Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Stephens

The NFL's Best Cornerback Tandems, Pt. 1

Matt Stephens — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:16:27 -0400

With the trade of DeAngelo Hall and the signing of Asante Samuel, cornerbacks have been heavily talked about during the offseason.

With the growing number of high-octane offenses throwing the ball at will, the league has started to place a premium on having two (and sometimes three) quality cornerbacks to match up with receivers.

With the new rules in place, we will most likely never see a complete shutdown corner in the likes of Mel Blount, Night Train Lane, and Deion Sanders but these are the best combos out there today.

Honorable mentions go to Marcus Trufant and Kelly Jennings of the Seattle Seahawks, as well as Walt Harris and Nate Clements of the San Francisco 49ers.

No. 5: Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, PHI

Asante Samuel is a smaller corner but plays bigger than he is, often trying for the big hit against bigger-bodied wideouts.

Samuel is not a corner with tremendous speed, but he does well in zone or man-to-man coverage. Developing with the Patriots has given him a strong sense of awareness of the ball and the field.

Without the blazing speed, he occasionally gets beat in coverage by faster receivers, but usually makes up with it on cuts and angles.

Another area of attack for opposing offenses is his size. At 5-foot-10, quarterbacks sometimes toss up the jump ball against him and he can be had on fade patterns, but is very willing to fight for the ball.

He does take chances to make a play on the ball, but has the closing burst to close well and is a great open field tackler. He also has good hands, allowing him to pick off passes and fend off receivers.

Questions about Samuel usually revolve around how good he will be now that he is out of the Patriot fold. We all saw the decline in Ty Law once he left.

However, the Eagles’ scheme is very similar to the Patriots. It is a pass rush-heavy pass defense. Expecting Lito Sheppard to be traded, Sheldon Brown would be the likely pair with Samuel in the Eagles’ secondary.

Brown is also a smaller, physical player who is a good press-cover corner, and excels in man-to-man coverage over zone coverage. He is very strong and loves to play the bump-and-run.

Once in coverage, Brown has learned to get in position and is quite adept at reading routes. Working in Jimmy Johnson’s defense has really improved his technique. He has excellent ball skills and is a good tackler against the run.

Brown’s shortcomings are very similar to Samuel in that he also lacks the size to compete with the bigger wideouts and the speed to keep up with the burners, and that remains the biggest concern in this backfield.

No. 4: Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall, OAK

Nnamdi Asomugha was a slow study to start his career, but has really blossomed of late. He has excellent tools to work with; excellent size at 6-foot-2, 210 lbs to go along with top-end speed. Although, he is not as fluid as some of the other top corners, his foot quickness and agility are adequate but he has a little stiffness in his hips and knees.

He is a better bump-and-run corner where he can trail the receiver instead of a cover corner. He looks a bit tight in transition and often loses a step on the receiver, but has enough explosive quickness and speed to make up the difference.

Asomugha struggles a bit from man-off as he is not yet good at route recognition or reading the quarterback’s eyes and getting a jump on the ball. This will all come with more playing time.

He is strong and has long arms that allow him to jam receivers or re-route them when he is able to get a hand on them. He is also a strong tackler and is not afraid to come up and force the run.

The 2006 season was a breakout for Asomugha as he came up with eight interceptions after being shutout his first three years in the league, and he built on that last year as well. He has come a long way in terms of playing the ball he is still a work in progress. Playing with DeAngelo Hall may help his development.

Hall is a corner of polarizing opinions. He is an exceptional man-to-man defender but an ordinary zone defender who uses his incomparable 4.2 speed to compensate for bad decisions.

In addition to his speed, Hall also has phenomenal quickness, closing speed, and agility, preferring to play off his man to try and jump the routes.

While he is not the strongest of corners, he has some upper-body strength. He is able to jam receivers and can shed a block, providing some help on run support but it is not his strength.

Hall also has great instincts with the ball in his hands, and combined with his speed is a threat to take it the distance any time he intercepts the ball. Hall’s coverage skills start to break down when a receiver manages to get in his head. He is brash and arrogant and will over-commit.

He also needs to work on his has sloppy footwork. Not the best in the film room, Hall hasn't taken the time to work on getting proper body position and has gotten used to solving all of his problems with just his speed; this causes him to gamble and is prone to giving up big plays.

Overall, this tandem has amazing speed and can keep up with any of the receivers in the league. Given they are both better as man-to-man, expect them to play limited zone coverages.

