Name The Starting Defensive Backfield 2013

[pbmax]

Wood is gone and so is the #1 personnel reason to play nickel or some kind of Rover/Robber DB position. Shields and Hayward seem ascendant, House should be on the way up and Tramontana has had a somewhat (unexpectedly) uneven year after healing an injury.

At safety, Burnett looks entrenched but not a star, Doc Jennings can roam but not fill and McMillan looks for all the world the part except he can be slow to react and might not have top end speed. He looks like he's an in the box guy so far.

So who starts next year and pays the nickel and dime spots?

Base
CB-Shields
SS-Burnett
FS-Jennings
CB-House

I am getting more and more convinced that the talk of TWill not being completely over the shoulder nerve injury was legit prior to camp because his drop off seems to have no other logical explanation after starting out a house on fire. I think House is fantastic though and might surpass TWill even if he is healthy. That puts TWill in an awkward spot because neither of the three CBs mentioned so far play the slot well.

Nickel CB-Heyward

Simply no other choice.


Dime DB-Tramontana

McMillan will get snaps when facing run heavy teams when Capers wants to be prepared to cover a pass. He and Heyward will split Woodson's do everything responsibilities. Williams might get some snaps when facing a team with Packer like depth at skill positions like NE.


What They Need:
1. House and Williams to be healthy, but otherwise CB has rarely looked this good

2. Draft or find a safety. Nothing would put me more at ease than to replace one of the starting safeties, though I suspect Jennings will be more assignment sure and less beatable deep this year.

[Fritz]

Wood is gone and so is the #1 personnel reason to play nickel or some kind of Rover/Robber DB position. Shields and Hayward seem ascendant, House should be on the way up and Tramontana has had a somewhat (unexpectedly) uneven year after healing an injury.

At safety, Burnett looks entrenched but not a star, Doc Jennings can roam but not fill and McMillan looks for all the world the part except he can be slow to react and might not have top end speed. He looks like he's an in the box guy so far.

So who starts next year and pays the nickel and dime spots?

Base
CB-Shields
SS-Burnett
FS-Jennings
CB-House

I am getting more and more convinced that the talk of TWill not being completely over the shoulder nerve injury was legit prior to camp because his drop off seems to have no other logical explanation after starting out a house on fire. I think House is fantastic though and might surpass TWill even if he is healthy. That puts TWill in an awkward spot because neither of the three CBs mentioned so far play the slot well.

Nickel CB-Heyward

Simply no other choice.


Dime DB-Tramontana

McMillan will get snaps when facing run heavy teams when Capers wants to be prepared to cover a pass. He and Heyward will split Woodson's do everything responsibilities. Williams might get some snaps when facing a team with Packer like depth at skill positions like NE.


What They Need:
1. House and Williams to be healthy, but otherwise CB has rarely looked this good

2. Draft or find a safety. Nothing would put me more at ease than to replace one of the starting safeties, though I suspect Jennings will be more assignment sure and less beatable deep this year.

McMillan is the mystery to me. Your post gets to this for me: I thought TT drafted him as Collins's replacement. I also know safeties often take about three years to develop (see: Collins, Nick, and Sharper, Darren). However I cannot tell if our seeming doubt about McMillan (lots of rat talk about needing a safety, including you, PB, I think) means we're being impatient or if he's lacking some key physical tool, like -as you suggest - speed.

[Pugger]

I too hope we find someone other than Jennings back there - either FA or in the upcoming draft. It will be interesting to watch the DBs in the combine next week.

[smuggler]

I don't think McMillian is a great FS prospect. I'd prefer him used closer to the line and let Burnett cover deep.

I'd prefer less of T.Williams and more of House in the base, and Heyward will continue in the slot.

[RashanGary]

Tramon, Shields, Burnett (SS), Draft (FS)

Heyward nickle
House dime (with Tramon having to man the second slot position)

[Teamcheez1]

Dime DB-Tramontana

McMillan will get snaps when facing run heavy teams when Capers wants to be prepared to cover a pass. He and Heyward will split Woodson's do everything responsibilities. Williams might get some snaps when facing a team with Packer like depth at skill positions like NE.


Tramon Williams will not be paid $7.5M to be a dime CB. If they can't keep him on the field in the base or nickel, there is no sense in paying that kind of money. I think they need to keep him in case of injuries, etc., but I expect him to be on the field the majority of the time to justify that kind of salary.

[ND72]

Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money and now doesn't want to be hurt.

[Guiness]

Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money and now doesn't want to be hurt.

If most of the thoughts in this thread are accurate...Tramon won't be with the team this coming year, not at that salary.

[Patler]

Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money and now doesn't want to be hurt.

I would modify that sentiment only slightly. Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money, was injured significantly, and now doesn't want to be hurt again. I don't think the money changed him, but I do think the injury did. I think it has made him timid in some situations.

[pbmax]

I would modify that sentiment only slightly. Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money, was injured significantly, and now doesn't want to be hurt again. I don't think the money changed him, but I do think the injury did. I think it has made him timid in some situations.

I think it also altered his technique. The lack of physicality from a tackling standpoint was always a concern for him, but coverage wasn't. I think we will know early in camp, certainly by the exhibition games, whether he has recovered that portion of his game.

[pbmax]

Tramon Williams will not be paid $7.5M to be a dime CB. If they can't keep him on the field in the base or nickel, there is no sense in paying that kind of money. I think they need to keep him in case of injuries, etc., but I expect him to be on the field the majority of the time to justify that kind of salary.

An excellent point. I think my lineup constitutes a small leap of faith, that House really cements himself as a starter, but he has already done that in camp last year.

But Williams will also need to continue to struggle. That remains to be seen. And its a fair question whether the Packers will endure Year 3 of his physical struggle at that price. I could see a negotiation in his future. I wonder what other teams think of him?

[packrulz]

I think back to the games against the Giants, 49ers, and even Jacksonville, physical teams, and Tramon just didn't have the strength to disrupt the routes of their top receivers. I'm not saying he isn't a starter, but they can't count on him to match up against the top physical receivers in the league. I think he had some nerve damage, and it takes a long time for it to grow back and regain the strength. I like some of the big, strong DB's in the draft this year, even if they're not real fast, I like guys who can slug it out in the 5 yard rule.

[denverYooper]

I think it also altered his technique. The lack of physicality from a tackling standpoint was always a concern for him, but coverage wasn't. I think we will know early in camp, certainly by the exhibition games, whether he has recovered that portion of his game.

Unfortunately, playing hurt likely reprogrammed his muscle memory. He took a lot of reps with that injury. Hopefully last year was him washing out the vestiges of it, though I would not make any kind of bet on it.

[Guiness]

I would modify that sentiment only slightly. Tramon looks like a man who has been paid a lot of money, was injured significantly, and now doesn't want to be hurt again. I don't think the money changed him, but I do think the injury did. I think it has made him timid in some situations.

See: Ferguson, Robert
He was having a breakout season before he got cloth lined. Never seemed to regain that form.

[Guiness]

I think back to the games against the Giants, 49ers, and even Jacksonville, physical teams, and Tramon just didn't have the strength to disrupt the routes of their top receivers. I'm not saying he isn't a starter, but they can't count on him to match up against the top physical receivers in the league. I think he had some nerve damage, and it takes a long time for it to grow back and regain the strength. I like some of the big, strong DB's in the draft this year, even if they're not real fast, I like guys who can slug it out in the 5 yard rule.

:-> at the 'five yard rule'
There is, of course, no rule with regards to this. I recall a discussion about this a while back (like, a few years ago) and it turned out there was no rule allowing contact beyond the LOS at all! It's more of an 'understanding' than a rule.