Merlin’s Magic: Extinct Strong Safety Edition

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Earlier in the year, I compared Eric Berry with Dale Carter. The comparisions are interesting and telling. Both players played safety at the University of Tennessee. Both players had very good cover skills. Yet, without a blink Dale Carter was drafted as a cornerback and Eric Berry was drafted as a safety. Was it a difference in skills or a difference in the NFL? I tend to think it’s a difference in the NFL game today as opposed to 1992 when Dale Carter was drafted.

The NFL is going through a period where the passing game is becoming more prominent. While I much prefer the game when the defense was allowed to, well, play defense. The game is what the game is. The powers that be want to protect their money generated players. So, many hits on a quarterback are outlawed and receivers get a lot of free rein to roam. One advantage of drafting an Eric Berry type and playing him at safety gives a defense flexibility to match up against three wide receiver sets without bringing in a nickle back.

That is all well and good when you have someone like Eric Berry with a pretty special skill set. However, there are more clues about the Chiefs that paints an even more interesting picture. We are seeing more and more cornerbacks (recently Donald Washington and Maurice Leggett) working out at safety. Is it because they are failing as cornerbacks or is something else going on?

From my point of view, what appears to be happening is that the Chiefs are favoring a generic ‘defensive back’ as opposed to the cornerback and safety distiction. That is, we may be running three, four, five or even six defensive backs all with decent cover skills to match up against the three and four wide receiver sets some teams use.

Given all that, it appears that the traditional strong safety position doesn’t really exist for the Chiefs. That is, the larger, more run support oriented safety might not be a player type we may even put on the field regularly, if at all.

At least, that’s my take on it. But, I want to know what you think. Do you think we are going to a generic defensive back? That is looking for defensive backs with good cover skills over the more traditional strong safety? Or, is this an over reaction to drafting Eric Berry and working out some corners at safety? Is it possible that this idea played a role in getting rid of Bernard Pollard?

Tags: Chiefs, Dale Carter, Defensive Back, Eric Berry, Safety

Ehud

A key word that has been stated by the Pioli organization is versatility. I think if you combine that with the NFL becoming a passing league and the mutation the SS position is going through, you are dead on as far as the Chiefs fielding "generic" DBs. We've heard how they want to field the best players on the field. For that decision I think they're going to lump the DBs together.

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Jax

The NFL is changing to a more pass oriented league, and the safety is now one of the most important positions on the defense. We got one of the best players in the draft, and the best playmaker in Eric Berry. If only we had taken Taylor Mays as well (not complaining), we would have had the most athletic safety combos in the league. Carr is turning heads, Flowers is already a great player, Berry is a rookie (but he is a beast), and Jarrad Page.....well I have a feeling he might be gone. Pioli drafts heavily on character...but he got this pick right because Berry is a great player, great leader, and is a good human being.

Patrick Allen

All excellent points.

Big Matt

This was a great post, man. Fresh perspective. I really enjoyed it.

I definitely think that not just with the Chiefs, but across the league, we're seeing the line between "strong safety" and "free safety" becoming increasingly blurred. You just can't really have a big, slow, glorified linebacker playing safety anymore. He will get burned not only against receivers, but against tight ends as well. Tight ends are athletes these days, not just blockers. Look at Tony Moeaki compared to, say, Jonaathan Hayes. What a difference 2 decades makes.

In terms of this team, I really just think we're working out Leggett and DonWash at safety because we have a lot of good corners and a dearth of safeties. I happen to think MoLeg could be good there. He would sometimes get beat in man coverage, but showed a knack for being where the action was. I think that plays better at safety than corner.

63gump

If they're going to all, smaller DB's, I'm guessing Crennel has convinced Haley that the linebacking core is going to be in better position and not miss so many tackles this year.

ndm1984

Merlin,

You are a true prophet. Just a few days ago I was thinking about the very same comparison.

Wow comparing Eric Berry to Dale Carter in his prime, very encouraging!

Kurt Rauch

This is a scheme that will depend heavily upon our linebackers stuffing the running game. If they don't improve in this area, we are going to need the bigger bodies at SS. Speed and athleticism can offset the bulk for awhile, but eventually something is going to give--and I don't want it to be the shoulder or collarbone of a potential franchise player.

Merlin you are absolutely right.

With guys like Manning and Brees and Brady, it is getting out of hand.

This team is being built to win a Super Bowl and right now the super powers are all passing teams. The Colts, Pats, Chargers, Saints, Packers all throw a ton.

The more athletic DB's you have the better.

jeremyriversideca

I think we have a lot of great CBs and Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr are keeping them off the field. So we are playing the best defensive backs we have at any given time.