Hakeem Nicks vs Nnamdi (1 Viewer)

[shadyridr]

What are my fellow owners doing? Im just not sure I can sit the freak of nature but I dont see much upside in this matchup.

 

[jah2707]

If he is healed all the way then I think you have to start him. Manning isn't a great QB and relies on him a bunch. If you watched Mondays game you saw that Manning would throw to him if he was single or double covered. Only way i would bench him is if i had another top 15 WR to replace him.

I say 5 for 85 1 td late.

 

[FGITLOTR]

I'm leaning towards benching him for Burleson this week--I rarely bench my studs, but he's less than 100% and the stout Philly secondary will look to take him out of the game.

 

[nysportsfan]

I can play him or start MSW, Den. Moore, or perhaps Nelson/Decker if I get them in waivers. If Brandon Lloyd is still dinged up he's definitely in, as well. I think he's targeted enough to get it done, but I won't be expecting anything other than an average game.

 

[Shutout]

There are two guys that I bench everyone against and those two are obviously Revis and Nnamdi. I know a lot of people say NBYS and when it pans out, you hear a lot about it from them but the track record says that there is silence in the majority on these two guys. They routinley shut down every big name WR; especially Revis.

when you go back and look at it, it is far and few between that any WR has a statline at the end of the day that is better than a typical solid flex guy. I would start Burleson, Plaxico, Lloyd, Benn, or any of those types over Nicks this week if I had the choice.

Really, you don't need to look any farther than this past week and see how the eagles handled the Falcons WRs in that game and that was a pretty high scoring game. I expect the giants to feature the run more in this one and take occasional shots. That COULD mean Manningham or nicks gets a long TD score but it could also mean they end up with a 3/42 type night. I like the other options, especially if Manningham is out. If he doesn't play, then I don't like Nicks night at all as he will have Nnamdi or Samuels on each and every play. Eli seems to be struggling with accuracy and that is a recipe for disaster against those types of corners.

 

[Sweet Love]

Do we know for a fact Nnamdi will be lined up against Nicks?

 

[shadyridr]

Do we know for a fact Nnamdi will be lined up against Nicks?

Nope, hopefully somebody can drop some knowledge on us in this thread.

 

[harryhood]

If yer gonna bench him in week 3, and bench him in your super bowl(week 16) you might as well start looking for a trade partner. I'm debating that very same thing right now. I'd rather ship him than sit him. Per his latest blurbs on MFL, he is 100%.

 

[shadyridr]

So right now I have him in my lineup over Jordy & Ingram. Not sure if I will be changing my mind.

 

[shadyridr]

If yer gonna bench him in week 3, and bench him in your super bowl(week 16) you might as well start looking for a trade partner. I'm debating that very same thing right now. I'd rather ship him than sit him. Per his latest blurbs on MFL, he is 100%.

he should be a stud in all other weeks. Ill worry about week 16 if I even get there.

 

[Shutout]

So right now I have him in my lineup over Jordy & Ingram. Not sure if I will be changing my mind.

Jordy would be an interesting one..That is tough.

 

[harryhood]

If yer gonna bench him in week 3, and bench him in your super bowl(week 16) you might as well start looking for a trade partner. I'm debating that very same thing right now. I'd rather ship him than sit him. Per his latest blurbs on MFL, he is 100%.

he should be a stud in all other weeks. Ill worry about week 16 if I even get there.

It just seems like an awful high price to pay to sit him weeks 3 and 11(and possibly 16). For the record, as a rookie he caught 4 of 6 targets for 46 yards and a touchdown against Oakland.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Do we know for a fact Nnamdi will be lined up against Nicks?

Nope, hopefully somebody can drop some knowledge on us in this thread.

The Giants don't move Nicks around as much as some teams flip flop their guys. That said, he does occasionally line up on the right side (e.g., the defensive left side). But unless they specifically game plan differently, Nicks normally lines up mostly on the left wide (e.g., the defensive right side).As with when he was with the Raiders, Nnamdi is strictly right side. They did experiment early in TC having him line up left but it was mostly to blitz, but that role (blitzing CB) has been given to Rogers-Cromartie, who is usually the nickle back.Samuel is no picnic on the other side, but seems like more of a ball hawk instead of a shutdown - what I mean is he takes lots of chances and gets burnt if his timing is off. And of course neither one is good on run defense. Given the state of the Eagles LB corps, I expect to see heavy doses of Bradshaw, Jacobs and Ware.

 

[Grahamburn]

If yer gonna bench him in week 3, and bench him in your super bowl(week 16) you might as well start looking for a trade partner. I'm debating that very same thing right now. I'd rather ship him than sit him. Per his latest blurbs on MFL, he is 100%.

he should be a stud in all other weeks. Ill worry about week 16 if I even get there.

