Cornerbacks a Weakness?

Originally posted by redrathman:

Originally posted by NCommand:
What's old is that we have the same problems year in/year out as evidenced by our record. Until these things are fixed, everyone's act will be old no matter how you try to spin it.

You mean the one and half years Singletary has been Head Coach? And the one year Jimmy Raye has been Offensive Coordinator? And the ten games Alex Smith has been Starting Quarterback?

No, I'm totally patient with these things and I'm cautiously optimistic and if you re-read my post that I noted these things already.

We were talking about defense here and specifically, the CB's. What effects CB is yes, an effecient offense, a great pass rush (esp. in a 3-4), speed, proper scheme, tightening up the middle-of-the-field coverage, dominant NT, etc.

As a defense, we certainly improved in turnovers, collective "team sacks," points allowed, etc. its suffice to say we still struggled getting off the field on 3rd downs (and that was WITH Bly), so we have questions at the CB position not to mention, the NT position was not addressed, many feel the CB position was not addressed, we still have questions at consistent pass rushing from the WILL/SAM spots and Manusky still needs to grow more in his pass rushing scheme, utilizing the strengths of our starting CB's (e.g. play tighter up at the LOS and be much more physical), utilizing the inside blitz more with Willis/Spikes, etc.

We've seen some positive signs from Manusky during these OTA's using Mays to play in the box and blitz a lot, Clements is back as is Spencer, Curtis & Smith seem to be growing as is Mays, Lewis remains healthy, he's utilizing Brooks in zone coverage (final piece he needs to learn) and he's finally using the WILL/SAM positions as "mirror positions" instead of being handcuffed by having Manny stay as the SAM on 1st and 2nd downs only, then bringing in Brooks to rush for him in predictable downs from the same spot. I'm seeing some encouraging signs Manusky is taking the next step!

But ALL of these things affect the CB position not just the offenses inability to sustain a drive. In fact, the defense should care less what the offense does...they can control their own destiny and get off the field. We've got the tools...now it's a matter of execution and consistency!

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by 5280High:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

+1

Whether or not Clements is or is not performing well isn't the question. There are decent guys we can put out there. There is no way this compares to NT where after the starter, we have a 6th rounder and that's it.

Exactly, these are the same CB's that shut down Boldin and Fitz for 2 years in a row. Atlanta exposed our lack of speed at the position but I also think it was just a bad defensive scheme that resulted in a blowout. We held Houston and the Colts in check comparatively, (Houston's TE dominated us but thats not really the corner's fault) so we are in good shape but could definitely get better. If Mays can come along with Smith our Safety speed should increase which will help against receivers who stretch the field and take the pressure off our CB's a little.

Oh that game still makes me cry. However, I think the scheme didn't help either. Atlanta basically ran, max protect with a 2 WR route. We tried to blitz that formation and White just torched us. We really underestimated Ryan and White as a pass-receiving combo. I bet we double White this time and force Ryan to go elsewhere instead of doubling Gonzales who is at the downside of his career.

It just seemed like ATL completely gameplanned for everything we do on defense that game. (granted they had a bye week before that game) and as usual with last year, we came out unprepared, and in the 2nd half we slightly showed up.

With a lack of consistent pass rush, our older secondary got exposed. We have always been terribly soft in the middle of the field with Lewis, Roman, even Willis, etc. Tactifully, we still played a bend but don't break a lot last year and playing 15 yards off a WR on 3rd and 5. I still don't understand that when our corners are best up at the LOS and playing physical and jamming WR's (also lends to diagnosing running plays and making plays AND running CB blitzes). Spencer and Clements are two of the more physical CB's in the league but speed is their weakness. Last year, Bly was the only reliable CB who could get us off the field on 3rd downs but we didn't sign him. As Brooks and the team pass rush-by committee increased last, we saw Goldson come into his own but Lewis remained a huge liability in coverage and we were still soft in the middle of the field. So, no Bly or Harris this year? We should be concerned esp. if can't get a consistent pass rush from Manny/Haralson this year...or if Brooks/LaBoy don't pan out and our d-line doesn't perform as well as it did last year.

