The Safety Dance

Over the course of the next few weeks, we here at Andre Smith's Pancakes will discuss some areas of need our beloved Bengals might address through free agency or the upcoming draft. On the heels of strong defensive season garnering a top 5 ranking and essentially giving us all 10 of our wins, one might think the defense is good enough left alone and we need to exclusively attack our offensive woes. The defense however can use some depth and upgrades at several positions. Let's take a look at the safety position.

In 2009, it started out as a position of some relative depth with thumper Roy Williams, Chris Crocker, Chinedum Ndukwe, Tom Nelson, and Kyries Hebert. After injury and an overall suck fest by Hard Knocks darling Tom Nelson, a Pancakes favorite Keiwan Ratliff was brought in for the playoffs to help at safety though he's a more natural corner. The Jets playoff game saw some big scoring plays and breakdowns by the safeties.

What We Know:
Roy Williams is back. After 2 years of fractured forearms, there are legitimate questions about his future durability. I think his poor coverage skills may be a bit overblown and the man can hit like a freight train filling a hole faster than Peter North.

Chris Crocker will be there and is an all around solid player and fiery competitor. He had 51 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 2 picks last year. He's high energy, plays fast, and seems to have very good awareness in coverage. Not too mention you can always count on him blowing up a receiver or tight end a second before the ball arrives once a game. He'll get there and he will hit you.

Chinny might be my favorite of our existing safeties and had 89 tackles and a pick this year. It seems that he has a tendency to frustrate coaches by relying on instincts too much rather than playing his assignments. He has very solid hands and can also serve as an extra linebacker. He's great playing in the box, is explosive on the blitz, and might be one of the team's most active defenders not too mention its biggest humanitarian.

Kyries Hebert is our Canadian bacon. He sizzles on special teams but gets fried everywhere else.

Tom Nelson looks better in a horse carriage than he does in coverage. He was small, fast, and competed hard. He also had a sack in a preseason game. He made the team because Corey Lynch was busy saving lives and losing his composure in training camp. Nelson proved to be the Adam Rosales of football: a lot of heart but no skill. He couldn't cover Jerome Simpson in practice and couldn't tackle a hungry Jim Lippincott on free donut day.

What Should Happen
Chinny and Crocker are on the team and will get significant playing time. Roy may start but you have to figure that there will be a pretty steady rotation of Chinny, Crocker, Roy. Hopefully, he can stay healthy this year. Hebert will be on the bubble but will probably make the squad for his special teams production. Unfortunately, we need to cut the cord on Tommy Nelson.

The 2010 NFL draft should see us address the lack of depth at safety. As was made clear last year, we need help to weather the inevitable injuries that happen during the grind of the season. Apparent Ed Reed reincarnation Eric Berry from the Vols will be long gone by the time we draft so we won't talk about him. Now, I will admit that my left shoe probably knows about as much about scouting as I do. That being said: my left shoe also knows more than our entire scouting department. Want good information on potential draftees?

Taylor Mays is a 6'3 230 lb beast from USC who runs a 4.4. He is an athletic freak and made the combine his stepchild. He is also Roy Williams Jr. He can support the run better than Hanes supports my crotch but he struggles in coverage and has suspect hands. Since 2006, he has a total of 5 int, 1 forced fumble, and no sacks. That is not a lot of impact plays but I would not complain if he falls to the second round and into our laps.

Earl Thomas is a ballhawking free safety out of Texas. He's only 20 years old and in his 2 years with the Horns (he redshirted) racked up 134 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions. He is undersized at 5'10 and 200 lbs runs a 4.41 and plays more physical than his size. The major concern is if he can handle the pounding his physical style demands. Some might convert to a CB. I love his versatility and big play potential.

Chad Jones from LSU is 6'3 220 lbs and runs a 4.59. Word is Jones could have benefited from another season at Baton Rouge. He's a good athlete also playing baseball but needs to improve in consistency and technique. Should be around in the 3rd round.

Nate Allen is 6'1 205 lbs and runs a 4.47. He hails from South Florida. He was a team leader for the Bulls and looks to be a 2nd to 4th round pick.

From what I have read and the little I have seen of these guys (maybe 4 Longhorns games, 2 USC games, and 1  LSU game from the previous year so I am no expert) I would have to say that I would like a guy like Thomas if he's around. Other scouts describe him as a Polamalu style player. We can all agree that we have seen plenty of that long haired freak and he scares the crap out of me. Our defense could use a game changer like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcOZ6xFxJqg