No. 3: Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie, SD

His development was slow, but Quentin Jammer has developed to the point where he's a Top 15 NFL corner, and one of the best pure cover corners.

He is also a very physical corner (matching his name), excelling in run coverage and hits and tackles with the very best corners in the league.

Now six years into the league, Jammer had to adjust to the significant rule changes that penalize corners for any intentional contact with receivers more than five yards off the line of scrimmage. In fact, Jammer led the league in flags for illegal contact in 2005, and was near the top again in 2006; last season he seemed to figure it out.

The ongoing fault people find with Jammer, and what limits him from being a truly elite corner is his lack of interceptions. He has never had more than four interceptions in a season.

However, with Antonio Cromartie on the other side, his team doesn't suffer from his lack of interceptions. His overall game is so rounded that his interception deficiency can be over looked.

Dubbed “The Natural” by ESPN's John Clayton, he excels in man-to-man coverage and is still learning the zone schemes. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and possessing long arms, Cromartie is ideal for press coverage.

Nearly as fast as Hall, he still clocks in with a 4.3 40 yard time, and his style is smooth. Cromartie uses his breakneck speed, can't-be-taught instincts, exceptional turn-and-go flexibility, and exceptional hands to control his game.

Like Asomugha, he is still learning, and that is the scary part. Cromartie is an athletic freak, and his position coach, Bill Bradley, said he is becoming a student of the game.

As is the knock on a lot of speed corners, Antonio isn't the most physical of cornerbacks. Working with one of the most physical in Jammer, he's improved his hitting and tackling.

One AFC scout says that Cromartie will guess on some plays (going for the big play), which leaves him vulnerable to completions. He still can be beaten with some double moves, but he will improve in that area the more he plays.

Follow the Broncos-Green_Bay_Packers-Cornerback_Tandems_Rating_the_NFL_s_Best_Part_2_of_2-230308">link to Part Two...

Ovechkin/Crosby vs. Gretzky/Lemieux

Matt Stephens — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:53:11 -0400

Gretzky versus Lemieux. Arguably two of the best players to lace up the skates at their prime at the same time. We were privliged to see it in the 80's and early 90's, when the game was wide open and 200 points was possible.

Until his most recent comeback, Lemieux could claim he was the only player to average two points per game for his entire career. In 1992-93, Lemieux tallied 160 points in only 60 games. Similarly, in 1987-88 Gretzky put up 149 points in only 64 games and he holds the record of 215 points in 80 games.

Over the course of their careers, Gretzky and Lemieux averaged 1.92 points per game and 1.88 points per game, respectively.

After Lemieux retired for the second time in 1997 and Gretzky retired in 1999, the NHL really lost its offensive identity. It had even started before they retired but there were no full-fledged international icons in the game when they left.

There were important players such as Steve Yzerman, Dominik Hasek, Mats Sundin, and Peter Forsberg, but none of them could hold the mantle of the NHL like Gretzky and Lemieux had.

Until now.

The NHL is in the middle of a renaissance. Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin appear to be set to fill that NHL mantle. Crosby, like Gretzky, has held the mantle since he was playing major-junior hockey in the QMJHL. Ovechkin, like Lemieux, has slowly grown in to the mold of standard-bearer.

Last year, Crosby led the league in scoring, and this year Ovechkin is setting the pace. You get the feel that these two are setting the stage for some epic scoring races.

Ovechkin has already eclipsed the 60 goal mark for the first time since Lemeiux and Jaromir Jagr did in the 1995-96 season. With only 6 games left, it is unlikely that Ovechkin will be the first to eclipse the 70 mark since Teemu Selanne (as a rookie) and Alexander Mogilny did it in the 1992-93 season.

Earlier this month, Ovechkin told The Washington Times, "If I could score 70, I will be very happy. It is good when you score lots of goals, but it is hard."

Looking at the supporting casts of Crosby and Ovechkin, you would have to assume that Crosby is going to have the easier time piling up the points.

In Crosby's extended injury absence this year, Evgeni Malkin has really stepped up. Malkin as Crosby's Jari Kurri. Jordan Staal would be Gretzky's Messier, and the other players on Pittsburgh are young as well.

Ovechkin has, well, Ovechkin. He finally got some help at the trade deadline in Sergei Federov, but Federov is on his last legs. Alexander Semin is supposed to develop into a top talent, but not yet. I guess Ovechkin will just have to keep searching for his Jagr.

