Big, Fast WRs like Moss/Owens (1 Viewer)

[satch]

I'm just wondering why defenses don't bring in DBs with the same kind of size, speed, etc as the WRs they're supposed to cover? Seems like the only way to cover a guy like TO or Moss is to put someone on him with the same size and speed. The DBs wouldn't necessarily even need good hands. What am I missing?

Or, why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.

Matt Jones: 6-6, 232

Moss: 6-4, 210

TO: 6-3, 218

 

[DumpTruck]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

 

[Mr Capicollo]

They do. Sean Taylor down? (Actually, he was injured yesterday, which was the first time that TO got 100 yards against the Redskins since Taylor was drafted.)

But such guys don\'t grow on trees. It\'s hard enough to find big, fast guys to put at WR, right?

 

[Fallerjw]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

 

[Hugonel]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

 

[PMENFAN]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Exactly. But, even think back to the 90's. Guys like Merton Hanks were giants. Now, you've got guys like Bailey and Ty Law. Not huge, but right around 5-10-6''. Guys like Moss and Owens are freaks of nature. So are guys like John Ogden and Orlando Pace. Guys that big shouldn't be that fast. I'm sure teams would love to have Randy Moss play DB. He's just more valuable as a WR.

 

[posty]

The spotlight isn't as big...

 

[mrspree15]

Just sign Lenny Walls. Problem solved.

 

[brewer]

Mel Blount looks like he could still lace them up.

 

[MNFlyingBoat]

I'm sure teams would love to have Randy Moss play DB. He's just more valuable as a WR.

TO did play DB on the last play of the Dal-Wash game. He could have had an INT as well but batted the ball down. He should have taken it to the house

I was playing against Moss and needed every point I could get!

 

[satch]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

 

[brewer]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

This experiment would end very badly for Matt Jones. Size and speed do not necessarily translate to being a good corner.

 

[rascal]

Players with that size and speed would probably make more money playing WR than DB.

 

[DaTruth]

It's ebb and flow. The league was going towards the smaller, shiftier WRs (S.Moss, S.Smith, L. Evans, etc). So the DBs being sought after were the same. But with the new breed coming looking like freaks (Calvin Johnson, B. Edwards). I think we will see bigger, physical DBs coming back to the scene.

DaTruth

 

[Unlucky]

They don't make many humans with the size and speed of Randy Moss.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

 

[satch]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

This experiment would end very badly for Matt Jones. Size and speed do not necessarily translate to being a good corner.

Jones has size, speed and years of professional expeience running the routes that TO and Moss run. What's he missing other than some practice? I'm not sure I see the extreme difficulty in switching from WR to DB when all the physical ability and football knowledge is there.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

This experiment would end very badly for Matt Jones. Size and speed do not necessarily translate to being a good corner.

Jones has size, speed and years of professional expeience running the routes that TO and Moss run. What's he missing other than some practice? I'm not sure I see the extreme difficulty in switching from WR to DB when all the physical ability and football knowledge is there.

The physical ability is completely different. It's like having someone switch from O-line to D-line. Completely different skill set. The fact that you end up in the same position on the field at the start and end of the play doesn't mean it's the same skill set.

 

[satch]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

I'm talking about guys who have the size and speed, but they can't make it as an NFL WR because they have poor hands or whatever. I'm not sure why you're shocked by what I'm saying as clearly the DBs that are currently trying to cover these guys cannot do it. What would a team have to lose by putting some big, fast guy who couldn't make it in the NFL as a WR out there to cover TO? How much worse can it be than 175 yards and 4 TDs?Especially around the goal line where many times guys like TO and Moss use nothing other than their size to catch the ball. Put someone on them to neutralize the size factor. It's not like their running these extremely complicated routes around the goal line.

 

[Otis]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

That's the point right there --- quickness. Usually guys that size simply aren't quick enough. Remember that equal speed is not sufficient, since the receiver knows which way he is cutting but the defender doesnt. A DB needs to be even more quick/fast to make up for that uncertainty.

 

[Otis]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

The best part is, in order to cover Moss, the DB Randy Moss would have to be quicker/faster than the WR Randy Moss.Tons of those guys floating around

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

I'm talking about guys who have the size and speed, but they can't make it as an NFL WR because they have poor hands or whatever. I'm not sure why you're shocked by what I'm saying as clearly the DBs that are currently trying to cover these guys cannot do it. What would a team have to lose by putting some big, fast guy who couldn't make it in the NFL as a WR out there to cover TO? How much worse can it be than 175 yards and 4 TDs?Especially around the goal line where many times guys like TO and Moss use nothing other than their size to catch the ball. Put someone on them to neutralize the size factor. It's not like their running these extremely complicated routes around the goal line.

