Is Owens that good or the new Eagles CB's that bad?

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

I think Springs matches up against TO pretty well. Even if TO gets the better of him in some of their battles, I don't see TO being a "playmaker" against Springs. (Side notes: For JoeCrisp - How did Springs look in our minicamp? For everyone - Do you think Springs can get back to being a "shutdown corner" in the league?)

To answer your question, JoeRedskin (sorry it took so long!), Springs looked a little rusty at minicamp, but I don't think it was anything that a little more time back in the saddle won't help. He admitted he needs to get his legs back to playing condition, after resting them through the first minicamp to rehabilitate from foot and knee injuries he sustained during the 2003 season. In last weekend's minicamp, he seemed just a tad slow to react and accelerate to the ball. But I think that is primarily a function of his inactivity-- once he gets into the groove, and gets his conditioning where it needs to be, he should be fine.

He certainly doesn't lack for confidence. He has big plans for this season, and wants to make people forget Champ Bailey. I don't know if he reclaim that kind of Pro Bowl form, and return to being a "shutdown corner"-- but he may not need to. The addition of Sean Taylor is going to help out that secondary tremendously, as well as the creative defensive schemes of Gregg Williams-- which will feature lots of nickel, dime and quarter packages to put more speed on the field and enhance the pass rush. I don't think Springs' skills or athleticism are the problem here-- he just needs to get healthy and stay healthy. Obviously, that's a pretty tall order, considering his track record over the past few years. But if he can maintain some semblance of health and stay on the field, the Skins secondary will be fine.

As far as how all of this relates to TO, let me first address the slam put on Springs by joetheismannfan. JTF, you rely a lot upon "The Sharpie game" as your primary evidence that "Springs is garbage", citing Owens' 84 yards and 2 TDs in that game. However, you also repeatedly point out what a stud Owens is as well. Wouldn't it logically follow that if Owens is such a stud receiver, he is inevitably going to have big games against the league's top cornerbacks? That would seem to be the case.

And before we go tossing Springs into the garbage pail, let's take a look at the situation in Seattle over the past two years. Seattle has had no pass rush to speak of-- in 2002, they had not a single defensive player among the top 41 sackers in the league that season. John Randle led the team that season with 7 sacks-- tied for 20th in the NFC. It didn't get much better in 2003, either. Chike Okeafor led the team with 8 sacks, which tied him for 21st in the league. So if you thought Champ Bailey had it bad with the Redskins' anemic pass rush the past couple of years, Springs had it just as bad-- if not worse. Couple that with Springs' injury problems, and it's no wonder he's been burned a few times. Plus, giving up 84 yards and 2 TDs isn't an indication that a cornerback's career is over. As others have pointed out, Champ Bailey gave up considerable yardage and TDs to Amani Toomer over the past few years. Every corner has his nemesis, and Springs' seems to be Owens.

I expect Springs will get some help this year with TO, thanks to Sean Taylor and the additional DBs Williams will employ. Size-wise, Springs should be able to handle TO better than Smoot could, and Springs has the advantage of having played against Owens multiple times.