Would Taylor Mays really be so bad?

Originally posted by oklasooners:
A lot of people are hating on Mays in this site.I think with the right coaching his lack of cover-skills and wrap up tackling will be solved. He has more physical talent then most people in this draft and it will show. Give Sing this off-season to work on it and you will see the difference. He will be feared by recievers going over the middle. You all hate now but if we draft him and its 3rd down 9 yards to go. arizona with the ball and Fitzgerald is going for the catch over the middle late in the game, and Mays lays him out on his back, all of you will be cheering about how great he is. I want him on this team. His upside is too good.

I cheered when Rashaun Woods scored a TD in a pre-season too. That means nothing. The fact is, Mays have almost zero ball skills and it's one of those things that is very hard to acquire. It's mostly about instincts and its not like USC didn't have good defensive coaches. But, lets forget his balls skills for now. He is not very good in changing directions and turning hips and running back - for a safety.

Mays should actually switch to 4-3 OLB - he will be terrific there.

Originally posted by YourHuckleberry:

You don't draft 1st rounders who don't possess the ability to potentially start...and in my mind, Mays has a lot of work to do to show he can be a good all-around S. Besides, with Reggie Smith ready to take over should Michael Lewis' concussion issues resurface and 2nd year player Curtis Taylor on board, I don't see S as a big need. Goldson showed in the 2nd half of last season he is the playmaker we thought he was. If we're not going OT & OG in 1st (OG being Iupati) then we need to either grab Haden or Spiller, as both should have the ability to make an impact their first season. OL and CB are much bigger needs than another S...

Mays > Lewis

Mays has the highest potential to becoming a bust in this draft.

I'd rather invest my 6th rounder and grab a guy like Kurt Coleman from Ohio St or Major Wright.

Please stop, if you want to see what Mays career will be like in the NFL watch: LaRon Landry.

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
Mays has the highest potential to becoming a bust in this draft.

I'd rather invest my 6th rounder and grab a guy like Kurt Coleman from Ohio St or Major Wright.

Please stop, if you want to see what Mays career will be like in the NFL watch: LaRon Landry.

If that is the worst you could expect I don't see what the problem is. Landry can both both Safety positions very well, even if he doesn't have a lot of INT's. He's started all but one game for his entire career, has been selected to the pro bowl (as an alternate), has made huge plays in big games (playoffs), etc. I would take Landry over any of our safeties any day.

Besides all that, Landry has only had three years in the league so far, his career is hardly over.

I don't see the comparison though. They are not similar physically at all. Are you saying that Mays career will be like Landry's just because they don't have the INT stats everyone wants to see?

One of the downsides of having a coach like Singletary is people assume he can take any person and make them a good football player. Stop using him as a crutch. Mays has incredible physical ability. He's just not very good at football. I'd rather draft someone we know will contribute than a high-risk, moderate-reward player like Mays.

Originally posted by CorvaNinerFan:
You don't draft 1st rounders who don't possess the ability to potentially start...and in my mind, Mays has a lot of work to do to show he can be a good all-around S. Besides, with Reggie Smith ready to take over should Michael Lewis' concussion issues resurface and 2nd year player Curtis Taylor on board, I don't see S as a big need. Goldson showed in the 2nd half of last season he is the playmaker we thought he was. If we're not going OT & OG in 1st (OG being Iupati) then we need to either grab Haden or Spiller, as both should have the ability to make an impact their first season. OL and CB are much bigger needs than another S...

Reggie Smith has a worse injury history than Micheal Lewis and has never played any significant playing time. He is Not even close to stepping in. I think sing like Mays and will try to teach him. I don't think thats what we should do, but what we will do.

LaRon Landry is terrible.

Originally posted by Gavintech:


I don't see the comparison though. They are not similar physically at all. Are you saying that Mays career will be like Landry's just because they don't have the INT stats everyone wants to see?

I don't get how you don't see how they match up physically.

I could care less about INT stats, I wont a safety who'll help over the top and can wrap and tackle - neither of them do that.

