Week 1 Week 2 Cumulative Totals to be posted quarterly.Well it wasn't nearly as rough as I thought it would be re-watching the game. We made some errors, but this could have been a much different game had Nick Collins just brought his hands with him. He dropped two easy picks that he would typically make.
Week 3 (@ Chicago Bears):
My Coverage Player of the Week:Week 1: Tramon Williams
Week 2: Sam Shields
Week 3: Nick Collins
For Shields, the numbers are as bad as they indicate and it's not really a big surprise to me that Knox got the better of him in that match-up. Shields has plenty of recovery speed to adjust against players without Knox's speed, but a couple good routes by Knox put him in position to take the inexperienced corner back to school. No parties on this night though. One of Shields' incompletions was a dropped pass which otherwise may have put him over the 100 yard mark. I think Knox is quite underrated, so I can't say I'm shocked with this result, but getting better play from Shields certainly can't hurt. It would be great if Al could return to form and handle Shields' minutes with effective play, but I think we could survive without him.
Woodson still leads our pass D in 1st downs allowed, but he played a very good today, probably his best yet. You have to put him very near the top, if not at the top, in terms of tackling consistency and run support. His numbers in coverage are great, but he's as dominant as a run defender as you'll see in the league. Tonight showed just that. He's not happy getting beat and will attack the football like hell if you get one by him. A very good player who had a good night on the whole aside from two negative plays. One of his completions allowed came on the Forte reception that he stuffed in the backfield.
Tramon Williams had his worst game of the season, but continues to play out of his mind. One of his 3 completions he came up and made the immediate tackle forcing a punt. Another was also in the flats, while the 3rd has slipped my mind. Let's hope his level of play remains steady as his tests get tougher. If so, we may have a pair of Top 10 corners on this roster.
Aside from Chillar, our linebackers had a great night in coverage. Unlike our first two games, few were targeted. Hawk had air tight coverage on Olsen which led to the defense's only official pick of the night (by Derrick Martin coming in for a banged up Collins). Barnett wasn't targeted once according to my metrics, though I suppose he could have been credited with one or two in his zone...those plays are always tough to grade. This should serve as a reminder that these are all unofficial numbers, but I do the best I can with what I'm given.
Oh BJ Raji, you displayed some nice athleticism dropping into coverage. Loved watching him try to sink his hips while maintaining good athletic posture. He may get his hands on one by the end of the year, but let's hope Dom doesn't push his luck. I marked completion in his zone, but in all honesty, it could have been on Barnett or Woodson (?) as well.
Despite the PI at the end of the game, which I could see as legit depending on the angle, Morgan Burnett had another pretty solid game. He was good in run support (not what this thread is about), but solid in coverage as well. He hasn't really blown any coverage yet this year, which is always a big part of playing safety as a rookie. He might be outperforming Eric Berry to this point, who has given up a couple TDs. :lol:
Finally, Nick Collins, my coverage player of the game. He really has a nose for the football and knows how to break on it at the right time. It's treat watching him play and roam the field with his limitless range. He could have been tighter on the Knox's sideline catch, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Collins allowed no other catches in his area and nearly came away with 3 picks tonight. It's only a matter of time until he reels em in. My guess...he'll pick at least one off this week.