More Important: a stud CB or FS?

[Brady6]

McCourty has shown over the last 2 seasons that if you combine average CB play with above average FS play your secondary is better than the alternative.

What position do you all see as most important? Based on that what do you think the plan for McCourty, the draft and free agency should be this offseason?

 

[supafly]

I tend to rate adequate safety play a bit higher personally, partially for the reasoning that you provided, but either position would benefit greatly from seeing a stud draft pick or experienced vet brought in.

I have a theory that better safety play can help to hide some of the weaknesses from 'average' CB play, but that's just my speculation and opinion.

I think DMcC stays at FS myself.

 

[Brady6]

More Important stud CB or FS?

I tend to rate adequate safety play a bit higher personally, partially for the reasoning that you provided, but either position would benefit greatly from seeing a stud draft pick or experienced vet brought in.

I have a theory that better safety play can help to hide some of the weaknesses from 'average' CB play, but that's just my speculation and opinion.

I think DMcC stays at FS myself.

I'm with you, although I'd like to see McCourty with actual safety play behind him. Because I think he'd be really great CB if he had the deep help that most top CB receive. Sherman talks about being the best CB but he has Thomas and Chancellor behind him which allows him to play a lot differently than a CB with the groups we've thrown out there.

 

[signbabybrady]

McCourty has shown over the last 2 seasons that if you combine average CB play with above average FS play your secondary is better than the alternative.

What position do you all see as most important? Based on that what do you think the plan for McCourty, the draft and free agency should be this offseason?

The first thing this makes me think is that has the McCourty move to safety been about fixing safety or more about getting the 4-5 best DBs on the field at the same time regardless of safety or CB.

I think the McCourty question in the end comes down to a few things that the coaches will need to decide.

1) A simple decision could be made to stop screwing with him and just leave him at one position (at least for the offseason once the 53 is set certain things get dictated by injury). If this were to be the choice you then need to decide CB or Safety.

2) Just the opposite could be determined. One could could continue to use McCourty's versatility to its benefit and go out in search of the best possible DB and have McCourty play the position of the other.

3) I think this decision is largely decided by what is thought of the players on the roster now and/or if you bring Talib back. Basically if you are good with Gregory as your starter and you think that Wilson is good enough to be one you might put McCourty back to Corner or vice versa if you think one should be starting on your D than McCourty should stay at safety.


My opinion on the Secondary is that you need at least 2 new talented guys and it can be either safety or corner and I would prefer one of those guys be Talib. I also would kind of perfer Arrington back but not in leiu of the 2 new guys but on top of it and you keep a pretty good slot corner and improve your overall dpeth.

 

[mgteich]

IMHO, it is clearly a stud CB. If you wish confirmation, simply check out what top players make at each position. Also, when top corners can longer hack it at corner, they convert to safeties.

That being said, McCourty only gets to play at one position. I suspect that it is much easier to find a couple of safeties than it is to find a couple of corners, especially in this draft.

And no, I have problem with McCourty at corner if we have quality safeties behind him.

 

[nzahir]

Mccourty should play fs, the pats should sign talib or a corner of at least his skill to play cb, and then draft matt elam if they can to play ss. I think dennard can play the #2 cb with good safety help. And the pats should draft the honey badger to play slot cb.

 

[mgteich]

I was OK with your analysis, until you wanted to add yet another player with a drug problem.

Mccourty should play fs, the pats should sign talib or a corner of at least his skill to play cb, and then draft matt elam if they can to play ss. I think dennard can play the #2 cb with good safety help. And the pats should draft the honey badger to play slot cb.

 

[Avenger]

I was OK with your analysis, until you wanted to add yet another player with a drug problem.

Talib, Dennard and Mathieu would certainly be a secondary with attitude.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

No question at all; a stud CB is the more important position.

However finding the stud CB is not easy. It is probably harder to find a shutdown CB than it is to find an elite QB. I think it is the most difficult position to fill on the roster.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I'll take an elite corner over an elite safety any day, just because they're harder to find. Generally speaking, cornerbacks tend to be the superior athletes, and you can't teach athleticism.

