Are we set at safety?
 

Our strong safety is dynamite in the box and gets beat by big boys in coverage, but he is getting better each year.
We could expect to lose him for a game or two because of his aggressive demolishing hits.....it's a possibility I think.

Our free safety takes bad angles, doesn't tackle well and is always just a little too late. He missed Sharper more than anybody.
He was a slow corner we converted. I don't want to call it a failed experiment but when Sharper was here Jenkins played better.
I may get a few folks that won't agree.jmho
How set are we at the safety positions and depth?

At this point in the draft if we can get a good pass rusher or a good safety or both I they get a A in my book.

I do agree with you at the safeties. they might not be the best, but we should get more up front. A Dt or better De, with more pressure up front they should be ok. As far as the depth goes. I don't really have a clue. I did like that hit Abdul-Quddus laid on that giant wr, or TE. He should be ok

I’d rather a ball hawking safety than an aggressive hard hitting safety.

True I forgot the age of football we are playing now, with Roger Goodell at the wheel. Better go out an get a ball hawk now.

I'd like to see what Flajole can do with them, before everyone decides to start over...

My main concern would be Roman Harper getting suspended. I wouldn't be surprised if he was.

Yep,thats the problem.That leaves only Jenkins,that isnt that bad on his own,just needs someone that he can communicate with . Also,all of our defense deserves a better coaching staff,lets hope they have one now with Spag at the helm .

I can see what you mean but Harper hits like a MACK truck and I like that too. Has to be a nightmare to be a QB and see him coming around the corner.

In pass coverage you see him comming around the corner after you have crossed the goal line.

I thought that Jenkins had a very good 2010 season after Sharper was hurt and unable to start the season, and it was clear that the Saints were really hampered by Jenkins being injured and missing the final Seahawks game.

2011 was an off season for him, but that can be said for the whole secondary unit in general. I think that he has the talent to be top tier FS and I'm looking for him to have a bounce back year with the new coaching staff.

If Harper is suspended for a lengthy period, they might even consider moving away from the FS/SS format - at least temporarily - and fielding a cover-2 safety configuration with at least the other OLB adapting to a more SS like role. Chamberlain could fit this mold and even Herring (if he is still around) since they seem athletic enough to pull it off.

This might solidify the secondary with two deep(er) safeties and with the added tackling monsters to the LB corps, the run defense might not need the safety support that was necessary in the past - or at least GW thought so.

And I'm not talking about adapting a Tampa-2, but a configuration of a left and a right safety, who would both play more of a FS than a SS role.

I'm not sure what the Flajole/Curtis tandem prefers, but it might be an alternative if Harper is not available, because it might best suit the Jenkins/A-Q pair, since that would be what the Saints would have to go with. Furthermore, this year's draft has a very weak and narrow safety class, and beyond the top 3 prospects there aren't any starters to be picked, maybe a low round depth/ST contributor.

Blitzing 11 billion times per season and not getting to the QB leaves CB's and safeties vulnerable.

The two best safeties in the NFL would have gotten beat like a drum last year on this team.

Also... when GW did have them in coverage they were always like 7-10yds off of their man which would baffle me all the time. Like seriously you'd rather let them catch the ball and get off the line clean? Its like GW was saying "ok if we go to cover instead of blitz...just let them catch the ball and get yards just make sure you bring them down before they get to the endzone...then we'll hope our goal line D will hold up."

There were many times where I was watchin them on defense and I knew exactly where the soft spot in the D was because (most of the time Porter or Robinson) were like 10 yds off their man and I'm screaming at the TV for them to Press their man because once they let them get off the line clean they caught the ball and had ran 5-20yds already because when they tried to come up and make the play they couldn't wrap up or took a bad angle. Its common knowledge that if you press you can jam the reciever up and throw them off their route....I hardly ever saw that happen

From Fin: "This might solidify the secondary with two deep(er) safeties and with the added tackling monsters to the LB corps, the run defense might not need the safety support that was necessary in the past - or at least GW thought so."

IMHO, this quote is SPOT on!

I like the Safetys on the Saints. A lot. I think that the Jenkins/Harper pairing, assuming they both play most or all of the season, is one of the best tandems in the NFL. Quddus and Amaya had some promising plays last year as well.

Hopefully, we'll see some pressure without much blitzing. Last years young-uns and this years FA crop really have me excited.

You beat me to it, Danno. I think both safeties have much better years in 2012...

