Sean Taylor struggling???

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by dmek25

i never once questioned Taylors effort. and i already know Taylor is trying to make up for a porous defense. but maybe he needs to concentrate on his assignments, first. and i don't think anyone will argue that he has missed a ton of tackles this season. as well as everyone else on the redskins defensive side of the ball

He has missed a lot of tackles. But still, had he made half of those tackles, gosh, he would have had like 120something tackles! The real point is, he had very little help from the front seven.

[dmek25]

i dont argue that, at all

[dall-assblows]

Originally Posted by dmek25

excuse me. guys, im a redskin fan. that means i want him to do well. but im not understanding why people around here keep giving him a free pass. and 100 tackles, 10 yards down the field doesnt mean a whole lot to me

that means that others are missing tackles. which ST then has to make

[sportscurmudgeon]

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST.
Bob Sanders
Yeremiah Bell
Michael Boulware (???)
Mike Brown
Donovan Darius

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

[GiantsSuck703]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST.
Bob Sanders
Yeremiah Bell
Michael Boulware (???)
Mike Brown
Donovan Darius

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

Wow, the guy has two great years at safety where he covered the likes of TO and Randy Moss and they did nothing against him, and the defense has a bad year and you decide he cant cover, he should become a LB. The list of safetys you put ahead of him is a joke, saying he and Roy Williams have the same coverage skills is laughable, Roy Williams cant cover a soul, hes the most overrated player in all of the NFL. The fact that you dont seem to understand that half of his troubles this year came from the awful pass rush, Carlos Rogers utter inability to cover backup recievers, and the terrible experiment we like to refer to as "Adam Archuletta". Sean Taylor can cover, he can run support and dominates when he doesnt have to do everything on his own. Look at the supporting cast of all those safetys you listed and them compare them to Seans situation, its really unfair. This is typical of most Redskins fans who catch three or four games a year, then decide they now all about football.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu Can you say "Dan Morgan"
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST. He is the worst cover safety in football and he has a good front 7.
Bob Sanders - Why because Trent Green threw two balls to him? Sanders was hurt all year.
Yeremiah Bell - Who?
Michael Boulware (???) Um, no.
Mike Brown - Isn't his career in jeopardy?
Donovan Darius - Isn't he out for the year?

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

I would only consider Reed and Dawkins over Taylor but they are considerably older.

I do like the idea of letting Taylor play some linebacker (didn't he do this some against the Giants?) and moving our safeties around.

Feel free to dismiss but what if they actually gave Archuleta some playing time by letting him line up at FS if Taylor lines up at LB. That would also be predicated on Springs, Fox, Vincent and or Prieleau bieng able to handle the coverage duties back there. Seems like a logical package in run situations.

[BleedBurgundy]

When's the last time anyone has seen a player who has played safety at a satisfactory level in the NFL convert to LB? I can think of some college lb's who converted to safety in the NFL (boulware) but not the other way around... This is similar to those who call for Michael Vick to be turned into a running back. It's just not going to happen. Taylor's performance level regressed this year, along with every other member of the defensive squad. That is a sign of a deficiency in coaching, not a reduction in his or their abilities to play their respective positions.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

When's the last time anyone has seen a player who has played safety at a satisfactory level in the NFL convert to LB? I can think of some college lb's who converted to safety in the NFL (boulware) but not the other way around... This is similar to those who call for Michael Vick to be turned into a running back. It's just not going to happen. Taylor's performance level regressed this year, along with every other member of the defensive squad. That is a sign of a deficiency in coaching, not a reduction in his or their abilities to play their respective positions.

When is the last time a safety had the physical abilities of Taylor? I am not suggesting a permanent shift, but it seems that the ability to move players around gives the offense something else to think about. (The Ravens do it pretty well).

I am also thinking that if Archuleta stays, he has to do more than protect the punter. He would be better at FS than SS.

Thomas Davis played LB this year for the Panthers (not very well but he did do it).

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by Grim21Reaper

When is the last time a safety had the physical abilities of Taylor? I am not suggesting a permanent shift, but it seems that the ability to move players around gives the offense something else to think about. (The Ravens do it pretty well).

I am also thinking that if Archuleta stays, he has to do more than protect the punter. He would be better at FS than SS.

Thomas Davis played LB this year for the Panthers (not very well but he did do it).

