Who is our starting safety right now?

[TrueBlue12]

I know he is our future but do you all think Geathers will be our starting safety right away along with Adams?

I hope he will be ready too start soon but i think Lowery may be our starter to begin the season if healthy.

Maybe Guy, Anderson, or McDonald competing as well. All seem to be very good ST players if nothing else.

This will sound crazy to many...I am hoping that Dewey McDonald, with a year in the Colts system, has developed to the point of making a serious challenge for the starting role. Of course it is an unsubstantiated hope. I know he is a hard hitter and sure tackler and a real plus on special teams. Coverage and reads??? I don't know.His college tapes were impressive against weak competition. For some reason, I just like the guy.

[throwing BBZ]

He can cover but he's great at stopping the run. Lowery isn't good at either, he's a career backup. I'm just extremely disappointed we didn't draft defense in the 1st round after how bad the Patriots and Steerlers beat this team.

 

 Gee, we signed Proven vets to upgrade the D, and have EVERY Expectation our pass rush should be better.

We have a cakewalk schedule and should have the best record in the AFC.

DJoun Smith is the only Rookie who should significantly contribute to the D this season.

 How are Safeties are playing come playoff time is all that matters, and we have 3 young guys who could prove themselves to be better than Lowery.

[gacker65]

He will have his role in our defense. Not only that he serves as great depth as last year we had Davis, Butler and Toler go down. I think he can step in and play nickel or outside and be just fine we really needed more solid depth at CB and he gives it to us.

I do not see him as an outside CB.  Possibly as a Nickle CB in a pinch.  His best position will be at SS. JMO, and I don't know much.

[gacker65]

 

I think we will see him quite a bit at the nickel. He is our best backup DB and a injury away from starting IMO!

IMO, I think he will be a better SS.  He can tackle. Got some speed and can cover.  Best situation, IMO.

[Superman]

I do not see him as an outside CB.  Possibly as a Nickle CB in a pinch.  His best position will be at SS. JMO, and I don't know much.

 

Why?

[Steamboat_Shaun]

He can cover but he's great at stopping the run. Lowery isn't good at either, he's a career backup. I'm just extremely disappointed we didn't draft defense in the 1st round after how bad the Patriots and Steerlers beat this team.

 

I really don't think a rookie safety will be the difference between winning or losing versus New England or Pittsburgh.

 

What good would he be vs Rob Gronkowski? Zero.

[gacker65]

Why?

He has a 36" vert, so a 6' WR with a 36" vert has him by 3", completed pass.  The under 5'11" CBs are running out of time, IMO, in the NFL.  As more and more over 6' WRs come in to the League, the short CBs are getting their lunch ate almost every play.

 

That is my reasoning for moving to SS.  Helps the Team more than moving him out side.  Again, JMO. 

[Superman]

He has a 36" vert, so a 6' WR with a 36" vert has him by 3", completed pass.  The under 5'11" CBs are running out of time, IMO, in the NFL.  As more and more over 6' WRs come in to the League, the short CBs are getting their lunch ate almost every play.

 

That is my reasoning for moving to SS.  Helps the Team more than moving him out side.  Again, JMO. 

 

Not our short corners. Vontae is probably half and inch taller than D'Joun. Revis is the same height as Vontae. Brent Grimes is 5'10". 

 

Ideally, we'd have the bigger, longer guys. But I think Vontae, Revis and Grimes are much better pure cover guys than Sherman, Browner and Peterson. For our defense, I'd rather have those shorter cover guys than the taller guys who get beat in man coverage.

 

Specific to D'Joun Smith, I think he'll start out in sub packages, based on the depth chart. But eventually, he's good enough to play on the outside, despite his height.

[BullsColtsFan1]

I don't know alot about Lowery other than the fact that he's a vet.  I like Geathers alot, he has good size and he's a good hitter but he is pretty young.  Id like to see Geathers start and gain some experience honestly.

[Gavin]

Lowery and Adams will be our starting Safeties

 

I think that there can be a legit competition this year between D'Joun Smith and Toler

[gacker65]

Not our short corners. Vontae is probably half and inch taller than D'Joun. Revis is the same height as Vontae. Brent Grimes is 5'10". 

 

Ideally, we'd have the bigger, longer guys. But I think Vontae, Revis and Grimes are much better pure cover guys than Sherman, Browner and Peterson. For our defense, I'd rather have those shorter cover guys than the taller guys who get beat in man coverage.

 

Specific to D'Joun Smith, I think he'll start out in sub packages, based on the depth chart. But eventually, he's good enough to play on the outside, despite his height.

If you say so

[Superman]

If you say so

 

Time will tell. I'm just giving my thoughts on the matter.

[ProblChld32]

Lowery and Adams will get the Knod. Geathers will get a chance but will primarily play Special Teams. 

[superrep1967]

I dont think geathers is ready but hes going to be pigeonhold in to starting. 

