Yes, let's be an asshole and bring race into it. People like Leonhard because he makes fucking plays. I hate when fucks bring in the race card.
Then don't make such a big deal out of it. It's obviously said tongue in cheek...I don't actually hold it against Leonhard that he's white. Just a heads up there...
Kerry Rhodes did a damn good job against both of those tight ends, but he should be able to cover those guys. Covering tight ends that get most of their yardage over the middle of the field had nothing to do with what I brought up. You said having two safeties that can cover DEEP would be nice. Kerry Rhodes doesn't have great speed, and he proved that when he got chased down by Brian Leonard. He's not a great deep cover safety. He's done a great job covering athletic tight ends - he's a safety, it should be fairly easy for him to match up on tight ends. This is just my opinion on Rhodes. You're entitled to your own.
I'd have to disagree with this assessment. Rhodes has pretty great range as a deep safety playing center field. The problem seemed to be that he was unsure about his role as a deep safety, so in the latter half of the season they took a lot of that responsibility from him and had him manning up on TEs instead. Thats straight from his mouth btw, that he had a lot of uncertainty about his place in the defense. The issue is that covering TEs is more of a niche role, you don't get 6 mil a year to be the designated man-coverage-on-a-good-safety guy. You get 6 mil a year to be an all-purpose, full-time, top-quality safety. Bart Scott can cover TEs, and he also brings a lot else to the table. Eric Smith can cover TEs, and he's not drawing half Rhodes' salary (not to mention he plays the true safety role better than Rhodes in this defense apparently). Having some success against Gonzalez and Winslow doesn't count for much, because it isn't what the defensive staff want him to be doing. Antrel Rolle has gotten pretty good reviews for his range as a deep safety. No surprise there, he was a little slow for a corner but thats typical of most safeties. His ball skills are what I find most intriguing, he finds the ball in the air and goes after it, he catches the ball off deflections, and he's put together some pretty good interception returns, which is a quality Ryan treasures and the current Jets mostly lack. Playing in Miami might be attractive to him, but I'd think a DB out of Miami, who played his college ball while Ed Reed was becoming a superstar with the Ravens, would have to think really hard about coming to play for Rex Ryan and having a chance to fill that role.
I stopped reading at "unsure"...That's the problem with this clown. He doesn't fit into what this defense/team is trying to do. He's got a lot of talent, but that's not everything in this league. Leonhard made a lot of SMART plays, and that's why he's more important to this team.
Dude, Rhodes has been the deep safety on the D that's given up the fewest big passing plays in the league over the past 2 years. We notice and trash him when the D gets burned...no matter who did what...so why not give credit where credit is due? And he should be able to shut out Gates and Gonzalez? How many guys in this league should that be a given for? Both of them outweigh the guy by like 40-50 pounds, and nobody shuts them out. The fact that you even think that shows how talented and useful this guy is in this D, and it was only his first year in it. If there's a safety who can't cover deep it's Leonhard. What exactly is this team trying to do? I keep hearing how Rhodes doesn't fit "what they're trying to do." What are they trying to do...have a top D or be intimidating?
For Rex Ryan, the two are one and the same. Given the choice between a statistical ranking and having the most physical defense, the one that offensive players dread having to share the field with, I think he'd choose the latter. I think its his belief that wins, rankings and awards flow from that physicality. Which isn't to say that it's necessarily what he demands from a free safety. Looking at what I think his intended role must be, I distinguish between two plays from the Patriots game. There was one play where Rhodes came up to make a tackle on Lawrence Maroney, and kind of got run over, but did get him down. For a safety, that's fine. You're the last line of defense, just don't let him past you, especially when the guy is just as big as you or bigger and has a full head of steam. On a different play, Wes Welker makes a jumping catch over the middle and Rhodes comes in and barely touches him. That was wholly unacceptable, the vast majority of safeties in this league would have come in and wrecked Welker on that play. Leonhard, Eric Smith and Antrel Rolle are all smaller safeties, but I've seen them all make that play. That's what I think these coaches don't like about the way Rhodes is approaching the game.
