Lots of Changes in the Secondary

[defiantgiant]

I thought I'd start a new thread for this, since it's not clear how much of it is related to Tillman's injury and how much is not. Here are the changes in the secondary so far:

 

- Danieal Manning is back at FS...

 

- ...but Craig Steltz will replace him in the nickel package. On obvious passing downs, Manning will move to nickel back (although Jeff Dickerson suggests that Corey Graham might get some snaps there as well.)

 

- In the base package, Steltz is the backup SS behind Kevin Payne.

 

- Corey Graham is back at corner...

 

- ...but Zack Bowman is the starter at left corner in Tillman's absence.

 

So, unless I'm wrong, our secondary depth chart looks like this in the base package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Manning/Steltz

SS: Payne/Steltz

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

...and like this in the nickel package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Steltz/Graham?

SS: Payne/Bullocks?

NB: Manning/Graham

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

This is obviously a lot of shaking up, and a lot of weird situational personnel groups. It's odd to have three of your defensive backs (Graham, Steltz, and Manning) all playing multiple positions. On top of that, it's weird to pull your starting FS on passing downs, then put in a guy whose normal position is backup SS. It's also kind of weird that Graham, who started more games at corner last season than anyone not named Peanut, doesn't appear to have a starting job in either package.

 

Personally, I'd much rather see Graham and Vasher at corner, Steltz and Payne at safety, and Manning as the full-time nickel back. Would it be a perfect group? No, definitely not. But listen to what the players have to say about where they fit best: Steltz has stated that he feels comfortable at free safety, Graham has said that he's better at corner than at safety, and Danieal Manning says that he "really, really like nickel." Until everything shakes out, I think the best course of action is just to put each guy at the position he knows how to play. What do you guys think?

[AZ54]

I think this is not good. However, it clarifies a couple things. One, Steltz is not our FS so that "wish" is crossed off the list. At least we're openly admitting this now and not suffering needlessly halfway through the season when a change would be worse. Two, Graham is more valuable as a CB, especially now with Tillman on the shelf. Again, we're admitting this now instead of forcing him to bounce back and forth during training camp. I am not that high on Tillman being 100% for the season. He's had so much surgery during the offseason how could he possibly be lifiting and working out like he needs to be? He may still end up as our starter but a back injury is never ideal and especially not good just before camp starts.

 

I expect we'll be watching the waiver wire for a FS or making a trade for one!

[bradjock]

What the hell??? We play Manning at nickel all off-season then move him BACK to FS??? Two of the last 3 seasons have ended primarily because DM was out of position and got torched.

 

How many times are we going to move Corey Graham? He has a change to earn the FS job, he's moved to nickel when DM gets hurt, so when Peanut goes down he becomes the back-up corner????

 

I'm pissed. Lovie used to preach of the importance of keeping guys in the same position. Our secondary is 29th in the league and all we do is juggle guys.

 

Ubelievable.

 

I thought I'd start a new thread for this, since it's not clear how much of it is related to Tillman's injury and how much is not. Here are the changes in the secondary so far:

 

- Danieal Manning is back at FS...

 

- ...but Craig Steltz will replace him in the nickel package. On obvious passing downs, Manning will move to nickel back (although Jeff Dickerson suggests that Corey Graham might get some snaps there as well.)

 

- In the base package, Steltz is the backup SS behind Kevin Payne.

 

- Corey Graham is back at corner...

 

- ...but Zack Bowman is the starter at left corner in Tillman's absence.

 

So, unless I'm wrong, our secondary depth chart looks like this in the base package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Manning/Steltz

SS: Payne/Steltz

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

...and like this in the nickel package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Steltz/Graham?

SS: Payne/Bullocks?

NB: Manning/Graham

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

This is obviously a lot of shaking up, and a lot of weird situational personnel groups. It's odd to have three of your defensive backs (Graham, Steltz, and Manning) all playing multiple positions. On top of that, it's weird to pull your starting FS on passing downs, then put in a guy whose normal position is backup SS. It's also kind of weird that Graham, who started more games at corner last season than anyone not named Peanut, doesn't appear to have a starting job in either package.

