Sean Taylor struggling???

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu Can you say "Dan Morgan"
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST. He is the worst cover safety in football and he has a good front 7.
Bob Sanders - Why because Trent Green threw two balls to him? Sanders was hurt all year.
Yeremiah Bell - Who?
Michael Boulware (???) Um, no.
Mike Brown - Isn't his career in jeopardy?
Donovan Darius - Isn't he out for the year?

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

I would only consider Reed and Dawkins over Taylor but they are considerably older.

I do like the idea of letting Taylor play some linebacker (didn't he do this some against the Giants?) and moving our safeties around.

Feel free to dismiss but what if they actually gave Archuleta some playing time by letting him line up at FS if Taylor lines up at LB. That would also be predicated on Springs, Fox, Vincent and or Prieleau bieng able to handle the coverage duties back there. Seems like a logical package in run situations.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST.
Bob Sanders
Yeremiah Bell
Michael Boulware (???)
Mike Brown
Donovan Darius

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

Dawkins is just a monster at safety. What a great leader that guy is. I love his game. Same with Reed. Donavan D. and Saunders are solid too. Saunders is a little guy but man he really can hit. But give Taylor a pass on this year. He had a up and down year. He will play better and he has the ability to play better. I also tend to think he needs better coaching. Someone that can bring the best out in him.

[BleedBurgundy]

When's the last time anyone has seen a player who has played safety at a satisfactory level in the NFL convert to LB? I can think of some college lb's who converted to safety in the NFL (boulware) but not the other way around... This is similar to those who call for Michael Vick to be turned into a running back. It's just not going to happen. Taylor's performance level regressed this year, along with every other member of the defensive squad. That is a sign of a deficiency in coaching, not a reduction in his or their abilities to play their respective positions.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

When's the last time anyone has seen a player who has played safety at a satisfactory level in the NFL convert to LB? I can think of some college lb's who converted to safety in the NFL (boulware) but not the other way around... This is similar to those who call for Michael Vick to be turned into a running back. It's just not going to happen. Taylor's performance level regressed this year, along with every other member of the defensive squad. That is a sign of a deficiency in coaching, not a reduction in his or their abilities to play their respective positions.

When is the last time a safety had the physical abilities of Taylor? I am not suggesting a permanent shift, but it seems that the ability to move players around gives the offense something else to think about. (The Ravens do it pretty well).

I am also thinking that if Archuleta stays, he has to do more than protect the punter. He would be better at FS than SS.

Thomas Davis played LB this year for the Panthers (not very well but he did do it).

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by Grim21Reaper

When is the last time a safety had the physical abilities of Taylor? I am not suggesting a permanent shift, but it seems that the ability to move players around gives the offense something else to think about. (The Ravens do it pretty well).

I am also thinking that if Archuleta stays, he has to do more than protect the punter. He would be better at FS than SS.

Thomas Davis played LB this year for the Panthers (not very well but he did do it).

With his myriad abilities, playing safety should better allow him to create problems for the opposing team both in pass coverage and through situational blitzing. Being a linebacker takes some of the advantage of his athleticism away, because he would be required to fight off of and through blocks. That is not his body style, he's more of a striker that roams and picks his shots, usually at top speed. His advantage is his ability to cover a large swath of the field and close quickly. His ball skills should vastly improve were he in a situation where he didn't have to keep one eye in the backfield at all times. That comes with better coaching and better teammates. I just don't think he is the problem, which switching his position would suggest. If anything, moving him to linebacker would simply highlight the fact that we don't have legitimate starting talent at the position currently on the roster.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

With his myriad abilities, playing safety should better allow him to create problems for the opposing team both in pass coverage and through situational blitzing. Being a linebacker takes some of the advantage of his athleticism away, because he would be required to fight off of and through blocks. That is not his body style, he's more of a striker that roams and picks his shots, usually at top speed. His advantage is his ability to cover a large swath of the field and close quickly. His ball skills should vastly improve were he in a situation where he didn't have to keep one eye in the backfield at all times. That comes with better coaching and better teammates. I just don't think he is the problem, which switching his position would suggest. If anything, moving him to linebacker would simply highlight the fact that we don't have legitimate starting talent at the position currently on the roster.

