Report: Erik Coleman to face competition

Good... Coleman is a good player, but he seems to lack motivation. When pushed, he seems to step up and perform.... This could be just the spark he needs

 

Yeah bro i totally agree.....i was dissapointed in his play last year...especially against the run...maybe this will wake himup

 

Eric Smith had a great season last year, I'm glad to see he's being rewarded with the possibility of a starting spot. I really want to see how this kid Leonard Peters does though. If he can perform well at the NFL level, I would love to have a Troy Polamalu-type hard hitting fan favorite in the secondary.

 

Competition is a wonderful thing. Coleman will probably earn the spot,mark it down. Smith did not really impress me. I think he'll be a coverage liability.

-X-

 

actually smith was great in zone coverage. i remember him always coming across in someone elses zone responsibility to make a play on the ball.

now man coverage i dont know. but I'll trust Mangini, but we all know Coleman isnt going to roll over.

so this should be fun to watch develop.

 

I gotta disagree with you here. Smith had two picks, played safety in almost every game, broke up a big pass play against New England in the playoff game (i think) and had one or two decent hits on recievers in games. I know Coleman had some injury/ health issues but I dont remember Coleman having as a good a year ( I didnt look up stats).

I think Smith wins the starting job in camp, but he and Coleman split time 70/30.

I looked up the stats.
Hmmmm . . . I didnt realize how productive Coleman was. 100 tackles, 1 pick 3 passes defended while Smith's stat line shows no passes defended and like 27 tackles.

I stick by my prediction, but I will admit that I underestimated Coleman's contributions last season.

 

You can't like Vilma in this defense based on his likely contributions and not like Coleman as well. They both made the tackles they needed to last season without adding a lot else.

If you had a turnover producer at FS and Vilma's spot inside the defense would get a lot better just based on that quality.

 

I was a big fan of Coleman his first season, and although he still gets his numbers (as Br4dw4y5ux mentioned, similar to Vilma), I just this his play has dropped off too much.

Aftter seeing Smith come in once in a while last season, he just always seemed to be around the ball, whether it be pickign up 2 INT's in his limited play, or coming in and laying a lick on a reciever, he just looks like a straight up player on the field.

My prediction: He will be a starter next season, maybe not week one, but at some point he will permanantly take over the starting role

 

This will be a fun battle in camp to watch

 

I have said numerous times on this board that this would happen.

Eric Smith will win the job or a ton of playing time in 07

 

link? quote? Do you think I memorize your posts? You are an imposter and waste of my precious time.

 

anybody think we could get a day one pick for coleman then? might as well trade him if he's gonna be sitting on the bench

 

Good to hear. Brings back the "Madden" days where you see the guys battling it out in TC.

The only ones who shouldn't be looking over their shoulders this upcoming season are Graham, Mangold and Rhodes. Everyone else is fair game....

 

I think Mangini (at least because he's from the Bellicheck line) values depth too much to let a player like Coleman go, even if he is on the bench. If either Smith or Rhodes were to get hurt, Coleman would be a great insurance policy. Not to mention with all the wierd packages he puts on the field, he should still be getting a decent amount of playing time.

 

Yea.....same with all the people saying get rid of Barton.....for what? We need depth everywhere, you never know when the injury bug can hit anyone at anytime.......God forbid something bad happened to Rhodes.......Eric Coleman atleast could fill in as the Centerfeilder safety role while Eric Smith could be our in the box SS.......Coleman has the ability to play both safety positions pretty well, and that is very valuable.....

I don't have a preference Coleman or Smith to start at SS next year, but I do love the fact that there will be a battle there.......Both guys looked pretty good at different points last year, and Mangini will put our best guys on the field, regardless of how they got here

 

Glad to see Smith get a chance to start, since he played well last season and all. Coleman is too much of an inconsistant player, at times he looks great and other times he looks lost.

 

I like Coleman and Smith, but neither of them has a long, luxurius, flowing mane of goat hair, so I will have to vote Leonard Peters.

 

Let's be realistic Coleman made some interceptions as a rookie but didn't do anything else. Most opposing teams are going to challenge rookies and Coleman turned it over. But that doesn't mean he's a good safety in all other regards. I think Smith is better in coverage, better tackler, smarter player and just a better all around player. Not that Coleman sucks I just think everyone has this huge hard on for him since he had some picks as a rookie.

 

While Coleman has been solid, not spectacular, there is room for improvement. Whether or not Smith can provide that is yet to be seen. I'm all for some good competition, and hopefully it will improve both of them.