Why Peppers Might Be A Safety
coming to a slot seam matchup near you?
I'm a tiny bit skeptical here since the source right now is recruit Iman Marshall (and Freddy Canteen if Canteen isn't just reacting to that) and Michigan's coaches other than Mattison haven't seen Peppers take a snap, but it's out there:
@JabrillPeppers moving to safety is good, can scrape the field left to right .. And is 2nd to none at it, peppy pep
— OneSeven (@FreddCanteen_) January 21, 2015
Michigan does return Countess and Lewis at corner, plus Channing Stribling, Terry Richardson, and Brandon Watson. If they find a third guy there's enough depth there to make the move. Meanwhile Michigan never settled on a safety opposite Jarrod Wilson last year, rotating through Delano Hill, Jeremy Clark, and Dymonte Thomas with middling success.
"But why?", you ask?
We have seen a lot of defenses move to a quarters system of varying aggressiveness as a response to the spread, and depending on how good and deep your safeties are that's either gone really well (Michigan State two years ago) or gotten you blazed down the slot whenever you run up against a good offense (Michigan State last year). OSU is also playing quarters for the most part, and when they're not they're putting a lot of pressure on a single high safety.
This trend comes from the NFL, where passing offenses were more advanced and you could unearth a freak of nature more often at safety. Chris Brown on quarters:
At first glance, Cover 4 looks like an anti-pass “prevent” formation, with four secondary defenders playing deep. But therein lies its magic. The four defenders are actually playing a matchup zone concept, in which the safety reads the tight end or inside receiver. If an offensive player lined up inside releases on a short pass route or doesn’t release into the route, the safety can help double-team the outside receiver. If the inside receiver breaks straight downfield, it becomes more like man coverage. This variance keeps quarterbacks guessing and prevents defenses from being exploited by common pass plays like four verticals, which killed eight-man fronts. The real key to Cover 4, however, is that against the run both safeties become rush defenders (remember, the outside cornerbacks play deep). This allows defenses to play nine men in the box against the run — a hat-tip to the 46’s overwhelming force.
The problem college teams often face is what happens when that man coverage from a vertical receiver comes from the offense's best WR against your third-best cover guy: the touchdowns linked above.
In a spread-oriented world, a safety has to be a corner and a linebacker at the same time. This is very hard, and modern offenses are targeting them more than anyone else for their big plays. After decades in which cornerbacks were the glamor players in any given secondary, the way many teams are playing and the shortcomings against slot receivers exposed this year demands a new, crazy athlete safety, even at the college level.
That's Peppers. If Michigan is set on quarters coverage, he's a guy who can sit over that "slot" receiver and not give up a major athleticism mismatch.
UPDATE: Peppers seems to confirm on the twitters.
January 21st, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
Did it ever come out what his actual injury was? Are we sure he will be 100% next year?
January 21st, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 4:45 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 21st, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
poor Reon Dawson, who's also a CB
January 21st, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
Breez @JabrillPeppers 4 minutes ago
It's a DRILL next year man.. Come Across that middle if you want to
January 21st, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
I could see Peppers as a S playing like Troy Polamalu in his prime, only faster and with better hair.
BOOM! Fred Jackson'd
January 21st, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
CB:
Blake Countess
Channing Stribling
Terry Richardson
CB:
Jourdan Lewis
Brandon Watson
Reon Dawson
NB:
Blake Countess
Jabrill Peppers
FS
Jabrill Peppers
Dymonte Thomas
Jeremy Clark (I'll move him to CB when I see it for a week in spring ball)
SS
Jarrod Wilson
Delano Hill
Dymonte Thomas
*if/when Clark officially moves, then put him in the mix with Reon Dawson.
**Also, let's not forget that we could easily have 3 DBs in this recruiting class.
January 21st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
Conspiracy Theory #2221: This move is in effort to get Iman Marshall on board and is something Peppers (Marshall's host), Marshall and Harbaugh cooked up together.
*for those who don't understand the silliness, no, I do not think this is actually what happened...but MGoBlog is a place for random thoughts. So that was my random, post-lunch, need an afternoon nap daydream.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:02 PM ^
Iman: I am a little worried about having to wait to see the field. You already have Peppers and Lewis at CB for a couple of years.
JH: Hey Pep, you want to move to Safety?
JP: YES!
JH: If you earn a starting CB spot, you can start from day 1. Let's go try on that #2 jersey and snap a few pics with Chuck.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^
CB- Lewis
CB- Iman Marshall
NB- Countess
FS- Peppers
SS- Wilson
CB-Stribbling
CB-Richardson
NB- J.Clark
FS- D.Thomas
SS- D. HIll
Goes from a liability to the strength of the team. Best Defensive backfield in the Nation! GO BLUE! Come on Marshall hop on board.
January 21st, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^
CB - Charles Woodson
CB - Ty Law
NB - Leon Hall
S - Marlin Jackson
S - Tom Curtis*
*Jordan Kovacs would sub in for any "and 1" or situation. That man has a gift for not giving up the shirt yardage first down unlike any other.
January 21st, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 2:10 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^
I just hope Peppers stays healthy. If his knee ain't healthy (or whatever it was) it's all moot.
January 21st, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
The last one I remember was Tripp Wellburne for Michigan.
January 21st, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
So does this mean Peppers gets the #11 jersey?
January 21st, 2015 at 3:52 PM ^
The starting spots are all wide open with the new staff, but CB seems to be particularly open. Iman Marshall is very much what Durkin looks for in a CB, and I think he could win the job and start opposite Lewis by B1G season, if not from day one.
Countess was average at best on the outside last year, and I don't see the aggression that Durkin's CBs played with at Florida. I think we'll see a renewed emphasis on speed at all positions, and Peppers playing that HSP role that UF used last year sounds perfectly delightful.
This defense will, schematically, somewhat resemble Mattison's 2011-2013 units, but it will have a very different feel with personnel and execution.
January 21st, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
Who was the last high profile athlete to move from CB to S? For some reason, Stevie Brown comes to mind (and freaks me out a little bit). But that mistake seemed to be more on the coaches than on Brown, who promptly tore it up for the NY Giants.
With the coaching talent we have, and the assignments that will be in place for each position group, I think this makes a lot of sense. It puts his freakish athleticism on display.
January 21st, 2015 at 5:26 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 8:27 PM ^
...I've heard quite a few of you say "he is elite" etc., can you direct me to the game film that showed any of this? I am a true blue Michigan fan, and love the optimism, but c'mon people! The kid is getting a medical redshirt as he got hurt in the first game and didn't ever really make it back onto the field. This is as bad as annointing a 5* recruit as the second coming of whomever (Woodson in this case), let him show us on the field what he is/will be and listen to your words as you type them: In Harbaugh we trust.
Here's to whatever starting 11 Coach feels will help us be Michigan again; A winner!!!
January 22nd, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^
January 21st, 2015 at 10:42 PM ^
If this in fact the team's strategy, this vision seems pretty progressive and in line with NFL strategies. I could see how this would excite a recruit to hear how they could be used in this formation and how this formation could set them up for the NFL.
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