Why Tim Ruskell Will Target Patrick Chung
by John Morgan on Feb 4, 2009 4:47 PM PST
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PrintI said Patrick Chung is the safety Seattle GM Tim Ruskell is most likely to draft. Here's why:
Games Started: 51
Conference: Pac 10
Considered a Team Leader: Yes
Production: 236 solo tackles, 148 assisted tackles, 9 interceptions, 17 passes defensed, 4 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.
More Tackles Than: Bob Sanders
More Interceptions Than: Troy Polamalu
Team Record: 35-16
Known Weaknesses: Size, Speed
Gritty Like: Sandpaper
Instantly Improves: Seattle's punt return unit and kickoff and punt coverage
But a few factors prohibit Chung from being a slam dunk pick.
Oregon's Pass Defense: Ranked 111th
College Position: Rover
Coverage Skills: Raw
Chung could be a final piece in Seattle's transition to a Tampa 2. He would assume strong safety moving Deon Grant to free safety. Chung is a tackling machine that could have a Bob Sanders like impact on Seattle's run defense by being the first body in a gang tackle or by capping long runs before they bust free.
Seattle's pass defense is designed to limit big plays and pure coverage is not Chung's game. An easy fix, and given Gus Bradley's Tampa 2 roots, perhaps the expected fix, is to employ Grant and Chung in a cover 2 soft shell. The two would thrive covering halves. I've mentioned that Seattle seems poorly equipped personnel wise to convert to a Tampa 2, but it's amazing what a productive and focused offseason could do. This lineup looks pretty capable:
RDE: Darryl Tapp
RDT: Brandon Mebane
LDT: Jovan Haye
LDE: Lawrence Jackson
WLB: Will Herring
MLB: Lofa Tatupu
SLB: Julian Peterson
RCB: Josh Wilson
SS: Patrick Chung
FS: Deon Grant
LCB: Marcus Trufant
The line is young and the interior is disruptive. Tapp isn't elite, but he's a strong edge rusher that could provide consistent pressure. Herring is an excellent cover linebacker that would benefit from engaging running backs away from the scrum. Both Tatupu and Peterson are good cover linebackers and both are excellent run stoppers. Wilson is a natural Tampa 2 corner and would benefit from safety help over the top. Trufant is versatile, has flashed excellent ball skills and is a strong run stopper. It's not guaranteed to be elite, but it's only a second pick and a modest free agent contract from possible.
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All good points,
Chung does seem like a Ruskell type player. Good character, Pac 10, a bit small and slow. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes.
At the same time, your starting lineup makes me cringe because I’m still living in Fantasyland with our RDE being Patrick Kerney circa 2007, and our LDT being the unstoppable disruptive force otherwise known as Phat Albert Haynesworth.
by LantermanC on Feb 4, 2009 5:06 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Further
he’s good at getting inside position on short routes, tracks the quarterback’s eyes well and breaks on the ball carrier, allowing him to limit run after the catch.
He's a rotational player
and just doesn’t make sense starting at LDT if Seattle is converting to a T2.
I agree that Ruskell will definitely take a look at Chung.
The coverage skills (or lack thereof) that you discuss are a challenge, but if Deon Grant is able to swap places it becomes less of an issue. Still, I cringe at comparisons to Bob Sanders, because Chung shares the same size issues and I would hate for him to have the same injury problems.
"Hey, guess what? Nobody cares who would win in a crazy fantasy fist-fight between Anne Frank and Lizzie Borden." The Monarch
Sanders is 5'8"
Chung is a shade under 6’
Also, Chung hasn’t had injury problems in college. Sanders did.
I knew Chung was healthy in college (a nice plus)
Didn’t realize Sanders had injury problems all the way back there. To be honest, my strong desire for a good safety overwhelms my reticence for Chung and a few other prospects. I just badly want someone with talent not named Russell back there. One like Chung who can help with the run defense would be icing on the cake.
"Hey, guess what? Nobody cares who would win in a crazy fantasy fist-fight between Anne Frank and Lizzie Borden." The Monarch
by crushedoptimist on Feb 4, 2009 7:15 PM PST up reply actions
Somebody enlighten me
Isn’t a Cover 2 a mostly symmetrical defense?
In that system, I didn’t think there was much difference between strong and free, in that they’re each going to be lined up to cover half the field most of the time, so it’s tough to cheat one guy forward (typical SS role, more run support) and one guy back (typical FS role, more deep coverage).
