Safety

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Tricky, Mar 9, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. NotoriousZEUS

    NotoriousZEUS Rookie

    346
    65
    44
    To me Byard is more Polamalu-esque. He's developing into a guy that can be anywhere, and as he gets more comfortable and experienced I think we're going to see more of that. I rather have him as our SS, and grabbing Hooker as our new Ed Reed.
     
    • High Five High Five x 2
    • Hit the Target Hit the Target x 1
  2. The Hammer

    The Hammer Ace Degenerate

    51,525
    15,773
    1,439
    Good post


    And you should get an avatar :)
     
  3. Johnnyb

    Johnnyb RTR

    1,693
    779
    519
    I've heard some people say that Peppers could/should be moved to RB, which is a very interesting take. I could see the Lions as a possible landing spot, as they currently have needs at the RB and spot and Safety. Basically they'd just take him as an athlete and figure out where he fits best. Not ideal for a 1st rounder, but he is a very good athlete that can contribute in multiple ways.

    I've made arguments before that we should go after Adams in the first, and listed ways that we could make a 3rd safety work, but the more I think about it, I just don't know if that's the best place to put our draft capital. Cyp and Byard are already good starters, and guys like Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson or Desmond King could be available in the 3rd round or Baker in the 2nd if we get one of those somehow.

    The position just isn't the gaping hole it once was. CB and WR are far more glaring after the FA period.
     
  4. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

    8,052
    2,249
    669
    I agree he's not a first round pick...but someone may put him at that level due to upside. Obviously you don't think he even has the potential to be Polamalu in coverage, but he is a very good athlete - especially for S. And if you look at his 2015 tape, you see the gamut of his coverage. The good and the bad. He blankets people sometimes, makes plays on the ball sometimes, and clearly needs a lot of technique work sometimes.

    Clearly taking him out of those roles helped Michigan this year to focus him on what he's best at right now - attacking downhill, but not Peppers development for the Pro game. Some will see his upside, some won't.

    I think he has the potential, but he's not close right now and that's too big of a risk for round 1 - especially when there are better players who can step in on day 1. This is a deep safety class!
     
  5. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

    8,052
    2,249
    669
    Byard is bigger than Polamalu and for the most part might be a better athlete...but he's nowhere near Polamalu as a football player. Polamalu was a vicious in the box S with incredible instincts who more than held his own deep. Byard is a FS in a SS's body. Byard doesn't hit like a Mack truck and not nearly explosive on the field. This is one of the reasons the Titans can move him around (SS or FS) but we're not sure where he fits best because of his mixed skills/size/athleticism.

    Might be better off putting Byard in the deep middle and use Adams or Budda Baker as an in the box S who can be moved all over the place. Then again, how many FS prospects truly remind you of the great Ed Reed?
     
  6. NotoriousZEUS

    NotoriousZEUS Rookie

    346
    65
    44
    He's only played his first year and did well. Better than Polamalu did in his at that. Obviously sitting there and saying Byard will be as good as him is a tough sell. Personally I don't think it's likely either. However, Byard is very similar to Polamalu even if it's to a lesser degree. They are different tacklers, yes, but they are both very efficient at it and very similar in other ways, and those are the things that made Polamalu great.

    It's quite obvious what Byard is and trying to put him in a certain category like you are is disservice to him. He's not a tweener, he's good enough and smart enough to play either position. What is he a smidge better at? Who knows, it's too early to tell. Either way though, he's going to be rotating all around the field in LeBeau's defense anyways.
     
  7. HurrayTitans!

    HurrayTitans! Useless trivia knowledge champion

    21,466
    6,405
    1,059
    http://www.gotitans.com/threads/upload-an-avatar-its-easy.90647/
    You should get one.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  8. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

    8,052
    2,249
    669
    On the one hand you say it's quite obvious what Byard is...? What is he?

    Later you say who knows...? Which is it? Is it obvious...in which case tell us...or who knows...in which case why say it's obvious what he is? I'm not following your logic.

    I disagree that they are similar. I think they are very different. Polamalu was just scary in the box for a running play, for a qb, for a TE. He had great film study, anticipation, and instincts and totally trusted them. Byard has not shown than kind of dominant run instincts in the box yet IMO. And Byard started 7 games and played in 16 as a rookie. Polamalu started 0 and still had 1 more sack, same number of PD's and only 20 fewer tackles. If Byard has a season like Polamalu did in year 2 (90+ tackles, 10 pd's and 5 INT's), you can tell me how wrong I was about him. I'd be happy if Byard was even close!

    My problem is...and I think part of the Titans problem is, they aren't sure what they have in Byard. Is he a SS? A FS? Or an all around guy who can do everything well?
     
  9. NotoriousZEUS

    NotoriousZEUS Rookie

    346
    65
    44
    He's a smart and instinctive, hard-nosed, well-rounded player that is a great athlete. Just like Polamalu was, but to what extent is not yet known because he's only had one year in the league. It's pretty simple logic, really. Also, games started is not indicative of snap counts either, what actually matters when comparing player's statistics.

    Byard has shown a lot so far, but at the end of the day he's just a rookie. He's shown he CAN be a force inside the box stopping screens, blitzing, TEs, and the run. He can also read the QB and take it out as well, and we all know what he can do with his hands when he's in the area. The problem is you are trying to compare him to a prime Troy, and that's the problem, because it isn't fair. Like I said, even still he probably won't ever be as good as Troy was, and definitely not as flasy, but that's still not to say they aren't comparable.

    He's well-rounded safety like Polamalu that can do whatever Dick asks him to do, just like Troy did. If that''s play deep, blitz, play from the box, start in the box and go out, he's capable of it all and it's that versatility that makes him so good and unique, even in today's game where that style of play has been more popularized after Troy and Lebeau's success in Pitt.

    That's what I'm not sure you're getting. I don't think you understand the modern day scheming, more particularly Dick LeBeau's scheming and what makes him so great, and that is versatile safeties that can go anywhere and will go everywhere and upset offensive schemes.
     
  10. 615nick

    615nick Starter

    2,350
    923
    469
    Polamalu was a ss that lebeau moved around, byard is a fs that lebeau moves around. They are both versatile s, but very different players, imo. I think byard is young enough and athletic enough to become a pb player at either spot, but right now he's better suited for fs, imo. With searcy on the roster and the signing of cyp, i think the fo/coaches see what i see. It's really hard to compare a rook to a hof guy, really hard. I'd say a better/ more reasonable comparison is eric weddle, right now.
     
    • High Five High Five x 1
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  • Welcome to goTitans.com

    Established in 2000, goTitans.com is the place for Tennessee Titans fans to talk Titans. Our roots go back to the Tennessee Oilers Fan Page in 1997 and we currently have 4,000 diehard members with 1.5 million messages. To find out about advertising opportunities, contact TitanJeff.
  • The Tip Jar

    For those of you interested in helping the cause, we offer The Tip Jar. For $2 a month, you can become a subscriber and enjoy goTitans.com without ads.

    Hit the Tip Jar