 

Personally, I'd much rather see Graham and Vasher at corner, Steltz and Payne at safety, and Manning as the full-time nickel back. Would it be a perfect group? No, definitely not. But listen to what the players have to say about where they fit best: Steltz has stated that he feels comfortable at free safety, Graham has said that he's better at corner than at safety, and Danieal Manning says that he "really, really like nickel." Until everything shakes out, I think the best course of action is just to put each guy at the position he knows how to play. What do you guys think?

 

[flea]

Either move him to FS & |LEAVE him there or keep him in Nickle this chopping & changing during the game can only lead to bad things

[defiantgiant]

I think this is not good. However, it clarifies a couple things. One, Steltz is not our FS so that "wish" is crossed off the list. At least we're openly admitting this now and not suffering needlessly halfway through the season when a change would be worse.

 

Yeah, I think even in a best-case scenario, Steltz would be a Mike Brown-type free safety. Not 2001 Mike Brown, I'm talking about 2008 Mike Brown. He doesn't seem to make mental mistakes like Danieal Manning, but he also doesn't really have enough range for the position. Like Brown last season, I'd worry that Steltz might know exactly where he needs to be to make a play, only to find that his feet can't get him there fast enough. Also, the guy's a fourth-round pick: if he can push Kevin Payne for the starting SS job, that's more than enough value for where he was drafted.

 

Two, Graham is more valuable as a CB, especially now with Tillman on the shelf. Again, we're admitting this now instead of forcing him to bounce back and forth during training camp. I am not that high on Tillman being 100% for the season. He's had so much surgery during the offseason how could he possibly be lifiting and working out like he needs to be? He may still end up as our starter but a back injury is never ideal and especially not good just before camp starts.

 

Yeah, I agree. I really liked Graham for a conversion to free safety: he tackles well enough to do it, and he's definitely much better in coverage than our other safety candidates. But Graham himself said that he didn't play the position much in college, and that he thought of himself as a corner. I think he was really starting from square 1 at FS, which was fine when we had plenty of depth at corner. With Tillman out indefinitely, we don't have the luxury of taking a quality contributor and starting him over at a new position.

 

I expect we'll be watching the waiver wire for a FS or making a trade for one!

 

I don't know of many teams that'd be willing to trade away a starting-caliber FS: we'd probably need to give up a lot to get one. I wish the Rams hadn't franchised OJ Atogwe: he'd be my first pick if I were out looking for a free safety. Aside from Tinoisamoa, Atogwe was the only bright spot on the Rams' defense. In his past two seasons, he's had 13 picks and 17 passes broken up, to go along with 160 total tackles. He also hasn't missed a game since he got the starting job.

[madlithuanian]

 

 

Agreed. Smith appears too wishy washy with this musical chairs game in the secondary. And I'm still in awe that he thinks so much of Manning at safety. Why keep him at nickel where he thrives when you can put him at S where he is burned on a routine basis? At least Smith only has himself to blame this season.

 

 

What the hell??? We play Manning at nickel all off-season then move him BACK to FS??? Two of the last 3 seasons have ended primarily because DM was out of position and got torched.

 

How many times are we going to move Corey Graham? He has a change to earn the FS job, he's moved to nickel when DM gets hurt, so when Peanut goes down he becomes the back-up corner????

 

I'm pissed. Lovie used to preach of the importance of keeping guys in the same position. Our secondary is 29th in the league and all we do is juggle guys.

 

Ubelievable.

 

[Mongo3451]

Agreed. Smith appears too wishy washy with this musical chairs game in the secondary. And I'm still in awe that he thinks so much of Manning at safety. Why keep him at nickel where he thrives when you can put him at S where he is burned on a routine basis? At least Smith only has himself to blame this season.

Lovie's team, Lovie's D especially. He is squarely on the chopping block this season, if the D flops this season. I've disagreed with many personnel descisions he has made, but D Manning back to FS kills me. The guy is dumber than a fence post at the position. Lovie has a boner for speed and Manning brings a little extra Viagra. Hopefully Lovie can see past his lust. I really hope Lovie isn't right and that Manning is our best chance to succeed. Which means the Mike Brown exodus will haunt us all season. ...and that isn't saying much.