DBs don't have to be as tall because they only have to fingertip the ball to do their job. A WR has to catch it.DBs don't have to be as heavy because they don't have to fight off a jam at the line. They only have to administer it.

DBs have to be quicker because it is a reactive position, not an active position.

DBs have to be faster because they have to have recovery speed against a WR running full-bore.

Now, if you want to have a 6'5" WR who specializes in coming in on the goalline to stop Randy Moss, that sounds great. But it's going to take an awful lot of work to turn a WR into an NFL-capable DB, much less one who can cover Moss 1-on-1. And if you're playing the pass in the redzone, you should be playing at least a version of a zone anyway, so it'd be pretty limited in usefulness unless you have a goalline package that includes multiple 6'+ ex-receivers.

 

[Cenobite]

Troy Brown anyone? I know he isn't that big but he made some plays on defense. The reason why there are no ex-WRs as corners is, apart from the necessary "quickness", is the tackling part of the position. Deon Sanders didn't tackle but his side of the field was susceptible to the run.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Troy Brown anyone? I know he isn't that big but he made some plays on defense. The reason why there are no ex-WRs as corners is, apart from the necessary "quickness", is the tackling part of the position. Deon Sanders didn't tackle but his side of the field was susceptible to the run.

5'10", 190. That's kind of my point.

 

[Rushmore]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

I'm talking about guys who have the size and speed, but they can't make it as an NFL WR because they have poor hands or whatever. I'm not sure why you're shocked by what I'm saying as clearly the DBs that are currently trying to cover these guys cannot do it. What would a team have to lose by putting some big, fast guy who couldn't make it in the NFL as a WR out there to cover TO? How much worse can it be than 175 yards and 4 TDs?Especially around the goal line where many times guys like TO and Moss use nothing other than their size to catch the ball. Put someone on them to neutralize the size factor. It's not like their running these extremely complicated routes around the goal line.

DBs don't have to be as tall because they only have to fingertip the ball to do their job. A WR has to catch it.DBs don't have to be as heavy because they don't have to fight off a jam at the line. They only have to administer it.

DBs have to be quicker because it is a reactive position, not an active position.

DBs have to be faster because they have to have recovery speed against a WR running full-bore.

Now, if you want to have a 6'5" WR who specializes in coming in on the goalline to stop Randy Moss, that sounds great. But it's going to take an awful lot of work to turn a WR into an NFL-capable DB, much less one who can cover Moss 1-on-1. And if you're playing the pass in the redzone, you should be playing at least a version of a zone anyway, so it'd be pretty limited in usefulness unless you have a goalline package that includes multiple 6'+ ex-receivers.

 

[satch]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

The best part is, in order to cover Moss, the DB Randy Moss would have to be quicker/faster than the WR Randy Moss.Tons of those guys floating around

Look, I'm merely suggesting that a guy like Matt Jones, or a similar below avg WR might be able to convert his size, speed and route running knowledge/ability from one side of the ball to the other. If I'm coaching the team who just gave up 175 yards and 4 TDs to Owens I might consider it. What do you have to lose? The "prototype" DBs with the "skill sets" you guys are talking about can't cover these guys.

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

The best part is, in order to cover Moss, the DB Randy Moss would have to be quicker/faster than the WR Randy Moss.Tons of those guys floating around

Look, I'm merely suggesting that a guy like Matt Jones, or a similar below avg WR might be able to convert his size, speed and route running knowledge/ability from one side of the ball to the other. If I'm coaching the team who just gave up 175 yards and 4 TDs to Owens I might consider it. What do you have to lose? The "prototype" DBs with the "skill sets" you guys are talking about can't cover these guys.

NO ONE can cover these guys. Not Matt Jones, not Deion Sanders, not Champ Bailey, no one. To think that one guy can contain Randy Moss is a pipe dream, whoever that guy is. So you get the best possible players in the DB position and you scheme to stop him. Unlike covering T.J. Houshmanzadeh, it's not the DB's fault when Randy Moss has a tremendous day. It's the Defensive Coordinator's fault, because no one else can deal with Randy Moss when he's on his game, motivated, and has a future HOF QB throwing him the ball.

 

[Wu-banger]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

This .... and the stride has to be shorter in DB's . Have to be able to adjust to sudden change of direction... "quickness"A taller player has a longer stride making it more difficult to react ....especially when they dont know where they are going next.the pipe dreams going on in this thread are comical.... Matt Jones.. ???

