Thoughts on the safety position?
November 12th, 2010 at 2:58 PM ^
Everyone but Vinopal is better suited for the SS or Hybrid spot. This is why next year we may see Troy back there, Vinopal still there, or again try a TF in Crawford or (hopefully) Walls.
Personally I am good for anyone who shows they can do it even at an average rate.
November 12th, 2010 at 2:59 PM ^
these questions are emo asstastic.
Floyd is best suited to a backup position on the two deep, playing in the fourth quarter of a blowout.
Carvin is Vinopal's backup - a review of the depth chart or this website would've told you that.
Marvin is playing at Mouton's position.
You can talk about "getting more athleticism" out there, which I believe is exactly the euphamism that i think it is (I never heard anyone say we need to bench Ezeh to get more athletic out there). However, I would much prefer having guys on the D that can tackle, and who know their assignments and execute them more often than not.
Kovacs is on the field now, and for the next two years barring injury, cypress. Get used to it. Iowa and Wisconsin run defenses where "athletically limited" players like Sash and Maragos excel in the secondary. Give it time, and get more talent and experience around Kovacs, and he will look much better than you think he does right now.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:06 PM ^
I think he looks pretty good right now.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:07 PM ^
You would.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:12 PM ^
Very original comparison as well, Sash, really? What's next? An entire post dedicated to his grittiness?
/s
November 12th, 2010 at 3:48 PM ^
November 13th, 2010 at 12:02 AM ^
I only used the /s in this instance because we know each other and I didn't want people to think I was just being a dick.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:09 PM ^
November 12th, 2010 at 3:12 PM ^
Do you think Ray can keep the job or will Carvin with some time to recover from injury take over that spot. Did Carvin play that position in HS?
November 12th, 2010 at 3:53 PM ^
You can talk about "getting more athleticism" out there, which I believe is exactly the euphamism that i think it is (I never heard anyone say we need to bench Ezeh to get more athletic out there).
That's utter horseshit. People have commented ad nauseum about our lack of athletic ability at cornerback and linebacker. And those players are black.
Let's not be coy, in case it wasn't clear to anyone. You're accusing the original poster of coded racism for claiming that Kovacs is not the most athletic strong safety. But guess what -- Kovacs is not the most athletic strong safety! How many times have we observed that he doesn't have the ideal speed one would hope for at the position? Your implication is obnoxious and unwarranted.
November 12th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^
Thank you. The whole answer was obnoxious yet people seem to like it for some reason beyond my comprehension. No..my post about getting more athletic had nothing to do with Kovacs being white. Do some of you guys even listen to what RR says or are you just so eager to make yourself look like a dick that you dont care? He has repeatedly said that we need to get faster and more athletic on defense. Yet I'm a moron for suggesting it. Pretty typical for this place. I think we need to have an intervention the way this is going.
November 12th, 2010 at 5:59 PM ^
We can only have an intervention if you do this:
November 12th, 2010 at 3:12 PM ^
I look forward to the day when we have a few on the roster.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:22 PM ^
After the past few seasons, the idea of switching CBs and safeties around makes me nervous. I'd like the defense to adopt the view that they're two different positions, some guys play safety, some guys play corner, and never the twain shall meet. Let some people actually develop a position-specific skill set for once.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:39 PM ^
November 12th, 2010 at 3:24 PM ^
I'm thinking we should see which ones stand out in the spring and go from there.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:25 PM ^
Is the smartest player we have on defense and it seems everyone wants to replace him. I just don't get it. Oh yea he's a walk on I get it now.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:28 PM ^
Former walk-on.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:45 PM ^
to be fair, Kovacs overruns plays, and his lack of speed gives opposing quarterbacks a significantly larger window in which to throw. Kovacs is also small, and thus not really able to take on blockers. His head is excellent. But his body is a significant liability.
I consider it a good thing when a starter gets beat out by a young guy with a lot of talent. Huyge wasn't a bad tackle, and he had a lot of experience on the line, but Lewan beating him out is the No. 1 reason why Kerrigan isn't a huge part of this week's discussion.
Just because Kovacs isn't as bad as the rest of the current DB depth chart, that doesn't mean having him at bandit makes us set at that position. A faster player who can be more of a blitz threat, who can close the distance faster in zones, who can lay some lumber, and who takes better pursuit angles, that would be nice to have. And remember, anytime a starter gets beat, that's usually an indication that the guy doing the beating is better (except in Greg Robinson throwing shit at walls to make sandcastles kind of way).
November 12th, 2010 at 4:00 PM ^
I know this sounds incredibly unreasonable, but if Kovacs could put on 20 lbs without getting slower, he would be perfect for the position we have him play right now (that box safety/OLB-type that blitzes a lot off the edge).
Playing at 220lbs-ish, he would be able to take on lead blockers (e.g. fullbacks on power runs straight at him) and blow up plays in the backfield.
But I guess the same also holds true for Furman, MRob, T Gordon, etc.
November 12th, 2010 at 4:49 PM ^
Kovacs is 21 years old now. He's not the type of guy who can pack on a lot more muscle, because he's short, and not terribly athletic. This isn't a Jim Leonhard-like guy who had oodles of speed and wits and toughness but was ignored for his size. Kovacs is the kind of guy that Purdues and Iowas have been getting away with from time to time. He lives on instinct, but the athleticism really isn't there.
Spur is right out, not only because we have so many players tailor-built for that position. A spur has to take on blockers and flow through traffic like a linebacker, whereas the bandit (Kovacs) can wait for a hole to develop and attack it -- if a blocker is reaching him something has gone horribly wrong up front, or he's blitzing.
I could see a guy like Cam Gordon turning into a great bandit and passing Kovacs. The position is not all that different from what Ernest Shazor played.
He is what he is. The speed thing isn't good for Spur either. Brian suggested a move to middle linebacker in a Casteel-like 3-3-5 before the emergence of Demens.
November 12th, 2010 at 6:45 PM ^
I'd like to see Cullen Christian move to FS and compete with Vinopal and Avery Walls at FS next fall, so we can move Carvin to Bandit to compete with Kovacs. That way Marvin can move to LB and both Gordons can stay at spur.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
Corrected
November 12th, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^
seems to be the one real issue with him and I get that too, but he just seems like a very smart FB player and has a good sense to where the ball is going.
November 12th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
Your username is quite apropos today.
November 12th, 2010 at 4:22 PM ^
Here at UC Davis we've finally found out how to transfew great FB minds into great FB bodies. So, as a compromise, how about we transfer Kovac's brain into TPs body. He'd then be smart enough to transfew over here and stop the stoopid crap that comes out of his mouth.
Too soon? Oh well...
November 12th, 2010 at 5:47 PM ^
Josh Furman is going to be straight dirt next couple years
November 12th, 2010 at 5:53 PM ^
I think Furman is going to be a LB though, so that probably doesnt help us out at safety.
November 12th, 2010 at 6:00 PM ^
If "dirt" is a good thing, then yes I hope he is traight Dirt.
November 12th, 2010 at 7:28 PM ^
I would like to see all those guys move to DL where they'll fit in beautifully in G-ROB's new 10-1-0 scheme.
Ten DL and Kenny Demens, what could possibly go wrong?