Is the “bigger is better” template a good idea when applied to CB's ?

michael89156 · 2014-01-27T07:55:31Z

The copycat nature of the NFL has the league looking at Seattle’s take on the cornerback position. Len Pasquarelli NFPJanuary 26, 2014, 09:56 AM EST..Sherman stands 6-3 and was found in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. Among the many old and hackneyed saws connected to the NFL are these two: There is nothing new under the sun in the league. And second, as noted hundreds of times already on NFP, the NFL is the consummate copycat league. Combine the two and what do you get? Well, you get the Seattle Seahawks’ desire for big cornerbacks and the rest of the league’s sudden love affair to emulate that with coverage defenders who can not only knock down a pass but also knock a wide receiver off his route before he even has a chance to get to the ball. Nothing succeeds quite like success in the NFL, and with the Seahawks having carved out the best record in the NFC and advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII next Sunday with safety- or even linebacker-sized defensive backs, they have unwittingly established the template for other franchises. And as evidence of that, despite the seemingly recent phenomenon of trying to unearth bullish cornerbacks, understand that Seattle coach Pete Carroll first became enamored of the idea more than 30 years ago. Yeah, thirty-something years ago. As a nondescript defensive assistant at North Carolina State, Carroll was watching a training camp practice matching the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers in the early 1980s, a joint session rare in those days. This was in an era in which San Francisco coach Bill Walsh, even in the earliest days of the West Coast offense, favored big receivers such as Dwight Clark. The Raiders, not necessarily because of the 49ers, but because owner Al Davis coveted size and speed, countered with cornerbacks Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes. Watching the practice, and taking note of the difficulty the San Francisco receivers had in getting releases and moving into their routes, the synapses fired in Carroll’s fertile cranium. While he hasn’t always succeeded in finding bigger cornerbacks in his various incarnations as a head coach at the college and the professional levels, Carroll recalled that innocuous practice at every stop. He tied the adage that “bigger is better” to a position where it historically hadn’t always been applied. For whatever reason – and despite the successes of teams like Pittsburgh, which had Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount, a horse of a man at nearly 6-feet-4 – the notion of big cornerbacks was hardly a widespread one. But Carroll, who concedes he is hardly a visionary, saw the possibilities. “I just thought that adding another kind of physical (obstacle) that receivers would have to deal with was a way to go,” he said. “It was just obvious watching that (1980s) practice.” Recalled the verbose Hayes, who has been considered in the past for Hall of Fame induction, and probably should keep company with his old buddy Haynes in the Canton shrine: “I remember that (wide receivers) didn’t like playing us. We were good. We were physical. And, man, we were big. I mean, you didn’t see guys who were 6 feet, 6-1, whatever out there at corner that much, you know?” Thirty years later, the bigger cornerbacks aren’t as prevalent as some coaches likely wish they were – “Hey, try finding a 6(-foot) something guy that can run that well. It’s just not that easy,” one AFC defensive coordinator said this week – but perhaps the success of the Seahawks is changing the paradigm a bit. If you want evidence of that, look no further than the Senior Bowl practices from last week. Even reviewing the sessions on television instead of in-person, and looking over the video of the practices, it’s obvious that size is definitely “in” at the cornerback slot. Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage said the collection of bigger cornerbacks wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision, and that’s true. But Savage has an NFL pedigree, keeps close tabs on what’s happening in a league where he was once a standout talent scout and general manager, and it’s not totally happenstance that the game included five cornerbacks of impressive size. Perhaps were the Senior Bowl able to recruit underclass players (at which point it would no longer be the Senior Bowl, right?), the size component at cornerback would not have been so profound. Still, of the consensus top six cornerbacks cited by most scouts to whom NFP regularly speaks, three are 6 feet or taller. Oklahoma State standout Justin Gilbert, generally thought to be either the No. 1 or 2 prospect at the position, told NFP: “It’s kind of the old ‘tit for tat.’ The receivers have gotten bigger, so the (cornerbacks) had to as well.” The Senior Bowl practices featured corners such as Utah’s Keith McGill (6-3, 215), Pierre Desir of Lindenwood (6-1 1/8, 195), Nebraska’s Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-2 3/8, 214), Walt Aiken of Liberty (6-0 5/8, 205) and Dontae Johnson of North Carolina State (6-2, 199). Maybe given the origination of Carr...

