2019 Starting Free Safety will be......

[Fresh8686]

Didn't see this posted. Looks like it's Montae's position to lose. I saw that Montae is practicing with the team so that's a good sign and hopefully it means no suspension. Also, added second tweet about possibility of DRC at safety (or lack of possibility).
 

 

 

Quote

Nicholson is no longer on the reserve list; he was seen participating in practice with the Redskins players this past week, in photos available on Redskins.com. But it’s still unclear whether the NFL will suspend Nicholson for his December incident. If they do, then it could be an indicator for the Redskins to sign a late-term free agent. If they don’t, then Nicholson has a first-class ticket to redemption. Time will tell if he can use a second chance well enough.

https://riggosrag.com/2019/05/03/redskins-confidence-draft-19/6/

 

 

[Est.1974]

I think Gruden will believe in Nicholson. Dare say he still wanted him in the line up last year. 

 

That said, Boston is tempting and there is the shadow of Berry in the distance....if healthy...

[evmiii]

Monte or Troy will start.  DRC will work there during camp and be in the rotation.  I think Jay likes Apke so he'll get every chance o be e guy. I think Alexander will be the last man standing by mid season and he and Collins will be an effective package.

[HardcoreZorn]

Alexander will be a potential Norman replacement next year IMO. People really sleeping on him. Nicholson showed a lot as a rookie, no way all of that ability just dried up. Sophomore slumps happen. Apke has a ton of ability so will be interesting to see year 2 vs 1. DRC good last resort insurance.

 

By no means the strongest position on the team and man it would be awesome to have a stud back there with our DLine and Foster and Collins patrolling the middle and closer to LOS. But there’s still some intriguing talent and clay to be worked with, and Horton knows how to coach a secondary I think. We’ll see how it comes together.

[Skinsinparadise]

21 minutes ago, HardcoreZorn said:

Alexander will be a potential Norman replacement next year IMO. People really sleeping on him. Nicholson showed a lot as a rookie, no way all of that ability just dried up. Sophomore slumps happen. Apke has a ton of ability so will be interesting to see year 2 vs 1. DRC good last resort insurance.

 

By no means the strongest position on the team and man it would be awesome to have a stud back there with our DLine and Foster and Collins patrolling the middle and closer to LOS. But there’s still some intriguing talent and clay to be worked with, and Horton knows how to coach a secondary I think. We’ll see how it comes together.

 

There was a period if I recall post his Arizona stint when Horton was known as one of the better coordinators in the league at least according to some.   I recall talk on the board from some about wanting him to run our defense.

 

I've been relatively cool with Manusky albeit he's not been known for his creativity and that was according to some part of Swearinger's beef with him.   DJ supposedly wanted more corner blitzes, etc.  Manusky as Cooley likes to talk about likes the Fire Zone Blitz - blitz from one side and have someone cover the hot read on the other side.  He also seems to like using his MLBs from time to time on Double A gap blitzes.   But some of the film review types have said Manusky's defense is fairly easy to read in the context of blitzes.   I am ok with Manuky but I think this year he has enough tools to be judged so I see it as his last stand.   

 

I know Rob Ryan has some rep for bringing exotic blitzes, ditto Horton.  So am hoping that synergy would help the defense.  I think Sweat is going to be a major difference maker not just as a pass rusher but also an elite run stuffer.  I think he's a killer addition.  I felt for years that a great pass rusher type is one component that defenses need to elevate from good to great.  Look at what K. Mack did for example to the Bears defense. 

 

As for safety, I got no idea.  Just running with the vibe I get from Keim and Hoffman, etc, they are hoping Nicholson bounces back but they are far from 100% confident in it.  Almost no mention of Apke -- I recall hearing that according to some he looked lost during the last camp.  Maybe Everett?  Everett might be more of a strong safety though.  Multiple reporters said they wanted a safety in this draft and Hoffman said they'd have taken Mike Edwards in the 3th if they stayed with their pick. as opposed to trading down

 

My point is I bet they do sign someone -- maybe a June 1st cut guy or a veteran who gets let go.    Cooley from watching DRC's tape with the Raiders didn't think he has much left.  I found that interesting because he did like DRC (as did I) the year before.   But who knows?

 

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

There was a period if I recall post his Arizona stint when Horton was known as one of the better coordinators in the league at least according to some.   I recall talk on the board from some about wanting him to run our defense.

 

I've been relatively cool with Manusky albeit he's not been known for his creativity and that was according to some part of Swearinger's beef with him.   DJ supposedly wanted more corner blitzes, etc.  Manusky as Cooley likes to talk about likes the Fire Zone Blitz - blitz from one side and have someone cover the hot read on the other side.  He also seems to like using his MLBs from time to time on Double A gap blitzes.   But some of the film review types have said Manusky's defense is fairly easy to read in the context of blitzes.   I am ok with Manuky but I think this year he has enough tools to be judged so I see it as his last stand.   

