The Safeties Have Never Been Good Enough

[mgteich]

When was the last time that at least one of our safeties didn't need to greatly improve?

I know we have acceptable safeties in the 2003 preseason when Harrison was looking forward to playing opposite Milloy.

 

[Patsrock]

Eugene Wilson and Rodney were a good pair for 03/04 seasons.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Exactly.

The 2006 Patriots had a great defense with A 34 year old Harrison and Hawkins starting at safety.

The 2007 Patriots had a great defense with a 35 year old Harrison and James Sanders starting at safety.

Who were the Panthers safeties this year? The Saints? The Bengals? The 49ers lost their best safety and didn't miss a beat.

 

[randomk1]

As a side note though...Earl Thomas is a beast.

 

[Kontradiction]

When was the last time that at least one of our safeties didn't need to greatly improve?

I know we have acceptable safeties in the 2003 preseason when Harrison was looking forward to playing opposite Milloy.

Even after Milloy was cut, the safety duo was fine. Harrison was the enforcer-type and Eugene Wilson was the CB conversion with range. What they had worked up until 2007 when Meriweather started seeing quality snaps and even then, it wasn't a huge drop off. 2008 was when the issues at safety began cropping up and had been a problem all the way up until 2012 when McCourty began playing back there full time. It's still a need as the Pats could really use a hard-hitting SS type that isn't a total liability in coverage.

 

[JackBauer]

I guess we'll see if McCourty-Harmon can be good enough.

 

[Sicilian]

One of the things I noticed with the Seahawks in the Super Bowl is that the safeties were playing aggressive and flying to the ball. Many will say that's because Pete Carroll "Turns his players loose on defense", and that's definitely true. But I think for the safeties in particular, you can play much more aggressive on those underneath routes when you have supreme confidence that your front seven is going to make the QB uncomfortable.

If you take that same aggressiveness, and play those safeties on a team that gets no pressure, they get beat over the top way too often. Well, maybe not Seattle's safeties, because they seem to be legit top to bottom, but as a general philosophy, your safeties will always look more tentative when they have to account for a QB who has 5+ seconds to throw the ball.

Add a couple legit pieces to this DL, create a rotation with your pass rushers, and I bet even Gregory would look better and more aggressive back there.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

One of the things I noticed with the Seahawks in the Super Bowl is that the safeties were playing aggressive and flying to the ball.

That's because they supposedly cracked peyton mannings signals through film study. It was really quite easy for them after that.

 

[SalemPats]

Finding a great safety, shut-down corner and NT are the most difficult to find on defense. I would love to upgrade at safety, but I'm not sure where we are going to get one. We have a solid duo now, i think this is what it will be in the future

 

[Deus Irae]

Safety play was good enough, on and off, until the Meriweather/Harrison/Sanders trio could no longer get it done.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

The real problem with this D is that they are not physical enough. Look at how seattle took the head off of any bronco defender with the ball. We have too many choir boys on this team.

 

[mayoclinic]

The real problem with this D is that they are not physical enough. Look at how seattle took the head off of any bronco defender with the ball. We have too many choir boys on this team.

I said that last year after we lost to the Ravens, and suggested that we get a few physical intimidators, especially in the secondary. I liked "Jungle Boi" DJ Swearinger partly because of his versatility and coverage skills, and partly because of his swagger and intimidation. Of the DBs in this year's draft, Calvin Pryor and Deone Bucannon provide that kind of physical presence. It's also part of why I like Trent Murphy so much - he plays mean.

 

[Deus Irae]

I said that last year after we lost to the Ravens, and suggested that we get a few physical intimidators, especially in the secondary. I liked "Jungle Boi" DJ Swearinger partly because of his versatility and coverage skills, and partly because of his swagger and intimidation. Of the DBs in this year's draft, Calvin Pryor and Deone Bucannon provide that kind of physical presence. It's also part of why I like Trent Murphy so much - he plays mean.

Spikes is the only big hitter on that defense, and the consensus is that he's gone.

On the positive side, though, this defense is ready for when Goodell completes the move to flag football.

 

[mayoclinic]

Spikes is the only big hitter on that defense, and the consensus is that he's gone.

On the positive side, though, this defense is ready for when Goodell completes the move to flag football.

Talib and Denmark are physical CBs. I'd like one more. Safety is where we're really not physical enough in the secondary.

I loved Spikes' physicality, but he was just too much of a liability in coverage.

 

[supafly]

We have a solid duo now, i think this is what it will be in the future

I'm not in agreement with this "solid duo" that you speak of, and judging by the up in the air statuses of Gregory, Harmon, and the 2 Wilsons, I don't know anything about a future there.

 

[Deus Irae]

Talib and Denmark are physical CBs. I'd like one more. Safety is where we're really not physical enough in the secondary.

I loved Spikes' physicality, but he was just too much of a liability in coverage.

Talib and Dennard are clutch-and-grab guys, though. They're not big hitters. the last big hitter the Patriots had at CB (of any real note) was Hobbs.

That's not a knock on the CBs, either. I'm not expecting them to be thumpers. You want big hitters at safety and linebacker, and the Patriots are woefully deficient in that area. I'm with you on the team needing more intimidators. I just don't see where they're going to get one, because BB doesn't typically like to open up the checkbook to the top FAs, and his drafting at safety has been awful of late.

 

[SebertJr]

I think Gregory can be replaced by Harmon or Wilson(Tavon) , both of them could turn into big hitters.Leave MCourty in the Ed reed type roll.

 

[Kontradiction]

Talib and Dennard are clutch-and-grab guys, though. They're not big hitters. the last big hitter the Patriots had at CB (of any real note) was Hobbs.

That's not a knock on the CBs, either. I'm not expecting them to be thumpers. You want big hitters at safety and linebacker, and the Patriots are woefully deficient in that area. I'm with you on the team needing more intimidators. I just don't see where they're going to get one, because BB doesn't typically like to open up the checkbook to the top FAs, and his drafting at safety has been awful of late.

What a revelation T.J. Ward would be on this team.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think Gregory can be replaced by Harmon or Wilson(Tavon) , both of them could turn into big hitters.Leave MCourty in the Ed reed type roll.

Harmon is more of a natural FS type. When he played this season, he looked like a back-up FS. Wilson has been anywhere from non-existant to awful when given defensive snaps to date and shouldn't see the field except on special teams until proven otherwise. Deone Bucannon and Calvin Pryor, as has been mentioned by mayoclinic, fit the mold of aggressive and hard hitting safeties. I like Ed Reynolds out of Stanford as well. The latter two would be FS conversions while Bucannon is the top rated SS.

 

[PATS68]

Talib and Dennard are clutch-and-grab guys, though. They're not big hitters. the last big hitter the Patriots had at CB (of any real note) was Hobbs.

That's not a knock on the CBs, either. I'm not expecting them to be thumpers. You want big hitters at safety and linebacker, and the Patriots are woefully deficient in that area. I'm with you on the team needing more intimidators. I just don't see where they're going to get one, because BB doesn't typically like to open up the checkbook to the top FAs, and his drafting at safety has been awful of late.

Hobbs? You're kidding right? I would go with Samuels and his hit on Ricky Williams.