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Cabin Boy Guest

I'm 5'7 and played allot of CB in my day, including man CB. The key is speed and vertical. Sure those 6'4" WR could out jump me, but if I could keep pace I was in position to dislodge the ball. You can go up and get it...but let's see you come down with it...... Sherman is a prime example of why speed doesn't matter. He is not exactly Usain Bolt, and he is one of the top CB's in the NFL. Maybe even the best. [sorry revis] Speed does matter and it's why Sherman is so special The fact that he can do what he does at his speed with stiffish hips makes him the exception and not the rule IMO.

An average CB can cover up a lot of faults with blazing speed. Sherman has "it" between the ears, and great instincts.

Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 12:10 am

Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Well, you probably won't see a CB that is north of 6' be drafted in the first 2/maybe 3 rounds. You could see as many as 10 CBs get drafted that aren't about 6'. Hell, IMO the best CB in this upcoming draft class is in the 5'10 range and only weighs around 175, but he is gonna be an excellent CB, I predict. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 3:03 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest My point was for a short corner, you need speed. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 9:16 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest If you're the Vikings and Packers you've got Megatron, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall twice every season. Getting bigger, more physical guys on the outside might be a necessity Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 9:48 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Best CB in this draft is 5'11" 200lbs.....Gilbert. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 11:03 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I'm 5'7 and played allot of CB in my day, including man CB. The key is speed and vertical. Sure those 6'4" WR could out jump me, but if I could keep pace I was in position to dislodge the ball. You can go up and get it...but let's see you come down with it...... Sherman is a prime example of why speed doesn't matter. He is not exactly Usain Bolt, and he is one of the top CB's in the NFL. Maybe even the best. [sorry revis] Speed does matter and it's why Sherman is so special The fact that he can do what he does at his speed with stiffish hips makes him the exception and not the rule IMO. +1 a 6' 3' 200lb guy (roughly) who runs a 4.5 (ish) in the 40, and runs in the 10s in the 100 meter and (I think) 10s even in the 110 hurdles IS FAST. We're talking about only a .1 to .2 slower than the fastest guys in the NFL in the 40 and he is 6' 3" and LONG and SMART. HIs FUNCTIONAL speed is very high, as you note. He plays faster than most Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 11:12 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Sherman is a prime example of why speed doesn't matter. He is not exactly Usain Bolt, and he is one of the top CB's in the NFL. Maybe even the best. [sorry revis] Best this year. Not best in the league or at least not yet. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 11:38 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Sherm is good in the system they're running though.Not to take anything away from him, but he's running a system that is built well around him as well as fit into that system particularly well.Meanwhile, if we are to compare, revis is quite versatile. In zone he's great, and in man coverage, a downright terror. Other elite guys like scrabble changed and went to pot, so it isn't always boobshine and buttervag when changing schemes or systems.Sherm can't say as much, but his stats will say otherwise for many many more years to come. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 1:40 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Sherm is good in the system they're running though.Not to take anything away from him, but he's running a system that is built well around him as well as fit into that system particularly well.Meanwhile, if we are to compare, revis is quite versatile. In zone he's great, and in man coverage, a downright terror. Other elite guys like scrabble changed and went to pot, so it isn't always boobshine and buttervag when changing schemes or systems.Sherm can't say as much, but his stats will say otherwise for many many more years to come. Totally agree. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 2:03 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Sherman is a prime example of why speed doesn't matter. He is not exactly Usain Bolt, and he is one of the top CB's in the NFL. Maybe even the best. [sorry revis] Best this year. Not best in the league or at least not yet. Fair point. Its a tough call between Sherman, Revis, and Peterson IMO. Posted : Jan. 28, 2014 11:23 pm

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Is the “bigger is better” template a good idea when applied to CB's ?

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