Taylor Mays to Bengals?

[CrashDavisSports]

Got this from Bengals.com when discussing Reggie Nelson and the safety position...

They are keeping an eye on San Francisco's Taylor Mays and who knows? He may end up here the way current starter Reggie Nelson did last on season a Cutdown Day trade.

That would be some pretty dang good athleticism on our defense with Dunlap, Atkins, Moch and Mays. Each of those guys are a freak of nature.

I would not be upset if this were to happen. I think Mays need a year or two to develop, but he has the intangibles you cannot teach (size, speed). If you can squeeze him into a role that he will be comfortable with, you could have a real diamond in the rough.

Imagine, a SS that can run a 4.2-3 40, and an OLB who is nearly 250 pounds and runs a 4.4 to sub 4.4 40. That is a couple freaks of nature right there on the defensive side of the ball, to go with Green who is the full package at WR, and Gresham at TE.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

interesting, Taylor Mays would be a big help, he can't cover though.

 

[vancelot23]

Mays has a ton of speed and size, but doesn't seem to have the skills. He'd probably be a LB, rather than S.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Mays has a ton of speed and size, but doesn't seem to have the skills. He'd probably be a LB, rather than S.

I am thinking more of an in the box SS more than anything who can play a zone in a certain area when needed. He would not be a cover safety. However, with his speed and size at SS and playing in the box with occassional zone assignment, he could make an impact if we can get that true FS to compliment him. A SS, as normally defined by "normal" NFL rules prior to the major passing attack would have been a LB basically who could go out in coverage if needed, but not his main priority. Typically a SS is not expected to cover. In passing situations, you trade out your SS for a nickle corner.

 

[vancelot23]

I would be OK with giving him a shot, but I doubt it happens.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I would be OK with giving him a shot, but I doubt it happens.

True. There may be a lot of cutdowns later on here with the infusion of talent in the league. We still have a chance to snag someone decent that is being cut due to age and or price tag on cap. Guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[vancelot23]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I'm hoping somebody gets cut that can step in. I know a few like Nelson, but I'm not sold, and Crocker is awful.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I'm hoping somebody gets cut that can step in. I know a few like Nelson, but I'm not sold, and Crocker is awful.

Crocker is terrible. I am looking as forward to getting rid of him as I was Roy Williams, and before him Dexter Jackson.

Both those guys were well past their primes by the time they got here.

 

[vancelot23]

Yeah, there's a pattern of neglect to the safety position. They want to take castoffs from other teams.

 

[redbengal1000]

Not a fan of Mays. Sure, he has plenty of intangibles, but the Niners don't want the guy for a reason, even after only a couple years. He can't cover, he's an extra linebacker that's more concerned with hitting people than anything else. I'd love to have a hard hitting safety, but I think we need more of a ball-hawking FS type than anything.

 

[vancelot23]

I'm tired of seeing crap safeties who don't scare WRs in our defense. Opposing teams don't fear our safeties, and know if they can get on the backside of the corners, it's 6 points, and our corners can't be aggressive, because they HAVE to keep the receivers in front of them.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

you guys should wait until the draft next year
and get Robert Lester out of Alabama in the 2nd round

or wait until the middle rounds and get a major steal with George Iloka from Boise State.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I'm tired of seeing crap safeties who don't scare WRs in our defense. Opposing teams don't fear our safeties, and know if they can get on the backside of the corners, it's 6 points, and our corners can't be aggressive, because they HAVE to keep the receivers in front of them.

I don't think Mays has to be used like that. More of a in the box kinda of safety, who can sit in a zone when needed, who has to speed to make up for some mistakes and can keep up with the slot guy over the middle underneath. Also, he would be used for a lot of blitzing packages.

I think between Nelson and Sands, we have to wait and see what appears this year between them. Sands can be either or with his size and speed, Mays would be a 2nd tier player at safety for specialty packages. He may not be able to cover one on one due to his inability to play the WR...but he can sit in a soft zone and react to the QB, he can play a deep safety on 3rd and long over the middle, he can play an in the box safety, and he can be used as a rusher from all different angles. His versatility and freakish atrhleticism can be utilized if we are not trying to stick him in the same mold as an every down FS/SS who is expected to cover one on one.

 

[vancelot23]

Sands is the wildcard. I hope he develops quickly enough to get some time.

 

[TrinDaddy]

Wasn't this the cat that everybody predicted we'd take in 2010 and instead we got Mr. Gresham? Wouldn't mind having a run stuffing safety for short yardage and 2nd downs, but I think we need a more versatile S in our backfield to complement both the LB and the CB because he proved at USC he doesn't know how to cover. He does have incredible speed (reported sub 4.3 40 time), so if anybody can figure out a spot for him it would be Zim.

 

[bengaldoug]

Also not a fan of Mays, but even so his non covering ass is an upgrade over the garbage we have there now.....

 

[TrinDaddy]

At the end of the day he's only played one year, so either something is totally wrong with him or San Fran is just trying their hardest to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

 

[vancelot23]

Also not a fan of Mays, but even so his non covering ass is an upgrade over the garbage we have there now.....

This is true.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

At the end of the day he's only played one year, so either something is totally wrong with him or San Fran is just trying their hardest to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

As much of a Mays supporter as I was coming into the draft when we took Gresham, this statement has to have some merit to one way or another.

 

[Servo]

I was a fan of Mays going into the draft last year. I think people get caught up in thinking that every safety needs to be a ball hawk like Ed Reed. Asking Mays to play be like Reed would be like asking Brandon Jacobs to be Barry Sanders. Let Mays be aggresive and play his game (ie flying to the ball...being disruptive by being a physical presence) and you'll get returns. He's more of an old school type of safety like Steve Atwater, but Zim seems to like those guys (as do I). think of hiw much Zim likes to use the safety as a blitzer...mays would be very effective there. At the very least the guy would become an absolute terror on ST. I'd give up a mid round pick for him.