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Rams searching for the next Earl Thomas
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8913f5e5-16c0-5883-8e82-4e9bdc72e007.html
In what is both a copycat league and a passing league, everyone seems to be looking for the next Earl Thomas.
“Because we’ve become a pass-first league, teams are looking more and more for that free safety that can cover, that has more range, that can possibly drop down and cover a slot without having to go to a nickel (back),” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said.
After helping Seattle win the Super Bowl in dominating fashion over Denver, Thomas has taken his place as the best free safety in the NFL. Count the Rams among those teams that want a guy like that.
“You look at Earl Thomas, you look at the money the Saints paid Jairus Byrd (in free agency) – there’s a demand for that,” said former Rams draft pick Matt Bowen of the Bleacher Report.
Bowen knows better than most. Not only did he play safety in the NFL, he did so for new Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams when both were with Washington.
“With Gregg’s defense, that free safety, they move him around a lot,” Bowen said. “They’re very creative. The free safety plays multiple roles. He’s playing the deep pass. He’s playing the deep middle. He’ll roll up to the line of scrimmage. But he’s a middle-of-the-field guy.”
Among other things, that means a free safety in Williams’ system ideally must have the range to cover seam routes to tight ends and provide help for cornerbacks defending post patterns to wide receivers.
“If you look at the other spot, the strong safety in Gregg’s defense has to blitz,” Bowen continued. “That’s what I played for Gregg in ’04 and ’05 with Washington. The first game of Gregg’s tenure in Washington, I think I blitzed nine or 10 times. In one game.”
Presumably, that role will be filled by T.J. McDonald, who emerged as the chosen one from the Rams’ safety search of 2013. The Rams took McDonald in the third round, and after a slow start that included six games missed with a fractured leg, McDonald came on strong over the final third of the season.
Now the Rams are looking again for a safety, this time to pair with McDonald. Not unlike the search that led to McDonald, it has been difficult to get a bead on who the Rams are looking at this time around. They had formal interviews at the NFL scouting combine with Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisville’s Calvin Pryor, generally considered the top two safeties in the draft.
But it’s not known if either paid a “top 30” visit to Rams Park or went through a private workout with the team.
“Clinton-Dix is the best safety in the class,” Bowen said. “The reason I say that is because he’s a free safety. Calvin Pryor’s a downhill player. I’m not saying he can’t play the middle of the field because he can. He’s got good hands, too.”
But just about everyone views Pryor as a strong safety. Clinton-Dix and Pryor look like sure first-rounders – and sure top-20 picks. Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward and perhaps Washington State’s Deone Bucannon could crack the first round as well.
At 6-1, 211, Bucannon has a hard-hitting style more suited to strong safety, but there are those who think he could transition to free safety in the NFL. Ward, on the other hand, was listed as a strong safety at Northern Illinois but played all over the field for the Huskies – like a free safety.
“Ward’s another guy that Gregg would like because of his versatility,” Bowen said. “He played nickel, he played dime. He played in the deep middle of the field. He played off the numbers in Cover 2.”
And he made plays, averaging 100 tackles a season in his three years as a starter. Last season, he had seven interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a sack. OK, he played in the Mid-American Conference. But in the Orange Bowl following the 2012 season, he did have 14 tackles against Florida State.
Undersized at 5-11, 193, Ward ran in the mid 4.4s in the 40 at his pro day even though he subsequently needed what was described as minor surgery for a foot injury.
This is not regarded as a deep draft at the safety position, so teams looking for a free safety that projects as rookie starter probably should pull the trigger in the second round – certainly no later than the third.
One of the last intriguing early-round names at free safety is Terrence Brooks of Florida State.
“Any team that wants to take a chance on me won’t be disappointed,” Brooks says.
Brooks has Ward-like size (5-11, 198) but is even faster. In fact, Brooks’ 4.42 speed at the combine was the fastest among safeties. (Ward didn’t run in Indianapolis because of the foot injury.)
