Shut down cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is the anchor of the DB’s, but what about his supporting cast? (Photo courtesy of Hugbacker.com)
There is little concern in the “Nation” over the team’s defensive backfield or should there be? With the team finishing tenth overall in pass defense, did these numbers justify this DB unit as a team strength? Or does it skew the fact that teams consistently abandoned their passing attack and repeatedly overpowered this 31st ranked run defense? Lets investigate…
When facing the Oakland Raiders the one name that instilled the most fear into offensive coordinators is consensus All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha, who has cemented himself has a bonafide shutdown cornerback in the league. During the 2007 and 2008 regular season, teams repeatedly refused to throw in his direction, leaving many passes intended for “the other-side”. That “other-side” position is currently held by third-year pro Chris Johnson.
Thrown into the fire when former starter DeAngelo Hall was released late into the 2008 season, Johnson fared well with marked improvement impressing coaches and management with his natural abilities and ability to adjust to the ball. With 6 career starts, Johnson certainly has the more experience over closest competitor Stanford Routt in the rights to start opposite Asomugha. Entering his fourth year, Routt was in the dog house with the coaching staff in 2008 for his lackadaisical approach to preparation and attitude.
During OTA’s, Routt, Justin Miller, John Bowie, and Jason Horton were given opportunities to showcase their abilities (when Asomugha and Johnson were not in attendance) with the first squad and each had mixed result. Routt showed marked improvement but looks like he will start the season as the primary nickel back. Miller is viewed more as a primary threat in the return game, thus will not see much action barring any injury to the starters.
The Safety positions look to be a more intriguing battle in training camp. At Free Safety look for the battle between second-year Hiriam Eugene and Rookie Mike Mitchell to be hard fought with Eugene prevailing. Mitchell, a former Ohio State Buckeye and surprise second round selection did little to impress coaches during OTA’s due to a nagging hamstring injury; however it was his intelligence in team meetings and outstanding work ethic during the off-season that gave a lasting impression on the coaching staff. Look for experience to be the deciding factor in Eugene returning as the starter for the 09 season.
At Strong Safety, Michael Huff will either compete with Mitchell or converted cornerback Tyvon Branch for the rights to start opposite Eugene. Former FS starter Huff, will be given another shot to redeem himself after a lackluster first half of the 2008 season in which he was supplanted by Eugene. With the “first-round” money invested in Huff, look for an all-out-effort for him to solidify himself in his bid to start opposite Eugene. If not, look for his outright release.
Overall, the cornerback positions will see no starting changes from the 2008 season. The Safety positions will be a key factor in how this unit responds. Don’t expect a dominant effort, however with a weak AFC west passing attack (outside of San Diego), look for this unit to play well enough to keep the team afloat within the division.
Be sure to tune in to more of Black Sunday's exclusive training camp position-by-position battles by visiting our website at www.BlackSundayBrand.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment