He may be the most exciting young player to watch in a Giants uniform. O'Dell is the obvious answer and Shepard is the new thing in town.. but Collins has the skills to be the best safety New York has had since I can remember. (I'm 26)
Landon is built like a brick shit house, has enough hip movement and speed to cover necessary ground, most of all he seems to understand what it takes to excel at the highest level. His training with Ryan Clark in the off season will have a large impact on his performance this year. If not physically, mentally.
Not yet. Plus Rolle was a solid leader. I am also happy about Collins' development
Kenny Phillips could never do what Collins does at the line.
Collins will improve exponentially in pass coverage overtime
Eli was made fun of for this very thing at one point in time
He seems to have a knack for blitzing and he is good against the run and sniffing out screens.
Still a work in progress and I think the jury is still out on how good he will be.
Not in coverage and probably never will be seeing as Rolle was a converted CB, but seems to play the line and tackle just as well as Rolle.
I wonder if his cover problems are simply a product of his never being taught how to do it at a high level (especially at Alabama).
I've read a couple of articles this past year. In one he confesses that he was thoroughly lost last year, in the other he laughs at himself - how helpless he looked.
This year he knows what he's doing and has a lot better player around him. I think he future is very bright.
This year there is none that. He knows that Darian knows his assignments and responsibilities and he isn't worried about whether or not his backfield mats are going to be in the right position while simultaneously reading the play is it develops and locking down his own responsibilities. A year in the system, being surrounded by guys he trusts, and being able to just focus on his own responsibilities without those added concerns is making all the difference in the world.
Finally, I thought this evaluation from retired player turned film junkie Dominique Foxworth was very telling: the Giants starting CB duo casts large shadows. Both experienced vets in their prime, one coming off a pro bowl season, the other the new big ticket FA acquisition. Both are big personalities and presences in the field and in the locker room. But when breaking down the all 22 film of the Saints game Who did Foxwerth identify as the leader of the Giants secondary? Landon Collins:
While I appreciate bold, I think that is just ridiculous. Not maintainining the talent on the D line, TT getting whammied with his ACL and Prince being a disappointment were much much MUCH bigger problems for us. Phillips was good as a CF, but he was not what Rolle was.
While he might not be fit for the sexier of the safety positions, I look at him as a guy who can augment the LBs and cover a bit. He is a rare asset. He is our Kam Chancellor and I think he will progress more in pass coverage than many of you think.
Comparing Phillips and Rolle might be pointless. They were complementary talents. Phillips was a classic centerfielder, and probably the best of his kind for the Giants since Spider Lockhart, maybe longer. Rolle was a bit of an oddity. Despite his CB background and man cover skills, I don't think he was ever particularly good as a deep zone defender.
Foxworth also identified Collins (by position, not by name) as the culprit on Willie Snead's TD:
I think Collins is blossoming into a playmaker, and that he will "lead" by example and performance, which is how Foxworth meant it. In the the broader sense of leadership, though, Thompson seems more likely to emerge as the QB of that secondary.
Comparing Phillips and Rolle might be pointless. They were complementary talents. Phillips was a classic centerfielder, and probably the best of his kind for the Giants since Spider Lockhart, maybe longer. Rolle was a bit of an oddity. Despite his CB background and man cover skills, I don't think he was ever particularly good as a deep zone defender.
That may be. But I just felt Phillips was TOO much of a CF. It was also at a time when we had some pretty good corners in CW and TT. i just think that Rolle was much more of an impact player.
Coming back to the current safety duo, I love what we've seen from Collins and Thompson so far. It's really early, but the signs are there.
He seems to have a knack for blitzing and he is good against the run and sniffing out screens.
Still a work in progress and I think the jury is still out on how good he will be.
Spags will figure it out. He wasn't much of a liabilty last week. I thought he had a great game - especially early.