[nfoligno]

Random thoughts.

 

CB - I do not care for the way we are moving Graham all over the place, but do like moving him back to CB. I just hope we keep him there and don't quickly move him again. While we have a serious need at FS, I think Graham looked very good at CB, and frankly, I am not sure how much we should count on Tillman or Vasher as our current, much less long term CBs. Graham looked quite good last year, and that was his first starting (and w/ zero pass rush). I like the idea of keeping him at CB and letting him develop there. I also like Bowman in the mix here.

 

FS - The good. Steltz out the the running to be our starting FS. I never understood why the staff viewed him as such. What I don't understand is the report that, when we are in passing situations (nickel defense) we will move Steltz back to FS. Huh? The top concern w/ Steltz is his ability to cover, and yet when we are in passing situations, we are putting him back there at FS? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

Everyone is going to get stuck on DM at FS. No, he has never looked good at FS, but

 

(a) Lets not pretend we have many options here. While I do not love the idea of DM at FS, it isn't like we have many choices.

 

( My hope here is he can take another step in development. All the reports say Lovie took DM under his wing last year, and the result was DM turning into a very good looking nickel DB. Maybe similar coaching can develop him at FS.

 

SS - It will be an interesting battle here, as I think Steltz has a chance to take the job away from Graham.

 

CB is a concern w/ Tillman's injury, but w/ Graham and Bowman in the mix, we at least have some credible options.

 

FS is still our top concern in the secondary, IMHO. While there are not great expectations for any of our options, at the same time, this position should benefit the most from a pass rush. If our DL is getting pressure, a lesser FS can get the job done. If the DL isn't getting it done, it may not matter as no player we have on the roster is good enough to compensate.

 

I thought I'd start a new thread for this, since it's not clear how much of it is related to Tillman's injury and how much is not. Here are the changes in the secondary so far:

 

- Danieal Manning is back at FS...

 

- ...but Craig Steltz will replace him in the nickel package. On obvious passing downs, Manning will move to nickel back (although Jeff Dickerson suggests that Corey Graham might get some snaps there as well.)

 

- In the base package, Steltz is the backup SS behind Kevin Payne.

 

- Corey Graham is back at corner...

 

- ...but Zack Bowman is the starter at left corner in Tillman's absence.

 

So, unless I'm wrong, our secondary depth chart looks like this in the base package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Manning/Steltz

SS: Payne/Steltz

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

...and like this in the nickel package:

 

LCB: Bowman/Graham

FS: Steltz/Graham?

SS: Payne/Bullocks?

NB: Manning/Graham

RCB: Vasher/DJ Moore

 

This is obviously a lot of shaking up, and a lot of weird situational personnel groups. It's odd to have three of your defensive backs (Graham, Steltz, and Manning) all playing multiple positions. On top of that, it's weird to pull your starting FS on passing downs, then put in a guy whose normal position is backup SS. It's also kind of weird that Graham, who started more games at corner last season than anyone not named Peanut, doesn't appear to have a starting job in either package.

 

Personally, I'd much rather see Graham and Vasher at corner, Steltz and Payne at safety, and Manning as the full-time nickel back. Would it be a perfect group? No, definitely not. But listen to what the players have to say about where they fit best: Steltz has stated that he feels comfortable at free safety, Graham has said that he's better at corner than at safety, and Danieal Manning says that he "really, really like nickel." Until everything shakes out, I think the best course of action is just to put each guy at the position he knows how to play. What do you guys think?

 

[defiantgiant]

Yeah, given the circumstances, I like moving Graham back to corner. Maybe Chicago's just running Zack Bowman with the #1s in camp/preseason to see what they've got before turning the job back over to Graham. Graham's a known quantity, after all, and he didn't look half bad as a starter last season.