Well Powers and Lacey in 2009 wasn't ready when drafted but were starters when the season started. 

[SDakColts]

I do not see him as an outside CB.  Possibly as a Nickle CB in a pinch.  His best position will be at SS. JMO, and I don't know much.

I have to say I agree with Superman I think he would hold up just fine on the outside. Height is just a number unless it is something ridiculous like 5' 8" for a CB. Superman gave some great comparisons size wise on how he matches up to other NFL corners I think if most of them can play outside I see no reason why Smith can't as well. His college tapes show him playing outside almost all the time and doing well at it. The nice thing about Smith though is I think he can play nickel as well which I believe can actually be harder to play than the outside as it offers different challenges. That will be huge if we go for a stretch without Butler. I also have to say I agree with Gavin as well that Toler better not be slacking off in camp or Smith may be pushing to start opposite of Vontae. Another thing is I just don't see Smith as a SS IMO he is just too small not in height but with his size. If he was more around the 210 mark I could maybe see it but not at 190 pounds. Now FS might be an option with his current size and he has experience at FS as well from his early college career. Who knows though I guess we will find out what the coaches have planned for him, but if I had to guess he is basically going to be above average CB depth with the possibility to start this year or the next.

[gacker65]

Time will tell. I'm just giving my thoughts on the matter.

I'm getting tired pointing out the obvious.  That's why I have slowed down posting.

[gacker65]

I have to say I agree with Superman I think he would hold up just fine on the outside. Height is just a number unless it is something ridiculous like 5' 8" for a CB. Superman gave some great comparisons size wise on how he matches up to other NFL corners I think if most of them can play outside I see no reason why Smith can't as well. His college tapes show him playing outside almost all the time and doing well at it. The nice thing about Smith though is I think he can play nickel as well which I believe can actually be harder to play than the outside as it offers different challenges. That will be huge if we go for a stretch without Butler. I also have to say I agree with Gavin as well that Toler better not be slacking off in camp or Smith may be pushing to start opposite of Vontae. Another thing is I just don't see Smith as a SS IMO he is just too small not in height but with his size. If he was more around the 210 mark I could maybe see it but not at 190 pounds. Now FS might be an option with his current size and he has experience at FS as well from his early college career. Who knows though I guess we will find out what the coaches have planned for him, but if I had to guess he is basically going to be above average CB depth with the possibility to start this year or the next.

If you say so.

[SDakColts]

I'm getting tired pointing out the obvious.  That's why I have slowed down posting.

 

If you say so.

Me and Superman have given our opinions on the matter and you have too. I respect your opinion and you may be right as I am not saying you are wrong. We will just have to agree to disagree on the matter. I would though like to hear your thoughts on why you think he would be a good SS, but also stating that he is too small to play on the outside. You are basically stating that it is okay for him to cover 6' 6" 250 pound TEs on the inside like SS do, but he can't cover 6' 2" 200 pound WRs on the outside. How does that make any sense to you?

[Superman]

I'm getting tired pointing out the obvious.  That's why I have slowed down posting.

 

Okay...

 

Well, if you feel inclined to respond, I have a question. We use our safeties in man coverage on TEs quite often, especially the SS. Wouldn't the matchup issues with bigger receivers be even more pronounced against TEs?

 

That's why I like Geathers' profile. He's big and has good length. I think he'll be a good prospect for a box safety who can cover TEs.

[SDakColts]

Okay...

 

Well, if you feel inclined to respond, I have a question. We use our safeties in man coverage on TEs quite often, especially the SS. Wouldn't the matchup issues with bigger receivers be even more pronounced against TEs?

 

That's why I like Geathers' profile. He's big and has good length. I think he'll be a good prospect for a box safety who can cover TEs.

Stole the exact question out of my mouth . His logic just isn't making sense to me at all. Glad I am not the only one.

[gacker65]

Me and Superman have given our opinions on the matter and you have too. I respect your opinion and you may be right as I am not saying you are wrong. We will just have to agree to disagree on the matter. I would though like to hear your thoughts on why you think he would be a good SS, but also stating that he is too small to play on the outside. You are basically stating that it is okay for him to cover 6' 6" 250 pound TEs on the inside like SS do, but he can't cover 6' 2" 200 pound WRs on the outside. How does that make any sense to you?

 

 

Okay...

 

Well, if you feel inclined to respond, I have a question. We use our safeties in man coverage on TEs quite often, especially the SS. Wouldn't the matchup issues with bigger receivers be even more pronounced against TEs?

 

That's why I like Geathers' profile. He's big and has good length. I think he'll be a good prospect for a box safety who can cover TEs.

Your reasoning is exactly why I don't want him outside.  36" verts for WRs seem to be the norm, meaning he is at a disadvantage from the start.  Any WR over 5'9" has an advantage over him.

 

Reason I questioned the pick and asked about moving him to SS.

[NewColtsFan]

If you say so.

