Yup. He's seen them both play, he knows what they can and can't do in his system, so there's no real reason to doubt his judgment.
I agree totally. He is a ball hawk and can tackle pretty well. I just think him playing the slot is going to take more time than he would at safety. He's still thinking out there. I think once things become more instinctive, he'll be a lot better. However, I am not opposed to him being converted into a FS. I think he may ultimately maximize his talents at that position. The only issue with him playing safety is that, in Rex's system, the safety has a fairly big role. Rex said himself that Leonhard played the role that most LB's play on other teams in terms of making reads and communicating plays. SHHHHH you're not allowed to say anything bad about Eric Smith....even if what your saying about his coverage skills are true! I found that out the hard way.
Kyle Wilson's best pro position is or will be FS. Wilson doesn't back peddle well enough to be a premier CB. The art of back peddling {A DB's bread & Butter} is a lost art. Wilson plays fast & good, with the play in front of him. He will make alot of plays at FS, but he will be toast as a CB. he has good speed, but hard to defend against the pass, with ur back to the ball....lol.:up:
So you're saying you know what it will take to make him successful then every coach he has had so far? I'm not saying he can't play safety but for someone who is a 1st round pick corner in the preseason of his second year does not need a position switch. Give him more then a season before you give up on him as a corner. So far I've liked what I've seen from him in the slot. He is a sure tackler and might give up some catches but he's not going to get burned.
Just throwing this out there....I am very high on Strickland, and still think '09 could have ended very differently if he had remained in the game at Lucas Oil. Why not Strick as our starting nickel? His durability was a concern 2 years ago, and I'm still haunted by the memories of the Tony Gonzalez TD, I'll give you that. But his play in the middle of the field is very solid, and I enjoyed watching him play on the outside these last few weeks. You can't take anything from pre-season, I know, but he did exhibit solid coverage against the Giants one's and backups, breaking up a nice face to Manningham in the endzone and disrupting at least one other over the middle. Coincidence that he has played on the leagues first-ranked defense overall and against the pass in back-to-back years? Who's to say. I like the guy's coverage skills and tackling ability in space and nominate him to start until Wilson displaces him.
If Cro or Revis go down then Wilson is going to go in because Strickland is FUCKING AWFUL as a corner playing on the outside. You don't elevate a guy from #4 to #2. Wilson isn't going to get the proper reps to prepare him to start if we needed it if he's playing as the dimeback.
He is fine but he is gonna be the guy people bitch about this year. Getting stuck in the middle of the field as the nickel means he will give up catches which means he will be thrown under the bus constantly.
I'm not that worried. We have strickland who did a great job as our nickel 2 years ago, and if his injury woes continue, Cole has been getting better every year. i think you'll see possibly all 3 of those guys at nickel at some point. i also think kyle will get better. he needs to be "hardened" a bit. I think he's a sensitive kid and some time out there in games, regardless of the outcome, will help him thicken his skin and grow his confidence a bit.
Yup. Its predictable. There should be no surprise or concern from this. He played well enough in the preseason to warrant him starting as the nickel. Strickland will be more of a Dime blitzer. That's what he excelled at in 09.
I've actually thought about this as well- I think he'd make a very good Saftey. His best attribute as a CB is certainly his tackling ability. He's a smart kid, fast, and strong. If his game doesn't improve over the rest of this season, it might be in everyone's best interest to consider it. He's a little delayed for a first rounder, but I'm sure he'll come along enough to play solid nickel. If he develops at nickel, our D will be unstopable.
I really liked what I saw out of Wilson this preseason. He's closing quickly after the catch and he's tackling like a champ. He seems to be hitting people as hard as he did in Boise State, which tells me that he's getting a lot more comfortable with his angles. It's no longer a question of "where should I be?" but more of "how fast can I close and how hard can I hit him?" I like that.
Absolutely. I think CB is one of the toughest positions to grow into in the NFL. He looks like he's right on schedule to become a player in this defense.