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... when breaking down the all 22 film of the Saints game Who did Foxworth identify as the leader of the Giants secondary? Landon Collins
Foxworth also identified Collins (by position, not by name) as the culprit on Willie Snead's TD:
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The Giants were in cover 4 and the initial offensive formation had the tight end aligned to the offensive left, two backs in the backfield and two receivers to the right. Versus that formation, the tight end side safety should double-team the tight end with the cornerback. But that wasn’t the final formation. Before the snap, the fullback motioned to the right, past both receivers, creating a three-receiver formation and the threat of four verticals passing routes. When there are four eligible receivers near the line of scrimmage before the snap, the safeties are responsible for the two inside receivers if they run vertical routes. Of course they did. The safety didn’t recognize the fourth vertical threat, so he turned to double the tight end. Brees immediately recognized the mistake and found Snead wide open for the touchdown.
I think Collins is blossoming into a playmaker, and that he will "lead" by example and performance, which is how Foxworth meant it. In the the broader sense of leadership, though, Thompson seems more likely to emerge as the QB of that secondary.
Sure, quite possible if not likely. But there are different types of leadership. Thompson may end up the QB ofmthenback 7 but there's obviously something to be said for leading by example and setting the tone on D. In fact you could easily argue that it's better to have two guys splitting leadership responsibilities, the cerebral guy who reads the O and gets everyone sorted out pre-snap and the physical presence who sets the tone once the play is underway.
In any case, I think it's obvious that the team not only solved its longstanding problem with the safety position, they just may have turned it into a strength.
Good call.
Rolle was very good except to me he was not good at taking angles on deep throws. His advantage is he could actually play both S positions well
Philips was their best center field type S. He seemed more adept at defending the vertical passing game and knew how to stay deep when needed.
I always found it interesting that Phillips received more props from opposing teams than from his own fan base
Collins looks night and day better by playing his natural position and being a little lighter
On making changes away from the field and putting down the Oreos
“I do, I do,” Clark said. “I am very hard on him. There was many a day I called him ‘fat.’ And told him, that ‘Hey, if you want to continue to be seen as a box safety, then don’t eat right. If you want to continue to be seen as a guy that can only play one type of football, don’t take the training seriously.’ And I was on him about ‘What you did at Alabama, what you did at high school, that’s over. Every day you’re building your résumé.’
On remaining teachable and Collins desire to excel...
And finally, who Collins' strength, explosiveness, and athleticism reminds Clark of, despite having a ways to go...
Ryan Clark Raves about Landon Collins - ( New Window )
CC Brown...good Lord. Just when Will Demps turns in what you think is the worst possible performance one could see from a safety, in came CC Brown, who turned in more bad plays than a community theater group...
On making changes away from the field and putting down the Oreos
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Clark said he believes Collins can be a special player.
“I do, I do,” Clark said. “I am very hard on him. There was many a day I called him ‘fat.’ And told him, that ‘Hey, if you want to continue to be seen as a box safety, then don’t eat right. If you want to continue to be seen as a guy that can only play one type of football, don’t take the training seriously.’ And I was on him about ‘What you did at Alabama, what you did at high school, that’s over. Every day you’re building your résumé.’
On remaining teachable and Collins desire to excel...
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“It was his desire to be great,” Clark said. “A lot of times you run across these young athletes, or athletes who have been highly touted for so long in their life, and you feel like part of the desire isn’t there, that they’ve achieved what they’ve always worked for, and now, ‘I’m gonna rest on my laurels.’ But to watch him each and every day ask questions, to constantly be seeking information and experience and wisdom, it was good for me to see this young, hungry man trying to be better, and so I enjoy working with him.”
And finally, who Collins' strength, explosiveness, and athleticism reminds Clark of, despite having a ways to go...
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“I think as a player, it’s just how strong he is,” Clark told The Post. “I played with Troy Polamalu, who’s extremely strong, and as far as in the weight room and the way he’s able to move, the way he’s able to explode, he reminds me of Troy, in that sense. Obviously, the on-the-field play has to progress and pick up to be that level, but he’s that type of explosive athlete.”