Agreed that, and one of the keys to that is having DBs who can play like DBs. Rhodes and Revis are our most pure DBs and our best coverage guys...Keys to this D...Rex loves big, athletic DBs like Rhodes too. I think he breaks out big time next year...Rhodes, I mean. He'll have his best season since '06. I remember that Welker thing...One of the times I actually got pissed at Rhodes. He definitely should have made the big hit, and I think it's something he would have done even last year. I've decided not to hold it too against him since there's enough of that going around, but we need him to not be that guy.
What makes you say that? Most of Baltimore's defensive backs under Ryan have been smaller, quicker defensive backs. Dawan Landry is really the only bigger defensive back on that roster, and he is much more compact than Rhodes.
Chris McCallister...Samari Rolle...Landry obviously though his skillset is more Leonhard than Rhodes...Reed is very athletic...Demps is 6' 205...Baxter is 6'2 204...Woodson was a 200+ DB...Herring from the 2000 D was a 215 pound safety.... No clue where the myth that Rhodes is slow came from...I'm sure it came this season when everything else has been said about him.
i would guess it has a lot to do with having a 10+ yard head start on that fumble he scooped up in Cincinnati and got brought down in under 40 yards by a freakin fullback.
Yea, but one play is one play and that happens tons of times in the league. Ed Reed got chased down by Garcon with a huge head start on that INT against the Colts in the playoffs. It's not an indictment on a players' speed...Cinci's FB just made a great play where they needed it.
What are you talking about? Samari Rolle? He's like 175 pounds... Chris McCalister is just over 200 pounds. Yeah, Ed Reed is very athletic, but he's not big. In the NFL, 200 to 205 isn't big. Guys that are that size might play big - Polamalu is one of the hardest hitters at the position and he's just over 205. Revis, Sheppard, Leonhard, Lowery, and Strickland are all under 200 pounds - some by just a few pounds, but still. Saying that Rex Ryan likes big defensive backs is bullshit. I know he didn't draft Revis and Lowery, but he still used them heavily in our defense.
Pierre Garcon is a speedy receiver. Brian Leonhard is a fullback. Ed Reed was weaving through an entire team. Kerry Rhodes had nothing but green in front of him. Stop. Please.
Leonhard is a former record setting RB and one of the highest motor players in the league on either side of the ball...For someone who nitpicked a threads forum merits based on it's title you ignore the little things often if it fits your need...you also ignore how negligible the speed differences between everyone is on an NFL field. It's like people who get on Rhodes for not lunging at the fumble after he sacked Rivers...We got the ball, this isn't Madden, it was a big play, and a whole bunch of things...not only that but he's clearly tripping/stumbling at the end of the play, it shortens the field position (so we're getting points anyway), and that also gives us a chance to run down more clock. It's not as if the Bengals players were 20 yards downfield in the other direction either...Sounds like excuses but sometimes thats just the way the cookie crumbles.
A safety should fucking burn a fullback - I don't care how many guys Brian Leonard jumped over in college, Rhodes should be faster...much faster. Holy shit - give me a break. Receivers and defensive backs have similar speed...not fullbacks and defensive backs. Also, Samari Rolle isn't big - that statement that you made about Rex Ryan liking big defensive backs is completely made up...we saw earlier today that you like to..."speculate"...but that statement is complete garbage.
OK...but it didn't happen...and again, Leonard is a college RB who only very recently became a pro FB...he wasn't even a big (230+) college back. And really? Based on Samari Rolle? The other 7 or so names on there just stopped existing? Let me guess...I make those up? You also left out "athletic" there...Rhodes is the guy who plucked that fumble up fairly easily (try picking up a bouncing football at game speed with like 10 other guys going after it too...mind you he ran around everyone to pluck it up too)...who outjumped everyone on that onside kick...So yea...you give me a break, please. Your whole little nitpicking/powertripping tour is getting tedious...
Exactly, it didn't happen. Kerry Rhodes got chased down by a converted fullback...that's inexcusable. Now, stop talking about it. Once again, Samari Rolle is 175 pounds.