 

[Jayrod]

The only way to stop them is to stop their QB from getting the pass off.

Anyone that size won't have the ability to cover anything but a post or go/fade route. A bigger DB would not be as quick and would get eaten alive on crossing routes, sideline routes, double moves, curls and screens. You can't stop everything and even for guys like Moss and Owens, it is easier to complete a short pass than a long one.

 

[coolnerd]

Of course! Why hasn't some team thought of simply drafting another Randy Moss, turning him into a DB, and putting him on Moss?!

The best part is, in order to cover Moss, the DB Randy Moss would have to be quicker/faster than the WR Randy Moss.Tons of those guys floating around

Look, I'm merely suggesting that a guy like Matt Jones, or a similar below avg WR might be able to convert his size, speed and route running knowledge/ability from one side of the ball to the other. If I'm coaching the team who just gave up 175 yards and 4 TDs to Owens I might consider it. What do you have to lose? The "prototype" DBs with the "skill sets" you guys are talking about can't cover these guys.

While we get what you are attempting to do, from a skill and technique standpoint DB is the more difficult position to play. That's why the two way college guys (woodson, champ) wind-up on defense more often than not. The problem for DBs is that even the best of them can hold coverage for only so long. Also, @ CB especially, one single mistake in technique ends in a touchdownm while a WR that drops a pass or runs the wrong route goes back to the huddle. While both Moss and TO are physically dominate, watching the games yesterday I thought that the problems with the DBs was not physical, but breakdowns in their techniques and the overall defensive schemes. There is a difference between straightline speed and quickness. For example, Jones has great timed 40 speed, but does not get to his top end speed quickly. If there is a 6'3" 220 lb guys who can regular cover the TOs and Mosses of the world, but has the quickness and flexibility to not allow Santana Moss types to run around him all day, he could name his paycheck.

 

[EBF]

Football isn't about speed as much as it's about quickness. Taller guys have a higher center of gravity, which generally results in weaker lateral quickness and hip fluidity. Slow hips = slow reactions. A corner with slow reactions = toast.

Matt Jones would get absolutely massacred if he tried to play CB. He's not even quick enough to be a WR.

A CB is a jack-of-all-trades who has to be good at covering every route in the book. A WR can be more specialized. For example, Terrell Owens and Torry Holt are both elite WRs, but their strengths are very different. Holt is a route technician who succeeds because he knows how to get open. Owens is a run-after-the-catch monster who succeeds because he presents a physical mismatch. There's a broader range of body types and playing styles that lead to success at WR as opposed to CB, where the players all tend to fit the same mold (short, fast, and quick).

 

[HellToupee]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

if Jones was talented enough to cover Moss & Owens how come he cant get on the field on offense

 

[satch]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232

Moss: 6-4, 210

TO: 6-3, 218

if Jones was talented enough to cover Moss & Owens how come he cant get on the field on offense

Well that's kind of my point. Maybe Jones lacks a specific WR skill, like good hands, and would actually make a better DB than WR. And just so were clear, I never once said Jones is talented enough to cover Moss & Owens. I don't know where anyone got that idea from. I simply suggested that someone with the skills and size of Matt Jones, for example, might have a better chance of covering someone like Moss/TO. Somehow that got turned into me saying Matt Jones could cover those guys.

 

[rascal]

The only way to stop them is to stop their QB from getting the pass off.Anyone that size won't have the ability to cover anything but a post or go/fade route. A bigger DB would not be as quick and would get eaten alive on crossing routes, sideline routes, double moves, curls and screens. You can't stop everything and even for guys like Moss and Owens, it is easier to complete a short pass than a long one.

Good luck doing that with 3 step drop backs.

 

[swirvenirvin]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

That pretty much hits the nail on the head. Big Fast DB's are called WR'sLittle fast 5'10'' DB's stay as DB's

 

[Pygmy Marmoset]

I simply suggested that someone with the skills and size of Matt Jones, for example, might have a better chance of covering someone like Moss/TO.

And what I'm saying is no, you're wrong, that's not the case. In fact, someone with the skills and size of Matt Jones, for example, would get his ### eaten alive by almost every receiver in the league, especially Moss/T.O.

 

[shining path]

Since we're just picking on Matt Jones here, would TO or Moss make halfway decent corners? I'm guessing they wouldn't. TO would probably make a frightening safety, though. Moss would probably suck in any defensive secondary position.

 

[EBF]

I simply suggested that someone with the skills and size of Matt Jones, for example, might have a better chance of covering someone like Moss/TO.