 

I really do think that we should have left Manning at nickel and put Steltz as the FS. If we have to choose between the two, I would much rather have a slow guy with good instincts than an athletic guy who takes himself out of position all the time. At the VERY least, Manning needs to move back to nickel after the first time he gets burnt for a TD. Steltz reminds me of Hunter Hillenmeyer - he's not overwhelming athletically, but he's assignment-sound and doesn't make mistakes. If the pass rush can get back to what it used to be, that could be enough, at least temporarily.

 

At the end of the day, though, I think we're going to have to go back to the draft for a corner or a free safety. Which one we need will probably depend on where Graham ends up. Steltz, Payne, Manning, and Bullocks all have problems in coverage; the first two because of their limited athleticism, and the last two because of questionable instincts/recognition. If Graham stays at corner, then we don't have any free safeties who can cover. If Graham eventually switches back to safety, he could be the answer there, but then we'll need another body at corner (especially with Tillman getting hurt more frequently and Vasher still a question mark.)

 

At the risk of the Vanderbilt connection getting even more ridiculous, I wouldn't mind at all if the Bears drafted Myron Lewis next year. He was DJ Moore's counterpart at Vandy, and the two of them remind me a LOT of Vasher/Tillman in 2005-2006: Moore's the ballhawk and Lewis is the tackling/size corner (he goes 6'2" 205 lbs.) Lewis could play FS if Graham stays at corner, or he and DJ Moore could pair up again if Graham eventually goes back to safety. One other thing: Lewis has made 25 straight starts for Vanderbilt. As far as I know, he's never missed a game due to injury. We could use some of that in the secondary.

[nfoligno]

I really do think that we should have left Manning at nickel and put Steltz as the FS. If we have to choose between the two, I would much rather have a slow guy with good instincts than an athletic guy who takes himself out of position all the time. At the VERY least, Manning needs to move back to nickel after the first time he gets burnt for a TD. Steltz reminds me of Hunter Hillenmeyer - he's not overwhelming athletically, but he's assignment-sound and doesn't make mistakes. If the pass rush can get back to what it used to be, that could be enough, at least temporarily.

 

I agree we should leave DM at nickel. For the life of me, I will never really understand what we are doing in the secondary. DM was moved all over, and looked like garbage. Finally, we find a position he looks good in, and rather than just leave him there, we move him back to a position he stunk it. Graham developed very well last year at a premier position, and our reaction. Move him to FS. But no, it gets better. He spent the most recent OTA working solely at nickel. No need for him to get as many reps as possible at FS. Lets just over-load him w/ potential positions. And now we are moving him back. I never felt Steltz was a FS, but the staff did. Yet after just his rookie year, he is moving to SS. But wait, it gets better. We don't feel confident enough in his coverage to start him at FS, but we are going to play him at FS in passing (nickel) situations. Nice. Bowman too, to a lesser extent, as he too was supposed to move to FS, only to now be called our #3 CB. Oh, and how about Bullocks. Here is a young veteran we signed in FA, and who the staff was doing a nice job of tooting their own horn for the find. This was going to be another Thomas Jones signing. Now you would have to look up the roster sheet to know if he was even on the team for the lack of recognition he gets from the staff. How do you go from potential hero to zero before camp even starts?

 

If this were Minny or GB, it would be funny. But this is our team, and it just isn't that funny. The manner in which we have handled our secondary really makes me wonder if the staff has a clue what they are doing. When you look at Steltz and DM, you see two VERY different players. Does our staff even know what they want?

 

I have a great deal of optimism for our team, and for many/most of our units. I actually like a lot of the young players we have in our secondary. At the same time, I really am not sure how much confidence I have in our staff for this area right now.

 

At the end of the day, though, I think we're going to have to go back to the draft for a corner or a free safety. Which one we need will probably depend on where Graham ends up. Steltz, Payne, Manning, and Bullocks all have problems in coverage; the first two because of their limited athleticism, and the last two because of questionable instincts/recognition. If Graham stays at corner, then we don't have any free safeties who can cover. If Graham eventually switches back to safety, he could be the answer there, but then we'll need another body at corner (especially with Tillman getting hurt more frequently and Vasher still a question mark.)