 

I know Rob Ryan has some rep for bringing exotic blitzes, ditto Horton.  So am hoping that synergy would help the defense.  I think Sweat is going to be a major difference maker not just as a pass rusher but also an elite run stuffer.  I think he's a killer addition.  I felt for years that a great pass rusher type is one component that defenses need to elevate from good to great.  Look at what K. Mack did for example to the Bears defense. 

 

As for safety, I got no idea.  Just running with the vibe I get from Keim and Hoffman, etc, they are hoping Nicholson bounces back but they are far from 100% confident in it.  Almost no mention of Apke -- I recall hearing that according to some he looked lost during the last camp.  Maybe Everett?  Everett might be more of a strong safety though.  Multiple reporters said they wanted a safety in this draft and Hoffman said they'd have taken Mike Edwards in the 3th if they stayed with their pick. as opposed to trading down

 

My point is I bet they do sign someone -- maybe a June 1st cut guy or a veteran who gets let go.    Cooley from watching DRC's tape with the Raiders didn't think he has much left.  I found that interesting because he did like DRC (as did I) the year before.   But who knows?

 

I'm keeping my eyes open for a possible Tre Boston signing after May 8th.

[Anselmheifer]

4 hours ago, RWJ said:

I'm keeping my eyes open for a possible Tre Boston signing after May 8th.

 

I think this is a needed move, at least from a depth standpoint. Apke was always a reach and I don’t have much faith in him to suddenly be a player. 

 

If Montae is suspended, or gets injured, we don’t have enough at the spot. 

 

Also worried about ILB depth when SDH or Foster get injured. I’ve seen enough of Mason Foster. Maybe Cole Holcomb looks good enough to get the call of SDH goes down. 

[RWJ]

20 minutes ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

I think this is a needed move, at least from a depth standpoint. Apke was always a reach and I don’t have much faith in him to suddenly be a player. 

 

If Montae is suspended, or gets injured, we don’t have enough at the spot. 

 

Also worried about ILB depth when SDH or Foster get injured. I’ve seen enough of Mason Foster. Maybe Cole Holcomb looks good enough to get the call of SDH goes down. 

I think Holcomb will be one of the surprise selections of the draft this year.

[TheShredder]

On 4/18/2019 at 1:07 AM, NeverSurrender said:

Montae Nicholson:  So there are character issues now, with the beat down but his play on the field didnt seem to far off from HA HA.  I didnt see him get burned a whole lot, however, he didnt make many plays.  Overall not hearing his name called that much while playing in the secondary cant be to bad.  He also has Elite closing speed and length. 

Montae Nicholson got robbed at his car and chased the guy down then beat his ass for trying to steal the gold chain he was wearing.  The skins haven't said anything much about it because he did make a mistake and should have just called the police.  However, Jay just mentioned him in a recent interview and there's no indications that they're not expecting him to play.  The speculation is the waiting game because they can't say much until after the legal process plays out.  Normally he'll get probation in this circumstance or be adjudicated.  He'll play and likely start unless there's a suspension.  The charges are two misdemeanors for assault and public drunkenness.  He left Worlds of Beer and a guy approached him at his car demanding he hand over his gold chain.  He went after him and the guy jumped in his car, then Montae chased him down and beat his ass.  Just got to let it play out. 

[skinsfan93]

There is no way Apke is starting. He may not even make the team. He can’t tackle and has no instinct at safety. All he has is speed. Monte showed flashes his rookie year covering the field. He may have taken a step back last year but maybe the incident gets him on track. DRC would not be my choice unless the coaches see a Deangelo type situation with him. 

[LD0506]

17 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

I've been relatively cool with Manusky albeit he's not been known for his creativity and that was according to some part of Swearinger's beef with him.   DJ supposedly wanted more corner blitzes, etc.  Manusky as Cooley likes to talk about likes the Fire Zone Blitz - blitz from one side and have someone cover the hot read on the other side.  He also seems to like using his MLBs from time to time on Double A gap blitzes.   But some of the film review types have said Manusky's defense is fairly easy to read in the context of blitzes.   I am ok with Manuky but I think this year he has enough tools to be judged so I see it as his last stand.   

 

I know Rob Ryan has some rep for bringing exotic blitzes, ditto Horton.  So am hoping that synergy would help the defense. 