Yep. Impossible to judge talent when everyone is running around chaotically, but we're still not getting pressure

lets see how the spags defense works out with this group. definitly more traditional defense thats for sure.

stone hands harper is just that

jenkins should do fine.

So far we've spent all our defensive free-agent money on the front seven.

We haven't spent a dime on any DB's.

I think the staff recognizes where the main problems are.

S Tanard Jackson just released by the Bucs. Now he did get released because he failed his physical. He is still recovering from shoulder surgery and his agent says he should be healed by the end of the offseason. Does anyone think he's worth taking a flyer on at least for depth purposes?

If he was cut because he failed a physical, but has to pass one for the Saints to sign him. How is that going to work?

Dope smoker. Pass

He should be good to go by June but he has had drug problems in the past. He was due $2 million this year plus bonuses every game he was on the roster. Might be worth a look see.

I guess I'll have to be the one to make the obvious point. Next year we are going to have a new defensive scheme with a new coordinator. There are absolutely no guarantees that Spags is going to use Harper the same way that Williams did. If Spags expects his SS to be locked up with a TE in coverage 80% of the time, then Harper may not be the right fit.

The question is what does the scheme look like next year. What safety we need will depend on that answer.

SFIAH

Why you hatin' bro? Or did you just mean "Pass" as in, you know...pass it to the left? LOL

:smokin:

Well, Spags has to find a way to best utilize Harper's particular skill-set, because if he isn't suspended - he'll be a starter at SS, the contract he received last off-season makes that inevitable because they won't be able to move him.

Why is everyone worried about Harper? Harper played well. What we should be worried about is Jenkins. Jenkins regressed last year & got beat like a drum.......repeatedly.

Harper thrived because GW blitzed 489567897326485902 times a game. And he looks like my 10 year old daughter in pass coverage. I think we could afford to invest in a SS in the near future. On the other hand, I think Jenkins will be fine

Harper is a SS. A SS primary function is to stop the run 1st, drop back in coverage second. A SS should be a solid tackler. I'd say Harper excells at both stopping the run, blitzing, & tackling.

Jenkins is a FS. The free safety is the last line of defense on the football field. He's definitely more of a pass-minded defender. His job is to sit back, survey, and attack where needed. He supports the run, but not so much as a SS.

With that defined for you, I'd say Harper did his job. Jenkins got beat alot.....a whole lot! Do I think that defines Jenkins as a FS.....NO. I think he had an off year. That said.....I don't see why everyone is so worried about Harper. He did his job. There is a reason he made the Pro Bowl....again. That's probably why alot of other teams have been trying to get him too (like the Giants, etc...) Jenkins, on the other hand, needs to step it up a notch & learn how to tackle.

Trust me I know the roles of a Safety. I was a FS in High School and College. But when every QB in the NFL knows that you are terrible in pass coverage it tends to get exploited. I know the SS is the weaker of the 2 in coverage but the majority of SS are at least decent in coverage when need be. Not Harper. He misses his fare share of open field tackles (along with 75% of the other players on our defense). I think in crucial points of the game he becomes a liability on the field.

I personally hope that Jenkins gets moved to the nickle corner. I for one don't think he's played well since Sharper left. Jenkins is a first round draft pick and should be performing better along with the rest of our 1st rounders. He doesn't have a nose for the ball.jmho

This seems like a more appropriate spot to post...

This seems like the right thread to post...

Wow, I give up. Your credibility has pretty much zero'd out on this issue and quite frankly makes anything you comment on suspect..

I'm officially done with your biased and uninformed opinions JP.

It appears no amount of facts will sway you from your ignorance, so I'm thru with providing them.

I give up with biased & blind people myself. Harper is probably our best defensive player, but some people have never given up the hate of the man.

P.S.- JP, you should look closely at those videos. Some of them are Harper coming in late because of missed assignments by our FS.

1:20 "Safety Play from New Orleans Saints all day was simply awful"

2:08 "Roman Harper completely out of position"

2:31 "...I'm a veteran and I shouldn't let that happen"

3:40 "...you have to be an athlete..."

But to me it comes back to this...

Again, you and 70 million other people point this out yet he continues his flawed agenda against Harper.

I can make a "worst of Drew Brees" video and claim he sucks.

Oh well, thats what the ignore feature is for.

The whole defense were horrible in that Seattle game, can't single out Harper!