It just seems like an awful high price to pay to sit him weeks 3 and 11(and possibly 16). For the record, as a rookie he caught 4 of 6 targets for 46 yards and a touchdown against Oakland.

Who knows if Nnamdi was even on him in that game?This is the reason I passed on him in my drafts. I stated it in his preseason threads as well. Three matchups against the top 2 corners in the game?! No thanks. He's obviously a great player, but who wants this particular headache three times this season? Eli has looked pretty bad, and if Manningham is out, Nicks is going to be blanketed with coverage. It might not matter anyway. The Giants' gameplan is going to be run, run, run. It's easy to say this when you don't own him, but he'd be on my bench if I did.

 

[Stryker]

I may throw in Devery Henderson this week for Nicks, Roddy White was quiet other than his TD last week and I don't want to afford nicks putting up about a ceiling of 8 points as where Henderson can get a long TD at any time, especially vs. Houston.

 

[Hue G]

Starting Lloyd and Britt over Nicks this week

 

[Hoss_Cartwright]

If healthy Nicks falls into that tier of players you don't sit for any reason.

 

[Dought Man]

Awesome is the only guy I would consider sitting Nicks against. He's just on another level right now and the Giants offense looks like its leaking oil.

I would start Brandon Lloyd (2nd tier types) over Nicks this week..

 

[Deamon]

If he is healed all the way then I think you have to start him. Manning isn't a great QB and relies on him a bunch. If you watched Mondays game you saw that Manning would throw to him if he was single or double covered. Only way i would bench him is if i had another top 15 WR to replace him.I say 5 for 85 1 td late.

When's the last time someone caught 5 balls and a td against nnamdi?

 

[emge]

I dont see how I can sit him in a league where I have to start 3 WR 2 RB and then 3 flex W/R/T

 

[BobbyLayne]

If he is healed all the way then I think you have to start him. Manning isn't a great QB and relies on him a bunch. If you watched Mondays game you saw that Manning would throw to him if he was single or double covered. Only way i would bench him is if i had another top 15 WR to replace him.I say 5 for 85 1 td late.

When's the last time someone caught 5 balls and a td against nnamdi?

:shurg: ETA: friggin dsylexic...whatever But I do know Brandon Gibson caught 3 for 50 and drew two P.I. calls week 1.Brandon. Gibson.

 

[Deamon]

Do we know for a fact Nnamdi will be lined up against Nicks?

Nope, hopefully somebody can drop some knowledge on us in this thread.

The Giants don't move Nicks around as much as some teams flip flop their guys. That said, he does occasionally line up on the right side (e.g., the defensive left side). But unless they specifically game plan differently, Nicks normally lines up mostly on the left wide (e.g., the defensive right side).As with when he was with the Raiders, Nnamdi is strictly right side. They did experiment early in TC having him line up left but it was mostly to blitz, but that role (blitzing CB) has been given to Rogers-Cromartie, who is usually the nickle back.Samuel is no picnic on the other side, but seems like more of a ball hawk instead of a shutdown - what I mean is he takes lots of chances and gets burnt if his timing is off. And of course neither one is good on run defense. Given the state of the Eagles LB corps, I expect to see heavy doses of Bradshaw, Jacobs and Ware.

This. I see Nnamdi on Nicks for 90% of Nicks' snaps, unless they really game plan to move him to the other side. If he is on Samuel's side, expect a lot of help from the safety as Nnamdi shouldn't need much help on the other side defending Hixon. This very well may be a 3 for 43 game for Nicks at best.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Is Hixon playing? Missed Couglin's update yesterday.

 

[Deamon]

Is Hixon playing? Missed Couglin's update yesterday.

Nope, guess not. Just looked for an update and update just released. Torn ACL, done for the year.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Is Hixon playing? Missed Couglin's update yesterday.

Nope, guess not. Just looked for an update and update just released. Torn ACL, done for the year.

So we're looking at Devin Thomas getting snaps, Victor Cruz starting, and hey Stokely how you coming on learning that playbook?They are so ####ed.

 

[Deamon]

Is Hixon playing? Missed Couglin's update yesterday.

Nope, guess not. Just looked for an update and update just released. Torn ACL, done for the year.

So we're looking at Devin Thomas getting snaps, Victor Cruz starting, and hey Stokely how you coming on learning that playbook?They are so ####ed.

Hopefully anyways! ha.Not sure on Manninghams status, looks like he may go. As with Vick.