 

Right there, you put your finger on it, it just feels like so much of the outcome will be determined by whether or not Manusky can be moved off his "I know what I'm doing!" stance and be influenced by Horton or Ryan. We don't have a Khalil Mack, but we do have some interesting young talent that if coached and played properly, are more than up to the job. So, on my list of questions for this season is "Did Manusky learn any humility from last year?"

[Anselmheifer]

10 hours ago, skinsfan93 said:

There is no way Apke is starting. He may not even make the team. He can’t tackle and has no instinct at safety. All he has is speed. Monte showed flashes his rookie year covering the field. He may have taken a step back last year but maybe the incident gets him on track. DRC would not be my choice unless the coaches see a Deangelo type situation with him. 

 

I agree with this.

 

I will say that at least the last 2 years they swung on prospects with high athletic ceilings. Bryce Love, Jimmy Moreland, Cole Holcomlb, Jordan Brailford, Even Wes Martin.  Martin obviously was super strong on bench, but also has some lower body explosion with a 28.5" vertical and 9'5" broad jump. The only low ceiling guy that I thought they took was Pierschbacher, Small, weak on bench, short arms, extremely poor 22 inch vertical. I just don't see the athletic tools to succed against the plus athletes we are now seeing in the NFL at DT. 

[LD0506]

11 minutes ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

I agree with this.

 

I will say that at least the last 2 years they swung on prospects with high athletic ceilings. Bryce Love, Jimmy Moreland, Cole Holcomlb, Jordan Brailford, Even Wes Martin.  Martin obviously was super strong on bench, but also has some lower body explosion with a 28.5" vertical and 9'5" broad jump. The only low ceiling guy that I thought they took was Pierschbacher, Small, weak on bench, short arms, extremely poor 22 inch vertical. I just don't see the athletic tools to succed against the plus athletes we are now seeing in the NFL at DT. 

 

Make a helluva TE to protect Haskins though, wouldn't he?  😃

[Skinsinparadise]

20 hours ago, RWJ said:

I'm keeping my eyes open for a possible Tre Boston signing after May 8th.

 

He's the big name left.  Reading some articles, the Browns have talked to his agent.  Seems like he wants more than 1-2 year deal I am guessing that's the hang up with him. 

 

 

 

 

[redskindan07]

Boston under performed in Carolina but supposedly has made strides since going out west. Would be interesting but I don't see us bringing him in but who knows

[Anselmheifer]

13 minutes ago, redskindan07 said:

Boston under performed in Carolina but supposedly has made strides since going out west. Would be interesting but I don't see us bringing him in but who knows

It's hard to say he underperformed. He is an average athlete and was drafted in the 4th round. He was probably always just better suited to being a depth player, and that's exactly what I would want him for here. 

[carex]

why would DRC need to be physical at free safety?  Headhunting isn't allowed these days and I thought we mostly used it as the so called centerfielder position

 

I'd be surprised if none of these guys do any work at safety because we have a load of people at CB besides the top three from last year and DRC: Holsey, Stroman, Alexander, Johnson, and Moreland, and at Safety we have Apke and McIntosh

 

Let's not forget Deshazor Everett came in at CB and was a safety the next year

[Chump Bailey]

19 hours ago, skinsfan93 said:

There is no way Apke is starting. He may not even make the team. He can’t tackle and has no instinct at safety. All he has is speed. Monte showed flashes his rookie year covering the field. He may have taken a step back last year but maybe the incident gets him on track. DRC would not be my choice unless the coaches see a Deangelo type situation with him. 

 

He was a 4th round pick they're going to give him a shot. He was only a full-time starter at Penn State for one season. He has as good a chance as any IMO and his speed is nothing to sneeze at - it's elite. The tools are there.

[evmiii]

Apke made a couple grotesquely obvious bad decision plays last year, best I recall it was mostly about bad angles.  With his speed  the things he struggled with could be coached.  While I expect every professional football player on the defensive side of the ball to be able to tackle, it is not the most important duty of the free safety.  In most defensive schemes today the free safety is a glorified corner with deep responsibility.  That's why it is very logical to think DRC at this stage in his career would be a prime candidate for the switch.  All that said, if Montae is healthy and eligible I fully expect him out there on opening day.

[Anselmheifer]

14 hours ago, evmiii said:

Apke made a couple grotesquely obvious bad decision plays last year, best I recall it was mostly about bad angles.  With his speed  the things he struggled with could be coached.  While I expect every professional football player on the defensive side of the ball to be able to tackle, it is not the most important duty of the free safety.  In most defensive schemes today the free safety is a glorified corner with deep responsibility.  That's why it is very logical to think DRC at this stage in his career would be a prime candidate for the switch.  All that said, if Montae is healthy and eligible I fully expect him out there on opening day.