With his myriad abilities, playing safety should better allow him to create problems for the opposing team both in pass coverage and through situational blitzing. Being a linebacker takes some of the advantage of his athleticism away, because he would be required to fight off of and through blocks. That is not his body style, he's more of a striker that roams and picks his shots, usually at top speed. His advantage is his ability to cover a large swath of the field and close quickly. His ball skills should vastly improve were he in a situation where he didn't have to keep one eye in the backfield at all times. That comes with better coaching and better teammates. I just don't think he is the problem, which switching his position would suggest. If anything, moving him to linebacker would simply highlight the fact that we don't have legitimate starting talent at the position currently on the roster.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said there weren't three safeties he would take over Sean Taylor even with his shortcomings being exposed this year. Consider please:

Ed Reed
Brian Dawkins
Troy Polamalu
Roy Williams (???) He has the same coverage deficiencies as ST.
Bob Sanders
Yeremiah Bell
Michael Boulware (???)
Mike Brown
Donovan Darius

There are seven I'd take over Taylor right now in 2007 and two others who I'd have to think about for a while. And if I went team-by-team to look at rosters, I might come up with a couple of others...


Here's my idea for the Redskins defense next year:

1. Tell Sean Taylor to add 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season because he's going to be an outside linebacker next year.

2. Find a safety somewhere who can COVER people and then let Archuletta be the safety who does run support and handles the slower tight-end/fullback coverage assignments.

3. While Taylor has prodigious physical skills, I suspect that he does not have the instincts/mental acumen to be a safety because when you get suckered in at safety the result is a LONG game or a TD. If you get suckered in at LB, there's still help behind you.

Dawkins is just a monster at safety. What a great leader that guy is. I love his game. Same with Reed. Donavan D. and Saunders are solid too. Saunders is a little guy but man he really can hit. But give Taylor a pass on this year. He had a up and down year. He will play better and he has the ability to play better. I also tend to think he needs better coaching. Someone that can bring the best out in him.

[hesscl34]

Originally Posted by dmek25

is this really the same guy we drafted? last night was a microcosm of #21's season. out of position, bad tackling, poor pass coverage, and borderline cheap shots. how did he turn into Andre waters over night? i thought Taylor was well on his way to becoming a perennial pro bowler, but now he looks like a marginal NFL player, at best. any ideas on why? and lets keep focused on Taylors play, and not make excuses for a horrible overall defense. when in position to make plays, he just isn't getting it done

He's trying to hard to pick up slack for other bad players....

[Hog1]

I agree Hess, he and some others are playing out of position to try and reinforce other weak area's. It's hard to pick out exactly what is wrong with our D this year. It's ALL wrong
ST is a rare player! he is genuinely feared by those that travel his area. We have all seen it time and again. Fix some of the MANY D problems,and we will see it again
#1310

[JDALY27]

Guys,

We almost drafted Winslow at # 5. Thank god we got Taylor!! Sean needs better coaching. It seems like he's thinking too much out there. He also got smoked by double moves way too much for a third year player. With that being said, I wouldn't trade him for anyone out there today but maybe Ed Reed. Ed Reed has created so many more turnovers in his years in the NFL. Look up how many turnovers that guy creates, its simply amazing. Dawkins is a beast but too old. Sean is extremely young and such a raw talent. He needs to ball hawk more! Dude, with the way that guy can run why not get him the ball on Special Teams or Offense more???? Maybe that's a little crazy!!

The guy is the heart and soul of our Defense. He's hardnosed and nobody can hit like he can. Coach him up and next year he's gonna dominate like we all wanted this year.

GO ST!!!!!!

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

With his myriad abilities, playing safety should better allow him to create problems for the opposing team both in pass coverage and through situational blitzing. Being a linebacker takes some of the advantage of his athleticism away, because he would be required to fight off of and through blocks. That is not his body style, he's more of a striker that roams and picks his shots, usually at top speed. His advantage is his ability to cover a large swath of the field and close quickly. His ball skills should vastly improve were he in a situation where he didn't have to keep one eye in the backfield at all times. That comes with better coaching and better teammates. I just don't think he is the problem, which switching his position would suggest. If anything, moving him to linebacker would simply highlight the fact that we don't have legitimate starting talent at the position currently on the roster.

This is probably the best post I've read summing up Taylor's season.

While his wasn't a good one overall, I think 111 tackles, which led all NFL safties and many linebackers, should say a lot about our defense as a whole and how it performed. Taylor shouldn't be moved to linebacker, he should stay exactly where he is.

[sportscurmudgeon]

The reason I would try to convert him to linebacker is because Sean Taylor spent a lot of time chasing opponents into the end zone this year. His tackling angles werenot always on target and his open field tackling isn't all that great unless he gets a run at a player and can try to blow the oppenent up. Go back and watch the games against the Eagles; Taylor is out of position on pass plays lots of times. Go back and watch the games against the Giants - particularly the second one; Tiki Barber runs amok because of two or three missed tackles by Taylor.

I'm not saying he's a bad player; he's not. But he's playing a position where the things that he does not do well wind up as long gains or TDs for the opponent. I think he might be much better used as a linebacker. I think that conversion would be easier then trying to teach him how to cover people and not bite on fakes so often. I think that conversion would be easier than trying to teach him to tackle in the open field instead of always trying to knock the other player out.