And what I'm saying is no, you're wrong, that's not the case. In fact, someone with the skills and size of Matt Jones, for example, would get his ### eaten alive by almost every receiver in the league, especially Moss/T.O.

They're two totally different positions requiring two totally different skill sets.

IMO, Randy Moss wouldn't be a Pro Bowl corner. I don't think he'd even be a good enough corner to play in the NFL. Same with Owens, Holt, Boldin, Fitzgerald, Wayne, and just about every other elite WR in the NFL.

 

[Mr Capicollo]

Matt Jones?

The quickness and athleticism that is needed to be a good CB - who is reacting to what WR\'s do rather than running well-rehearsed routes - is tremendously rare. Jones is fast, but not quick. He\'d get juked out of his jock on every play as a CB.

 

[switz]

TO did play DB on the last play of the Dal-Wash game. He could have had an INT as well but batted the ball down. He should have taken it to the house

I was playing against Moss and needed every point I could get!

That would only happen if Bill Belichek coached him...

 

[Intergalactic Kegger]

Big fast athletes the size of Owens and Moss are at a premium. They have a FAR greater impact playing WR than DB. So they always wind up at WR.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Remember when Dale Carter use to cut guys at the knees at the line of scrimmage to take them out of their route timing and to mess with their heads. Or when Rod Woodson would give them a real bump at the line of scrimmage and follow up with good coverage. Where ae the Joey Browners, the Ronnie Lotts, the Steve Atwaters?

These guys need to get a real physical jam from safties or L.B.'s and have corners play over the top. Right now they have corners who can't jam them trying to do so with safties over the top who are too slow once these guys hit their stride. I think D coordinators have it backwards with these two relying on general principles rather than the specifics of these two.

 

[Limp Dogg Bizkits]

Most DB's that are big and fast like TO or Moss become WR's...

DBs tend to need to be quicker to make up for not knowing where the WR is running. This is usually "scouted' by looking for fluid hip movement. This quality is easier to find in "smaller" players. That's part of the reason DBs are usually smaller.

Why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

This experiment would end very badly for Matt Jones. Size and speed do not necessarily translate to being a good corner.

Jones has size, speed and years of professional expeience running the routes that TO and Moss run. What's he missing other than some practice? I'm not sure I see the extreme difficulty in switching from WR to DB when all the physical ability and football knowledge is there.

Have you actually ever played FB? Being able to run a route, when you know where you are going, is VERY different than trying to cover someone who knows where they are going. A DB has to have great hips and balance. MJ would get turned around so quick it wouldn't even be funny. Big guys become safetys (Sean Jones) because they don't have the hips to be corners

 

[Tanner9919]

I'm just wondering why defenses don't bring in DBs with the same kind of size, speed, etc as the WRs they're supposed to cover? Seems like the only way to cover a guy like TO or Moss is to put someone on him with the same size and speed. The DBs wouldn't necessarily even need good hands. What am I missing?Or, why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.Matt Jones: 6-6, 232Moss: 6-4, 210TO: 6-3, 218

its simple , really..the WR always knows where he is going,while the DB has no clue if he's running a slant,a deep post, and out pattern, etc..and, the DB's don't see who's helping them over the top...BOTH the WR and the opposing QB see where the safeties and LBs are..the WR has a HUGE advantage.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm very much looking forward to seeing TO against the Packers' Harris and Woodson next week. The Packer corners play a style one rarely sees anymore - man press bump & run the entire game. Both line up directly on the line of scrimmage approximately 95% of the time. I recommend watching these two to anyone who appreciates physical in-your-face play from a corner.

As a long time Packer fan, I am very familiar with Randy Moss and was a live witness to his rookie year coming out party on a rainy monday night at Lambeau Field. I have seen him play live about a dozen times. Moss is big and fast but has never been a physical player. I was at Soldier Field a few years ago and saw then-rookie peanut Tillman steal the game-winning touchdown directly from Moss' hands in the Viking end zone because Moss was simpley out-muscled and didn't seem to want it. He is very good at avoiding hard contact, so its easier said than done, but the best way to defend Moss is two or three helmet-to-rib shots early. TO is a different story.

 

[mbuehner]

The bad assumption here is that TO or Moss would be great cornerbacks. They wouldnt. They might be pretty good, but they wouldnt be great (particularly Moss, can you really see him coming down the line to stuff a pitch out?)

