I don't disagree that I'm crazy, but making a few plays against Penningtons lazer rocket passes his first week on a new team after a short off-season isn't very impressive to me. Could he be better after his rookie season? He better be.
Lowery's 5 Forced Fumbles and 16 passes defended should show us that he capable of making plays. it was his rookie season with a shit pass rush opposite a top 3 CB. everyone needs to realize he did well. What the kid can thrive on is hurried passes due to pressure on the QB. He has that kind of ballhawk intangible. It a matter of letting it mature. His one flaw, putting the hand on the back of the WR is correctable and a trick only players such as Revis can get away with. No ref would ever give a rookie that trick, like an umpire giving a rookie pitcher a half-inch extra off the plate. It doesn't happen. His speed isn't top notch, but possession receivers will hate him if he reaches his potential. What is tough to know right now is will he be resigned after his rookie contract is up. Is he going to be highly replaceable or will he emerge as a keeper in the secondary?
do you expect him to play worse than his rookie season, or hoping to play worse than his rookie season?
Actually, if you read the bottom of my second post in this thread you'll see that I said I hope he proves me wrong. I am of the belief he is a zone corner in a man scheme. We will see.
oh ok. does anyone one know if Ryan implemented a zone blitz scheme or does he have a similar scheme to the Belichick/Mangini scheme but with better blitz packages?
I'm assuming it's a combination of both. But one would prefer to have CBs that can play man coverage one on one so that the LBs are free to blitz from all angles without making anyone a liability. Revis' worth is huge in that sense, and I think Sheppard can play at a high level as well.
these threads are fun. so full of what people want and wish for. sure i want the kid to be a top 5 cb in the league, that however doesnt mean that he is or will ever be. he showed some decent skills and some things he is severely lacking in. i agree that revis is more of a help than a hinderance to a weaker corner, i dont see how taking away an entire side of the field with 1 guy is bad for the opposite corner? the pass rush thing has been gone over, i could swear i read in this thread that we had MORE sacks than the ravens. stop saying we had a crap pass rush and that rex will fix it with his amazing schemes. the kid has some skills hopefully he can build on those and become a number 2, if not i think he can be a very good nickel and guy who can come in to give a breather to a 2. there is nothing wrong with having 2 decent #2 cbs.
I'll take this one step further. If Jenkins stays healthy, our defense will be top 5 in the league. He's that good. And if our defense is that good, our team will have a chance every week and could definitely make the playoffs. I'm hoping Howard Green and Sione Pouha can be the answers. It's more hope than anything else though. Pouha showed flashes in the past, but he was bad last year. Green was getting good reviews in mini-camp, and he's going to end up being important to this team. He's 6'3", 220 pounds, and while I don't think he can replace Jenkins if he goes down, he provides another option to spell Jenkins, and he's said to be a good run stopper in spurts.
Pouha has shown next to nothing since his time in the NFL. He cannot be counted on for NT depth in my opinion. No idea about Green either, but what it will come down to is running more 4-3 to spell Jenx. I think our personnel is better suited to run 3-4/4-3 hybrid anyway though. Gholston may be more comortable with his hand in the dirt while Ellis and Jenkins have both made pro bowl appearances following seasons in 4-3s. We will have the right guys in there at the right time but depth scares the hell out of me.
Bingo! The Eagles scheme is one that is VERY demanding of the defensive backs. The Eagles put their money on the dline and secondary, the only type of LB they want is one that can blitz. They like to blitz the LBs constantly whilst leaving their DBs in man to man coverage. Sheppard was benched because of a contract dispute with one of the NFL's most frugal front offices. He can play at a high level in a defense where there are a lot of blitzes and, subsequently, man coverage. I imagine this is awfully close to the type of defense Rex Ryan will employ. All signs point to Sheppard being a perfect fit to go across from Revis.
i actually think its one....lowery was brilliant to start the year then i think he got in his own way....i don't blame this one on mangini at all....i just think lowery put too much pressure on him self and got away from instincts and started playing with his head.... i think hes going to be fine...but i do think regardless lito is the starter....lowery is a solid option at nickel back...this could also be rex's way of showing he has confidence in lowery knowing that lito is really the starter barring a miraculous performance by lowery in camp and preseason
Actually, Lowery presents some problem, if he gets the nod as a #2. As he does lack the blazing speed, that means Lowery will be relegated to covering the shallow field, while the FS will have to shadow over to Lowery's side for deep coverage backup. Ok... say, in Dallas 2 scheme, CBs are supposed to cover the shallow zone at all cost, while the safeties cover the backfield, so it's not a big liability. In Rex's system, I have absolutely now idea how things are run. If the past performance of the Ravens' D is any barometer, they had Chris McAlister at his prime, and Samari Rolle at his prime, for the CB duo. Revis can be as good as either of the two, but Lowery doesn't quite come in the ballpark of either. All I'm saying is, Lowery looks like a decent pick, and can be #2 CB in different schemes (Tampa 2, or its variations) but I don't know how he will fare in Rex Ryan system. My bet is, he'd be better suited as a nickel here at best. So... possibly, he'd have to leave NY to prosper.
I disagree. Calvin Pace is not the player that Shawn Merriman is. Thus, the pressure will have to come from the linebacking corp, as a unit. Thus, it will hurt a bit, in that an able body cannot help out the rotation, but it shouldn't mean the secondary will have to be exposed.
the thing is, he needs to consistently rely on a good pass rush to succeed, imo. without this, his flaw (speed) can be easilly exposed and he is picked on. lito should start.
He can be damn fucking good with a pass rush, though. You've got to admit that. He has a ridiculous rate of pass deflections and forced fumbles for the amount of coverage and play time he got. A tandem of corners where the first prevents the offense from making plays on his side and the second takes advantage of the offense being limited to his side of the field to make big plays is a great combination. The offense has to choose between a huge turnover risk on one side and a low success rate on the other. If you combine that with a front seven that can get even decent pressure, then the only choice the offense has left is to run. If you can get a secondary system like that out of a 3-4 defense, which is designed to stop the run, then you have an extremely good defense on your hands.
you're right, but i'll get back to you when that pass rush proves consistent. isn't lito known as a ballhawk who likes to gamble? that seems like a good combo with a good pass rush, with speed in case he gets beat. i am leaning towards lito, but i trust rex and pettine will make a careful decision on the RCB.
Agreed. Hopefully Lowery has gotten better, but my mind still goes back to the San Diego game where he got burned play after play.
Yeah, the pass rush really is the key for this defense, though you can't underestimate the run game, too: Our run defense was kind of manufactured by the scheme last year. As has been noted by even the CBS announcers, Kris Jenkins 2-gapping in the middle so well allowed the DEs and OLBs to largely ignore their inside responsibilities and pinch down to shut down any outside run. When you combined that with the run thumper that David Harris is, it made for a very strong run defense. With Jenkins out, the DEs and OLBs had to pay more attention to the inside run, which made the inside run not suffer as much, but the overall run defense still suffered from Jenkins' injuries and absence.