I still don't feel confortable with Brown as a backup and the depth we have is a
and a big unknown at this point. Bly may not have been the physical player we wanted with the attitude Singletary liked but there is no denying he was a gamer and made plays esp. on 3rd down AND sub'ing in at CB. Without him, who can really help get us off the field on 3rd downs (a huge problem for our defense last year) and play CB if an injury occurs?

People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

Originally posted by unst4bl3:
People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith Smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I think the name speaks enough for itself. LOL. I have no idea why that poor guy was plucked off the streets and placed in a CRITCAL position, not just in the game, but of our season! But to be fair, the guy was in good position...it was just a great pitch and catch.

But you bring up a good point IMHO. By physical, I actually mean being PHYSICAL, not touching the WR at the LOS and letting him blow by you b/c he's way faster then you. I'm talking old-school Niner DB's where they get up in a WR's grill, punch him in the mouth, redirect him and watch him get "chipped" by a LB and/or Safety within 5 yards, throwing the whole route off. It seems Manusky doesn't have faith in our ability to cover 1-on-1 and plays deep, keeping everything in front and doesn't tighten up on coverage until we're inside the red zone.

Q: And guess where we are most effective? A: Inside the red zone where CB's have to be more physical up at the LOS.

What's sad is that sometimes we give a WR a 15 yard cushion and they STILL blow by our secondary and score TD's. So, in otherwards, we seem to be most successful within that first 5 yards where both Spencer and Clements are free to play physical so why not play to our strengths?

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:
People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith Smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I think the name speaks enough for itself. LOL. I have no idea why that poor guy was plucked off the streets and placed in a CRITCAL position, not just in the game, but of our season! But to be fair, the guy was in good position...it was just a great pitch and catch.

But you bring up a good point IMHO. By physical, I actually mean being PHYSICAL, not touching the WR at the LOS and letting him blow by you b/c he's way faster then you. I'm talking old-school Niner DB's where they get up in a WR's grill, punch him in the mouth, redirect him and watch him get "chipped" by a LB and/or Safety within 5 yards, throwing the whole route off. It seems Manusky doesn't have faith in our ability to cover 1-on-1 and plays deep, keeping everything in front and doesn't tighten up on coverage until we're inside the red zone.

Q: And guess where we are most effective? A: Inside the red zone where CB's have to be more physical up at the LOS.

What's sad is that sometimes we give a WR a 15 yard cushion and they STILL blow by our secondary and score TD's. So, in otherwards, we seem to be most successful within that first 5 yards where both Spencer and Clements are free to play physical so why not play to our strengths?

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by 5280High:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

+1

Whether or not Clements is or is not performing well isn't the question. There are decent guys we can put out there. There is no way this compares to NT where after the starter, we have a 6th rounder and that's it.

Exactly, these are the same CB's that shut down Boldin and Fitz for 2 years in a row. Atlanta exposed our lack of speed at the position but I also think it was just a bad defensive scheme that resulted in a blowout. We held Houston and the Colts in check comparatively, (Houston's TE dominated us but thats not really the corner's fault) so we are in good shape but could definitely get better. If Mays can come along with Smith our Safety speed should increase which will help against receivers who stretch the field and take the pressure off our CB's a little.

Oh that game still makes me cry. However, I think the scheme didn't help either. Atlanta basically ran, max protect with a 2 WR route. We tried to blitz that formation and White just torched us. We really underestimated Ryan and White as a pass-receiving combo. I bet we double White this time and force Ryan to go elsewhere instead of doubling Gonzales who is at the downside of his career.

It just seemed like ATL completely gameplanned for everything we do on defense that game. (granted they had a bye week before that game) and as usual with last year, we came out unprepared, and in the 2nd half we slightly showed up.

With a lack of consistent pass rush, our older secondary got exposed. We have always been terribly soft in the middle of the field with Lewis, Roman, even Willis, etc. Tactifully, we still played a bend but don't break a lot last year and playing 15 yards off a WR on 3rd and 5. I still don't understand that when our corners are best up at the LOS and playing physical and jamming WR's (also lends to diagnosing running plays and making plays AND running CB blitzes). Spencer and Clements are two of the more physical CB's in the league but speed is their weakness. Last year, Bly was the only reliable CB who could get us off the field on 3rd downs but we didn't sign him. As Brooks and the team pass rush-by committee increased last, we saw Goldson come into his own but Lewis remained a huge liability in coverage and we were still soft in the middle of the field. So, no Bly or Harris this year? We should be concerned esp. if can't get a consistent pass rush from Manny/Haralson this year...or if Brooks/LaBoy don't pan out and our d-line doesn't perform as well as it did last year.