Doesn’t that kind of mitigate Chung’s big strength (tackling) as opposed to a more traditional strong-side, extra-man-in-the-box role? (Although it also mitigates his weakness, pass coverage in space.) Help me out. Thanks.
I never liked categorizing them as strong and free.
If one safety is always up playing the run, and the other one is playing help either over the middle or on a deep ball, then wouldn’t there always be something to exploit? I’d much rather have two safeties with a 70 run defense 60 pass defense and a 70 pass defense 60 run defense for their ratings than a 90 run 40 pass safety lumped with a 90 pass 40 run safety.
Then again, the ideal scenario would be to get a Polamalu type, who in my mind is top notch run stuffer as well as a top notch pass defender, not to mention an excellent playmaker.
I agree
Rather than a SS/FS distinction, I’ve always looked at the cover/tampa-2 as having 2 “SS’s” who just play a little deeper. Because they’re split, and one’s not stacked at the line, both of them have to be equally adept at coming up to stop the run, depending on how the play unfolds. Both S’s have to be tough-nosed and good tacklers. A rangy coverage-type S is going to struggle just as much as a slow footed in-the-box guy. So, IMO, the ideal fit for the system is a SS/FS ‘tweener type of player, or a faster SS who’s good in zone and at keeping things in front of them.
While the scheme would seem to put more emphasis on pass coverage (since both S are responsible for their deep halves) but they’ve got the CB’s on the outside and the MLB dropping in the deep middle. So they wind up being responsible for more of 1/3rd rather than 1/2, and don’t have to cover near as much ground sideline to sideline as a S in a traditional cover-1 or cover-3 would.
I’m thinking of John Lynch, who wasn’t exactly the fastest or best coverage guy around, but wound up being the perfect fit as a SS in that scheme. Chung fits that profile, IMO, and I’d be thrilled if we drafted him
I enjoyed that explanation.
I’m still not convinced we’re going to run a traditional tampa-2, though. With teams and coaches being phased out or retiring that have run the scheme, as well as it being rumored as deprecated, I wonder how true of a tampa-2 we’ll run? Will it be a hybrid so much so that it only includes facets of tampa-2, or will it be more towards a ‘true’ tampa-2. I haven’t seen good evidence other than intimations of such, likely due to coaching backgrounds on our staff. Maybe I’ve missed a declaration.
here is how, from the post
Seattle’s pass defense is designed to limit big plays and pure coverage is not Chung’s game. An easy fix, and given Gus Bradley’s Tampa 2 roots, perhaps the expected fix, is to employ Grant and Chung in a cover 2 soft shell. The two would thrive covering halves.
bring back taurean green
I like your scenario here
Although I too was shocked to see some names gone, I like the youth and the price of our fantasy D.
For arguments sake..
Lets say we take Michael Crabtree in the 1st (big 12, productive, bpa, good dude etc)
I really like Chung and I’m in agreement that Ruskell likely does too but..
that early – mid 2nd looks like it could shape up as a “hog heaven” of sorts that will dry out by our 3rd. Possible guys like Duke Robinson, Max Unger, Alex Mack and Jamon Meridith could be available there.
now, Chung likely won’t be there with our 3rd. but Derek Pegues, Courtney Greene, Michael Hamlin, David Bruton, Emanuel Cook, Curtis Taylor, Kevin Ellison should all be there at the that point.
I guess I’m saying the 3rd round safetys look a hell of a lot better than the 3rd round olinemen.
by puerto on Feb 5, 2009 12:27 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
I agree with this.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Feb 5, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions
I suppose CJ Wallace is out of the question?
In college, he, too, was a “tackling machine” with size and speed concerns. But he was definitely one of those “nose for the football” guys….
I think both Wallace & Adams have a lot of potential
And they’re currently great as ST and back-ups. But IMO both still appear to have a case of Boulware-itis and are a little too aggressive. Good pass/run recognition is probably the most important skills for a S in this system, and I’m not sure either are there yet.
My preference for S in ’09 would be Grant at one spot and either draft a guy like Chung on the first day or sign a value FA like Will Allen. Then cut Russell and have those 3 battle it out for the spot.
Mora loved Adams
Maybe now that he has a wee bit more power than last year, we can see Jamar Adams starting. I know that is a leap from PS to starting but it would be sweet. I also understand we saw him tear it up in the preseason which JV light but last year all personnel decisions on D were John Marshall’s.
Or maybe big play Babs? just throwing that out there. Somebody more informed, please rip me a new one….haha
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