TO would probably be a pretty good safety. He's faster than he needs to be and has great size obviously, and he like contact. But not an ideal cornerback. Look at Peanut Tillman on the Bears, he's 6'1" and already considered a big physical corner, but he has a lot of trouble running with the faster WRs in the league, particularly the littler Steve Smith types. So even if you did have a 6'7" freak CB that could run with Moss he wouldn't help you against MOST of the WRs in the league. You'd essentially have a Moss/TO stopper, but there arent that many Moss/TOs to worry about. Kind of a waste. Which describes Tillman pretty well imo, and he's not THAT big.

PS: TO and Moss both have pretty good, fast WRs across from them. In todays NFL with all the motion and packages there is no guaruntee you can ever have a specific DB locked onto a specific WR. So Bill Bellichik just smiles and figures out how to get cornerback TO matched up 1 on 1 with Donte Stallworth.

 

[satch]

I'm just wondering why defenses don't bring in DBs with the same kind of size, speed, etc as the WRs they're supposed to cover? Seems like the only way to cover a guy like TO or Moss is to put someone on him with the same size and speed. The DBs wouldn't necessarily even need good hands. What am I missing?

Or, why doesn't a team like JAX put Matt Jones on TO, or Moss? Jones doesn't contribute on offense, so they lose nothing by using him on defense, and he has the speed and size to matchup with those guys.

Matt Jones: 6-6, 232

Moss: 6-4, 210

TO: 6-3, 218

its simple , really..the WR always knows where he is going,while the DB has no clue if he's running a slant,a deep post, and out pattern, etc..and, the DB's don't see who's helping them over the top...BOTH the WR and the opposing QB see where the safeties and LBs are..the WR has a HUGE advantage.

That's where a guy who has played WR would benefit. If a former WR converts to DB, I would think he'd have a pretty good idea as to what route the WR he was covering might be running based on experience and situation.

 

[satch]

The bad assumption here is that TO or Moss would be great cornerbacks. They wouldnt. They might be pretty good, but they wouldnt be great (particularly Moss, can you really see him coming down the line to stuff a pitch out?)

TO would probably be a pretty good safety. He's faster than he needs to be and has great size obviously, and he like contact. But not an ideal cornerback. Look at Peanut Tillman on the Bears, he's 6'1" and already considered a big physical corner, but he has a lot of trouble running with the faster WRs in the league, particularly the littler Steve Smith types. So even if you did have a 6'7" freak CB that could run with Moss he wouldn't help you against MOST of the WRs in the league. You'd essentially have a Moss/TO stopper, but there arent that many Moss/TOs to worry about. Kind of a waste. Which describes Tillman pretty well imo, and he's not THAT big.

Finally, someone gets what I'm saying! That's all I'm suggesting, is that teams have a freak CB who can match up with freak WRs when necessary. Even if thats all they did, and they were only marginally better than the current options, it would be an improvement over 175/4. When TO or Moss line up at the goal line, you put in the 6'10"/250 freak to line up against them. 1st and goal? Bring in the freak!

 

[bizkliz]

It's ebb and flow. The league was going towards the smaller, shiftier WRs (S.Moss, S.Smith, L. Evans, etc). So the DBs being sought after were the same. But with the new breed coming looking like freaks (Calvin Johnson, B. Edwards). I think we will see bigger, physical DBs coming back to the scene. DaTruth

i was hoping to see a post mentioning this. its very much a cycle. i think theres an old thread somewhere around here talking about the same thing.-biz-

 

[mbuehner]

The bad assumption here is that TO or Moss would be great cornerbacks. They wouldnt. They might be pretty good, but they wouldnt be great (particularly Moss, can you really see him coming down the line to stuff a pitch out?)

TO would probably be a pretty good safety. He's faster than he needs to be and has great size obviously, and he like contact. But not an ideal cornerback. Look at Peanut Tillman on the Bears, he's 6'1" and already considered a big physical corner, but he has a lot of trouble running with the faster WRs in the league, particularly the littler Steve Smith types. So even if you did have a 6'7" freak CB that could run with Moss he wouldn't help you against MOST of the WRs in the league. You'd essentially have a Moss/TO stopper, but there arent that many Moss/TOs to worry about. Kind of a waste. Which describes Tillman pretty well imo, and he's not THAT big.

Finally, someone gets what I'm saying! That's all I'm suggesting, is that teams have a freak CB who can match up with freak WRs when necessary. Even if thats all they did, and they were only marginally better than the current options, it would be an improvement over 175/4. When TO or Moss line up at the goal line, you put in the 6'10"/250 freak to line up against them. 1st and goal? Bring in the freak!

Thats not a bad thought. If you can find and roster the right guy. If Moss and TO dominate the league like this for long, i think you will see your idea come to fruition pretty quick.