I still don't feel confortable with Brown as a backup and the depth we have is a
and a big unknown at this point. Bly may not have been the physical player we wanted with the attitude Singletary liked but there is no denying he was a gamer and made plays esp. on 3rd down AND sub'ing in at CB. Without him, who can really help get us off the field on 3rd downs (a huge problem for our defense last year) and play CB if an injury occurs?

People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I'd like to see Clements up close, instead of holding hands with a safety half the time

Originally posted by RonMexico:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by 5280High:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

+1

Whether or not Clements is or is not performing well isn't the question. There are decent guys we can put out there. There is no way this compares to NT where after the starter, we have a 6th rounder and that's it.

Exactly, these are the same CB's that shut down Boldin and Fitz for 2 years in a row. Atlanta exposed our lack of speed at the position but I also think it was just a bad defensive scheme that resulted in a blowout. We held Houston and the Colts in check comparatively, (Houston's TE dominated us but thats not really the corner's fault) so we are in good shape but could definitely get better. If Mays can come along with Smith our Safety speed should increase which will help against receivers who stretch the field and take the pressure off our CB's a little.

Oh that game still makes me cry. However, I think the scheme didn't help either. Atlanta basically ran, max protect with a 2 WR route. We tried to blitz that formation and White just torched us. We really underestimated Ryan and White as a pass-receiving combo. I bet we double White this time and force Ryan to go elsewhere instead of doubling Gonzales who is at the downside of his career.

It just seemed like ATL completely gameplanned for everything we do on defense that game. (granted they had a bye week before that game) and as usual with last year, we came out unprepared, and in the 2nd half we slightly showed up.

With a lack of consistent pass rush, our older secondary got exposed. We have always been terribly soft in the middle of the field with Lewis, Roman, even Willis, etc. Tactifully, we still played a bend but don't break a lot last year and playing 15 yards off a WR on 3rd and 5. I still don't understand that when our corners are best up at the LOS and playing physical and jamming WR's (also lends to diagnosing running plays and making plays AND running CB blitzes). Spencer and Clements are two of the more physical CB's in the league but speed is their weakness. Last year, Bly was the only reliable CB who could get us off the field on 3rd downs but we didn't sign him. As Brooks and the team pass rush-by committee increased last, we saw Goldson come into his own but Lewis remained a huge liability in coverage and we were still soft in the middle of the field. So, no Bly or Harris this year? We should be concerned esp. if can't get a consistent pass rush from Manny/Haralson this year...or if Brooks/LaBoy don't pan out and our d-line doesn't perform as well as it did last year.

I still don't feel confortable with Brown as a backup and the depth we have is a
and a big unknown at this point. Bly may not have been the physical player we wanted with the attitude Singletary liked but there is no denying he was a gamer and made plays esp. on 3rd down AND sub'ing in at CB. Without him, who can really help get us off the field on 3rd downs (a huge problem for our defense last year) and play CB if an injury occurs?

People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I'd like to see Clements up close, instead of holding hands with a safety half the time

he only did that in preseason

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

Man, I'm glad to hear that you think the Niners are cool at CB, AB...
I can't say I share your enthusiasm for the team at that position but I respect your opinion. The team obviously didn't feel it was a big weakness because they didn't do much to upgrade it. I hope you are right...

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:

Originally posted by RonMexico:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by 5280High:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

+1

Whether or not Clements is or is not performing well isn't the question. There are decent guys we can put out there. There is no way this compares to NT where after the starter, we have a 6th rounder and that's it.

Exactly, these are the same CB's that shut down Boldin and Fitz for 2 years in a row. Atlanta exposed our lack of speed at the position but I also think it was just a bad defensive scheme that resulted in a blowout. We held Houston and the Colts in check comparatively, (Houston's TE dominated us but thats not really the corner's fault) so we are in good shape but could definitely get better. If Mays can come along with Smith our Safety speed should increase which will help against receivers who stretch the field and take the pressure off our CB's a little.

