[News] The Competition 2016: Cornerbacks

[dirtybird66]

i'd give the edge to WRIGHT,you really got to credit SMITH for playing through alot of injuries,the players we added and will add,are going to make him shine,now if everyone just focuses and does their jobs,in which they don't alway's have to feel like they have to do too much,it's going to be a much improved secondary,as DEAN PEES says.will be compared to ARIZONA,alittle.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

On 7/7/2016 at 1:25 PM, trevorsteadman said:

If you listened to his entire press conference he talked about how Canaday was the cornerback that made the most plays besides Jerraud Powers. Tavon Young is playing the same competition as Canaday, as Wright, Price, and Powers. You can watch the entire conference on this website in the videos.

I didn't listen to a press conference, just read the article that was written. If the author of the article can't include all of the pertinent information then that is just not very good reporting IMHO.

I don't see how the ones in this case (because of Jimmy Smith being injured I would say that is Powers and Wright) are facing the same competition as guys like Young and Canaday. There's just no way. The ones on defense are going up against the ones on offense. They aren't going up against the threes for sure.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

I would like to piggyback on what a few people are stating here.

Our secondary was terrible for a number of reasons last season. First and foremost was health. Nobody was completely healthy and when the front line guys went down, the plan B's also went down in at a number of positions. There was a revolving door at the safety positions, Smith and Webb were both banged up for a majority of the season.

Second, our defensive line; namely the pass rush, was awful last season. I believe the main reason for this was the injury to Suggs. That injury alone showed us how important he is to this team. I also blame the lack of talent behind the front line guys. Courtney Upshaw was not a fit for this defense. He was supposed to be the "other side" guy to compliment Suggs. When they found out that he couldn't do it we snatched up Dumervil. After Upshaw were a host of players that were not ready to play that outside rush linebacker spot. No defenses respected our rush from that side and allowed teams to negate Dumervil by doubling up on him. Dumervil is a smaller speed and finesse guy. One on one he can wreak havoc, but he can't fight through two or more blocks to get to the QB.

Third, I blame the coaching. The coaches are supposed to be able to get the most production from the talent they have on the field. I don't think our coach used the right schemes to put guys in the best position to succeed. He ran the same defense and tried to make guys fit it regardless of whether or not they were square pegs in round holes.

All that being stated I think the team can be better this year in pass coverage and be more consistent as long as the players stay healthy. Have to hope Jimmy Smith is healthier this season than he was last year. You can clearly see he wasn't nearly 100% and he still was one of our better defenders. The numerous injuries to Webb's knees have taken a toll on him and he was a liability in coverage last year even though he was playing at a high level just a couple of seasons before that. The move to making him a roaming free safety I think will pay huge dividends. It was the position he played in college and he is a better tackler than people give him credit for. Adding Weddle to the back end is huge. You essentially gained another defensive captain on the team who should help get our secondary lined up and cut down on the confusion and blown coverages we saw last year. Not really sure if Wright is the real deal, I grow suspicious of these half year wonders that then get large contracts from the Ravens. That being said we have some insurance in the form of Powers and hopefully a healthy Will Davis.

I think our pass rush has a chance to be better this year. A healthy Suggs and Dumervil is obviously where it needs to start. I think Timmy Jernigan can do better. I think we have better talent behind Suggs and Dumervil now with Z. Smith and hopefully Correa. I am curious to see what a healthy Brent Urban can do, but he will have to show he's better than Lawrence Guy who was an unsung hero last season and Carl Davis who needs to show more as well.

Ultimately health will be the key factor. I think most teams if they have to rely on second and third string players and in some cases street free agents that weren't even on the roster as starters for more than half the defense and offense you'd see similar results to the Ravens last year.