 

[Bermuda_Chub]

Bench Manning, Nicks, Manningham and anyone associated with the Giants passing "attack." They are going to run the ball up the gut relentlessly in this game, because that is how you beat the Eagles and the Giants have the personnel to do just that. Only way this script changes is if the Eagles jump out to a huge lead early. In a divisional rivalry game where the Giants have the edge rushers to control Vick (at least in theory) I don't expect that to happen.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Bench Manning, Nicks, Manningham and anyone associated with the Giants passing "attack." They are going to run the ball up the gut relentlessly in this game, because that is how you beat the Eagles and the Giants have the personnel to do just that. Only way this script changes is if the Eagles jump out to a huge lead early. In a divisional rivalry game where the Giants have the edge rushers to control Vick (at least in theory) I don't expect that to happen.

This was my initial take as well. But Philly did a much better job week 2 until Turner broke his long one.My other thought on this game is Steve Smith - while still not 100% - caught his first couple balls last week. I could def see them targeting him a lot on short routes from the slot. It's personal.

 

[Insein]

Week 2: Roddy White 3-23-1 with Nnamdi covering him a majority of the time.

 

[strong]

So we're looking at Devin Thomas getting snaps, Victor Cruz starting, and hey Stokely how you coming on learning that playbook how's the size of your package now?

They are so ####ed.

 

[Grahamburn]

6 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards. Eli gets picked twice trying to force it to him.

 

[AngryPatriot]

This league is too unpredictable, I think he gets his. 7/120/1. You go to your best player and that's Nicks. Bench at your own risk.

 

[BearsFan4Life]

Nicks owner playing against Manningham. Strongly considering starting Lloyd and Maclin as my 2 WR and benching Nicks especially after Nnamdi shut down Roddy last week.

 

[Badgers Fan]

Starting Britt, Smith, Holmes. Nicks to bench. I also wouldn't look to trade Nicks. I agree with shadyridr , ride Nicks into the playoffs and if your considering benching him week 16, just be fortunate you made it to week 16.

 

[houndirish]

I'm more than convinced not to start Nicks due to matchup but the problem is my available options are few at this point and don't inspire confidence ... injured Malcolm Floyd, injured Manningham, injured Earl Bennett or Mike Thomas with Blaine Gabbert starting. If Manningham is cleared I might go that route but that makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

 

[BobbyLayne]

So we're looking at Devin Thomas getting snaps, Victor Cruz starting, and hey Stokely how you coming on learning that playbook how's the size of your package now?

They are so ####ed.

Good one. That was def an instant classic.

 

[nyy45]

KC Joyner wrote an article for ESPN Insider from August 16th about the Giants being favored for the NFC East. That's beyond the point because the GMEN are clearly not anymore. Interestingly enough, however, the important piece of data that he included in this article is relevant to Nicks vs Nnamdi. I copy/pasted the article below, bolding the relevant info:

The hottest topic in the NFL the past couple of weeks has been Vince Young's comment that the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are a "Dream Team".

What is lost in all of the hype surrounding that quote is that, as stocked as Philadelphia's roster is, there are multiple reasons to think they might not even be the best team in the NFC East.

That honor could very well belong to the New York Giants.

The Giants as NFC East favorites? The team that lost Steve Smith and Kevin Boss in free agency (with Smith adding insult to injury by signing with the Eagles), lost Plaxico Burress to their cross-town rivals and had first-round draft pick Prince Amukamara go out with a foot injury should be considered a favorite to win this division?

In a word, yes.

Here are eight items that show why the Giants shouldn't be written off as second-place contenders in the NFC East.

Michael Vick wasn't anywhere near as good as his 2010 numbers suggest

One of the reasons Philadelphia won the NFC East in 2010 is that Vick had a near-MVP campaign, but the fact is he benefitted from more luck than maybe any other quarterback in the league.

He had only 19.4 percent of his potential interceptions turn into actual interceptions. That total was tied for the lowest interception luck factor rate in the league and indicates he was a huge beneficiary of fortunate bounces.

Lowest interception luck factor last season

Player Team Int Int + Nrint Interception luck factor

Michael Vick Philadelphia Eagles 6 31 19.4%

Josh Freeman Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 31 19.4%

Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers 5 22 22.7%

Tom Brady New England Patriots 4 16 25.0%

Kyle Orton Denver Broncos 9 35 25.7%

The interception column shows how often each quarterback was picked off last year. The int + nrint column shows the total number of interceptions and near interceptions (passes that could have been picked off but were dropped, tipped away, etc.). The interception luck factor column shows the percentage of potential interception chances that actually turned into interceptions.

Eli Manning wasn't anywhere near as bad as his 2010 numbers suggest

Manning had 52.1 percent of his potential interceptions turn into interceptions, a total that was the fourth-highest in the league and was a prime reason Manning threw a league-high 25 interceptions. If Manning's luck gets better (and it really couldn't get much worse than last year) and Vick's luck gets worse (and it couldn't have been much better), it could mean as much as a 10-15 interception swing between these two in 2011.

Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are much better matchup-busters than DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin

A matchup-buster wide receiver is one who is capable of posting dominant numbers against quality cornerback coverage.

Want to win your league?

The Football Scientist's 2011 fantasy guide is now out and can be purchased here.

A study in the 2011 TFS Fantasy Football Draft Guide examined how wideouts around the league fared in this coverage scenario. The guide broke cornerbacks down into different rating levels, with a red rating being the best (allowing less than 7.0 YPA), and a yellow rating indicating the player was average (allowing 7.0-8.9 YPA).

Jackson and Maclin averaged 5.6 YPA on 66 passes against red- and yellow-rated cornerbacks last year. To put that into perspective, the league average in this category was 7.3 YPA, so these two weren't even average when facing quality competition.

Now contrast that with Nicks and Manningham. Those two faced red- and yellow-rated cornerbacks on 96 passes last year and posted 9.6 YPA on those aerials.

The vast difference between these totals offers strong evidence that New York's starting wideouts are much better matchup-busters than Philadelphia's.

The Giants can largely absorb the loss of Boss/Smith with more passes to Nicks/Manningham

Let's assume Manning will throw around 500 passes this year. Last year, Nicks saw 127 targets in only 13 games, so his target level could move up to the 150-range this year. Manningham saw 90 targets in 16 games, but only eight of those games were starts. If we move his target level up to 125, those two will account for 275 of Manning's targets. Give the running backs 100 targets and the total moves to 375. That leaves only 125 targets for the tight end and No. 3 wide receiver. Even if the replacements for Boss and Smith are a yard or so worse in YPA, it means a loss of only 150 yards or so, which is a negligible amount.

Jason Pierre-Paul and Marvin Austin could make the strong Giants pass rush even stronger

Pierre-Paul was very highly rated coming out of college and is starting to showcase those skills at the NFL level to the extent that ESPN.com NFC East blogger Dan Graziano said he "looks like a monster." Austin displayed a wide variety of pass-rush skills at North Carolina and could add a lot of up-the-gut pass-rush pressure.

Steve Weatherford could vastly improve the Giants punting

Matt Dodge's punting last year was sometimes legendarily bad, something Eagles fans can appreciate most. It's not a given that Weatherford will win the job, but even if his presence only serves to make Dodge get his punting act together, it would shore up a potentially huge weakness for the Giants.

Pat Flaherty will help New York weather the offensive line changes

Flaherty might be the best offensive line coach in the NFL, and his expertise is a main reason why the Giants ranked second in sacks allowed percentage last year despite playing three different centers, two different left guards and two different left tackles. If Flaherty's history is any indicator, it won't take long for this revamped group to gel.

Kenny Phillips is healthy

Although losing Amukamara is certainly a hindrance, the Giants have good depth at the position with Corey Webster, Aaron Ross and Terrell Thomas. There is far less depth at safety, so getting the talented Phillips back to full strength should make up for the loss of Amukamara, and then some.

Each of these items is significant on its own, but when they are added together, they show why New York general manager Jerry Reese was willing to guarantee that his team would be playoff-bound in 2011.

KC Joyner, aka the Football Scientist, is a regular contributor to ESPN Insider. He also can be found on Twitter @kcjoynertfs and at his website. He is the author of an annual fantasy football draft guide, which is currently available for preorder, and "Blindsided: Why the Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts."

 

[netnalp]

A receiver's eye view of the Eagles CBs, courtesy of Roddy White

Jim Trotter>INSIDE THE NFL

ATLANTA -- After practice concluded last Friday with a short talk from coach Mike Smith, Falcons players quickly made their way into the locker room so they could change and take advantage of the rest of the afternoon. Roddy White was an exception. The standout wide receiver walked off the field, through a back door and made a hard right into a dark meeting room. There, he took a seat near the back wall, grabbed a laser pointer and began drawing tight red circles on the large projection screen in the front of the room.

The Falcons would play the Eagles in a nationally televised primetime game two days later, and White wanted to get one final look at a Philadelphia secondary whose top three cornerbacks are former Pro Bowlers following the offseason additions of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to go with Asante Samuel.

"The group is good because they have so many good athletes," White says while watching cut-ups from Eagles' season-opening win over the Rams. "Everybody in the league is going to three- and four-wideout sets, and they believe these three can guard you all over the field when they're out there together. That allows them to blitz and bring more people after the quarterback and get sacks or tipped balls or force bad throws that lead to interceptions. You have to be on your game against them."

