How long until Earl Thomas is playing CB?
Now, I'm not bringing this up because he had a couple of mistakes last week, but I'm one who believed Earl Thomas would be a cornerback in the NFL. Trufant on the other hand looked horrendous last week. I don't know how he has done for the season, so I won't comment whether Trufant's skills are diminishing. But by trading Josh Wilson earlier in the year and from the far outside looking in Seattle just might have a CB problem. Earl Thomas would be an interesting attempt in correcting the imperfection.
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I can see Trufant moving to S as he grows slower/older
Moving Thomas to Cornerback is a mistake. He has a small frame and will be shafted by tall recievers that are 4-5 inches taller
I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul - Invictus
Exactly
And why trade Josh Wilson because he was small to draft a CB with the same physical qualities. That seems stupid and would look terrible on the FO. I’d be pissed.
by PhoneHomeET29 on Nov 10, 2010 9:21 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
The FO likes big CB's
That’s why we drafted one name Walter Thurmond. We already drafted a replacement.
by PhoneHomeET29 on Nov 11, 2010 10:05 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed.
On a better team, he’s still a great asset. Maybe not elite or close to it like 04-07 but still pretty good.
by Hopefulmsfan on Nov 11, 2010 1:16 AM PST up reply actions
Correcting the imperfection?
While simultaneously creating a gaping hole at FS.
We spent a bunch of our picks on defensive backs in this past draft (Thurmond, Thomas, Chancellor). Trufant is here to stay. A lot of us would love a better secondary, but the one we have is probably not going to change too dramatically. Our needs at QB, OL, DL are too serious to spend any serious resources on DB’s in the near future.
Thomas’s ability to play CB may someday be something of an asset for this team. Since we are three deep at competent corner right now (Jennings, Thurmond, Trufant) and would be forced to start Babs at FS, Thomas ain’t going anywhere for now.
First, VERY interesting topic, at least for me
To answer directly, I’d say NO. I believe Pete and Schneid prefer tall DB’s. Thomas was selected in spite of his height due to other outstanding qualities like ball skills, change of direction, etc… I think a move to CB sacrifices much of that. I think he CAN play CB, I just don’t think he should.
However, you unearth something I’ve been contemplating as I consider where our biggest talent gaps are, and who should be targeted in the draft. Clearly, our DB’s as a group are not a strength (nice way of saying they are a weakness). Trufant seems over the hill. Jennings seems to have played better (and is a FA), but still not great. Milloy is a stud, but 37 and defying old man time. Thurmond hasn’t stepped up to taking Jennings spot. The rest are backups.
Everyone screams QB, DE or O-line as the greatest needs on this team. I think DB is just as great and wouldn’t mind our 1st round pick on a talented CB.
Chancellor is being groomed to replace Milloy.
From among Thurmond, Trufant, and Jennings (should we resign him), we have our corner position. I am not sure how on earth you can say that our need at DB is remotely comparable to our need at QB or OL.
None of our starting DB’s or immediate depth are replacement level types. You can bet your bottom dollar that each of our top six DB’s (Chancellor, Milloy, Thomas, Trufant, Jennings, Thurmond) would be scooped up in a split second if released. Very few rookies would be able to earn a rotation spot in our secondary. We would probably have to spend a first round pick on a DB for him to have a shot at breaking into the aforementioned six. In my view, if we draft a DB in the first round just to force an average but not great player to the bench, thats ridiculous.
We have to make it clear what we mean when we say a team has “needs”. Obviously we don’t mean this in the literal sense because there is an unlimited stream of Pete Hunters at every position that will join the team in a moments notice if asked. What we mean is that the team needs a more talented player at the position. This team can get a lot better pretty easily because some of the guys we are actually giving PT to are so bad that you can acquire a guy with a mid-round pick that will be better. The guys that come to mind immediately are Terrill and Locklear, not Trufant and Walter Thurmond. Why get incrementally better at DB (at best) when we can get much, much better in the line?
by michaelfox99 on Nov 11, 2010 10:58 AM PST up reply actions
I thought I heard this was a deep CB class
I can’t imagine Jennings likely will be here for another season and Tru isn’t getting any younger or healthier, so it will likely be another CB who will be starting opposite of T3 in two to three years.
As many needs as we have, I wouldn’t object to seeing as high as a second round pick on a high quality CB, if not targeting one specifically by the fourth. I can’t see leaving the first with out a new OL or QB*
*(unless we can somehow sign Vick as a FA which would just be gravy)
by Dizzy Saturn on Nov 11, 2010 12:24 PM PST up reply actions
Appreciate your comments, but wow, I couldn't disagree more. Let's look at facts.
First, Milloy will be 38, Trufant 30 and isn’t playing well, Jennings will be FA, Thurmond and Chancellor are 4th and 5th round picks who haven’t impressed yet. Thomas is the only standout. Through 6 games (while the run D was ranked 2nd in the league and we were top 10 in sacks) the pass D was bottom 10 (maybe bottom 5). They were routinely torched. With the injuries to Bryant, Mebane and Cole the run D went to hell and the pass D continued poor play.
The D-line with Bryant, Mebane, Cole and Clemons was playing well, stuffing the run, and along with various bllitz packages the D was getting more sacks than most teams enjoyed. Who can you draft and plug into that lineup and do more than make it a small increment better?
Barring injury next year, the O-line will include Okung, Pitts, Unger and Andrews without drafting anyone. I’m not sure about Spencer at Center, but I think the plan was to replace Locklear with Andrews earlier this year, and then Unger went down forcing them to keep Locklear. I chalk the poor rushing up to O-line injuries, not glaring lack of talent. Who do you draft in the 1st round to plug into the O-line to make it more than a small increment better?
Bottom line for me is that any one player is only going to potentially provide an incremental improvement. And Pass D for me has performed the worst and doesn’t have the injury excuse that the O-line does.
If Jennings, Mebane, Spencer or others are lost to FA before the draft, that will kinda dictate things, but I’d much rather re-sign Mebane and go into 2011 with our current starting D-line, than re-sign Jennings and go with current DB’s. Likewise, I’d rather draft Julio Jones to start alongside BMW and go with the best O-line from current players, than to draft a right tackle in the 1st round and go with our current receivers. BMW and Julio could be a dynamic duo like Boldin and Fitzgerald. For QB, I’d take Locker if he falls to us, but it’s such a longshot. Probably won’t happen unless we fall apart and are drafting top 10. We might have to take a flyer in the 4th or 5th and see if they develop, re-sign Hass and hope he stays healthy.
Let me fix the title of this fanshot for you.
How long until Earl Thomas is playing in the SB?
Next year, my friend.
by jacobstevens on Nov 11, 2010 11:07 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
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