourty thither on a permanent basis offers our entire Defense a much more important boon than even a CornerBack of Aqib Talib's exceptional skills does.

3 ~ Resign Sebastian The Cruel!! YES!! I heaped lofty and lavish praise on that cat, in my PreSeason PreView, as I saw then what I saw back in 2009: Multiple Pro Bowl Potential. I presume nothing of the future, of course, but it really does look like he's starting to work off the effects of his recent back problems...and if he completes that process and has a long, healthy career, his potential is awesome.

4 ~ Yes!! My GamePlan, this Spring, you may recall, was to either hit Wes Welker with consecutive Franchise Tags ~ 1 Down/1 To Go ~ or an unlikely two year contract...My thinking being that by 2014, his Salad Days are just about behind'm. At that point, I would LOVE to keep'm at a reduced rate, should he be amenable to it.

5 ~ There are a few Caveats to any desire I'd have to extend Aqib Talib, but the most important one has already been met: Mad Bill has taken a long look at Talib's hideous Past, and has nevertheless made the judgment ~ presumably ~ that the core Character of this kid is either redeemable or far better than meets the eye...Even so, the price would have to be right, and if he has a great second half ~ a distinct possibility ~ that may not be the case.

6 ~ As an unwavering Danny WoodHead Fanatic since before he ever took a snap with us, I heartily agree with the Wisdom of resigning this phenomenal FootBall player...Myron Pryor?? Meh. Great Talent. Disgusted with his fragility. He would be a tremendous asset...If he ever played a Down for us.

7 ~ I'd just as soon keep Ron Brace and Julian Edelman, though I could see improving on them...Ditto, Kyle Arrington, who I think is going to come back big, next year...and quite possibly late this year.

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ATippett56

I respectfully disagree concerning the wide receiver position as the fourth priority. Based upon the limited number of draft selections in the 2013 NFL Draft, the wide receiver needs for the 2013 NFL Season can be fulfilled as follows:

WR1: Wes Welker
WR2: Brandon Lloyd
WR3: Jabar Gaffney
WR4: Greg Salas
WR5: Matt Slater

In his first game with the Miami Dolphins, Jabar Gaffney had more receiving yards with one catch than Deion Branch and Julian Edelman combined in the last two games.

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mayoclinic

Gaffney's on another team right now. I understand that he preferred to sign with the Pats, but I don't think we can count on him being back at the moment. I hope that the Pats keep Welker, but it's not a given, and it most likely will only be for one year. Even if your scenario holds true, a the beginning of the 2013 season your top 3 receivers would all be 32, and Welker would almost certainly be in his last year with the team. Some young talent at the position and long term development is needed. It's not my top priority by any means, which is why it was #4 on my list, but I don't think it should be entirely ignored.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

mayoclinic

Not only did Sanders' return transform the 2006 Colts' defense from abysmal to SB-worthy, the 2007 team returned essentially the same personnel and had one of the best defenses in the NFL, finishing 1st in scoring defense (16.8 PPG), 3rd in total yards allowed (279.7 YPG) and 2nd in pass defense (172.8 YPG). Sanders, of course, won the DPOY that year.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

ATippett56

Jabar Gaffney signed a one year contract with the Miami Dolphins. Jabar Gaffney will be an unrestricted free agent in 2013.

Jabar Gaffney - Miami Dolphins - 2012 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

I would only expect to sign Jabar Gaffney to a one year contract.

The New England Patriots did trade a future late round draft pick for former St Louis Rams wide receiver Greg Salas.

Age does not concern me as much as knowledge of the New England Patriots pass offense.

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The End of the Chad Ochostinko Era!