Is Shawn Springs our new #1 CB

[BPF]

That is why he is not playing in Philly. He will be a starting corner for us. That is not pigeonholing any more than to suggest that Wilfork should play NT and we shouldn't try him as a DE.

Maybe I wasn't that far off base in my assessment:

Today: Patriots passing on Sanders - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com

Sanders's agent, Kevin Pompey, said today that at this point he believes that his client is probably not in the Patriots' plans, after they signed Springs to a reported three-year, $10.5 million contract, with incentives that could push the package to $13 million.

"I haven't heard from New England,' said Pompey. "I'm aware of what you're aware of and based on their signing of Springs and because we haven't heard from them I can only suspect they're not interested. I'm basing that on them signing a corner and us not hearing from them. We reached out to them and haven't heard from them."

Pompey said that the Patriots know that Sanders, who was credited with 25 tackles and a forced fumble last season, would like to return to the team. He is a free agent.

The lack of interest in the 30-year-old Sanders could be a sign that the Patriots do plan to use Springs some at safety. The Philadelphia Eagles pursued Springs as a safety, and the Patriots traditionally like to have a bigger corner that can also play some safety.

 

[bakes781]

But wasn't part of the reason Springs didn't sign with Philly because he didn't want to play S?

 

[JSn]

We now have at least 3 starting corners. Camp's gonna be FIERCE!!

 

[Synovia]

We now have at least 3 starting corners. Camp's gonna be FIERCE!!

Yeah, but Springs has been fragile, so having limited play time may be a good thing.


maybe limited play time for corners in general is a good thing.

 

[Synovia]

Well those PASS DEFENSE statistics aren't really interesting nor pertinent to the conversation. I'm fairly confident if you have even a remote understanding of the game that you understand pass defense as a whole is not indicative of any ONE player or position on the team. You can have the best CB in the history of the league on your team and still have a crappy pass defense.

Example: Oaklands stats are even worse. That doesn't mean that Nmandi isn't the best corner in the league.

 

[JSn]

Yeah, but Springs has been fragile, so having limited play time may be a good thing.


maybe limited play time for corners in general is a good thing.

Actually, rotating several solid CB's is an excellent idea and allows us to play situationally against different offenses. Hm. I like it.

 

[Urgent]

It's unconventional, but could work.

The Pats have done that with linebackers a fair amount. Remember when Ted Johnson was furious he wasn't active on the opening day roster a few years back, then was a starter in the second game with a different defensive approach.

It would be interesting to start a small, fast corner line-up featuring Hobbs, Wheatley, and Wilhite against one team, and then a larger line-up with Bodden and Springs against bigger receivers.

 

[spacecrime]

Pretty simple question.

The qustion is simple enough, but your possible replies aren't. Simple is yes or no, and the answer is no.

But you left out the choice for where he will actually be playing, nickel back (call him S or CB, doesn't matter) behind Hobbs and Wheatley.

 

[Synovia]

It would be interesting to start a small, fast corner line-up featuring Hobbs, Wheatley, and Wilhite against one team, and then a larger line-up with Bodden and Springs against bigger receivers.

The bears kind of do that now... Tillman only gets serious playing time when they're dealing with big WRs.



That, and pretty much every year of the last five, at week 10, we're playing some guy off the street at corner.

 

[Synovia]

Is it all Hobbs fault? Of course it's impossible to pin the blame on one player. The Pats secondary as a whole underachieved. The fact remains that calling Hobbs the 'best CB' on one of the worst NFL secondaries of 2008 isn't much to brag about

And exactly the same things could be said about Nmandi Asomugha, and hes quite possibly the best in the NFL.


From what I saw this year, Hobbs wasn't involved in a whole lot of plays because teams were busy violating Deltha O'neal and whoever was opposite Hobbs.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

We now have at least 3 starting corners. Camp's gonna be FIERCE!!

For real, can't wait to see how this shakes out. If I were to guess right now who the 2 starters are going to be I probably couldn't do it, let alone choosing the #1. All I know is it's going to be better than last season.