 

 

Three straight snarky and obnoxious posts by you in this thread.

 

Beginning to see a pattern forming here?

[SDakColts]

Your reasoning is exactly why I don't want him outside.  36" verts for WRs seem to be the norm, meaning he is at a disadvantage from the start.  Any WR over 5'9" has an advantage over him.

 

Reason I questioned the pick and asked about moving him to SS.

You are bouncing around the question. What makes him unable to cover a 6' 2" WR outside, but he can cover a 6' 6" TE. Smith also has a 36" vertical jump so he is on par with WRs average as well. NFL tight ends are usually also around an average of a 34" vertical with them being already on average 4" taller than a WR. So if your argument is him being vertically challenged to cover a taller WR then your argument is void to say he should play SS as he would be even more vertically challenged covering a TE. The league average for corner is 5' 11" and 193 pounds that is basically what Smith is so you acting like he is way undersized is unnecessary. Not all corners need to be the size of Seattle's to play well outside.

[C0LT5]

Geathers will be starting by week 8 IMO. Lowery is just awful. But he'll still be starting at the beginning of the year unless Geathers is just straight up killing it to the point where it'd be dumb not to start him week 1. I think Geathers is going to be a stud personally. Now if we can only get a good young ball hawking safety to pair with him we'll be set. I'm hoping we try Smith at FS. He has the tackling skills and the ability IMO. I'm not worried about him being 1 inch shorter than a safety needs to be either.

 

I'm with you here. Let Geathers get his feet wet in the first half of the season with spot duty and then start him on the back half of the year and give Lowrey spot duty.

 

What we don't want is for him to be forced into action week 15 with very little experience when we go on our playoff run.

[Warhorse]

Three straight snarky and obnoxious posts by you in this thread.

 

Beginning to see a pattern forming here?

You just noticed in this thread?

[gacker65]

You are bouncing around the question. What makes him unable to cover a 6' 2" WR outside, but he can cover a 6' 6" TE. Smith also has a 36" vertical jump so he is on par with WRs average as well. NFL tight ends are usually also around an average of a 34" vertical with them being already on average 4" taller than a WR. So if your argument is him being vertically challenged to cover a taller WR then your argument is void to say he should play SS as he would be even more vertically challenged covering a TE. The league average for corner is 5' 11" and 193 pounds that is basically what Smith is so you acting like he is way undersized is unnecessary. Not all corners need to be the size of Seattle's to play well outside.

I did not bounce around the question.  I said to put him at SS because he can tackle.

 

We both correct about him going up against taller receiver.  I agree, that he would he would have the same problems against TE as outside.

 

Your are correct, that the CB average height is 5'11", but the difference is that they also have higher verts.  Then the question becomes, Why draft a CB that has a vert that is average for the WRs.

 

IMO, the time of the below 5'11" CB is coming to an end.

[SDakColts]

I did not bounce around the question.  I said to put him at SS because he can tackle.

 

We both correct about him going up against taller receiver.  I agree, that he would he would have the same problems against TE as outside.

 

Your are correct, that the CB average height is 5'11", but the difference is that they also have higher verts.  Then the question becomes, Why draft a CB that has a vert that is average for the WRs.

 

IMO, the time of the below 5'11" CB is coming to an end.

Fair enough I agree he is great tackler for a corner. Against taller receivers he may have some issues, but I think he will hold his own overall. Glad we are on the same page about him covering TEs as IMO that would be a terrible decision. A 36" vertical jump is also in the top 15 corners at the combine as well so not great but not bad either I could live with that. I guess in my opinion I think vertical jump is important, but not quite as important as you hold it in your opinion and that is fine. I am going to end this discussion with these combine results of Vontae Davis I want you to please look them over and compare measurables to D'Joun Smith  then tell me if you still think he can't play outside based off them alone.

 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/vontae-davis?id=79901

Vontae Davis

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/djoun-smith?id=2552253

D'Joun Smith

[NewColtsFan]

You just noticed in this thread?

 

Ahhh....   no.

 

I've noticed for a long, long, long time.

 

But my best friend and I got tangled up briefly in a disagreement in another thread earlier today...

 

I made note of his snarky comment there, and wanted to follow through on more snarkiness here as well.

 

Wanted to show that it wasn't simply a one shot deal.    It's a long standing pattern.

[Tracy Denton]

Lowery and Adams will be our starting Safeties

 

I think that there can be a legit competition this year between D'Joun Smith and Toler

What do you think about trying Junior Sylvestre out at Safety ?

[lollygagger8]

Bethea was a sixth round pick, and he turned out great. Hopefully Geathers learns a lot from Pagano, and the safety spot isn't as tricky for Grigson as he said it is. 

[Coltsluckyghost]

The way i look at it    Dwight Lowery Started for the Falcons last year has starter experience He should get First team reps and start week 1 but if he struggles i wouldn't hesitate to give Geathers a shot  but i wouldn't wanna force it