“Brooks really impressed me at the Senior Bowl,” Bowen said. “He’s got great transition speed. He comes out of his (backpedal) with a lot of speed, a lot of acceleration.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_8913f5e5-16c0-5883-8e82-4e9bdc72e007.html
In what is both a copycat league and a passing league, everyone seems to be looking for the next Earl Thomas.
“Because we’ve become a pass-first league, teams are looking more and more for that free safety that can cover, that has more range, that can possibly drop down and cover a slot without having to go to a nickel (back),” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said.
After helping Seattle win the Super Bowl in dominating fashion over Denver, Thomas has taken his place as the best free safety in the NFL. Count the Rams among those teams that want a guy like that.
“You look at Earl Thomas, you look at the money the Saints paid Jairus Byrd (in free agency) – there’s a demand for that,” said former Rams draft pick Matt Bowen of the Bleacher Report.
Bowen knows better than most. Not only did he play safety in the NFL, he did so for new Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams when both were with Washington.
“With Gregg’s defense, that free safety, they move him around a lot,” Bowen said. “They’re very creative. The free safety plays multiple roles. He’s playing the deep pass. He’s playing the deep middle. He’ll roll up to the line of scrimmage. But he’s a middle-of-the-field guy.”
Among other things, that means a free safety in Williams’ system ideally must have the range to cover seam routes to tight ends and provide help for cornerbacks defending post patterns to wide receivers.
“If you look at the other spot, the strong safety in Gregg’s defense has to blitz,” Bowen continued. “That’s what I played for Gregg in ’04 and ’05 with Washington. The first game of Gregg’s tenure in Washington, I think I blitzed nine or 10 times. In one game.”
Presumably, that role will be filled by T.J. McDonald, who emerged as the chosen one from the Rams’ safety search of 2013. The Rams took McDonald in the third round, and after a slow start that included six games missed with a fractured leg, McDonald came on strong over the final third of the season.
Now the Rams are looking again for a safety, this time to pair with McDonald. Not unlike the search that led to McDonald, it has been difficult to get a bead on who the Rams are looking at this time around. They had formal interviews at the NFL scouting combine with Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisville’s Calvin Pryor, generally considered the top two safeties in the draft.
But it’s not known if either paid a “top 30” visit to Rams Park or went through a private workout with the team.
“Clinton-Dix is the best safety in the class,” Bowen said. “The reason I say that is because he’s a free safety. Calvin Pryor’s a downhill player. I’m not saying he can’t play the middle of the field because he can. He’s got good hands, too.”
But just about everyone views Pryor as a strong safety. Clinton-Dix and Pryor look like sure first-rounders – and sure top-20 picks. Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward and perhaps Washington State’s Deone Bucannon could crack the first round as well.
At 6-1, 211, Bucannon has a hard-hitting style more suited to strong safety, but there are those who think he could transition to free safety in the NFL. Ward, on the other hand, was listed as a strong safety at Northern Illinois but played all over the field for the Huskies – like a free safety.
“Ward’s another guy that Gregg would like because of his versatility,” Bowen said. “He played nickel, he played dime. He played in the deep middle of the field. He played off the numbers in Cover 2.”
And he made plays, averaging 100 tackles a season in his three years as a starter. Last season, he had seven interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a sack. OK, he played in the Mid-American Conference. But in the Orange Bowl following the 2012 season, he did have 14 tackles against Florida State.
Undersized at 5-11, 193, Ward ran in the mid 4.4s in the 40 at his pro day even though he subsequently needed what was described as minor surgery for a foot injury.
This is not regarded as a deep draft at the safety position, so teams looking for a free safety that projects as rookie starter probably should pull the trigger in the second round – certainly no later than the third.
One of the last intriguing early-round names at free safety is Terrence Brooks of Florida State.
“Any team that wants to take a chance on me won’t be disappointed,” Brooks says.
Brooks has Ward-like size (5-11, 198) but is even faster. In fact, Brooks’ 4.42 speed at the combine was the fastest among safeties. (Ward didn’t run in Indianapolis because of the foot injury.)
“Brooks really impressed me at the Senior Bowl,” Bowen said. “He’s got great transition speed. He comes out of his (backpedal) with a lot of speed, a lot of acceleration.”