 

[BPF]

But wasn't part of the reason Springs didn't sign with Philly because he didn't want to play S?

I guess not, from Springs today:
Springs talks T.O. - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com

Springs said he didn't ask what his role would be with the Patriots, saying he had too much respect for Patriots coach Bill Belichick to ask, but he said that he can still run and still play at a high level.

 

[BPF]

I don't think we have to pigeonhole this guy into a specific role because he can and will contribute in many ways.

From BB:
Belichick on Sirius Radio - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com

1) Shawn Springs -- size and flexibility. When speaking on the addition of free-agent cornerback Shawn Springs, Belichick first mentioned his size (6-0, 207), which makes him the team's sturdiest corner. Belichick also said the team placed a value on Springs' versatility as he's played outside corner, slot corner, and safety. Belichick said Leigh Bodden, another free-agent signee at cornerback, has similar flexibility to play both outside corner and in the slot. "You can never have too many defensive backs," Belichick said. " It seems like every team's always got a handful of receivers, and you can never have enough guys to cover them."

 

[WhiZa]

Yes! Before Bodden was signed I saw Springs as the #2. With Bodden there I see Spring as either the nickel or #3 safety. He is basically playing the Lewis Sanders role of last year.

 

[TheComeback]

#1 - Bodden
#2 - Hobbs
#3 / Reserve Safety - Springs
#4 - Wilhite
#5 - Wheatley

Pretty damn good secondary, probably one of the deepest in the league. I think Wilhite and Wheatley will constantly push for more playing time. They both looked good last year, esp. Wilhite who managed to beat out some veterans for the starting position during the last few games of 08. That's pretty impressive for a rookie. He could become a long term solution for us if one of Hobbs or Bodden does not re-sign after this year.

I think Bodden is a lock for #1 unless he lost some playing ability while stuck on the Lions.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

it depends on whether BB has had about enough of hoobs

 

[Liverpool_Patriot]

I think Springs is our best CB but will probably not be depended on as much as Leigh Bodden or Hobbs.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I, like most of you, am truly excited to have the new additions at corner (Springs and Bodden) to go along with the second-year guys who showed promise before being slowed by injury. However, I will temper my enthusiasm until I actually see Springs perform. He is oft injured and much older now. I know he'll see considerable time at corner, but I also believe we will see him get a lot of time at safety as well.

Our secondary is improved, but the jury is still out on just how much, and shall remain so, until these guys step onto the field in September. They'll get a good test as they'll be seeing Lee Evan and the newly added Terrell Owens on the first Monday Night game against the Buffalo Bills. Hey, at least they're better than the unit we put out last season.

 

[DisgruntledTunaFan]

I, like most of you, am truly excited to have the new additions at corner (Springs and Bodden) to go along with the second-year guys who showed promise before being slowed by injury. However, I will temper my enthusiasm until I actually see Springs perform. He is oft injured and much older now.

I know he'll see considerable time at corner, but I also believe we will see him get a lot of time at safety as well. Our secondary is improved, but the jury is still out, and shall remain so, until these guys step onto the field in September. They'll get a good test as they'll be seeing Lee Evan and the newly added Terrell Owens on the first Monday Night game against the Buffalo Bills.

It's not like Springs misses time with injuries every year. The year before last, he only missed 1 game. He was hobbled in '06, but he pretty much played '05 and '04 in their entireties.

He will likely stay healthy this year.

 

[PatsBoy12]

It's not like Springs misses time with injuries every year. The year before last, he only missed 1 game. He was hobbled in '06, but he pretty much played '05 and '04 in their entireties.

He will likely stay healthy this year.

For the team's sake, I hope you're right about him staying healthy this year. So far, in his 12-year career, he has only played four complete seasons. I see your point, though, and its duly noted. Again, I'm hoping you're right about him staying healthy this year. After the year of "attrition" we just had, I hope that we can keep more of our key guys on the field.