Post Draft Look At Our Cornerback Situation

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Post Draft Look At Our Cornerback Situation

...and the problem becomes that lesser talented players end up on the field "because they know the system" not because they possess the best talent. That is why we had Anthony Madison on the field last year and Tyrone Carter on the field in years prior. It should be a balance but in our case it is heaviliy weighted towards learning a "complex" system. I continue to point out that Dom Capers had no problem introducing essentially the same defense but immediately getting contributions from Clay Matthews, BJ Raji, Sam Shields, etc. and winning the Super Bowl within just a couple of years. Perhaps the best way to learn is to actually do????????

When Capers came in and made the switch to the 3-4, there were no players on the Packers who had played a 3-4 before, so the vets did not have any advantage over the rookies. In fact, the vets may have been at a disadvantage, because they had played their entire careers in the 4-3, and old habits are hard to break. It may have been easier to mold the rookies (such as Clay Matthews) than to change the vets (such as Aaron Kampman, who was such a poor fit that he moved on Jacksonville, even though he was a very effective player for Green Bay when they ran the 4-3) who didn't fit their new scheme. Our vets already fit our scheme. That's the point. Capers and LeBeau don't do anything fundamentally different. They worked together on Cowher's staff for several years.

[flippy]

Re: Post Draft Look At Our Cornerback Situation

CB is one of the easiest positions to come in a contribute immediately unless you play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And it's crazy cause Dick was a CB and Mike's a CB coach.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Post Draft Look At Our Cornerback Situation

Cortez Allen May Just Be My Sleeper Pick to Develop Into Bigtime Player for the Pittsburgh Steelers

by Michael Bean on May 19, 2011



3 months ago: Citadel defensive back Cortez Allen makes a catch as he runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Prior to joining Ken Laird yesterday on his tremendous Steelers 365 podcast, I came across something he wrote about Cortez Allen, a cornerback out of The Citadel that Pittsburgh selected in the fourth round of this year's draft. Several things that stuck out to me from the post, including:

He's not Ike Taylor fast, but Allen's 4.45 40-yard dash time was a fraction better than Curtis Brown's (4.5).

His speed can be traced back to his days as a track standout during high school in Florida.

He didn't start playing football until his senior year, which helps explain why Allen wound up at The Citadel. Perhaps he had better options in terms of football opportunities and really wanted to attend the military school, but even if so, it's pretty impressive he wound up with a scholarship anywhere considering when he first started playing organized ball.

The most interesting part of Laird's post though was some interesting statistics he culled from Allen's career. Laird began by noting that, yes, Allen did have only five career interceptions in college, two of which he returned for TDs, but his cover ability is better reflected in the following stats:

- 63 third down stops (58 vs. the pass) and 15 fourth down stops

- Just 69-of-197 passes (35%) and 3 TDs completed against him, with just 33 of those catches producing first downs

- Rerouting of his main coverage assignment on 102 of 128 incomplete pass attempts

- 13 of 28 starts where he did not give up a single reception

Laird also notes just how bad the rest of The Citadel's secondary was defending the pass, which also explains why he had limited opportunities to make plays and showcase his talents. A good read from Laird.

I was immediately intrigued by the young man when he was drafted on the third and final day of the 2011 NFL Draft, primarily because in addition to his solid measurables, I felt like he might have a much higher ceiling than people realize. You just don't have the same amount of time to devote to football at a program like The Citadel as you do at major D-1 schools where it's football all the time. Carnell Lake will inherit a young man with no trace of an ego who already knows the value of hard work. But I had yet to really research more about him and become familiar with his game and his personality. I still am curious and have more questions than answers, but after learning a little bit more about the job he did shutting down receivers in college makes me even more curious to see what kind of talent Cortez Allen may develop into in the NFL.

He's definitely one of many rookies that are being hurt most by the ongoing lockout, as this is the time when he'd be getting his first exposure to the intricacies of D!ck LeBeau's defense. We'll see what happens this next few months, but the lockout could ultimately cripple his chances of making the roster this year. But in time, and perhaps as even as early as this year on special teams, I think Cortez Allen is going to endear himself to Steeler Nation with his contributions on Sundays.

[url="http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/5/19/2180044/2011-nfl-draft-pittsburgh-steelers-cornerbacks-ike-taylor"]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20 ... ike-taylor[/url]