And Our Fourth Safety Is?

[mgteich]

We usually carry four to six safeties. We now have three: Harrison, Meriweather and James Sanders.

Lewis Sanders and Ventrone could both make the team as Sters and backup safeties. Based on the preseason game, we have

CB: Hobbs, Bryant, Wheatley
S: Harrison, Meriweather, Sanders

There are at least three open spots available

CANDIDATES
Lewis Sanders
Ventrone
Wilhite
Spann
Richardson
Webster

All of a sudden Lewis Sanders is at the top of the list because of his experience and position flexibilty.

 

[JSn]

LSanders and Spann are pretty high on my list. Not sure about the last space. A couple weeks ago I would have said Webster, but where is he?

 

[mgteich]

Webster is injured and has missed a dozen practices.

LSanders and Spann are pretty high on my list. Not sure about the last space. A couple weeks ago I would have said Webster, but where is he?

 

[14thDragon]

I have Spann is as the 4th Safety.

I have L. Sanders in as the 4th Corner. (Wilhite & Richardson to the PS?) Waiting for word on Webster.

Thinking maybe Ventrone as the 5th Safety with the flexibility with Spann and Merriweather as nickle corners.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

Would Slater get any time at safety? I ask because I have not read much about him playing defense but I know he did so at UCLA.

 

[BradyManny]

I say Spann. He's having a great camp and he started and played alongside Meriweather the other nite.

Losing Tank is a pain though - its not killer, but that'll force us to use Harrison in the LB/SS hybrid role, giving us one less option and one less layer of depth.

Sanders impressed the other nite - I see him having taken a huge step towards claiming a dime DB spot over Webster & or Richardson.

 

[Zeke_Mowatt]

I'm with you, I thought Sanders looked pretty good, seemed to be in position, and stayed with his man when I saw him, and Spann seemed to get most of the reps after Tank went down, so I'm guessing Spann is the #4 guy with Sanders as the swing cb/s guy.

I say Spann. He's having a great camp and he started and played alongside Meriweather the other nite.

Losing Tank is a pain though - its not killer, but that'll force us to use Harrison in the LB/SS hybrid role, giving us one less option and one less layer of depth.

Sanders impressed the other nite - I see him having taken a huge step towards claiming a dime DB spot over Webster & or Richardson.

 

[Patjew]

It's gotta be Spann, right? Seems like he's ready.

 

[signbabybrady]

An important discussion point here is can any of the guys currently on the roster do what Tank was going to do? Can any of them play well at the line of scrimmage? If not than do we look for someone who can?

It was my thought that Tank was for depth both at safety but also as that LB role which I think will primarily be Harrisons and would have been even with Tank healthy. So maybe it isnt a big deal but who else on the roster could do it.

James Sanders is pretty good at playing close to the line but not sure how he would take to that LB role.

 

[RussFrancis]

I dont who it is now, but it needs to be John Lynch. If we can almost run the table with a 40 year old inside LB, we can darn well do it with a 37yr old backup strong safety. I dont like any of the other options so far.

 

[BradyManny]

I dont who it is now, but it needs to be John Lynch. If we can almost run the table with a 40 year old inside LB, we can darn well do it with a 37yr old backup strong safety. I dont like any of the other options so far.

I mentioned this in another thread...might be worth a look. Tank's injury has a ripple effect, Rodney will have to fill the SS/LB role more...it basically just takes one guy out of the mix of what was going to be some pretty creative usage of 4 distinct safeties. Lynch might allow them to do that more than Spann could.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I dont who it is now, but it needs to be John Lynch. If we can almost run the table with a 40 year old inside LB, we can darn well do it with a 37yr old backup strong safety. I dont like any of the other options so far.

Coverage liability.

Tank was working at LB because of his ability to cover TE/RB, while also being big enough to battle through trash after runners, gave him special value to BB. Lynch would be okay in Indy as an OLB, I don't think he's getting any SS job in NE.

Back to the original question: mg knows what I'm thinking at CB because of another thread, for the rest - Hobbs, Bryant, Wheatley, Wilhite (injury status permitting), and L.Sanders. Harrison, J.Sanders, and Meriweather are the clear S leaders. For#4 S Spann is ahead of Ventrone and Slater...but if BB is really high on Slater's STs potential he may get the call.

CB Richardson has a good chance to clear waivers and be signed to the Practice Squad. WR/S Ventrone has 3rd year eligibility. If BB really wants Slater for STs, Spann is a good candidate to survive on the Shadow Roster.

For now: Harrison, J.Sanders, Meriweather, and Spann, with L.Sanders as the CB/S tweener.

 

[RussFrancis]

Coverage liability.

Tank was working at LB because of his ability to cover TE/RB, while also being big enough to battle through trash after runners, gave him special value to BB. Lynch would be okay in Indy as an OLB, I don't think he's getting any SS job in NE.