This is probably the best post I've read summing up Taylor's season.

While his wasn't a good one overall, I think 111 tackles, which led all NFL safties and many linebackers, should say a lot about our defense as a whole and how it performed. Taylor shouldn't be moved to linebacker, he should stay exactly where he is.

[hesscl34]

Originally Posted by dmek25

is this really the same guy we drafted? last night was a microcosm of #21's season. out of position, bad tackling, poor pass coverage, and borderline cheap shots. how did he turn into Andre waters over night? i thought Taylor was well on his way to becoming a perennial pro bowler, but now he looks like a marginal NFL player, at best. any ideas on why? and lets keep focused on Taylors play, and not make excuses for a horrible overall defense. when in position to make plays, he just isn't getting it done

He's trying to hard to pick up slack for other bad players....

[Hog1]

I agree Hess, he and some others are playing out of position to try and reinforce other weak area's. It's hard to pick out exactly what is wrong with our D this year. It's ALL wrong
ST is a rare player! he is genuinely feared by those that travel his area. We have all seen it time and again. Fix some of the MANY D problems,and we will see it again
#1310

[GTripp0012]

We can't really afford to move Taylor or Archuleta to outside linebacker because we already have 3 good OLBs (assuming Rocky is good enough to play). Our LB deficiencies are in the middle. Let Arch compete for the 2nd safety job. If he shows that he can improve his cover skills, then you actually might have a player. If not, start Prioleau. Going foward, I think ST will be fine.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

We can't really afford to move Taylor or Archuleta to outside linebacker because we already have 3 good OLBs (assuming Rocky is good enough to play). Our LB deficiencies are in the middle. Let Arch compete for the 2nd safety job. If he shows that he can improve his cover skills, then you actually might have a player. If not, start Prioleau. Going foward, I think ST will be fine.

Who are the three good outside LB's? Washington, yes. Rocky? He barely played. I know you aren't talking about Holdman and I haven't seen enough of Marshall on the outside to say that he is good there.

Pick a position on the defense and you have a hole. You are correct that MLB is a huge liability as well.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by Grim21Reaper

Who are the three good outside LB's? Washington, yes. Rocky? He barely played. I know you aren't talking about Holdman and I haven't seen enough of Marshall on the outside to say that he is good there.

Pick a position on the defense and you have a hole. You are correct that MLB is a huge liability as well.

We saw Marshall at OLB in 2004 when Arrington was injured. He didn't make many big plays but he was solid against the run and in coverage. I believe it would be better if we moved Marshall back to the outside in 2007. He didn't make the right calls that a MLB has to make. That and he sucked in both pass and run coverage this year.

[JDALY27]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

We can't really afford to move Taylor or Archuleta to outside linebacker because we already have 3 good OLBs (assuming Rocky is good enough to play). Our LB deficiencies are in the middle. Let Arch compete for the 2nd safety job. If he shows that he can improve his cover skills, then you actually might have a player. If not, start Prioleau. Going foward, I think ST will be fine.

How about not moving them at all? Start Taylor and AA together to begin the season. Skins had like NO sacks this year. Skins corner play was also pathetic most of the year. I feel AA was made a scapegoat by Greg Williams. Yes, Witten was wide open but that was one play.......Taylor got smoked in coverage all year long. Without a pass rush even Champ Bailey would get burned.........well......maybe not Champ.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by JDALY27

How about not moving them at all? Start Taylor and AA together to begin the season. Skins had like NO sacks this year. Skins corner play was also pathetic most of the year. I feel AA was made a scapegoat by Greg Williams. Yes, Witten was wide open but that was one play.......Taylor got smoked in coverage all year long. Without a pass rush even Champ Bailey would get burned.........well......maybe not Champ.

In no way shape or form should AA be back at SS. Nickel or dime sure or as an LB maybe.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by Grim21Reaper

In no way shape or form should AA be back at SS. Nickel or dime sure or as an LB maybe.

He can't cover tight ends and running backs as a safety and you want to move him to the 3rd or 4th corner spot? Are you a masichist? J/k

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

He can't cover tight ends and running backs as a safety and you want to move him to the 3rd or 4th corner spot? Are you a masichist? J/k

No. A nickel or dime package is the only way he can get on the field.