After a week of studying the Eagles' defense in general, and their cornerbacks in particular, White provided a visitor with his thoughts on the players' strengths and weaknesses and how a receiver has to attack them to be successful. One by one he circled Asomugha, Samuel and Rodgers-Cromartie in the game against the Rams and discussed why a receiver won or lost an individual battle in third-and-long situations.

"Going in we know that Asante is always the right corner," White says. "That's where he's most comfortable. He doesn't really like traveling and [matching up] with guys. He likes to stay on that side and play the wide side of the field, where he can see everything. He likes to play off [the ball by 7 or 8 yards] and read the quarterback's eyes so he can jump routes. He's a good route recognition guy. Obviously he studies film and does a good job with that.

"Nnamdi is on the other side. He's the boundary corner, which means he's on the short side of the field. He usually guards the X position, away from the strong side of the formation, and likes to get up and play 'press' coverage. He likes to be in your face and disrupt the timing of your routes. Cromartie is very athletic. He kind of does what Asante does, plays off, drives on balls, plays soft. If he does bump you, he usually shadows you because he feels he can run with you because he's got great speed."

White formed his evaluations by not only recalling previous games against the players -- he faced Asomugha (2008) and Rodgers-Cromartie (2010) once each when they were with the Raiders and Cardinals, respectively, and he lined up against Samuel a handful of times since Samuel signed with Philadelphia in 2008 -- but also by studying the Eagles' four preseason games and regular season opener this year.

TROTTER: Falcons' offense not quite there yet, but getting close

As he sat in the back of the room, eyes glued on the images in front of him, he used a clicker to fast forward and rewind certain plays and players to emphasize his scouting report on the cornerbacks.

"When dealing with a guy like Asante, it's more likely that you run hitches and posts, things that require you to run right at him so you can block his vision," White says. "He wants to sit back there and look in the backfield. He'll line up on a receiver's outside shoulder so he can see the quarterback, then he just reads the route while looking into the backfield. It's hard to beat Asante deep because he's not going to let you get behind him. You have to beat him with a lot of underneath routes and routes that go right at him and disrupt him. He likes to jump routes, so you want to avoid things like 'out' routes and corner routes against him, because those allow him to look in and see the quarterback's eyes. He does a really good job of breaking on the ball, and nine times out of 10 he intercepts them and takes them back to the house. You want to stay away from that.

"Cromartie is the same type of player, but he's a lot faster. He'll bump you sometimes, but it's not a hard jam because he feels he has the speed to run with you. Nnamdi is completely different."

White extends the laser and begins circling No. 24 at the top of the screen.

"Look at Nnamdi," he says. "He likes to get in your face, jam you, disrupt routes that way. He likes to be down at the line of scrimmage and get his hands on you and disrupt the timing. With a guy like this you really have to use your feet. You have to give yourself some room against him. Even if you're on the open side of the formation, you can back off the line by a half yard because all the officials require is that you cover up the tackle on that side. This guy right here ..."

White circles the receiver Asomugha is preparing to press.

"... He's doing a bad job, to me, because I would never have been this close to the line of scrimmage," Roddy continues. "Nnamdi's arms are so long that it makes it very easy for him to get his hands on you. That's his comfort zone. So you back this out a half-yard, get some distance and prevent him from getting his hands on you. And with a guy like him you've got to use your feet -- hands and feet. You've got to get ready and put your hands up quickly because he's going to launch at you and try to put his hands on you to disrupt routes. So you always have to be going forward and your hands in a position to be above his, because if you can get his hands away from you, then you can pretty much dominate."

White demonstrates from his chair what he is talking about. Normally receivers will use what's known as a "swim move" to get past cornerbacks in press coverage. The wideout will push or pull a defender to one side, then raise his arm on that side in a swimming motion so he can step past the off-balance defensive back.

With Asomugha, White says receivers are better off "ripping" than "swimming." It's essentially the same move, only the receiver does not raise his arm as high and he uses more force by essentially pulling the cornerback forward.

"Nnamdi's a launcher, so he steps forward and shoots his hands at your chest," White says. "Knowing that, and being back a half-yard, you kind of hesitate off the ball because you know he wants to lunge at you and get his hands on you. So you slow-play it. As soon as he takes his foot forward, you know his hands are coming, so you want to rip over them when you're playing him. You don't want to do a swim move because he can still get his hands on you. You want to rip because you can pull him and get by him.

"Once you get around him, he's so long and tall (6-foot-2) it's hard for him to get out of breaks. That's the thing that people don't understand when you watch this guy because he's so good at getting his hands on people. But when he doesn't, it's hard for him to get in and out of breaks and get to people. That's our game plan, come up here and get our hands and feet ready to go.

