Graham moves to FS in 1st day of OTA's

[SoxFan1]

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – When the Bears conduct the first of their 14 OTA workouts today at Halas Hall, one of their promising young players will line up at a new position.

 

After playing cornerback during his first two NFL seasons in Chicago, Corey Graham will work at free safety. The 6-foot, 193-pounder lined up at the new position in workouts Monday and Tuesday.

 

The Bears are making the move in an effort to get their best defensive backs on the field at the same time. They’re deep at cornerback with fourth-round pick D.J. Moore joining veterans Charles Tillman, Nate Vasher and Trumaine McBride, and feel that Graham possesses the ideal traits to excel at free safety.

 

“He’s a good tackler and he has good ball skills,” said coach Lovie Smith. “He’s a smart player. Last year he played corner for us and he started a game at nickel when Danieal [Manning] was down. That’s the type of athlete you’re looking for at that position.”

 

Graham likely will work with the second-team defense behind Craig Steltz in OTAs, but the depth chart at this point of the year is meaningless. Steltz also could challenge Kevin Payne for the starting job at strong safety. Free-agent acquisition Josh Bullocks, who played free safety with the New Orleans Saints, is expected to work at strong safety in OTAs.

 

Graham will give the Bears defensive flexibility, enabling the unit to incorporate the free safety into its man coverage at times like it did when Manning played the position.

 

Graham joined the Bears in 2007 as a fifth-round draft pick from New Hampshire, where he played both cornerback and free safety. He ranked second on the team with 20 special-teams tackles as a rookie.

 

Last season he appeared in 16 games with nine starts, ranking fifth on the defense with 93 tackles while adding one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Graham started the final five games at right cornerback after Vasher was placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury.

 

More on Tinoisamoa at link as well...

 

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5834

[Guest TerraTor]

Pisa would be a monster addition...

 

 

Id love to have his name on a bears jersey!!!!

[bradjock]

I love the idea of Graham playing FS for several reasons:

1. This should solve our FS problem & our greatest defensive weakness. Graham's good in run-support and as least as a cb, he rarely got beat.

2. This greatly reduces the chance of Danieal Manning playing FS. With Bullocks as the #2 FS, we can leave DM at the nickel permanently.

3. This helps free up room for Vasher to return & for more to compete with him. I think Moore will be a stud.

 

Great move.

[AZ54]

The fact the Bears brought in Rod Hood FA from Cards for a visit indicates some confidence in moving Graham to FS.

[defiantgiant]

The fact the Bears brought in Rod Hood FA from Cards for a visit indicates some confidence in moving Graham to FS.

 

Yeah, although he may just be a due diligence kind of visit. A lot's been made of the need to have backup corners with experience, but the Bears are MUCH more willing to play rookie corners than other teams, and they've gotten good results doing so in the past. I'd rather have Moore (who looks to have a ton of potential) be second on the depth chart than pick up a so-so FA corner. It seems like Hood's real value is as a nickel, and Manning appears to have that job locked down since Lovie started coaching him on it personally.

[madlithuanian]

Sounds good to me!

 

I love the idea of Graham playing FS for several reasons:

1. This should solve our FS problem & our greatest defensive weakness. Graham's good in run-support and as least as a cb, he rarely got beat.

2. This greatly reduces the chance of Danieal Manning playing FS. With Bullocks as the #2 FS, we can leave DM at the nickel permanently.

3. This helps free up room for Vasher to return & for more to compete with him. I think Moore will be a stud.

 

Great move.

[defiantgiant]

Per PFW, the Bears are experimenting with the two safety spots in OTAs:

 

"Corey Graham thrown into Bears’ crowded mix at free safety

 

By Dan Arkush

May 29, 2009

 

The Bears’ move of Corey Graham from cornerback to free safety appears to be a permanent one. But we hear it remains to be seen if Graham, who started nine games last season at right cornerback in place of the injured Nate Vasher, is on a fast track toward becoming the starter at the FS position.

 

'Right now, they’re just throwing a bunch of bodies out there (at both free and strong safety),' one daily team observer said. 'They’ve admitted there were problems in coverage at the position last year, and Graham’s range should help in that regard. He also won’t back down physically, although he doesn’t have prototypical size (6-0, 193).'

 

The move of Graham to safety also might be an indication the team is growing more comfortable with the status of Vasher, who has told team insiders he is feeling much better after being limited by groin and hand injuries last season. 'He’s been lining up with the (first team),' the team observer said of Vasher, 'but he still has a lot to prove.'"

 

This all makes a fair amount of sense: I'd be surprised if they were actually moving Steltz to FS and Bullocks to SS, but it sounds like they're just trying to get a look at the pieces they have to work with.