Nick Collins, playermaker or just a guy?

[Patler]

Top notch safeties are anything but invisible. They make solid hits in the running game and on passes. They cause incompletions from tipping the ball, hitting the receiver, AND causing the receiver to alligator arm the ball when in the safety's area. They are around the ball even when not making the hit. Their names are heard from the announcers with frequency.

That was not what Collins did last year, except in one or two games.

I have not given up on him at all; but he still has some big steps to take if he is to become top-notch. He has time, and even if he doesn't take the next step, he will still be an OK safety to have back there.

[Scott Campbell]

Troy Polamalu - anything but invisible.

[Tony Oday]

Troy Polamalu - anything but invisible.

Thought he was a SS and in our defense I thought the Safties where supposed to be center fielders that stay deeper than the deepest guy with not a lot of duties in the run game.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Troy Polamalu - anything but invisible.

Thought he was a SS and in our defense I thought the Safties where supposed to be center fielders that stay deeper than the deepest guy with not a lot of duties in the run game.

Exactly. Not completely invisible, but there are good safeties (who don't play in the box), but don't make a lot of plays. Are you telling me you wouldn't have been happy if Manuel was invisible this year.

Kind of interesting. Collins 5 turnovers forced were the 4th most by an NFC safety. His 14 pass deflections led all NFC safeties. He was 10th in the NFC among safeties in tackles. The guys ahead of him are mostly "in the box" safeties like Adrian Wilson and Brian Dawkins.

[The Shadow]

Collins would benefit from having an experienced- and talented - safety partner back there with him. Eugene Robinson was of great help to the young Darren Sharper.
Manuel talked the talk, but could never walk the walk.

[VegasPackFan]

I would have to say the NC right now seems to be a very good run supporter but needs to improve in pass coverage.

He consistently makes solid hard hitting tackles and there are a few "jacked up" hits here and there. I for one always appreciate a guy that plays D who actually knows how to tackle. So many players now days are only looking for the highlight reel hit and fail to make the expected play. That why I also appreciate AJ HAwk.

So if NC gets better in coverage, he will be more than just a guy for sure.

[Fritz]

I remember reading an article a few years back, after Darren Sharper finally came in to his own. There was much consternation after Sharp's second year - a sense that he wasn't really developing and didn't have ball instincts (T.O.'s catch in the playoffs). Then he came on strong - but it took longer than people thought it should. Sharper's point was that safety as he was expected to play it was a difficult position to truly understand, and only with time could he learn to play without having to think about it.

Given this, I think Collins will only get better.