Free Safety

[mgteich]

Which safety are you comfortable with in coverage? Who is the center fielder when there is a safety blitz? Who is the backup free safety?

We have a lot of backup strong safeties: Chung, Williams and McGowan.

 

[slash83]

BM has the best range and ball skills out of all the safties. I think he's gonna be awesome covering the deep middle, he showed more then just flashes last season.

 

[Deus Irae]

Given what I've seen of their play, I'd like Sanders to become the SS and Meriweather to become the FS. To this point, BB hasn't indicated that he'll be making that change.

 

[eom]

BM has the best range and ball skills out of all the safties. I think he's gonna be awesome covering the deep middle, he showed more then just flashes last season.

brandon mcgowan?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Same as last season. Meriweather at SS, Sanders playing the Field Marshall, Chung will work in on Dime packages and take garbage time reps at SS.

 

[aurakilla]

brandon mcgowan?

brandon Meriweather

 

[Batman]

I want to see Meriweather blitzing again this season. I don't know who I want to see covering yet I would like to see Chung go down the the route of of Meriweather of not much time playing this season and develop over time the year and turn into a better player. But if he develops enough I wouldn't mind seeing him blitz if he is good enough then I would like to see Meriweather.

 

[StraightCashHomey81]

Like BB has said, i don't think they differentiate between Free and Strong Safety anymore. Sanders is a little thicker and a more sure tackler, and Meriweather has a little better range and is a more explosive player, particulary on the blitz. However, i think their skill sets are relatively interchangeable and i'm comfortable with either one playing CF or in the box. Chung provides a good fit because he's probably the stoutest against the run of the three 3 and the best in press coverage. He will be a good fit when the Pats go to the 4-2-5 look they used the last two times they played Indy and be locked on Dallas Clark most of the time like Rodney was (Pats will probably use this lineup against New Orleans, San Diego as well).

 

[satz]

I think we not a traditional 2 safety system and the safeties who play changes with the offence we face. few years ago against SD we never used to play coverage safeties as LT and the OL were ripping it up. Sanders was making the stop as the front 7 was getting overwhelmed.

We play alot of 3 Safety`s where the 3rd is in coverage. these 3rd safety are bigger than your FS [aka MW] as they need to tackle and be physical with someone TE who are 60 lbs bigger and also incase of them blocking need to atleast take them on without injuring themself.

Merriweather is our FS , Sanders is our SS and defensive backfield captian as the rest are all either rookies , FA or second year players from IR.
Chung and Tank are the 3rd Coverage/Blocker for TE`s.

 

[RoughingthePasser]

I think we not a traditional 2 safety system and the safeties who play changes with the offence we face.

Merriweather is our FS , Sanders is our SS and defensive backfield captian as the rest are all either rookies , FA or second year players from IR.
Chung and Tank are the 3rd Coverage/Blocker for TE`s.

I agree with you

 

[DW Toys]

Same as last season. Meriweather at SS, Sanders playing the Field Marshall, Chung will work in on Dime packages and take garbage time reps at SS.

Here we go...NO.I beg to differ. The first question of this thread is who are you comfortable in coverage with. Please let's not go there again with this discussion. We all know who the worst in coverage is. You can't spin that. Let's hope Chung develops faster than one can hope.Besides resigning the one guy, we resigned another Safety, drafted one with our first choice, picked up another in FA and signed an UDFA. I have a sneaky suspicion they are no going to sit Merriweather.....equals BB seems not to be happy with the Safety play in 2008. No brain surgeon needed for that summary. Please don't offer up this was for depth primarily.
DW Toys

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

NO.I beg to differ.

You often do, but my lying eyes and the slow motion and frame advance features on my DVR rarely agree with your perspective.

 

[Feep50]

Obviously BM has the best speed and range..... It always depends on if BB trusts him in the role....Seems to me he should be ready to play center field.
Not sure what McGowen has under the hood, as he is basicly is an unknown player to me....

Springs? I see him more as a pure corner.... But a lotta people seem to think he would be good at FS...

 

[Ring 6]

We do not have a strong safety and free(weak)safety in our system.
We have a left safety and a right safety.
In a strong/free safety system they switch sides of the field depending on alignment.
In a left/right safety system they switch responsibilities.

So every safety is a free safety and a strong safety. This has been the cases for 8 years, and every year this question comes up.

Perhaps the confusion comes from the fact that it in our sub packages it is not uncommon for us to play a safety in a LB alignment (See Rodney Harrison) which appears to have him playing the role of a strong safety, but in fact he is a LB.

 

[Ring 6]

You often do, but my lying eyes and the slow motion and frame advance features on my DVR rarely agree with your perspective.

Classic........

 

[bucky]

We do not have a strong safety and free(weak)safety in our system.
We have a left safety and a right safety.
In a strong/free safety system they switch sides of the field depending on alignment.
In a left/right safety system they switch responsibilities.

So every safety is a free safety and a strong safety. This has been the cases for 8 years, and every year this question comes up.

Perhaps the confusion comes from the fact that it in our sub packages it is not uncommon for us to play a safety in a LB alignment (See Rodney Harrison) which appears to have him playing the role of a strong safety, but in fact he is a LB.

While I generally agree with your statement, I would also say that it's an oversimplification. I have seen plenty of times - especially with Harrison as you mentioned - when the Pats did indeed play more of a SS/FS system. And what I mean by that, is when you had to blitz a safety and play either cover 1 or cover 0, it would almost always be Harrison blitzing and the other safety in coverage - be it Geno Wilson, Artrell Hawkins, or Sanders. It's just a matter of playing to players' strengths. They may not be lining up in a traditional SS/FS alignment, but responsibility-wise I think they played that quite a bit.

To answer the question of "which safety are you more comfortable with in coverage", I would put it like this. There is no safety currently on the roster who I'm comfortable putting man-man with any WR or good receiving TE. As for zone coverage, I believe Merriweather is the team's best bet there.

 

[gomezcat]

We do not have a strong safety and free(weak)safety in our system.
We have a left safety and a right safety.
In a strong/free safety system they switch sides of the field depending on alignment.
In a left/right safety system they switch responsibilities.

So every safety is a free safety and a strong safety. This has been the cases for 8 years, and every year this question comes up.

Perhaps the confusion comes from the fact that it in our sub packages it is not uncommon for us to play a safety in a LB alignment (See Rodney Harrison) which appears to have him playing the role of a strong safety, but in fact he is a LB.

Thanks for the last paragraph. I had understood the first bit (i.e. Left and Right Safeties) to be the case and then saw a lot of Rodney near the LOS. That explains it.

 

[mgteich]

So, is the answer that both Sanders and Meriweather are expected to be able to play center field on their side of the field and both are expected to be able to run or pass blitz? Are Chung, Williams, and/or McGowan really ready to step into this flexible role if either Sanders or Meriweather is injured?

 

[Feep50]

So, is the answer that both Sanders and Meriweather are expected to be able to play center field on their side of the field and both are expected to be able to run or pass blitz? Are Chung, Williams, and/or McGowan really ready to step into this flexible role if either Sanders or Meriweather is injured?

McGowen should be, he's been in the league for 2 or 3 years now.....
If he can't why sign him? Chung needs some seasoning.....Hope to see him getting a fair amount of playing time by late season......