Back to the original question: mg knows what I'm thinking at CB because of another thread, for the rest - Hobbs, Bryant, Wheatley, Wilhite (injury status permitting), and L.Sanders. Harrison, J.Sanders, and Meriweather are the clear S leaders. For#4 S Spann is ahead of Ventrone and Slater...but if BB is really high on Slater's STs potential he may get the call.

CB Richardson has a good chance to clear waivers and be signed to the Practice Squad. WR/S Ventrone has 3rd year eligibility. If BB really wants Slater for STs, Spann is a good candidate to survive on the Shadow Roster.

For now: Harrison, J.Sanders, Meriweather, and Spann, with L.Sanders as the CB/S tweener.

Id agree that Lynch obviously doesnt cover like he probably did 10 years ago. But our passing D last year was ranked 6th. Denver's was ranked 7th. How bad could he have been? If he was such a 'liability', wouldnt he and his secondary been a little more exposed? The guy got the call as a Pro Bowl replacement. Seriously. He's not an upgrade to one of the waiver wire guys we're currently gonna use to fill that 4th spot? Im not buyin' it.

 

[DW Toys]

It's gotta be Spann, right? Seems like he's ready.

You saw this coming. We need another safety. Harrison and Merriweather are o.k. James Sanders is a JAG. Even if he is a back up we need at least one more safety ala Lynch etc.
How about Law as a Safety and let Harrison take the Hybrid/Safety slot? We have to upgrade our Safety .

Another option could be Al Wilson who was one of the best cover LBs in the business and is still fast.
DW Toys

 

[signbabybrady]

Coverage liability.

Tank was working at LB because of his ability to cover TE/RB, while also being big enough to battle through trash after runners, gave him special value to BB. Lynch would be okay in Indy as an OLB, I don't think he's getting any SS job in NE.

Back to the original question: mg knows what I'm thinking at CB because of another thread, for the rest - Hobbs, Bryant, Wheatley, Wilhite (injury status permitting), and L.Sanders. Harrison, J.Sanders, and Meriweather are the clear S leaders. For#4 S Spann is ahead of Ventrone and Slater...but if BB is really high on Slater's STs potential he may get the call.

CB Richardson has a good chance to clear waivers and be signed to the Practice Squad. WR/S Ventrone has 3rd year eligibility. If BB really wants Slater for STs, Spann is a good candidate to survive on the Shadow Roster.

For now: Harrison, J.Sanders, Meriweather, and Spann, with L.Sanders as the CB/S tweener.

Slater makes this team and makes the 45 man roster. he will be our KR this year. And that is a signbabybrady guarentee(injury being an exception).

 

[patsox23]

Wilhite is a corner. Spann is a lock. He is arguably having the best camp of anyone in the secondary and he's been in the system for a bit now.

 

[patsox23]

James Sanders is not a Pro Bowler or anything, but he's hardly a JAG. That's silly.

 

[pats1]

Would Slater get any time at safety? I ask because I have not read much about him playing defense but I know he did so at UCLA.

Neither Slater nor Ventrone got any snaps against the Ravens at safety. Meriweather and Spann pretty much played the whole game, with Dillard subbing in for both near the end.

Ventrone's only reps on defense came as a second-team nickel corner behind Fernando Bryant, but that's just because Wilhite, Hobbs, Richardson, and Webster were all out.

And for the record, Lewis Sanders played entirely CB in the game and, from what I've heard, in camp. I don't think he's that "CB/S tweener" type.

 

[signbabybrady]

James Sanders is not a Pro Bowler or anything, but he's hardly a JAG. That's silly.

Some people's opinion of JAG differ on here so I wouldn't get too much into that.

Just an Average Guy to some people = average starter to others like me it = just an average guy on a roster usually not a starter or even some one who has a significant role but some one who doesn't suck but just has a small role maybe a small STs role or something.

Example form last years roster IMO would be my Eckel. He was goos at his role on STs but didn't do much else. TO say he sucked would be inaccurate because he was good at his role but to overstate his role as anything more than Making him an average guy on the team would be over stating so JAG seems to fit. Where as a few years ago Starks (worse than JAG status) just sucked and I have heard some people refer to James Sanders as a JAG and I think that is wrong too any started IMO is above the Just an Average Guy level.

 

[tombonneau]

For now Spann seems to be the answer. But like others I think Lynch gets a call. Pats were interested before he signed with Denver, so they like his style. It's just a matter of whether or not they think he can still play.

Outside shot of Law, but even then, I don't know that he's filling Tank's role.

The bigger question is that Tank's hybrid role was a new wrinkle that was more a luxury than anything else. So does the staff just do away with role and opt for more traditional formations?