 

The only key disagreement I have is w/ the idea that Steltz has shown good instincts. That was supposedly among his assets on draft day, but those instincts never materialized during the season. He was often out of position and flat out looked lost.

 

Otherwise, I agree. I just do not feel we have our future FS on the roster. I think Graham and Bowman could eventually start. I think Moore could eventually be our nickel. Frankly, I am not sure we have either our future FS or SS on the roster.

 

At the risk of the Vanderbilt connection getting even more ridiculous, I wouldn't mind at all if the Bears drafted Myron Lewis next year. He was DJ Moore's counterpart at Vandy, and the two of them remind me a LOT of Vasher/Tillman in 2005-2006: Moore's the ballhawk and Lewis is the tackling/size corner (he goes 6'2" 205 lbs.) Lewis could play FS if Graham stays at corner, or he and DJ Moore could pair up again if Graham eventually goes back to safety. One other thing: Lewis has made 25 straight starts for Vanderbilt. As far as I know, he's never missed a game due to injury. We could use some of that in the secondary.

 

Damn. Camp has not begun, and we have our first 2010 draft entry.

 

 

 

[madlithuanian]

 

You said it Mongo!

 

Lovie's team, Lovie's D especially. He is squarely on the chopping block this season, if the D flops this season. I've disagreed with many personnel descisions he has made, but D Manning back to FS kills me. The guy is dumber than a fence post at the position. Lovie has a boner for speed and Manning brings a little extra Viagra. Hopefully Lovie can see past his lust. I really hope Lovie isn't right and that Manning is our best chance to succeed. Which means the Mike Brown exodus will haunt us all season. ...and that isn't saying much.

 

[defiantgiant]

At the risk of the Vanderbilt connection getting even more ridiculous, I wouldn't mind at all if the Bears drafted Myron Lewis next year. He was DJ Moore's counterpart at Vandy, and the two of them remind me a LOT of Vasher/Tillman in 2005-2006: Moore's the ballhawk and Lewis is the tackling/size corner (he goes 6'2" 205 lbs.) Lewis could play FS if Graham stays at corner, or he and DJ Moore could pair up again if Graham eventually goes back to safety. One other thing: Lewis has made 25 straight starts for Vanderbilt. As far as I know, he's never missed a game due to injury. We could use some of that in the secondary.

 

Damn. Camp has not begun, and we have our first 2010 draft entry.

 

Ha ha, yeah, maybe that was a little premature. Still, I agree with you that our FS of the future (if Graham stays at corner) might not be on the roster right now. I'm a little higher on Steltz than you are, from the sound of it, and I do think he can eventually beat out Payne for the SS job, so at least there's that. But really, the way our secondary is shaping up, we're either going to be putting a LOT of the onus on the defensive line and the linebackers, or we're going to see a repeat of last year's defense. A couple of question marks at this time of year are to be expected, but not every single position in the backfield. It's making me a little nervous.

[nfoligno]

Regarding Steltz, I admit I was never high on him as a draft pick. I felt he was a SS, and frankly, offered little different from what we already had. It isn't that I dislike him. I simply do not view him as a FS. I agree he could beat out Payne for the SS position, and may well be our future at that spot. It is only at FS that I question him. I don't think he looked good last year, but (a) he was a rookie and ( our coaching was so poor that good veterans looked bad. Thus I tend to give him a pass for last year.

 

Honestly, I am simply not as worried about our secondary as some are.

 

CB - Tillman is down, but expected back sooner rather than later. Vasher has not played well the last two seasons, but "supposedly" has looked great in OTAs. Beyond these two though, I think we are set up better than in the past. Graham was a pretty solid starter when needed last year. Bowman has been tearing it up, and many are saying he is impressing this year the same way Graham did last. We have a good looking prospect in Moore, and yet still another in McBride who filled in well when his number was called on. I like that we seem to not only have depth, but youth. In fact, I even think that in Graham, Bowman and Moore, we potentially have better starter potential than w/ Vasher/Tillman. Honestly, I always felt Vasher/Tillman were a touch over-rated, and think our young CBs have higher ceiling.