Ryan Clark Raves about Landon Collins - ( New Window )
Wow, great link (and quotes) J_rud. Thanks. Those 2 could be the best Safety tandem we have had back there in a while. Hoping they can both stay healthy and continually dedicated.
Giants Life - Landon Collins - ( New Window )
As for Collins, he has looked better this season....being thrown into the fire last season, many expected a miracle....he missed tackles, couldn't cover, and made many mistakes(remember when he forgot to down a player?)....
But it looks like he has learned from those mistakes......he came to play this year....he is all over the field .....he still needs work with coverage skills, but he seems to be playing with a confidence he didn't have last year....
He can tackle your biggest running back behind the line of scrimmage and cover Dez down field. Impressive
Ha! Which is why I allowed you guys to know my age. I have a limited perspective for sure. Rolle and Phillips are his only competition in his second year.
And C.c. brown
While he might not be fit for the sexier of the safety positions, I look at him as a guy who can augment the LBs and cover a bit. He is a rare asset. He is our Kam Chancellor and I think he will progress more in pass coverage than many of you think.
Thanks Seth, you saved me from wasting words..Not surprisingly, this is an excellent post..
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Not yet. Plus Rolle was a solid leader. I am also happy about Collins' development
now, sure, every S in the league is better behind a good front 4 but LC is a destructive force behind it
perfect fit behind this DLine
To me, he's already a core player. The question is just how good can he be? Imagine this defense without collins. He has already made huge plays in both the run and pass game. Not to mention what we can't see as fans such as scheme alignment pre snap.
His play in both run and pass defense is a HUGE reason why the Giants are 2-0. I fear his loss would be extremely difficult to overcome.
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Pleasantly surprised. If he continues playing as is, he's a core player.
To me, he's already a core player. The question is just how good can he be? Imagine this defense without collins. He has already made huge plays in both the run and pass game. Not to mention what we can't see as fans such as scheme alignment pre snap.
His play in both run and pass defense is a HUGE reason why the Giants bare 2-0. I fear his loss would be extremely difficult to overcome.
I wouldn't argue against that.
His pass coverage against Dez was memorable, to me. His play against tight ends in his young career have certain highlights, one this year that I can recall. I found myself dogging his cover skills as well. The guy was thrown into a terrible defense last year as a rookie.
I was just thinking the exact same thing while reading down this thread.
Whaaat...dooo...youuu...dooo...aaat...aaa...yellowwww...liiight...
He just never played enough to be able to say this. We got like two years out of him. Part of me wants to say Hill was better than Phillips. Or at least it can be argued.
His skills in coverage remain a question mark, but his strengths certainly seem valuable enough to more than make up for his shortcomings in coverage. And obviously he can get better in pass coverage.
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a great in the box safety. Won't kill you in coverage but won't be remembered for his coverage skills. Overall we should be very happy with Collins over the long haul. He's a great tackler.
His pass coverage against Dez was memorable, to me. His play against tight ends in his young career have certain highlights, one this year that I can recall. I found myself dogging his cover skills as well. The guy was thrown into a terrible defense last year as a rookie.
I didn't mean that in a bad way I just don't think his greatest strength will be in coverage or attacking the ball, so to speak. HE will be fine back there but his greatest strength will be flowing downhill on D and cleaning up. He's gonna own the middle and make a lot of big plays while preventing big plays from occurring.
Jerry Reese is trying to keep that job
Will Hill in those 10 or so games played at a level easily higher than KP ever played at imo. Easy to shit on him for being a complete moron but he was a beast for us that year.
He had an ill-defined role in 2015 because the Ss he was paired with were short on talent as well as experience, and he was asked to play a role he is, still, relatively ill-suited for as a coverage or free S. Now that the position is sewed up by DT (we hope he stays healthy), it frees him to concentrate on his more limited coverage duties and playing the run, which he does very, very well. That and being his 2nd year, it's coming together nicely.
In comment 13135426 j_rud said:
This year there is none that. He knows that Darian knows his assignments and responsibilities and he isn't worried about whether or not his backfield mats are going to be in the right position while simultaneously reading the play is it develops and locking down his own responsibilities. A year in the system, being surrounded by guys he trusts, and being able to just focus on his own responsibilities without those added concerns is making all the difference in the world.