"But it's got to be rapid fire, you've always got to be going forward, because if he shoots his hands and misses he'll just bounce back and try to get back in front of you. So if you're just pitter-patting at the line and not gaining ground, he's still in front of you, and he does a good job staying in front of people. He's a technician at what he does. He studies hard, so he believes in everything he sees.

"You've got to disrupt his comfort zone, because if he can hop back and stay in front of you, he can pretty much dominate you the entire game. But if you can get his hands down, then he's all out of his comfort zone and that's when you start running routes and you can beat the guy. But the minute you commit, you have to go.

"He likes to see you dance, because once he shoots his hands and is able to back up and see what you're doing, and you're still at the line of scrimmage, he feels like he's winning because while you're dancing the rush is already on the quarterback. If you're only two yards off the line of scrimmage after a second or two, the route is disrupted and he's pretty much won."

Interestingly, the Falcons did not consistently test the Eagles' corners in the 35-31 Atlanta win two days after this tutorial. Instead, they relied on tight end Tony Gonzalez, whose seven catches matched the total output for the team's receivers and whose two scores were one more than the wideouts had. White finished with three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. None of the four touchdown passes was against the corners. Each was against a safety or linebacker, with White beating safety Kurt Coleman at the back of the end zone for his two-yard score.

Philadelphia did a good job of masking its tendencies. For instance, it likely reasoned that the Falcons would anticipate off coverage from Samuel and attempt to run an inside route, so on one play it had a safety trail wideout Julio Jones off the line of scrimmage to take away the underneath route, and Samuel then jumped a post pattern for an interception.

Another time, Asomugha feigned as if he were playing "off" man coverage, but released the receiver downfield and sat in zone coverage. The move appeared to catch quarterback Matt Ryan off guard. Ryan likely thought Asomugha would continue downfield and aimed a pass in the area where Asomugha normally would have turned his back to run with the receiver. Advantage, Eagles. Asomugha sat in his "zone" for his first interception of the season.

"When you got a guy like that and you give him $60 million, you expect him to cover one-on-one all the way down the field," White said of Asomugha beforehand. "But they'll move him around."

The Giants are next up for the Eagles. Quarterback Eli Manning finally broke out of a passing funk late in Monday's win over the Rams and likely will have to be on his game Sunday because the Giants lack a pass-catching tight end who can exploit the Eagles' deficiencies at safety. If New York's wideouts needed a breakdown on how to beat the Philly corners, they could do a lot worse than listening to White.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think Nicks has the strength and physicality to do what White recommends against Nnamdi, more so than Mannignham. And Manningham seems to be suited to attack Asante. The problem is the Giants don't have anyone that would really require Cromartie to come off of double covering Nicks or Manningham. I'm thinking that's what they'll do, bracket Nicks with Nnamdi and Cromartie. Make Eli try to beat them with Manningham with his propensity to juggle balls a little before he catches them.

 

[ROYALWITCHEESE]

A receiver's eye view of the Eagles CBs, courtesy of Roddy White

Jim Trotter>INSIDE THE NFL

ATLANTA -- After practice concluded last Friday with a short talk from coach Mike Smith, Falcons players quickly made their way into the locker room so they could change and take advantage of the rest of the afternoon. Roddy White was an exception. The standout wide receiver walked off the field, through a back door and made a hard right into a dark meeting room. There, he took a seat near the back wall, grabbed a laser pointer and began drawing tight red circles on the large projection screen in the front of the room.

The Falcons would play the Eagles in a nationally televised primetime game two days later, and White wanted to get one final look at a Philadelphia secondary whose top three cornerbacks are former Pro Bowlers following the offseason additions of Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to go with Asante Samuel.

"The group is good because they have so many good athletes," White says while watching cut-ups from Eagles' season-opening win over the Rams. "Everybody in the league is going to three- and four-wideout sets, and they believe these three can guard you all over the field when they're out there together. That allows them to blitz and bring more people after the quarterback and get sacks or tipped balls or force bad throws that lead to interceptions. You have to be on your game against them."

After a week of studying the Eagles' defense in general, and their cornerbacks in particular, White provided a visitor with his thoughts on the players' strengths and weaknesses and how a receiver has to attack them to be successful. One by one he circled Asomugha, Samuel and Rodgers-Cromartie in the game against the Rams and discussed why a receiver won or lost an individual battle in third-and-long situations.

"Going in we know that Asante is always the right corner," White says. "That's where he's most comfortable. He doesn't really like traveling and [matching up] with guys. He likes to stay on that side and play the wide side of the field, where he can see everything. He likes to play off [the ball by 7 or 8 yards] and read the quarterback's eyes so he can jump routes. He's a good route recognition guy. Obviously he studies film and does a good job with that.

