Safeties Still A Concern IMO

[TKO]

Two plays bothered me when the Pats were trying to close out Atlanta

1.Gregory whiffed on Gonzalez along the sideline allowing him to score.
2. Brady fumbled the snap on 4th down and on the next play McCourty failed to make a play on the ball and gave up a 49 yd completion to Julio Jones.

They have to play better than that in crunch time. McCourty doesn't fill me with confidence but at the very least they need to get someone to fill Gregory's spot...if not this year then definitely next year....IMO.

 

[Southieinnc]

Two plays bothered me when the Pats were trying to close out Atlanta

1.Gregory whiffed on Gonzalez along the sideline allowing him to score.
2. Brady fumbled the snap on 4th down and on the next play McCourty failed to make a play on the ball and gave up a 49 yd completion to Julio Jones.

They have to play better than that in crunch time. McCourty doesn't fill me with confidence but at the very least they need to get someone to fill Gregory's spot...if not this year then definitely next year....IMO.

Gregory plays his heart out. He is very good. He is just NOT a strong Safety. A great guy but too soft and nowhere else to put him

 

[TKO]

Gregory plays his heart out. He is very good. He is just NOT a strong Safety. A great guy but too soft and nowhere else to put him

I thought they might be able to turn Justin Green into a safety when they signed him to the PS. He seemed like he was a good tackler and was decent in coverage during camp.

 

[JDM]

Julio is an elite jump ball player and high pointed that ball perfectly. It happens and was actually almost as well defended as possible.

 

[TKO]

Julio is an elite jump ball player and high pointed that ball perfectly. It happens and was actually almost as well defended as possible.

He was right there with Jones but couldn't make a play on the ball and by that I mean...at least get a hand on it to deflect it. It's the same thing Butler used to do, he was just about always right there but couldn't stop the catch...now he's gone. Whatever, it was at a time when big players are supposed to come up big...

 

[Drawmeomg]

Eh, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez are going to get theirs. It happens. If we had a Seahawks-level elite defense, we could talk about shutting them down, but we don't. They made plays like an above-average defense in that game, and there's a lot to feel good about, but we can't expect to blank one of the most loaded offenses in football right now.

For what it's worth, the criticism that McCourty can't break up plays is unfounded. He leads the league for passes defensed plus interceptions over the last three years.

 

[TKO]

Eh, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez are going to get theirs. It happens. If we had a Seahawks-level elite defense, we could talk about shutting them down, but we don't. They made plays like an above-average defense in that game, and there's a lot to feel good about, but we can't expect to blank one of the most loaded offenses in football right now.

For what it's worth, the criticism that McCourty can't break up plays is unfounded. He leads the league for passes defensed plus interceptions over the last three years.

Are you including the 7 Ints he had as a rookie? Maybe he's had more balls thrown his way since then for some reason too. He had more picks in 2010 than Revis did but I have a suspicion it was because no one wanted to throw it to Revis Island. I doubt anyone would say the stats prove McCourty is better than Revis. All I'm saying is if someone strikes out a lot in baseball and he has a lot of at bats, he'll also have a high number of strike outs and he could easily lead the league in them.

 

[Drawmeomg]

I'm not saying he's better than Revis. I'm not comparing him to Revis in any way. I'm just saying that it's not true that the other guy always comes up with it when they throw at him. He's a good safety.

 

[TKO]

I'm not saying he's better than Revis. I'm not comparing him to Revis in any way. I'm just saying that it's not true that the other guy always comes up with it when they throw at him. He's a good safety.

I know what you're saying. I was just pointing out that there might be other reasons for the stats. It could be due to the number of times he's been thrown at or the number of times the corner on his side has been thrown at etc. If he's had more opportunities to make a play, his numbers will be higher than a safety like Ed Reed's would be because offenses didn't want to throw at Reed. Stats are a useful tool but some things are harder to nail down with them than others.

 

[briz almighty]

we need a big ss to cover tes aka ray ray armstrong. adrian wilson was supposed to be this what a horrible signing.

 

[Southieinnc]

Julio is an elite jump ball player and high pointed that ball perfectly. It happens and was actually almost as well defended as possible.

It was very well defended and not enough. 2007 Rodney could not stop the catch in the SB that made a very big difference in the game - and he was elite! Nevertheless, Gregory is still not going to play any better than he does. He has achieved a lot for a guy that is small for his position. I hate to be tough but, He will never catch up with that kind of receiver.....

 

[TKO]

It was very well defended and not enough. 2007 Rodney could not stop the catch in the SB that made a very big difference in the game - and he was elite! Nevertheless, Gregory is still not going to play any better than he does. He has achieved a lot for a guy that is small for his position. I hate to be tough but, He will never catch up with that kind of receiver.....

Gregory is listed at 5"11 200 lbs but I swear he looks smaller than that. I went to NFLDraftScout because you can't fudge the Combine numbers and sure enough he was 5'11 They listed him at 185 lbs but that was his rookie year and he's easily up to 200 lbs now. I think it's the NBA guard effect because they look small on the floor with the other players until you're standing next to them or see them out and about somewhere.