He had range, recognition skills and decisiveness to make a play on on the ball anywhere on the field. He rarely took a false step and you'd be hard pressed to find many plays where we were beat deep and the CBs were shrugging their shoulders or throwing their hands up in the air because they thought they had help over the top - which happened with regularity after KP went down. And while not big, he had enough size and athleticism (prior to getting hurt) to play the better TEs.
This is why he was trusted to be the deep man. He could erase mistakes. He could also lay some wood and dislodge the ball at times and was always a sure tackler. This allowed us to play more men in the box without fear of the opposing WR or TE beating us down the seam.
Losing KP was a huge loss. He was truly unheralded by fans who didn't quite understand his role.
In what way? It's not like the Giants have a plethora of great safeties to compare him to. Linebacker and DE is another story.
Landon is already a terrific player with potential upside to be a perennial pro bowler. His statics through the first 2 weeks predict that and he will only get better in this much improved defense.
He made a lot of stops and put a lot of hits on RBs. Those plays are easier for a casual fan to appreciate than KP's non-plays. If you follow.
, <<< one of these.
Not a coma.
My fingers are crossed that you continue to miss the comas.
He made a lot of stops and put a lot of hits on RBs. Those plays are easier for a casual fan to appreciate than KP's non-plays. If you follow.
Non-plays for dbs is a great point. Hard to tell unless a coach gives praise
He made a lot of stops and put a lot of hits on RBs. Those plays are easier for a casual fan to appreciate than KP's non-plays. If you follow.
Non-plays for dbs is a great point. Hard to tell unless a coach gives praise
He doesn't have any ball skills? None at all?
He may not be your classic ballhawk, and pass coverage may not be his strongest suit, but to say he has no ball skills is patently ridiculous.
Linked below is an article written by Chase Goodbread at NFL.com prior to the 2015 draft, accompanied by a video featuring Bucky Brooks giving his assessment of Collins.
2015 NFL Draft: Top five ball-hawking DB prospects. - ( New Window )
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He doesn't. As it is he's a great tackler that brings the pain and covers ground at a fair pace.
He doesn't have any ball skills? None at all?
He may not be your classic ballhawk, and pass coverage may not be his strongest suit, but to say he has no ball skills is patently ridiculous.
Linked below is an article written by Chase Goodbread at NFL.com prior to the 2015 draft, accompanied by a video featuring Bucky Brooks giving his assessment of Collins. 2015 NFL Draft: Top five ball-hawking DB prospects. - ( New Window )
He made that interception crucial drop last year, I forget against who, but it was a game that the giants let a lot of chances slip through their fingers.
I don't think one play is proof of anything, but I think that is fresh in the minds of people who don't think he has good ball skills.
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In comment 13136373 Torrag said:
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He doesn't. As it is he's a great tackler that brings the pain and covers ground at a fair pace.
He doesn't have any ball skills? None at all?
He may not be your classic ballhawk, and pass coverage may not be his strongest suit, but to say he has no ball skills is patently ridiculous.
Linked below is an article written by Chase Goodbread at NFL.com prior to the 2015 draft, accompanied by a video featuring Bucky Brooks giving his assessment of Collins. 2015 NFL Draft: Top five ball-hawking DB prospects. - ( New Window )
He made that interception crucial drop last year, I forget against who, but it was a game that the giants let a lot of chances slip through their fingers.
I don't think one play is proof of anything, but I think that is fresh in the minds of people who don't think he has good ball skills.
Against the Patriots. It could have changed the entire season if they get that win against them.
He being in position to make an interception nullifies his coverage skills complaint. Ball skills is a small sacrifice given his tangibles. He will improve overtime
His skills in coverage remain a question mark, but his strengths certainly seem valuable enough to more than make up for his shortcomings in coverage. And obviously he can get better in pass coverage.
Nail-on-the-head