With Leonhard supposedly out of the picture, why don't we allow Abram Elam a shot at starting SS? Do people not remember that he picked off Trent Edwards and returned it for a 92 yard touchdown in the first Bills game this year, which led to a win. He also saved the next Bills game by stripping J.P. Losman which led to the Shaun Ellis TD. He is great at blitzing, he is young, and he is in house. The one thing people don't like about Elam is his coverage, yet now we have Revis and Shepphard who are great lockdown corners. With better linebackers this year, we'll now be able to blitz the qb and not give the qb 10 seconds to throw the ball...any corner/safety will eventually get burned. Any thoughts?
He seem's good because Kerry rhodes has to be in coverage 90% of the time thanks to him not being able to cover. Maybe Ryan's Dfense will make Elam able to cover which will make Rhodes bak to the old rhodes, but i don't see that happening.
Elam doesn't even "seem good". He hits hard and that's his only positive. He has no feel for the game, he has no idea where he's supposed to be half the time, he can't cover and his tackling technique is atrocious. Maybe Rex & Co can knock some sense into him, but until then, hell no he's not a starter.
Exactly. If we don't end up with Leonhard, I'd like to see us make a run at Sean Smith in the draft if we nab an additional WR too. Trade down in the first or even just stand put and take him. The guy is vastly underrated and can step in at CB if Sheppard gets hurt. I'd rather plug Elam in there, though, if we don't get a WR and just pick Nicks, Maclin, or Britt at 17.
I think Elam would be very effective as an in-the-box safety that could rotate in and specialize on running downs. We should be able to find a more consistent and well-rounded safety than Elam as he's not effective in coverage. If we don't sign Leonhard or another free agent, this draft is LOADED with good early-mid round safety prospects.. We could certainly pickup a good one in the 3rd or 4th round.
Honestly, I think Elam could thrive under Rex Ryan. He has a knack for putting himself in the right place at the right time and Ryan's defensive scheme will afford him the freedom he needs to freelance a little more and try to make things happen.
i agree that he can thrive under rex, im hoping he'll improve a lot as he is young i said he is supposedly out of the picture because ive read on other threads that he left the jets training facility without a deal, and that often means the player and organzation couldn't agree on a deal. i guess hes asking for more than rex thinks hes worth. but he isn't 100% out of the picture, and i could be wrong, he could very well still be in the picture as the jets was his top choice
I think Elam is very limited. Good in run support but he is not very fluid.. his pass coverage is suspect.
Because he can;t cover deep routes and he cannot tackle in the open field. Also, his awareness isn;t the greatest....remember when he knocked Revis off that INT and allowed Evans to go all the way for a TD? He can get in on the blitz every now and then and he can stop run plays that come right at him, that's it. He is a backup guy.
I'd like to see us take Patrick Chung in the 2nd round, although we'd probably have to move ahead of the Cowboys.
He can be in the rotation but I dont want him as the starter. Elam has problems in coverage but he is good vs the run.
Agreed... but i still like "big play abe"... kid doesn't wear his seatbelt when he plays... plus his story off the field is incredible...
I think Elam is exactly the type of player Rex is looking for. Aggressive, in your face and hard hitting. The only problem I see is that his main weakness, coverage, is probably the most important trait for the SS in the Baltimore scheme. We need someone to free up hollywood to freelance and be a play maker. I can definitely see him being used situationally (is that a word?) but we'll probably be looking for someone with better coverage skills somewhere.
Elam is a great hitter but in coverage no better then Roy Williams but has a knack for being at the right place at the right time