"Nnamdi is on the other side. He's the boundary corner, which means he's on the short side of the field. He usually guards the X position, away from the strong side of the formation, and likes to get up and play 'press' coverage. He likes to be in your face and disrupt the timing of your routes. Cromartie is very athletic. He kind of does what Asante does, plays off, drives on balls, plays soft. If he does bump you, he usually shadows you because he feels he can run with you because he's got great speed."

White formed his evaluations by not only recalling previous games against the players -- he faced Asomugha (2008) and Rodgers-Cromartie (2010) once each when they were with the Raiders and Cardinals, respectively, and he lined up against Samuel a handful of times since Samuel signed with Philadelphia in 2008 -- but also by studying the Eagles' four preseason games and regular season opener this year.

TROTTER: Falcons' offense not quite there yet, but getting close

As he sat in the back of the room, eyes glued on the images in front of him, he used a clicker to fast forward and rewind certain plays and players to emphasize his scouting report on the cornerbacks.

"When dealing with a guy like Asante, it's more likely that you run hitches and posts, things that require you to run right at him so you can block his vision," White says. "He wants to sit back there and look in the backfield. He'll line up on a receiver's outside shoulder so he can see the quarterback, then he just reads the route while looking into the backfield. It's hard to beat Asante deep because he's not going to let you get behind him. You have to beat him with a lot of underneath routes and routes that go right at him and disrupt him. He likes to jump routes, so you want to avoid things like 'out' routes and corner routes against him, because those allow him to look in and see the quarterback's eyes. He does a really good job of breaking on the ball, and nine times out of 10 he intercepts them and takes them back to the house. You want to stay away from that.

"Cromartie is the same type of player, but he's a lot faster. He'll bump you sometimes, but it's not a hard jam because he feels he has the speed to run with you. Nnamdi is completely different."

White extends the laser and begins circling No. 24 at the top of the screen.

"Look at Nnamdi," he says. "He likes to get in your face, jam you, disrupt routes that way. He likes to be down at the line of scrimmage and get his hands on you and disrupt the timing. With a guy like this you really have to use your feet. You have to give yourself some room against him. Even if you're on the open side of the formation, you can back off the line by a half yard because all the officials require is that you cover up the tackle on that side. This guy right here ..."

White circles the receiver Asomugha is preparing to press.

"... He's doing a bad job, to me, because I would never have been this close to the line of scrimmage," Roddy continues. "Nnamdi's arms are so long that it makes it very easy for him to get his hands on you. That's his comfort zone. So you back this out a half-yard, get some distance and prevent him from getting his hands on you. And with a guy like him you've got to use your feet -- hands and feet. You've got to get ready and put your hands up quickly because he's going to launch at you and try to put his hands on you to disrupt routes. So you always have to be going forward and your hands in a position to be above his, because if you can get his hands away from you, then you can pretty much dominate."

White demonstrates from his chair what he is talking about. Normally receivers will use what's known as a "swim move" to get past cornerbacks in press coverage. The wideout will push or pull a defender to one side, then raise his arm on that side in a swimming motion so he can step past the off-balance defensive back.

With Asomugha, White says receivers are better off "ripping" than "swimming." It's essentially the same move, only the receiver does not raise his arm as high and he uses more force by essentially pulling the cornerback forward.

"Nnamdi's a launcher, so he steps forward and shoots his hands at your chest," White says. "Knowing that, and being back a half-yard, you kind of hesitate off the ball because you know he wants to lunge at you and get his hands on you. So you slow-play it. As soon as he takes his foot forward, you know his hands are coming, so you want to rip over them when you're playing him. You don't want to do a swim move because he can still get his hands on you. You want to rip because you can pull him and get by him.

"Once you get around him, he's so long and tall (6-foot-2) it's hard for him to get out of breaks. That's the thing that people don't understand when you watch this guy because he's so good at getting his hands on people. But when he doesn't, it's hard for him to get in and out of breaks and get to people. That's our game plan, come up here and get our hands and feet ready to go.

"But it's got to be rapid fire, you've always got to be going forward, because if he shoots his hands and misses he'll just bounce back and try to get back in front of you. So if you're just pitter-patting at the line and not gaining ground, he's still in front of you, and he does a good job staying in front of people. He's a technician at what he does. He studies hard, so he believes in everything he sees.

"You've got to disrupt his comfort zone, because if he can hop back and stay in front of you, he can pretty much dominate you the entire game. But if you can get his hands down, then he's all out of his comfort zone and that's when you start running routes and you can beat the guy. But the minute you commit, you have to go.