 

SS - The job of the SS in our scheme is not as expansive as in some others. Often our LBs cover RBs and TEs in pass routes. The SS most often covers a shorter area, and supports the run. Whether Payne or Steltz, I think either can get this done. I am not sure a less than great SS really kills us.

 

FS - This is the biggest question mark area, and the one w/ the fewest answers. I still believe Bullocks could end up starting, unless DM just runs w/ it. As much as FS can hurt, and has in the past, there is at least reason to hope the hole is not as great this year. I would argue that, if our DL plays up to expectations (coach's expectations) the role of the FS is less. If we get a pass rush, we simply have less to fear at the FS position. If we are not getting a pass rush, the FS will be exposed, but I would argue the DL and not the FS is our real problem then.

 

So for me, I am comfortable w/ everything but FS (in the secondary) and even that position is not nearly as much of a concern as the DL. For me, our defense will rise or fall based on the play of the DL.

 

Ha ha, yeah, maybe that was a little premature. Still, I agree with you that our FS of the future (if Graham stays at corner) might not be on the roster right now. I'm a little higher on Steltz than you are, from the sound of it, and I do think he can eventually beat out Payne for the SS job, so at least there's that. But really, the way our secondary is shaping up, we're either going to be putting a LOT of the onus on the defensive line and the linebackers, or we're going to see a repeat of last year's defense. A couple of question marks at this time of year are to be expected, but not every single position in the backfield. It's making me a little nervous.

 

[bradjock]

FS - This is the biggest question mark area, and the one w/ the fewest answers. I still believe Bullocks could end up starting, unless DM just runs w/ it.

 

Have we even tried Bullocks as a FS??? I thought the pecking order was DM, Steltz, Graham . . .

 

Of course none of our secondary moves have made a damn bit of sense to me:

--Bullocks has ideal size & speed to be a free safety but he shies away from contact . . . so we move him to SS where more contact is needed.

--Corey Graham was good as a starting CB, so we move him to FS, and now he's a back-up CB behind Bowman?

--Steltz is a big hitter with poor range . . . so we move him to FS?

--Vasher loses his job to Graham . . . so he gets it back by showing up for OTA's?

--DM SHINES as a nickel back. He preps all off-season for it. So after 3 years of failure he's back at FS for #4.

--Kevin Payne misses as much as he hits. He's better suited for special teams and a back-up role. Yet he's the uncontested starter.

 

It's like you can almost here the damn Looney Tunes song playing in the back-ground.

[Mongo3451]

FS - This is the biggest question mark area, and the one w/ the fewest answers. I still believe Bullocks could end up starting, unless DM just runs w/ it.

 

Have we even tried Bullocks as a FS??? I thought the pecking order was DM, Steltz, Graham . . .

 

Of course none of our secondary moves have made a damn bit of sense to me:

--Bullocks has ideal size & speed to be a free safety but he shies away from contact . . . so we move him to SS where more contact is needed.

--Corey Graham was good as a starting CB, so we move him to FS, and now he's a back-up CB behind Bowman?

--Steltz is a big hitter with poor range . . . so we move him to FS?

--Vasher loses his job to Graham . . . so he gets it back by showing up for OTA's?

--DM SHINES as a nickel back. He preps all off-season for it. So after 3 years of failure he's back at FS for #4.

--Kevin Payne misses as much as he hits. He's better suited for special teams and a back-up role. Yet he's the uncontested starter.

 

It's like you can almost here the damn Looney Tunes song playing in the back-ground.

...Or "The Three Stooges" Man, that's pretty ugly when you put it on paper.

[lemonej]

IMO I think this is more an indictment of Josh Bullocks since he has not taken the FS spot that he was acquired for.

As for Manning he will never be confused with a Rhodes scholar but this staff completely confuses young WRs and young safeties. I still don't understand why they thought Chris Harris was expendable.It seems that the guys who have the most trouble learning their assignments have the most to learn. Both Hester and Manning are at their best when they are given something simple to do. Last season Manning was at his best when he was doing kick returns. Catch the ball and run with it. Remember Hester playing DB? Pretty brutal right? Last year the way they handled Bennett and to see him now is very confusing.The guy I saw at camp today is the guy who held SEC records at Vandy.

