Sean Taylor at Free Safety and LaRon Landry at Strong Safety

[Duffman003]

am i the only person that feels like we have 5 linebackers playing and is worried about that? I mean i love ST but i dont consider him a very good cover safety

[TenandSix:Unacceptable]

Originally Posted by Duffman003

am i the only person that feels like we have 5 linebackers playing and is worried about that? I mean i love ST but i dont consider him a very good cover safety

Fear not.

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by Duffman003

am i the only person that feels like we have 5 linebackers playing and is worried about that? I mean i love ST but i dont consider him a very good cover safety

Look they are both fast so it really doesn't matter much. In GW's Defense I don't believe that there is a difference between the two. He does the same but different things with both. What I have noticed is that in his defense there are 11 football players and they all pretty much do everything, and that means play defense.

[TenandSix:Unacceptable]

Originally Posted by angryssg

Look they are both fast so it really doesn't matter much. In GW's Defense I don't believe that there is a difference between the two. He does the same but different things with both. What I have noticed is that in his defense there are 11 football players and they all pretty much do everything, and that means play defense.

Well, except for last year. Last year they did everything but play defense.

Also, I think what most people expected after drafting LL is that we wanted to have two players who could be interchangeable and keep defenses guessing. It appears, after GW's comments, that that is not exactly the case. We will in fact see more of ST patrolling the deep part of the field, and see more of LL up close to the line of scrimmage, that's why he is differentiating their positions clearly, something he didn't do last year. I think what we may have seen last year with Sean, is that he is better suited playing with the ball in front of him. I sense that his apparent drop in coverage ability was perhaps more a result of him having to do things he is not best suited for. LL frees him up to cover ground as the play unfolds and make plays in the air. Of course, they will not be predictable because both can do a lot of things, but their roles are already being outlined. The real unpredictability factor is going to come from who's blitzing and who's covering out of the remaining players not named Sean. With LL up close to the line, you don't know what he's going to be responsible for: Blitz? Cover the TE or RB? Run support? Drop out on a WR while a CB blitzes the edge? His versatility will open up the defensive playbook. That, and the fact that we'll have head hunters on both levels behind the line of scrimmage, is what will keep our opponents up at night.

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by TenandSix:Unacceptable

Well, except for last year. Last year they did everything but play defense.

Also, I think what most people expected after drafting LL is that we wanted to have two players who could be interchangeable and keep defenses guessing. It appears, after GW's comments, that that is not exactly the case. We will in fact see more of ST patrolling the deep part of the field, and see more of LL up close to the line of scrimmage, that's why he is differentiating their positions clearly, something he didn't do last year. I think what we may have seen last year with Sean, is that he is better suited playing with the ball in front of him. I sense that his apparent drop in coverage ability was perhaps more a result of him having to do things he is not best suited for. LL frees him up to cover ground as the play unfolds and make plays in the air. Of course, they will not be predictable because both can do a lot of things, but their roles are already being outlined. The real unpredictability factor is going to come from who's blitzing and who's covering out of the remaining players not named Sean. With LL up close to the line, you don't know what he's going to be responsible for: Blitz? Cover the TE or RB? Run support? Drop out on a WR while a CB blitzes the edge? His versatility will open up the defensive playbook. That, and the fact that we'll have head hunters on both levels behind the line of scrimmage, is what will keep our opponents up at night.

I think that you may have their roles reversed a little. If the skins are going to put a safety in the box it should be Taylor not Laron.

[TenandSix:Unacceptable]

Originally Posted by angryssg

I think that you may have their roles reversed a little. If the skins are going to put a safety in the box it should be Taylor not Laron.

That's what I was kind of thinking pre-draft, but according to our defensive coordinator it's the other way around. The entire interview is on redskins.com. It makes sense, too.

ST is the perfect jump ball saftey who dishes out a lot of punishment. He has the height, speed, hops and wingspan to break up plays, get interceptions and intimidate WR's. The over the middle pass is his domain. Coming into our house and going over the middle is going to be a dangerous chore with him patrolling the middle, we just need to reign him in a tad so he doesn't bite on the fake. If he's close enough to make the play, he is exceptionally suited to that role.

LL is the hunt down the play ball hawk who can blitz, tackle and cover. He'll be hard to spot because of his stature and versatility. You come around that corner on the sweep, and there he is, driving you into the ground, that is, if he isn't already around the edge on a blitz wrapping you up before you even get there.

On third and long, they'll split the field in halves and they'll both patrol back there, pick your poison.

[dmek25]

Originally Posted by Duffman003

am i the only person that feels like we have 5 linebackers playing and is worried about that? I mean i love ST but i dont consider him a very good cover safety

I'm with you. right now the skins have 2 safety's who lack in coverage skills. that worked pretty well last year with Taylor and Arch, huh? i do not like this pick at all

[GoSkins!]

It sounds more like Williams has looked at the tape and realized that there was a lot of confusion in the secondary last year. This is going to be a way to simplify things. Having Laron frees up the corner blitzes again. It also will help Taylor's coverage in that Taylor won't have to play run first and then try to recover. That's what was killing him last year. He was always trying to do two things, covering for other guys.

I thought that having Landry would make he and Taylor interchangable and help desguise the defense. I still think that he will do that, I just think that Williams has decided to limit Taylors role so that he can stop thinking and just play. He can disguise the defense using Landry by blitzing from safety, corner or LB.

[SC Skins Fan]

Originally Posted by dmek25

I'm with you. right now the skins have 2 safety's who lack in coverage skills. that worked pretty well last year with Taylor and Arch, huh? i do not like this pick at all

Give it a chance before you jump under the bus.

[skinsfan_nn]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I think it's a good move. ST's biggest asset is not his ability to whack people, it's his ball skills. I love the idea of ST roaming around in the backfield looking to pick passes.

SGG, I also think it's a good move.
However, I think he whacking skills are at least equal to his ball skills. Kinda hard to pick one over the other with ST.

[FRPLG]

I am guessing we won't run anything like a traditional safety coverage. We have two guys who can do multiple things well. They'll both play a hybrid and we'll eschew having a designated strong and free. Oh maybe they'll be called one or the other but they wont play that much differently. Situation and a desire to mix it up will mean they both are covering and blitzing.

[724Skinsfan]

As long as they spend 14-16 hours a day working on his anti-pump fake biting skills then I'm okay with ST playing back there with Landry blitzing.

[RobH4413]

I'm watching the GW press conference right now and it's getting me pumped up.

I'm paraphrasing, but here is some of what I got from the interview:

"Sean Taylor will be in position now to go get the ball... Last year we brought him up in the box a lot, but I want him to go get the ball this year",

"Landry likes to hunt people down, if you watch his sugar bowl game film, he wasn't just winning his man to man match ups, he was hunting people down... and that's what we want to do on defense"

"When we had a pro workout with some players, the best person who had a workout wasn't LaRon... Jason Campbell was the best out there. You can tell he has put a lot of work in. From a defensive stand point I can see that how much work he's put in, and thats good"

[MTK]

Interesting move by GW. I think he's looking to simplify things by limiting their roles and not putting so much on their plates.

[Daseal]

I think once the two safeties get acquainted with one another that STs tendency to bite on every pump fake will get better. Last year ST tried to do everything and that hurt him all the way around. I think GWill wants to keep this relatively simple to start and slowly add more and more wrinkles to it.