Underrated Position Battle

chickennob2 · ^#1 07-24-2006, 01:11 PM

The most underrated position battle of all: Safety!

Sure John Lynch has locked up his spot. And after a strong showing a year ago, it will be pretty hard to unseat Nick Ferguson. But what about the other guys? Sam Brandon has performed well as a cover safety and big nickel, and he can definitely hit. The only problem is that he doesnt just hit other players. He seems to be a fan favorite as a cover safety, but he doesnt get as muc hplaying time as we all hope. Lets see if that will change.

Curome Cox also played well last year in the nickel as a CB/S hybrid. He showed a solid skillset and would be hard to cut. But on his return from IR, Brandon Browner just oozes talent. Considered a great cover corner at Oregon State, some draft profiles had him going on day one. He ended up undrafted and performed well at camp last year before breaking a bone and landing on IR. He has the cover skills to play corner, but the size and hard hitting ability to excel at safety. He could be the true cover safety that we have all wanted for so long. 6-4, 221 lbs. I like. And hes even listed on his player bio page as a CB (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...contentID=4294). EDIT: But then again, this doesnt seem to matter to the coaches as Browner was cut a week before camp even started.

Hamza Abdullah is another youg gun to watch out for. Fast and athletic, some reports say he has developped a relationship with John Lynch that could really benefit him. At 6-2, 216, he is not as big as Browner but certainly has good size. He played some special teams last year (one tackle against KC).

Willie Middlebrooks, a former first-round selection at corner who was traded to the Niners and the reacquired, projects well as a safety. He doesnt have the athleticism to be a corner at the NFL level, but he could definitely play Safety. 6-1, 200 lbs, hes not as big as either of the young guys but he has much more experience. He appears to be a favorite to make the team as an ex-captain of the special teams and a solid contributor with that unit. But does that mean he gets the nod over some of the younger guys?

The relatively unkown Tyler Everett also has a chance to pull a Todd Devoe in camp and stick on the roster.

I, like everyone else, really want a cover safety in the backfield to help out our corners and improve out average ranked pass defense. However I seem to remember a certain DB out of Michigan last year who everyone thought would be the next cover safety, Jeremy LeSeur. Last I heard he was with the jets. Theres no reason to think the same thing wont happen here. But we can always hope! EDIT: I guess we cant. Another well liked athletic DB was cut unexpectedly as Browner got the axe today.

Ideally, I would like to see this:

Starters: Lynch, Ferguson
Backups: Brandon, Abdullah, Browner

But if roster spots are tight, I would rather see Ferguson get the boot so Samn Brandon could start than lose one of the young guys. Thats my 2 cents.

D.J.55 · ^#2 07-24-2006, 04:17 PM

i have to agree with you. i really like abdullah. i hope he makes the team. if i remember correctly the one game he appeared in he forced a fumble.

ChrisKamanowns · ^#3 07-24-2006, 05:28 PM

i think sam brandon will give john lynch or nick ferguson a run for their money he's good in coverage and hits hard i could see him playing either one of the safteypositions very well...who remembers that hit in buffalo??????sweet...

Inkana7 · ^#4 07-24-2006, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.J.55

i have to agree with you. i really like abdullah. i hope he makes the team. if i remember correctly the one game he appeared in he forced a fumble.

No, the stat sheet said that, but he said himself that Brandon really caused that fumble.

I think our backups this year will be Brandon, Cox, and Browner.

Btw, this was the one position battle I was looking forward too. I love safety, its my favorite position on Defense.

Ed Canfield · ^#5 07-25-2006, 08:00 AM

I think the back-ups will be Brandon, Cox, and Abdullah.
Browner is gone.

chickennob2 · ^#6 07-25-2006, 09:09 AM

Brandon Browner; Jeremy Leseur 2.0

Browncofan87 · ^#7 07-29-2006, 08:22 AM

i think safety is going to be our strong point this year. we have the best depth in that position. if lynch or ferguson cant play for some reason, Sam Brandon will fill in so well, you'ld only miss Lynch/Ferguson, personally.

as for the most under rated position battle, i say it is the DT spot. Gerard Warren is a lock, i think we all could agree with that; However, Michael Myers hasnt proven that he has what it takes to be a starter. hes solid against the run but if we are going to use more pass rushing this season, Demetrin Veal will have the upper hand, considering pass rush is his strong point.