Shawn Springs

TAFKAS,

Got the message the first time.

I got it right on the title, but had a pint of Guinness while writing the body of the message and well, went with the Irish spelling.

It was not my intent to rise your ire, but to rise thought on the subject.

I figured you got it but then someone else didn't. And it's not the first time it's been spelled wrong.

Wasn't directed at you specifically, it was a universal attack :)

TAFKAS,

Got the message the first time.

I got it right on the title, but had a pint of Guinness while writing the body of the message and well, went with the Irish spelling.

It was not my intent to rise your ire, but to rise thought on the subject.

Actually I edited the title, you had it wrong there too

GW will be more comfortable leaving our corners in man coverage, which in turn opens up the blitz, which then causes a rushed throw, leading to a more confident secondary.... basically it could be exponential the impact a #1 corner has in this defense in particular.

Run on sentences aside, if Springs is healthy, he will improve the defense greatly. I can remember hearing the announcers make a good point on sunday saying how the D-Line has so much pressure to catalyze a pash rush because of our weak secondary. Without the help of blitzing safeties (which I'm assuming AA was brought in for, to blitz) we have no strength. On top of that we couldn't even stop the run which sealed the deal. We need SS bad. I'll be in the "thanking the universe" thread in the mean time.

I would point to lito sheppards impact with the eagles as perfect example of the effect a pro-bowl caliber corner can have on making the entire defense better. They got torched in the air by the giants, made alex smith and david carr look decent, and then completely shutdown the cowboys. Could shawn springs have a similar affect our team? certainly couldnt hurt

We also need Darrell Green back...not as a player, but as a coach. Both guys at starting corner at the end of his tenure have done pretty well (Bailey and Smoot.) I've always wondered if Green impacted their development. In addition, the pub would be good for his charity.

As far as Springs coming back, I think it's bigger than CP for the offense. The coaches got the players to fill certain positions. With Springs out, everybody except the line is playing off-balance (trying to help others who are weak), and few are plying their strengths. AA shouldn't be in pass support. We get an extra rusher for "free". Taylor can play his "real" position. DBs won't have to play 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, so they can come up on running plays. We can blitz. The only positive I see now is that Springs probably doesn't impact any game until Dallas in a month, so there's time. We should beat the Titans and lose to the Colts, so we'll be 3-4 before the bye week. After that, most of the tough teams we will play at home, and the offense should have worked out all the kinks by then. Note that we've already played 2 of the 3 away games in the division, and none of the home games. I could easily see we go 7-2 after the bye week, assuming Springs is back (giving the defense some teeth) and the offense has some sort of rhythm. So if he comes back in a month, we should have a good chance to make the playoffs.

When we had Rashad Bauman, some reporter had asked Champ Bailey if he and Rashad had learned from DG. Particularly Bauman because he's the same size as Green.

I don't remember Bailey's exact quote but he basically said that Green was blessed with remarkable natural athletic ability and that wasn't something he could teach. That neither he (Bailey) nor Bauman really learned anything from Green because the way he played wasnt something that could really be taught. He was just one of those once in a lifetime players.

I wouldn't rush to throw Jerry Gray under a bus.

It's not like I'm thinking about getting rid of anybody. (Salaries for coaches doesn't seem to be an issue ;-), so I'm thinking of an addition, not a replacement.) But is it really possible that he couldn't help the current crew somehow? Even if it's to have them play with more confidence, so I feel like they're playing on their toes, and not on their heels. In addition, the current DBs aren't ever looking back for the ball. (In mathematics, my original area, when you explain a concept and somebody doesn't get it, you try explaining it in different ways, until they finally (hopefully) get it.) So, if we're lucky, he can show the DBs something that "clicks" for them. And since he has been such a large part of the best years of this franchise, it might help with the mindset of the players. (I don't think Danny would mind throwing money his way.)

When we had Rashad Bauman, some reporter had asked Champ Bailey if he and Rashad had learned from DG. Particularly Bauman because he's the same size as Green.

I don't remember Bailey's exact quote but he basically said that Green was blessed with remarkable natural athletic ability and that wasn't something he could teach. That neither he (Bailey) nor Bauman really learned anything from Green because the way he played wasnt something that could really be taught. He was just one of those once in a lifetime players.

I wouldn't rush to throw Jerry Gray under a bus.

Some people just can't teach. No matter how talented a player they are. Magic Johnson comes to mind. But I mean who knows, I'm sure a lot of people have and would benefit from learning from Green

Even more importantly, I don't think Green is even interested really. But if we're going to add someone from the glory years then I say Vernon Dean. He has extensive experience as a secondary coach in the NFL

I'm sorry to hear about that. At this point I'm about ready to take Mother Teresa (not of the weekly films) if she would help this secondary. (Maybe she could start if she were still alive. ;-)) (I would NOT get (Ego) Deion Sanders, as I just can't stand the guy. Maybe we can get TO to run a fly pattern with Sanders covering him, and have him go long until they're in the middle of the Atlantic!)

One idea is to get someone to throw a ball at the (other team's) receivers when a pass is about to arrive. That way they'll hopefully get confused as to which is the real ball! ;-)
At this point this is the only way I see to shore up the secondary until Springs gets back.

In reality, one has to joke about this situation since the truth is very harsh. Our current personnel situation feels like only having band-aids when performing major surgery.

Hopefully Springs will be back by Dallas round 2. If so, we have a good chance of salvaging the year.

Some people just can't teach. No matter how talented a player they are. Magic Johnson comes to mind. But I mean who knows, I'm sure a lot of people have and would benefit from learning from Green

Even more importantly, I don't think Green is even interested really. But if we're going to add someone from the glory years then I say Vernon Dean. He has extensive experience as a secondary coach in the NFL

jerry gray is a good coach. i think what you're seeing is a lack of talent at db, and a lack of depth.

i agree that the problem probably won't be fixed with just one player. but 1 person can make a much bigger difference if your depth is terrible. I mean, if grossman goes down, that sucks for chicago, but griese can play. i don't think they have depth at MLB that's anywhere close to urlacher though.