 

I hated the Apke pick, but I wonder if I am being too negative and looking at it wrong. I think FS may not be his best position. He's a super plus athlete, not just for a safety, but for a CB. I assumed he was a safety prospect because of poor hips/change of direction. That may not be true. If Apke was measured as CB this year, he would have had not just the second fastest 40, but also the second fastest 20 yard shuttle, the second fastest 3 cone, the 3rd best vertical and would have tied for the 5th best long jump. His arms are longer than Richard Sherman's and minimally shorter than Josh Norman's. Maybe he is our Byron Murphy. A guy that looks ok at safety, but would be very good as a CB. 

 

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/troy-apke?id=32462018-0002-5601-23df-c332e0865a01

http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#year=2019&workout=FORTY_YARD_DASH&position=CB

 

In any case, I think that if our defense is going to be special this year, Montae has to be the guy at FS, and his play has to look like the end of 2017. 

[skinsfan93]

Looking over Apke combine highlights, I sure hope he proves me wrong. He’s a little stiff in the hips and kind of slow in change of direction but he has good size and that 4.34 speed. Maybe he was just way overwhelmed his rookie year and then got hurt. He did look awful in the preseason. 

 

If he turns out to be anything similar to Archulata during the Rams, then I’d be happy. 

[NeverSurrender]

On 5/3/2019 at 9:59 PM, TheShredder said:

Montae Nicholson got robbed at his car and chased the guy down then beat his ass for trying to steal the gold chain he was wearing.  The skins haven't said anything much about it because he did make a mistake and should have just called the police.  However, Jay just mentioned him in a recent interview and there's no indications that they're not expecting him to play.  The speculation is the waiting game because they can't say much until after the legal process plays out.  Normally he'll get probation in this circumstance or be adjudicated.  He'll play and likely start unless there's a suspension.  The charges are two misdemeanors for assault and public drunkenness.  He left Worlds of Beer and a guy approached him at his car demanding he hand over his gold chain.  He went after him and the guy jumped in his car, then Montae chased him down and beat his ass.  Just got to let it play out. 

I have ZERO problem with what he did.  He just might want to be careful with who he chases down because you never know what kind of weapons they might have. 

[Burgundy Yoda]

On 5/3/2019 at 6:59 PM, TheShredder said:

Montae Nicholson got robbed at his car and chased the guy down then beat his ass for trying to steal the gold chain he was wearing.  The skins haven't said anything much about it because he did make a mistake and should have just called the police.  However, Jay just mentioned him in a recent interview and there's no indications that they're not expecting him to play.  The speculation is the waiting game because they can't say much until after the legal process plays out.  Normally he'll get probation in this circumstance or be adjudicated.  He'll play and likely start unless there's a suspension.  The charges are two misdemeanors for assault and public drunkenness.  He left Worlds of Beer and a guy approached him at his car demanding he hand over his gold chain.  He went after him and the guy jumped in his car, then Montae chased him down and beat his ass.  Just got to let it play out. 

Jesus man, you can tell Montae is crazy asf when he's on the field. He needs to harness that specifically on the field though. I like his don't f with me attitude on game day, he seems like an alpha and we need a defense full of them. 

 

I also dont even think he was that bad... I mean the dude legitimately played better than HaHa. That HaHa trade was a total luxury trade, i couldnt believe how awful he truly was, especially in run support. I don't see a star player when I watch Nicholson but hes definitely a starter in my eyes. We already have a former DPOY candidate at safety too. DRC I thought may start, but hes on the downswing while Nicholson is just getting started. 

[MartinC]

On 5/3/2019 at 11:38 AM, Skinsinparadise said:

I've been relatively cool with Manusky albeit he's not been known for his creativity and that was according to some part of Swearinger's beef with him.   DJ supposedly wanted more corner blitzes, etc.  Manusky as Cooley likes to talk about likes the Fire Zone Blitz - blitz from one side and have someone cover the hot read on the other side. 

 

A fire zone blitz is a 5 man rush with zone coverage behind it. There are multiple variations of this - which 5 rush and who covers and the type of zone behind it. You can run it from odd or even fronts. It does require your ILB to be mobile and able to cover sideline to sideline ...which was a problem last year.

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, MartinC said:

 

A fire zone blitz is a 5 man rush with zone coverage behind it. There are multiple variations of this - which 5 rush and who covers and the type of zone behind it. You can run it from odd or even fronts. It does require your ILB to be mobile and able to cover sideline to sideline ...which was a problem last year.

 

 

 

The zone behind it as I understand is typically a DE/Edge guy dropping into coverage with the idea of often covering the hot read which for an offense is typically the receiver on the other side of the blitz. 

 

 

 

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