Fun NFL Stuff
Neat little blog bit from ESPN's Jeremy Green on how Cornerback is the Most Overrated Position in Football.
Cornerbacks are only productive if the defensive line pressures the quarterback. You can draft corners high, you can spend big-time money on them in free agency, but if you don't have a defensive front that can get pressure, even the best athletes at the position will get beat. At the snap, the receiver has the advantage because he knows the play. The defensive back is at a huge disadvantage and every second the QB holds the ball that disadvantage only increases.
I could have told you the same- remember in 2004, when the Patriots went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl with Asante Samuel in his second season, Randall Gay starting as an undrafted rookie free agent, and Troy Brown playing nickel back? That secondary beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in the playoffs, 20-3, following the regular season in which Manning threw 49 TD's. I love Troy Brown, but come on. That should be all you need to know about defensive football being all about your front 7.
Cornerbacks are only productive if the defensive line pressures the quarterback. You can draft corners high, you can spend big-time money on them in free agency, but if you don't have a defensive front that can get pressure, even the best athletes at the position will get beat. At the snap, the receiver has the advantage because he knows the play. The defensive back is at a huge disadvantage and every second the QB holds the ball that disadvantage only increases.
I could have told you the same- remember in 2004, when the Patriots went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl with Asante Samuel in his second season, Randall Gay starting as an undrafted rookie free agent, and Troy Brown playing nickel back? That secondary beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in the playoffs, 20-3, following the regular season in which Manning threw 49 TD's. I love Troy Brown, but come on. That should be all you need to know about defensive football being all about your front 7.
posted by lonely libertarian at 3:30 PM
1 Comments:
Defensive football is not all about the front seven. Come on. Unless you have a great defensive scheme (like the Pats do), corners play a huge roll. Look at my beloved Packers. They drafted Ahmad Carroll in the first round and he was an absolute train wreck. He got beat all the time, created a huge whole in the secondary and took awful penalties. He single-handily ruined the Packers secondary. Then, they go out and sign Charles Woodson for big money and the secondary vastly improves. When they cut Carroll once and for all, that's when the Packers D became good, you know, last year when they started that 4 game win streak at the end of the season.
The truth is, drafting and spending on corners comes with the same risk as drafting and spending on any other position. Some players are busts, others are not. Corners aren't totally dependent on the front seven. Some corners are better than others in coverage and they provide a valuable service to the team. And sure corners will get beat now and then but what position in the NFL has a perfect track record? Linebackers will miss tackles every now and then, kickers will miss kicks, linemen will miss blocks and the all-important QB will throw interceptions.
What I will agree on is this: good corners are hard to find and better yet, smart corners are hard to find. It doesn't matter how good your front seven is if your corners can't stick with their man.
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