For comparison:


(right side Taylor)


They are an exact clone of each other.

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
LaRon Landry is terrible.

Your assessment is terrible. Let me guess, fantasy nerd or one of those guys that think any DB that ever gets beat is terrible (that would make them ALL terrible)?

Landry was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has since had to deal with the mess that is the Redskins defensive backfield post-Taylor and he's still played at a high level for most of the two years since then.

Is he kind of an ass? Yep. Has he made a couple bad plays that went for a couple TDs? Yep. Every DB does over a 16 game season. But we're still talking about a third year player that has been playing at a high level since day one of his rookie year. Having been moved around between both safety positions while the Skins can't get their act together he's done quite well.

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:

Originally posted by Gavintech:


I don't see the comparison though. They are not similar physically at all. Are you saying that Mays career will be like Landry's just because they don't have the INT stats everyone wants to see?

I don't get how you don't see how they match up physically.

I could care less about INT stats, I wont a safety who'll help over the top and can wrap and tackle - neither of them do that.

For comparison:


(right side Taylor)


They are an exact clone of each other.

Ripped light skinned brotha? Ya, they are the same that way. But that's there it ends (BTW that description is at least 1/3 of the NFL). You fail to miss the fact that Mays is 3" taller and 20+ lbs heavier.

I think Mays my turn into a decent Saftey, but I'd rather another team roll the dice with him

I'd like to see what we have with R.Smith and even C.Taylor in 2010
with Goldson and Lewis starting, and Smith probably getting much more PT
taking over Romans position

Smith had a bad groin tear in Sept. '09 which pretty much wrote off the season
and in '08 his rookie year he was a backup CB who didnt get PT, I think its a bit too early to give up on him,

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
LaRon Landry is terrible.

Your assessment is terrible. Let me guess, fantasy nerd or one of those guys that think any DB that ever gets beat is terrible (that would make them ALL terrible)?

Landry was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has since had to deal with the mess that is the Redskins defensive backfield post-Taylor and he's still played at a high level for most of the two years since then.

Is he kind of an ass? Yep. Has he made a couple bad plays that went for a couple TDs? Yep. Every DB does over a 16 game season. But we're still talking about a third year player that has been playing at a high level since day one of his rookie year. Having been moved around between both safety positions while the Skins can't get their act together he's done quite well.

Fantasy nerd? Wait, when did personal attacks become cool on this board? Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know me - so don't judge me thinking you do.

We're talking about football here and another mans opinion - don't bring yourself down to the level of trash by attacking another user just because our opinions don't match up.

Watching the Senior Bowl (Most Disappointing Player in Mobile Taylor Mays/S/USC: For Mays the week turned into a potpourri of skills he's likely to struggle with in the NFL; he'll struggle handling man-to-man coverage assignments and struggle making plays sideline-to-sideline as a true NFL centerfielder. Mays is still a legitimate prospect for the next level but the limitations he displayed this week will reduce the number of teams wanting to acquire him in April.) and living in Socal in USC nation - I've seen enough of Taylor Mays to speak my mind about him.

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
LaRon Landry is terrible.

Your assessment is terrible. Let me guess, fantasy nerd or one of those guys that think any DB that ever gets beat is terrible (that would make them ALL terrible)?

Landry was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has since had to deal with the mess that is the Redskins defensive backfield post-Taylor and he's still played at a high level for most of the two years since then.

Is he kind of an ass? Yep. Has he made a couple bad plays that went for a couple TDs? Yep. Every DB does over a 16 game season. But we're still talking about a third year player that has been playing at a high level since day one of his rookie year. Having been moved around between both safety positions while the Skins can't get their act together he's done quite well.

Fantasy nerd? Wait, when did personal attacks become cool on this board? Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know me - so don't judge me thinking you do.

I said let me guess, with a question mark, I didn't call you any names. The fact is the "fantasy nerds" are very down on Landry right now. And fantasy guys often don't know much about how guys actually played and their opinions are often colored by how well a guy produces in their fantasy league.