 

This year they drafted Gilbert a DE and are converting him to a DT. This was a guy who some scouts questioned his work ethic which is why he dropped to the third round. So lets take a chnce on this guy.

Last year Marcus Harrison was drafted with some character baggage and now he is standing on the sidelines in shorts because he is not in condition. Tank Johnson drafted with some baggage and how did that work for this team? Lets stop trying to convert guys into something that they are not.

[nfoligno]

Have we even tried Bullocks as a FS??? I thought the pecking order was DM, Steltz, Graham . . .

 

I really do not understand what is up w/ Bullocks. He has more experience at FS than anyone on the roster. While he is coming off a dreadful season w/ NO, at the same time, he was far from alone in looking bad on that defense last year, and some of the issues may have been more about the collective than the individual. When we signed him, he was touted as one of those solid Angelo finds, similar to when we signed Thomas Jones on the cheap. Yet since signing, we have heard next to nothing about him.

 

My only hope w/ regard to Bullocks is that he has not been talked about more as he has had to learn a new system, but that he shows up in camp to take the job. I think he is our best option at the FS position, at least for now.

 

Of course none of our secondary moves have made a damn bit of sense to me:

 

Frankly, you can go back beyond this year and continue to scratch your head. I mean, we have moved DM all over the place, never allowing him to develop at any one position. We swap around our safeties, regardless of their strengths. We just do not seem very good developing our DBs overall.

 

--Bullocks has ideal size & speed to be a free safety but he shies away from contact . . . so we move him to SS where more contact is needed.

 

Yea, this ranks up there with when we moved DM, for a short period, to SS.

 

--Corey Graham was good as a starting CB, so we move him to FS, and now he's a back-up CB behind Bowman?

 

I sort of understand this, though I still disagree. I understand why we looked to move him to FS. Further, I understand why he is behind (right now) Bowman, who has really excelled thus far in OTAs. What will be interesting to see, for me, is whether he is considered a 1b behind Bowman or whether he is flat out behind him.

 

--Steltz is a big hitter with poor range . . . so we move him to FS?

 

Never understood this one. We seem to have drafted him to be a FS, which I don't get as everyone labeled him an in-the-box safety. To me, this is more a question of scouting, as we seemed to believe he could play FS, when most everyone else seemed to view him as a pure SS.

 

--Vasher loses his job to Graham . . . so he gets it back by showing up for OTA's?

 

Sort of get this one, as it is more contract based. He lost his job last year, though some might argue injury was a factor. He looked good in OTAs, and was believed to have regained his starting position. Equally important, Graham at the time was being moved to FS. I wonder if Tillman were healthy, whether the job would simply be Vasher's or whether he would be in a battle w/ Bowman/Graham for the job.

 

--DM SHINES as a nickel back. He preps all off-season for it. So after 3 years of failure he's back at FS for #4.

 

Agreed. After years of being moved all over, he finally finds a job (actually two) that he does well at, and what do we do, we move him. Further, you have to wonder, if he is our starting FS, will that affect him play as a return man.

 

--Kevin Payne misses as much as he hits. He's better suited for special teams and a back-up role. Yet he's the uncontested starter.

 

I don't think he is the "uncontested starter", as I have read Steltz will battle w/ him for the job, though the expectation is Payne will win the battle.

 

It's like you can almost here the damn Looney Tunes song playing in the back-ground.

 

I agree the way we have dealt w/ the secondary is baffling. I think the joke begins w/ scouting, moves to drafting, and then into development. We move players around so much, limiting their ability to develop, and then wonder why they take so long to "show up".

[AZ54]

I think Bullocks is done. I'm pretty sure he got some looks at FS in the OTAs but as near as I can tell he's done nothing to impress the coaching staff. Given all the issues among our DBs if Bullocks were doing anything positive I'm pretty sure we'd have heard about it. Moving DM back to FS, Graham back to CB, combined with Bullocks not even getting shot at being the backup FS just put the icing on the cake. It appears right now he's 3rd string at SS and I think Afalava is taking over that role as I type.