"He likes to see you dance, because once he shoots his hands and is able to back up and see what you're doing, and you're still at the line of scrimmage, he feels like he's winning because while you're dancing the rush is already on the quarterback. If you're only two yards off the line of scrimmage after a second or two, the route is disrupted and he's pretty much won."

Interestingly, the Falcons did not consistently test the Eagles' corners in the 35-31 Atlanta win two days after this tutorial. Instead, they relied on tight end Tony Gonzalez, whose seven catches matched the total output for the team's receivers and whose two scores were one more than the wideouts had. White finished with three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. None of the four touchdown passes was against the corners. Each was against a safety or linebacker, with White beating safety Kurt Coleman at the back of the end zone for his two-yard score.

Philadelphia did a good job of masking its tendencies. For instance, it likely reasoned that the Falcons would anticipate off coverage from Samuel and attempt to run an inside route, so on one play it had a safety trail wideout Julio Jones off the line of scrimmage to take away the underneath route, and Samuel then jumped a post pattern for an interception.

Another time, Asomugha feigned as if he were playing "off" man coverage, but released the receiver downfield and sat in zone coverage. The move appeared to catch quarterback Matt Ryan off guard. Ryan likely thought Asomugha would continue downfield and aimed a pass in the area where Asomugha normally would have turned his back to run with the receiver. Advantage, Eagles. Asomugha sat in his "zone" for his first interception of the season.

"When you got a guy like that and you give him $60 million, you expect him to cover one-on-one all the way down the field," White said of Asomugha beforehand. "But they'll move him around."

The Giants are next up for the Eagles. Quarterback Eli Manning finally broke out of a passing funk late in Monday's win over the Rams and likely will have to be on his game Sunday because the Giants lack a pass-catching tight end who can exploit the Eagles' deficiencies at safety. If New York's wideouts needed a breakdown on how to beat the Philly corners, they could do a lot worse than listening to White.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think Nicks has the strength and physicality to do what White recommends against Nnamdi, more so than Mannignham. And Manningham seems to be suited to attack Asante. The problem is the Giants don't have anyone that would really require Cromartie to come off of double covering Nicks or Manningham. I'm thinking that's what they'll do, bracket Nicks with Nnamdi and Cromartie. Make Eli try to beat them with Manningham with his propensity to juggle balls a little before he catches them.

Teams rarely bracket a WR with 2 corners. Don't know that I've seen it. It would be a safety over the top if anything. Something tells me the Eagles are so good (cocky) that they will try a lot of zero blitzes--leaving Nicks one-on-one with one of their corners.

 

[NeverEnough]

I just dealt Stewart & Holmes for Nicks. I am starting him every week unless he is hurt.

 

[healthpellets]

If healthy Nicks falls into that tier of players you don't sit for any reason.

even for maclin?

 

[Dez]

Bench him at your own risk

 

[Multiple Scores]

Considering David Nelson in one. Wayne in another.

 

[MoraccoMole]

I am leaning toward starting Welker in place of Nicks.

 

[Run It Up]

I am leaning toward starting Welker in place of Nicks.

Why is welker riding your bench ever?

 

[Quez]

I'm starting Lloyd & Moss over him. With an injured Manningham & Hixon gone I am sure they will try and take him out of the picture.

 

[Hoss_Cartwright]

If healthy Nicks falls into that tier of players you don't sit for any reason.

even for maclin?

Who are your other starting WRs?

 

[Ariakis]

In one of my leagues with Nicks (also have Lloyd) I'm currently planning to roll with DNelson and Branch in what should be a shoot-out vs. two "studs" that seem to have a lower floor this week. This format isn't TD heavy so if each guy gets me 80 yards I project to be in good shape. I may change my mind Sunday but for now that's my take. I think Nicks can be taken out of the game as they make their scrub WR's beat single coverage while also playing the run.

 

[T with T]

If he is healed all the way then I think you have to start him. Manning isn't a great QB and relies on him a bunch. If you watched Mondays game you saw that Manning would throw to him if he was single or double covered. Only way i would bench him is if i had another top 15 WR to replace him.I say 5 for 85 1 td late.

When's the last time someone caught 5 balls and a td against nnamdi?

But to be fair, when was the last time NNAMDI was tested... He only gave up 13 receptions last year but teams never threw to him. If Eli Knows he is the only guy they got he may force it to Nicks and cause Nnamdi to really cover the whole game. That being said, I can't Bench Nicks for scrubs. Nicks is the man and can pretty much beat any coverage and can outleap any defender. I say most guys are sissies and whimps who would bench him over guys like Jordy or Henderson.

 

[T with T]

I am leaning toward starting Welker in place of Nicks.

Why is welker riding your bench ever?

Maybe because he has Nicks. Ever think that could be it.