Until then, I will continue to enjoy the scoring escapades of the NHL's newest icons.

San Diego Chargers' Biggest Hurdle? Not Their Opponents

Matt Stephens — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:26:03 -0400

LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Shawne Merriman, Jamal Williams, Phillip Rivers, Marcus McNeil, Nick Hardwick. Twelve Pro Bowl selections over the last two years between these seven players.

Having any of them go down for any period of time would be hard on any team, but the San Diego Chargers face the possibility of have some or all of them unable to participate in mini-camps and some may still be recovering by the time the season starts.

Of the injuries, Rivers' is the most concerning. After surgery to repair a torn ACL, Rivers is on a timetable that should see him suit up for training camp but rehabbing any of the ligaments is a slow, painful process.

While the injuries to Merriman (arthroscopic knee surgery), Marcus McNeil (arthroscopic shoulder surgery) and Tomlinson (knee) are all expected to heal before the season, they will impact the off-season training that the athletes need.

The injury to Hardwick also leaves reason for worry among the Chargers training staff. Hardwick is looking at a four-to-six month recovery period after surgery to repair a foot sprain. Hardwick's midseason absence from the offensive line highlighted the importance he plays for the Chargers.

Gates is on pace for recovery, but may miss the opening game. Rehabbing a big toe is not an easy task. Williams still has not had the surgeries he needs on both knees.

On paper, in 2008 the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are the toughest challenge for the Chargers. In reality, the injury bug may be the toughest to beat.

A.J. Smith: Why the San Diego Chargers Will Win the AFC West...Again

Matt Stephens — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:42:21 -0400

Talent. That's what it all boils down to. Either you have it or you don't. Hard work and effort get you far in life, they just don't get you as far if you don't have the talent.

GM A.J. Smith has a proven eye for talent and how to keep that talent. He did it with a dysfunctional relationship between the coach, he did it following the death of his mentor and friend.

He has an attitude and doesn't apologize for it. He doesn't bend to the public perceptions and sticks to his guns.

But most importantly, he brings in talent.

Comparing GMs in the West just isn't fair. The Broncos just fired Sundquist—a testament to his performance.

He liked to make the big splash. He tried signing the big name free agents, bringing in the whole Cleveland defensive line. He tried making the big trade—Javon Walker, who never turned out. He drafted Maurice Clarett after he sat out of football for a year.

He certainly tried, but he didn't have an eye for talent.

The Chiefs GM, Carl Peterson (King Carl), has mismanaged for 18 years and has never done much.

Sure, he brought in an aging Joe Montana, but it was never right and it was all about selling tickets.

Peterson has shown a fantastic penchant for drafting untalented players. Since 2000, he has drafted three players that have played in the Pro Bowl. Kick returner Dante Hall, defensive end Jared Allen and running back Larry Johnson.

He tossed money at aging, unproductive free agents. Yes—I'm talking about Ty Law and Sammy Knight. He doesn't have a plan.

Al Davis, the head of the most dysfunctional franchise in sports. That's all that really needs to be said, but let's look a little bit deeper.

Since they have moved back to Oakland, Davis has hired seven different coaches in thirteen years, and he's tried to get rid of all seven of them. In that same time span, they have finished fourth in the West eight times and third once.

That kind of ineptitude takes a different type of talent. Davis does not have any eye for talent, he looks at the numbers from college and the combine, gets a man crush on a player and drafts them, regardless of where they fit in their offense or defense. Davis drafts their 40 speed and their bench press more than he drafts the player.

The same can be said of free agents. He sees a free agent that did well in a specific scheme and throws money at them.

Other than the cornerback with the unspellable name, Nnamdi Asomugha, Davis has not drafted an impact player that is still with the team (the jury is still out on JaMarcus Russell).

To build a winning franchise, you need a GM with a plan, and the guts to follow through on that plan regardless of what the public thinks of you. A.J. Smith has figured out a plan that works:

You draft talented players, and if two talented players are available, you draft based on their work ethic.
You don't draft their 40 time, you don't draft their combine workout. You draft their college career and you draft their interview.
You draft a person, not a machine. When you have drafted these talented individuals, you keep these talented individuals, unless you have a more talented individual to replace them.
You don't sign other teams' garbage and you manage the cap.

The other GMs in the West should sign up for classes with A.J.