Oh that game still makes me cry. However, I think the scheme didn't help either. Atlanta basically ran, max protect with a 2 WR route. We tried to blitz that formation and White just torched us. We really underestimated Ryan and White as a pass-receiving combo. I bet we double White this time and force Ryan to go elsewhere instead of doubling Gonzales who is at the downside of his career.

It just seemed like ATL completely gameplanned for everything we do on defense that game. (granted they had a bye week before that game) and as usual with last year, we came out unprepared, and in the 2nd half we slightly showed up.

With a lack of consistent pass rush, our older secondary got exposed. We have always been terribly soft in the middle of the field with Lewis, Roman, even Willis, etc. Tactifully, we still played a bend but don't break a lot last year and playing 15 yards off a WR on 3rd and 5. I still don't understand that when our corners are best up at the LOS and playing physical and jamming WR's (also lends to diagnosing running plays and making plays AND running CB blitzes). Spencer and Clements are two of the more physical CB's in the league but speed is their weakness. Last year, Bly was the only reliable CB who could get us off the field on 3rd downs but we didn't sign him. As Brooks and the team pass rush-by committee increased last, we saw Goldson come into his own but Lewis remained a huge liability in coverage and we were still soft in the middle of the field. So, no Bly or Harris this year? We should be concerned esp. if can't get a consistent pass rush from Manny/Haralson this year...or if Brooks/LaBoy don't pan out and our d-line doesn't perform as well as it did last year.

I still don't feel confortable with Brown as a backup and the depth we have is a
and a big unknown at this point. Bly may not have been the physical player we wanted with the attitude Singletary liked but there is no denying he was a gamer and made plays esp. on 3rd down AND sub'ing in at CB. Without him, who can really help get us off the field on 3rd downs (a huge problem for our defense last year) and play CB if an injury occurs?

People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I'd like to see Clements up close, instead of holding hands with a safety half the time

he only did that in preseason

i have video evidence showing otherwise good sir!

How can people hate on Nate Clements? he has done nothing but produce. go watch a niner defense highlight video and tell me how much plays you see him make. give the guy his due.

Originally posted by NinerBuff:

Originally posted by Frisco69ers:
I would say NT

What about Balmer at NT? I know he lines up at DE. What do you guys think?

I think Balmer will become a solid player based on the some of the plays I've watched him make in limited time on the field.
As far as NT?He has the makeup for it so it's possible but right now Ricky Jean-Francois has been playing the nose in the absence of A.Franklin.

Originally posted by Super5:

Originally posted by NinerBuff:

Originally posted by Frisco69ers:
I would say NT

What about Balmer at NT? I know he lines up at DE. What do you guys think?

I think Balmer will become a solid player based on the some of the plays I've watched him make in limited time on the field.
As far as NT?He has the makeup for it so it's possible but right now Ricky Jean-Francois has been playing the nose in the absence of A.Franklin.

It'll be interesting to see how Balmer does this year. Because he wont be on this team too much longer if he can't solidify a position. His 1st round money will push him out if he doesn't perform.

Originally posted by gold49er2183:
How can people hate on Nate Clements? he has done nothing but produce. go watch a niner defense highlight video and tell me how much plays you see him make. give the guy his due.

with this contract ppl expect revis, bailey or nnamdi production, hes solid but for the money he makes ppl expect more, similar to housh with the seahawks

Not the best CB's but we see if Nate still has some gas in the tank

From what I understand, Nate's issue last season was that he was freelancing too much. Instead of playing within the scheme, he was trying to do too much. Trying to make a play would leave him, more often than not, out of posistion. Seeing as he considers himself as a "lockdown" corner, I wonder if this might continue to be an issue with him.
Spencer, on the other hand, seems to be just what this defense needs. He's almost never out of posistion and has a team first mentallity. IMO, Spencer is easily the best CB on the team.
After the starters, the talent level drops off. We've all been waiting for Brown to develop, but it hasn't worked out. When Nate was injuried last season, Brown didn't come to the rescue. It was Dre Bly that came in and played pretty well down the stretch. For whatever reason, the team declined to resign Bly. This leaves the defense with a couple of below avg back-ups for insurance should somebody get hurt.

Cornerback is, without a doubt, a weakness.

