Why has our safety play been so poor for so long?

Submitted by M go Bru on

Outside of Kovacs I can't remember one that was an asset in recent vintage. Depth always seems to be a problem. If the starter gets hurt our backups are poor at best.

However, I do believe the current Wilson / Hiil tandem could develop into a strength.

Is it because we are recruiting for cornerbacks and those that don't have the sufficient cover skills get shifted to the safety position by default?

Is it because recruiting the safety position is more of a crapshoot for the next level like offensive linemen?

Is it because some safeties are converted HS linebackers that have to be taught a whole different position?

I'm sure there are HS coaching types out there that can enlighten us.

BlueinOK

January 10th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^

It seems like there was a lot of transfers a few years ago that hurt. Carvin Johnson, Ray Vinopal were two I can think of off the top of my head. Other guys didn't pan out too. We missed on recruiting too much, and it's been some time since there's been good depth at the position. 

westwardwolverine

January 10th, 2015 at 12:08 PM ^

I don't remember it being that big of a problem in 2013 until they decided to play Josh Furman. So at most you're looking at three solid to very good years (2011-2013) and then last year I don't really know because I was too disheartened to pay that much attention to safety play. 

yossarians tree

January 10th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^

Odd. You would think the individualist Yanks would think of a team as a group of individuals (plural) "Detroi-it are solid on the blue line", and the more socialist Brits would think of a team as a collective (singular) "Chelsea is all over Stoke City at the moment", but grammatically we are opposite.

Tater

January 10th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

Bru uses a lot of vernacular syntax.  I wish he would use standard English instead so people here would take him seriously.  He obviously pays attention to the game and loves Michigan; it would be nice to see him communicate it in a way that people here can relate to it.

switch26

January 10th, 2015 at 12:08 PM ^

We haven't had good coaching at the safetie position either..  Dymonte Thomas wasn't being developed very well by the previous staff either.. especially to have Clark or delano hill jump him for playing time is not good.

 

Can't believe you think delano hill could be good there.. He got torched constantly when he played last year

MJ14

January 10th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^

This is a guy who doesn't understand youth and development.

Dymonte played linebacker in high school. Hill played safety. It's a more natural fit for Hill. That's besides the fact that it takes more time for certain players to develop.

MichiganG

January 10th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^

Your hypotheses don't make sense.  If it's because recruiting is a crapshoot, then that wouldn't explain your premise that Michigan has struggled at safety and other teams haven't.  Same thing with converting linebackers (our safeties aren't LB converts).  And, finally, same thing goes for claiming they were cornerback converts, because they weren't (Wilson and Hill were both considered safeties when they were recruited).

schreibee

January 10th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^

Marlin actually did fit the hypothesis of CB converted to S...he was a better CB.

It really has to be chalked up to coaching when it goes on year after year, staff after staff. Kovacs was a walk on and he's in the NFL. I attribute that to great instincts and desire more than anything our coaches did, or the players they recruited would have similarly excelled.

Stevie Brown took years and a position switch/tweak to amount to anything. Ryan Mundy had to transfer to become the player he was thought to be out of HS. Ernest Shazor could have been an All-America with better coaching.

The only player at that position since the NC team that has been a fairly highly ranked recruit that played to something like his ability and went on to the league is Jamar Adams. A very disappointing track record to be sure!

MJ14

January 10th, 2015 at 6:02 PM ^

JOSH FURMAN WAS A LINEBACKER. Now, sorry for yelling. Seriously though, Furman was always a hybrid guy who didn't understand coverage schemes in the back end. As soon as he got to Oklahoma State he was made a linebacker type of player in their system, and he thrived because he was a coverage/blitzing linebacker. He was perfect for the role they put him in. Michigan did not have that kind of system and they played him as a safety. He didn't play the same position. 

Ryanonymous

January 10th, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^

Were also solid -

Thomas will break out this year and become the next great Safety for Michigan along with Wilson.

Could move Peppers to FS and let him roam the field, destroying anything that reaches the secondary as well.



I believe with so much cover 2, our safeties consistently had to play deep zone and were wasted a bit, especially against teams who don't air it out deep much.