I agree with this. Only way to efficiently stop Gronkowsky is to put a mirror image of him to cover him. Match his athleticism, toughness, speed. Bump him and get him of route. Easier said then done but if he can do it I'm sure someone else can do it.
If you look at the highlight reels on Barron what you see is a controlled but aggressive player who is best moving forwards into the box. His coverage skills depend on the receiver with issues against fast quick receivers and better results against big slow ones. In the NFL today you have to be able to cover big fast TE's. I think he's a good prospect I just think he's a risk on the 16. If the Jets were picking on the 26 I'd have no problems making the pick. But it'd be like the Kyle Wilson pick, a risky pick with high upside. Barron was a solid player in a great system with a few better players around him. Rex obviously could make that remain true given his systems and Barron's talents. Thinking that Barron will be THE difference maker is probably a reach though.
for me the draft isn't about making a splash rather than getting the player that will help u significantly first. Barron fills that roll since smith can't cover shit and he's the best player left of the board for what we need at the 16th pick
Again, the problem with having a safety play the TE is he either has to play up, thus not covering the safeties' primary responsibility, or he foregoes the bump off the line. Plus a smaller safety is not as good as a LB in run D. Again, I don't think playing a safety in this role with a base 3-4 set is the answer.
If the Jets see Barron as the guy they need to have then they need to make an astute trade down as safely as they can and then land him. If that means trading down to the 21 or 23 and getting something else out of the deal and still getting Barron then that's what they need to do. Taking him on the 16 would be a sub-optimal use of resources.
With TE's like Davis, Gronkowsky, and graham which there seems to be more and more of the safety position will become more and more valuable. No one is throwing in the sidelines anymore. Everyone stockpiled on corners that can cover the sidelines. That's why the middle of the field had become prime real estate. And these guys are killing teams on YAC. Hard to tackle a 260lbs 6ft6 mass of muscle running at full speed. The force that carries can only be matched by equal force. That's why they're running over safeties looking for a hit. We don't have any corners that can stop that. Revis is 5'11, 200 lbs. not only can Gronkowsky get the ball where revis cant reach to covet but he also got 60 pounds of muscle in the guy.
I was thinking the same thing in regards to maybin. You really need a tweener saftey/LB kind of like eric smith who can tackle and cover. To bad smith can't cover.
we have this guy already! Brodney Pool #22 SS New York Jets | Official Team Site Height: 6-2 Weight: 214 Age: 27 Born: 5/24/1984 Corpus Christi , TX College: Oklahoma Experience: 7th
Keller is going to go both ways. TE on offense. big TE covering safety on defense. Problem solved. Championship. /kidding obviously //or am I?
Are you serious? We are talking about a guy who is big enough, fast enough, to cover the "new age tight end". Not a guy who got run over once in his career....but nice effort
The knock on Brodney Poole is that he's fragile. Whether that's fair or not is not clear but it would be tough going into a season relying on him heavily.
I can't argue against the effectiveness of a dominant Pass-rush. However, if Gronk/Hernandez light-up the Giants' Defense this Sunday, then that should demonstrate the need for a very specific player to guard these TEs. The problem is (and I could be mistaken, but I think Big Blocker was onto this), there aren't any/enough current players who can cover the novel TE without weakening the Run-Defense. Thus, a position/player who can do both might have to be 'created.'
Adalius Thomas was really good with Baltimore for a couple years as a do-everything defender. College football is going to have to cultivate more players like Thomas. In addition to that, scheming will be key. Teams will have to go with 7 and 8 techs more often and those players will really need to play well. Would post more but phone battery is almost dead.
Bingo. Throughout this thread, people have provided some names here-&-there; but my original proposal was suggesting that we may begin to see the cultivation of these type of players before they reach the NFL, mainly because there will be a high demand for them. Having said that, the new-TE isn't as prevalent in NCAA, so I question whether or not college coaches will actually devote any time to develop Defensive players to stop the modern NFL TE.
We'll probably see a change in the types of players targeted and developed from the college ranks, but it will more than likely be gradual and not obvious like a team simply inventing a new position. Look at what Rex does. This team is riddled with hybrid defensive players, sometimes to a fault. The key is to find that one hybrid that makes the rest look like cheap imitations. Revis is a hybrid. He is like a small safety/linebacker with the ability of a corner. This thread can only come true for a handful of players and teams. Because you need a player capable of transcending his position. We have one. I just wish his contract didn't dictate against using him as such.
My God you're a moron. I'm sorry but this is like the fifth thread I've seen an example of it in. This is why:
I think we will see 3 TE sets soon enough. Sometimes we will see all three bunched together (maybe two on the line with one as a wing behind them). Defensive players are going to have to deliver a blow at the line and just really beat the tight ends up all game. Being very physical will be the key. These players will need to become good tacklers in college because proper tackling is not being taught in the NFL anymore. In addition to Thomas another prototype is Tim McDonald. He was a tall safety who did everything well. He is the Joe Klecko of safeties. He was a superb player but is not getting the post-career recognition he deserves. I am all for a small Hall of Fame. McDonald would be one of my safeties along with Kenny Easley, Larry Wilson, Ronnie Lott, Ken Houston, Ed Reed and a few others. McDonald was a sure tackler with good ballhawking skills. He would have given Rob Gronkowski trouble. College coaches will produce Adalius Thomas types because multiple tight end offenses will be seen on the college level soon too.
Heh, thanks for the distilation of my post, but that is the central concern, and imo why looking to a safety in particular as the position from which to guard the TE from the line of scrimmage entails too much downside. Cakes's mention of Adalius Thomas is a good one. I think what we are really talking about has two levels. The first is not really all that complicated. You need someone big enough to bump and then tackle the TE, but also fast enough to cover the pass route. This basically means a fast linebacker. Some have mentioned Maybin has having these basic physical qualities. But then you get to the second part, which is having pass coverage skills. Hm. That is where the hard part comes in, and imo the Jets presently have no one remotely close to that on the roster (certainly not Maybin) other than Cro, who again is better utilized covering typical CB responsiblities. And even Cro is a bit too small for this job. After all, bumping at the line is not even a strong point of his against wideouts, and I am a Cro fan.
