It seems like they're playing their safeties in more traditional FS and SS roles than in previous seasons where they were interchangeable. This has played to Collins' strengths closer to the line of scrimmage and he looks primed for a big season.
Has anyone else noticed this?
So it's true that they've switched to a more traditional FS - SS scheme?
I'm not sure I understand. In the past didn't both safeties divide time nearly equally between playing deep and playing close to the line of scrimmage, regardless of who was starting due to injuries? We always heard how they don't use FS-SS descriptors in the scheme and that safeties have to be able to play both.
So far, he's showing to be quite a force playing up near the LOS this year. Let's hope the Giants are able to keep cheating him up close, because he's a playmaker there.
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they finally have health at the position and because they aren't using duct tape to man the position, Collins is able to come up to the LOS more than he could last year where he was forced into coverage. They had to scheme around the lack of personnel for most of the past two years.
I'm not sure I understand. In the past didn't both safeties divide time nearly equally between playing deep and playing close to the line of scrimmage, regardless of who was starting due to injuries? We always heard how they don't use FS-SS descriptors in the scheme and that safeties have to be able to play both.
You don't seem to understand the law of averages.
Last year, we had one safety injured. So that means we ran with .5 safeties.
This year we have two safeties. That's a difference of 1.5 safeties.
Amirite?
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they finally have health at the position and because they aren't using duct tape to man the position, Collins is able to come up to the LOS more than he could last year where he was forced into coverage. They had to scheme around the lack of personnel for most of the past two years.
I'm not sure I understand. In the past didn't both safeties divide time nearly equally between playing deep and playing close to the line of scrimmage, regardless of who was starting due to injuries? We always heard how they don't use FS-SS descriptors in the scheme and that safeties have to be able to play both.
I think last year fans were fed a line of shit about them not having a difference between FS/SS, cause we didn't have a FS. With that said, both Thompson and Collins have looked good tackling near the line of scrimmage and in coverage.
TE coverage depends on defense call, route run, what route range each defender is responsible for, etc. It could be the SAM, or the SS, etc.
My answer is yes and no, and before you call that a cop out, let me explain. I think there's a world of difference between wanting your Safeties to be able to play both FS and SS, and recognizing that certain players are better suited to play one vs. the other.
To me, it doesn't make any sense to force a guy like Collins to play FS in the name of "interchangeability" when he's clearly better suited to play SS.
Injuries can always force your hand, of course, and it's good to have guys like Darian Thompson and Nat Berhe who have the versatility to play "centerfield" or "in the box," but there's nothing wrong with keeping your roles strictly defined and playing to the individual strengths of particular players as long as things are working.
This in itself is huge and gives you more options in how you position your safeties. Add in the fact that our CB situation is better and what you are seeing now is a situation where safeties are not having to cover for the rest of the defensive shortcomings.
Spagnuolo also seems to like Berhe, whose range could be better than advertised. To the extent Berhe plays centerfield, though, I think it suggests Spagnuolo is anticipating run, and wants numbers in the box with a hitter as the last line of defense.
I'm sure others who can X-and-O better have a clearer read on this.
Collins was a great draft pick
- Learning Curve ins 2015 and doing things that he was not accustomed to
- Year older and wiser + better CB's next to and Front 7 in front of
There was really only one "knucklehead" calling Collins a bust in the offseason and that was the OP, which, when you think about it, is most likely the impetus behind this thread.
Recently, radar has been criticized for saying that Collins was "awful" last year, which is debatable, and also for maintaining that he would not get any better no matter who he was playing with in the defensive backfield, which is ridiculously short-sighted.
Now that Collins has lost a good bit of weight in order to increase his speed, and he's playing next to Darian Thompson and Nat Berhe instead of Brandon Meriweather and Craig Dahl, you might expect radar to say, Hey, maybe I was mistaken about this guy, but you shouldn't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
No, it has to be that the Giants are simply using their Safeties differently. Yeah...that's the ticket.
Snead basically runs straight ahead as Sheppard decides to run with him but, as mentioned, he turns the wrong way before the end zone and is way out of position.
Collins gets caught staring into the backfield too long causing him to not get deep enough with his drop as the ball sails over his head into the end zone. Snead sees that shallow drop as well and raises his hand to Brees to throw it.
Thompson is also late reacting as well as he is watching the receiver to the right.
Bottom of line is Snead got behind 3 guys on the Defense and nobody was protecting the end zone.