 

[Avenger]

I think that safety is the most underrated position in football. I think safety is more important.

 

[Wilfork#75]

I think it depends on the system. If we are going to stick with the aggressive press-man coverage (which I certainly hope we do), then I think you need the CB's to match up. I think we already have the FS for that system in McCourty (who I don't like as a man CB) and I only think he will get better with more experience and a full training camp at the position. So I would say for this system that a stud CB is a more important need.

 

[Deus Irae]

McCourty has shown over the last 2 seasons that if you combine average CB play with above average FS play your secondary is better than the alternative.

What position do you all see as most important? Based on that what do you think the plan for McCourty, the draft and free agency should be this offseason?

McCourty's shown that McCourty is a better safety than a CB, particularly when the CBs are being asked to play press man coverage. That's pretty much it.

That being said, having an elite CB is a great thing, but it's the elite safeties that have been getting the Steelers and Ravens to the SBs.

 

[Wilfork#75]

That being said, having an elite CB is a great thing, but it's the elite safeties that have been getting the Steelers and Ravens to the SBs.

I would say their front 7's have something to say about that as well.

 

[Avenger]

I think that McCourty is very good at both CB and S, and right now his biggest impact is at Safety.

 

[Claremonster]

Sherman talks about being the best CB but he has Thomas and Chancellor behind him which allows him to play a lot differently than a CB with the groups we've thrown out there.

He isn't the best.

 

[Claremonster]

I would say their front 7's have something to say about that as well.

I'd say that the mob rules have something much more important to say.

 

[Helmet2Helmet]

I was OK with your analysis, until you wanted to add yet another player with a drug problem.

Who cares, the guys with the drug / character problems play a hell of a lot better than the good guy, Nancy corners Belichick drafts each year. Character issues are overblown. Rodney Harrison was one of the best players we had in the secondary and he was full of 'em.

 

[randomk1]

Who cares, the guys with the drug / character problems play a hell of a lot better than the good guy, Nancy corners Belichick drafts each year. Character issues are overblown. Rodney Harrison was one of the best players we had in the secondary and he was full of 'em.

Mathieu would be an interesting pick. He could turn out to be a real playmaker or just another **** up. And in the current NFL does it really matter if the kid is mostly suited for that nickel spot? You need a pretty decent guy at that position nowadays and he has ST value. I admire the kid's swagger on the field, kind of reminds of steve smith. Little guy that plays bigger than he is.

 

[ivanvamp]

I think this is a good thread topic. Personally, if Talib would stay healthy, I really like Talib and Dennard at the two starting CB spots, and I think McCourty is an excellent safety. I would love to add quality depth and please, please somehow get Ed Reed here. I know he's not quite the same player he used to be, but he's still very good, and he and McCourty together would make for a dynamic, hard-hitting (yes, both guys hit), sure-tackling, and ball-hawking safety duo.

I still think the bigger need here is pass rushing. We've talked about it a million times here at patsfans, but a good pass rush makes the entire secondary better. And a bad pass rush makes even good cover guys look bad. When the QB has six seconds to throw, it's almost impossible to cover a good receiver for that long. When the QB has to chuck it almost the moment he gets to the last step on his drop back, most NFL cover guys can stay with a guy for that one second or so.

The Giants' secondary in SB 42 just wasn't very good, to be honest. They were ok. They finished #17 in the league in opponents' passer rating. They were #18 in opponent's yards per passing attempt. They were #20 in interceptions. They were #20 in passing TD allowed. They were #11 in passing yards allowed per game.

But they were #1 in sacks, and #5 in opponents' completion percentage, which is really a function of their pass rush. Individually, their secondary was filled with decent players. I mean, you wouldn't be ashamed to have them in your secondary, but they weren't standouts. But because they could really get after the quarterback, it made the secondary better than it actually was.

If we could somehow generate a much better pass rush it would improve the overall defense by leaps and bounds.