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Who covers Sproles in this defense?

BlueManFu : 7/18/2014 9:50 pm
I believe that one of the factors that drove the giants to overload on CBs in the offseason was the acquisition of Darren Sproles by the Eagles. He's a receiver that lines up in the backfield, with crazy close-space quickness. He can't be covered by a traditional defensive formation. They'll spread the field with 3 WRs and Ertz as a weapon at TE, and Shady out of the backfield. As an additional weapon they'll bring in Sproles and line him up in a half dozen different positions on the field. Could be the ultimate wildcard in Chip Kelly's offense.

The giants wisely tried to get faster and more athletic to match up with Philly's evolving offensive gameplans.

In the wildly optimistic scenario of the Giants DBs all being healthy and the Eagles in a spread 3Rec, McCoy, Sproles formation, who do you choose to cover Sproles from the backfield? From the slot? Out wide?

Giants played the Saints  
pjcas18 : 7/18/2014 10:00 pm : link
three of the past 4 seasons with Sproles, but that extra one time per year, made the Giants disrupt their entire off-season plan to overload at one position to try and stop one 31 year old 5' 6" RB?

He's not easy to defend, but I don't think the Giants altered the off-season for him.




....  
Vin_Cuccs : 7/18/2014 10:02 pm : link
Jacquian Williams/Walter Thurmond/Trumaine McBride
someone  
SoZKillA : 7/18/2014 10:15 pm : link
will great speed.

Thurmond is probably the best bet, he's used to cover shifty guys in the slot.

Was he assigned to him in the Divisional Game vs the Saints this past postseason ?
Pjcas18 with the swing and a miss  
BlueManFu : 7/18/2014 10:20 pm : link
The giants played the saints 2 games with Sproles. He averaged 9 yards per touch and scored 2 TDs. Now pair him with McCoy in a Chip Kelly offense. D up on that.
Depends on where he is.  
Enoch : 7/18/2014 10:21 pm : link
Play zone, crowd the short stuff, and tackle well. They don't have DeSean to threaten you deep anymore.
RE: Pjcas18 with the swing and a miss  
pjcas18 : 7/18/2014 10:23 pm : link
In comment 11772755 BlueManFu said:
Quote:
The giants played the saints 2 games with Sproles. He averaged 9 yards per touch and scored 2 TDs. Now pair him with McCoy in a Chip Kelly offense. D up on that.


The Giants play 14 other games. Even if Sproles goes off and the Giants get lit up both games, do you really think the people in the front-office are so short-sighted they'd build their roster for one opponent they play twice?

Someone swung and missed here, but it was not pjcas18.
It's only 2 games out of 14  
BlueManFu : 7/18/2014 10:27 pm : link
But they are undeniably the 2 most important on the schedule. Eagles are the only main obstacle to win this division. The only team competing with the Gmen for the playoffs. Sweep them and the chances are infinitely better they go to the playoffs. And the reverse is true if you go 0-2.

Want to change your answer?
RE: It's only 2 games out of 14  
BlueManFu : 7/18/2014 10:32 pm : link
In comment 11772759 BlueManFu said:
Quote:
But they are undeniably the 2 most important on the schedule. Eagles are the only main obstacle to win this division. The only team competing with the Gmen for the playoffs. Sweep them and the chances are infinitely better they go to the playoffs. And the reverse is true if you go 0-2.

Want to change your answer?


Don't mean to instigate there- but c'mon man. It's Giants/Eagles this year for a playoff spot, how can you minimize the move-for-move in personnel?
No  
pjcas18 : 7/18/2014 10:34 pm : link
you're just wrong. Sproles is challenge to cover, but for one thing he's not what he once was at 31 and often injured and more importantly the timing of the "Giants loading up at CB" just doesn't fit your theory.

McBride was signed before Sproles traded and Thurmond a day after, and DRC just three days the trade. You expect people to believe Sproles was traded, extended, and the Giants altered their off-season plans in two days because of this nightmare scenario?

The timing just doesn't fit.

If the timing doesn't fit, you must admit.

Wrong.


Come on guys...  
BamaBlue : 7/18/2014 10:42 pm : link
it's the pre-season. You know the Redskins are always the pre-season favorite to win the division.
Keep him in front of you and tackle well.  
Optimus-NY : 7/19/2014 1:09 am : link
As posted above, DeSean Jackson isn't there anymore to scare you in the vertical passing game.
Stay disciplined and to quote Bill Belichick reagarding player  
Optimus-NY : 7/19/2014 1:11 am : link
assignments, "DO YOUR JOB!"
RE: ....  
Ira : 7/19/2014 5:50 am : link
In comment 11772744 Vin_Cuccs said:
Quote:
Jacquian Williams/Walter Thurmond/Trumaine McBride


Good answer.
Sproles isn't the same scary scat he once was  
JonC : 7/19/2014 8:09 am : link
Stopping McCoy is still the main key.
if sp roles is in the game  
dep026 : 7/19/2014 8:24 am : link
And Mccoy isnt.... I'll be one happy fan. Sproles wasn't that good last year.
if Kelly insists  
BigBlueCane : 7/19/2014 8:37 am : link
on spreading the field with 5 receivers, his QB must pay a price for doing so.
Getting faster and more athletic on Defense  
Jimmy Googs : 7/19/2014 11:10 am : link
was needed regardless of whether Sproles came into the division or not. Guys like RGIII and McCoy are just as big a threat if not more.

Recalling the Eagle games last season, I thought the Giants did a great job of keeping McCoy in check and a large part was covering that back-side b/c of his cut-back ability. TT and Rolle/Hill smothered him when he changed course.
This thread is way off base  
Carthonfan : 7/19/2014 12:48 pm : link
DRC and Thurmond cover WRs, not RBs. All the points by pj are also valid.
Actually, I think the Slot Corner  
Jimmy Googs : 7/19/2014 1:14 pm : link
has plenty of responsibilities in the running game as well as swing passes to running backs in the flat.

Whoever covers Sproles  
mrvax : 7/19/2014 2:10 pm : link
had best lay the wood when they hit him. AT 5'6" he's an injury waiting to happen.
what cane said,  
alligatorpie : 7/19/2014 2:19 pm : link
knock the QB down with front 4.

also contain the sproles, and / or get a tall body between the short RB and the passer and / or plaster the guy at catch
My vote  
Joey in VA : 7/19/2014 2:30 pm : link
Goes to Nat Berhe.
...Cancel the season.  
Ten Ton Hammer : 7/19/2014 2:32 pm : link
.
i don't think it was the deciding factor in signing DBs  
oipolloi : 7/19/2014 4:07 pm : link
but it might have been a subsidiary factor. Losses to the Eagles in very winnable games have twice cost the Giants a playoff spot in the last 5 years

living near Philly  
feelflows : 7/21/2014 9:57 pm : link
and listening to sports radio here, you'd think Chip Kelly was the 2nd coming of Vince Lombardi. Not only do the fans gush about him, the talk show hosts do as well.

I am more interested on how teams adjust to his offense. Is it a fad? legit? A college offense that will get exposed?

Adding Sproles is never a BAD thing. I just don't see NFL defenses trying to figure him out Kelly anymore. He had his year to make them guess.
Damn, if we only had drafted Donald he could've covered Sproles  
PatersonPlank : 7/21/2014 10:08 pm : link
.
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