Originally posted by RonMexico:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:

Originally posted by RonMexico:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by 5280High:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
screw espn.com, our CB's are the least of our worries, its the OL IMO and NT.

we have 3 solid CBs in Nate, Spencer and Brown.

Then i like this Phillip Adams kid and Karl Paymah is decent.

If LeRoy Vann imnpresses than we might have a nice young CB to develop.

DBs:

Nate Clements- CB
Shawntae Spencer- CB
Tarell Brown- CB
Karl Paymah- CB
Phillip Adams or William James- CB
LeRoy Vann- CB/KR

Michael Lewis- SS
Dashon Goldson- FS
Taylor Mays- SS
Reggie Smith/Curtis Taylor- FS

And yes, i can see us carrying 10 DBs.

+1

Whether or not Clements is or is not performing well isn't the question. There are decent guys we can put out there. There is no way this compares to NT where after the starter, we have a 6th rounder and that's it.

Exactly, these are the same CB's that shut down Boldin and Fitz for 2 years in a row. Atlanta exposed our lack of speed at the position but I also think it was just a bad defensive scheme that resulted in a blowout. We held Houston and the Colts in check comparatively, (Houston's TE dominated us but thats not really the corner's fault) so we are in good shape but could definitely get better. If Mays can come along with Smith our Safety speed should increase which will help against receivers who stretch the field and take the pressure off our CB's a little.

Oh that game still makes me cry. However, I think the scheme didn't help either. Atlanta basically ran, max protect with a 2 WR route. We tried to blitz that formation and White just torched us. We really underestimated Ryan and White as a pass-receiving combo. I bet we double White this time and force Ryan to go elsewhere instead of doubling Gonzales who is at the downside of his career.

It just seemed like ATL completely gameplanned for everything we do on defense that game. (granted they had a bye week before that game) and as usual with last year, we came out unprepared, and in the 2nd half we slightly showed up.

With a lack of consistent pass rush, our older secondary got exposed. We have always been terribly soft in the middle of the field with Lewis, Roman, even Willis, etc. Tactifully, we still played a bend but don't break a lot last year and playing 15 yards off a WR on 3rd and 5. I still don't understand that when our corners are best up at the LOS and playing physical and jamming WR's (also lends to diagnosing running plays and making plays AND running CB blitzes). Spencer and Clements are two of the more physical CB's in the league but speed is their weakness. Last year, Bly was the only reliable CB who could get us off the field on 3rd downs but we didn't sign him. As Brooks and the team pass rush-by committee increased last, we saw Goldson come into his own but Lewis remained a huge liability in coverage and we were still soft in the middle of the field. So, no Bly or Harris this year? We should be concerned esp. if can't get a consistent pass rush from Manny/Haralson this year...or if Brooks/LaBoy don't pan out and our d-line doesn't perform as well as it did last year.

I still don't feel confortable with Brown as a backup and the depth we have is a
and a big unknown at this point. Bly may not have been the physical player we wanted with the attitude Singletary liked but there is no denying he was a gamer and made plays esp. on 3rd down AND sub'ing in at CB. Without him, who can really help get us off the field on 3rd downs (a huge problem for our defense last year) and play CB if an injury occurs?

People keep saying our CB"s are best at playing up closer, but a few times last year when we went to bump and run, we got destroyed.. I think that play in seattle where Keith smith got toasted, we were playing man to man, bump and run, no safety help.

I'd like to see Clements up close, instead of holding hands with a safety half the time

he only did that in preseason

i have video evidence showing otherwise good sir!

I think people are losing site of the fact that Clements and Spencer can play up close and it was always the 3rd CB getting burned (smith in seattle) except for Atlanta of course. With "mirror like" safeties I think we can easily play a physical in your face style. But the fact is Lewis is an in the box type safety, and even though i love the guy (being that i went to CU and watched him play) he doesn't have range past 10-15 yards from the LOS. This leaves one of the CB's out on an island to where if he misses his "bump" on Lewis's side, you have a wide open receiver.

If Curtis/Mays can develop and assuming Reggie Smith has learned the defense and is ready to contribute. I would love to see a combo of Smith/Mays at the SS position, utilizing Smith a little more when the team is more likely to pass and Mays a little more in a likely run situation, but the bottom line is that those guys both have recovery speed to catch up to the WR's if our CB's make a mistake on their press coverage.