The Indispensables: Conversation on College Football Players and Trends

[PFaulk]

If you're like me, and you like talking about what's next in college football and seeing how these types of things that eventually find their way to effecting the pro game originate, you like these kinds of columns.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2...bles-jalen-ramsey-sua-cravens-byron-marshall/

What I find really is the prominence of these hybrid athlete like Cravens, Foster and Marshall. What effect, if any, do you think this might show at the NFL level?

Is Barron or Alexander our version of Cravens?

 

[LACHAMP46]

Interesting read...

What I find really is the prominence of these hybrid athlete like Cravens, Foster and Marshall. What effect, if any, do you think this might show at the NFL level?

Is Barron or Alexander our version of Cravens?

I personally think, and could be wrong, but the college game is doing a diservice to many of these young men by failing to develop the skills needed to succeed at the pro level. Sua Cravens is a FREE-SAFETY, but is forced to play in the box due to the coaches inability to find/develop/recruit kids that can play LB....since the passing game, really the short passing game of the Pac-12, with many spread concepts, requires defenders to play in space, many LB's can't really help on the field...so safeties are used...TJ was the first...and there was another guy there, who ended up getting drafted real late, but he could play, BUT NOT linebacker...Not in the pros...But he was a safety....Think he was #6...Sure somebody knows who I'm talking about....He never developed the skills of a safety to read the field & diagnose plays...and he suffered for that...plus he ran like a 4.6....
If we continue to remove a LB for a safety, early in the downs (2nd down)...I can't see how we can get our rushing ypg allowed to under 100 yards...Sometimes, you just gotta stick to your best 11 (4-DL's, 3-LB's, 4-DB's) and just play football...I believe in the nickle...even the big nickle (sometimes) and even blitzing (sometimes)...just not as much as Williams...I also don't believe in bend but don't break....but that's another topic for another thread....

 

[PFaulk]

Interesting read...
I personally think, and could be wrong, but the college game is doing a diservice to many of these young men by failing to develop the skills needed to succeed at the pro level. Sua Cravens is a FREE-SAFETY, but is forced to play in the box due to the coaches inability to find/develop/recruit kids that can play LB....since the passing game, really the short passing game of the Pac-12, with many spread concepts, requires defenders to play in space, many LB's can't really help on the field...so safeties are used...TJ was the first...and there was another guy there, who ended up getting drafted real late, but he could play, BUT NOT linebacker...Not in the pros...But he was a safety....Think he was #6...Sure somebody knows who I'm talking about....He never developed the skills of a safety to read the field & diagnose plays...and he suffered for that...plus he ran like a 4.6....
If we continue to remove a LB for a safety, early in the downs (2nd down)...I can't see how we can get our rushing ypg allowed to under 100 yards...Sometimes, you just gotta stick to your best 11 (4-DL's, 3-LB's, 4-DB's) and just play football...I believe in the nickle...even the big nickle (sometimes) and even blitzing (sometimes)...just not as much as Williams...I also don't believe in bend but don't break....but that's another topic for another thread....

I find this kind of thing fascinating because I wonder what's the cause and what's the effect.

In other words, do you develop the game plan to meet the athletes that are coming out, or do you pick the athletes based on your game plan? I mean the obvious answer is "you do a mix of both depending on what's effective" I guess.

I like that the article mentions Polamalu, because he's an interesting example of a guy who has found success as a hybrid defender...although there aren't a ton of guys who appear to have followed in those footsteps...a Honey Badger here, an Adrian Wilson there, but on the whole teams give more of a traditional look.

But I do think things are changing. With offenses veering more towards passing and 3 and 4 WR looks more often, the nickel is kind of becoming the base for everyone.

 

[LACHAMP46]

But I do think things are changing. With offenses veering more towards passing and 3 and 4 WR looks more often, the nickel is kind of becoming the base for everyone.

Well they still pass a little more than 50% of the time....so should you sacrifice the run defense to line up in a nickle? Certain teams (GB, Pats, Indy, NO) of course, but in the NFC West, hell no....
That kid at SC, that was outta position, Dion Bailey...BPOT in 2013...think he's damn near outta football...And he could really play....never learned how to play FS.

 

[jrry32]

Well they still pass a little more than 50% of the time....so should you sacrifice the run defense to line up in a nickle? Certain teams (GB, Pats, Indy, NO) of course, but in the NFC West, hell no....
That kid at SC, that was outta position, Dion Bailey...BPOT in 2013...think he's damn near outta football...And he could really play....never learned how to play FS.

Bailey's issue was that he couldn't play FS. He was a tweener. Didn't have the instincts to play deep safety but wasn't big enough to play in the box or athletic enough to play the slot safety role. At USC, he was used as a slot/box safety and a LB which he was great at in college. He wasn't capable of excelling in either role in the NFL.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Bailey's issue was that he couldn't play FS.

Don't you think a year or 3 as a FS in college would have helped him? Not like that SC defense was like great at any one thing....

 

[jrry32]

Don't you think a year or 3 as a FS in college would have helped him? Not like that SC defense was like great at any one thing....

I doubt it. Just wasn't the skill-set he had.

 

[PFaulk]

Well they still pass a little more than 50% of the time....so should you sacrifice the run defense to line up in a nickle? Certain teams (GB, Pats, Indy, NO) of course, but in the NFC West, hell no....
That kid at SC, that was outta position, Dion Bailey...BPOT in 2013...think he's damn near outta football...And he could really play....never learned how to play FS.

Even the makeup of the NFC West is changing a bit...the Seahawks trading Unger for Graham, the 49ers letting Gore walk and signing Torry Smith...the Cardinals backs are more receivers than pure runners.