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| The light blues aren't going to win you the game on their own, but they can be decent compliments to an otherwise strong properties portfolio. |
Make no mistake: Rodney McLeod is a very good player. One of the best on the team, actually. The problem is, he tends to get banged up, and after playing all of last year at somewhere south of 100%, his legacy has been tarnished a bit. But this is a player who is going on his third season as a full-time starter; a guy with speed and playmaking ability, and one whom the entire team believes in unconditionally. I personally have come to the conclusion that his best position might have been cornerback, but he's a safety now, and one of the 2011 season's key players. At an otherwise weak position on the roster, McLeod offers quality play and a potentially huge impact in the success or failure of the secondary. Now he just needs to stay healthy...
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| More of this from the starting safeties = a good secondary. |
Vermont Ave. -- Corey Mosley, senior
Corey Mosley drives me crazy. Just absolutely, batshit crazy. The best comparison I could probably make is how fans of the Reds/Nationals/White Sox must feel about Adam Dunn. You love the home run blasts, but you hate the rally-crippling strikeouts. Mosley is a great, great hitter. A truly big-time hitter. A headhunter in the secondary; a guy who makes receivers scared to go across the middle. But in chasing those big hits, he gets sloppy with his technique and he yields too many big plays by making the routine plays too difficult for himself. If he can become more of a slap-hitter, just taking what's there for him to take, he could become a real asset to the secondary. But if he keeps swinging for the fences, he'll continue to be a way-too-regular detriment to deep coverage.
Connecticut Ave. -- Dom Joseph, senior
Okay, look. He's a cornerback. But I'm listing him here because I firmly believe that if either of the starting safeties go down for any amount of time, Joseph will be the guy who fills in. He's a solid enough player. He works hard, plays smart, and the coaches love him. I do, however, think he's only a marginal talent. He's not a real difference-maker. Good in coverage, decent in run support, knows the plays, knows the calls, understands the defense. Dom Jospeh is the kind of no-frills / no-worries backup that can help form the bedrock of a good team. He probably doesn't enjoy a whole lot of glory, so I'm going to give him his own picture on my blog. BOOM:
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| Stupid Dook. Your comeuppance will be swift and complete. |
Alvarez is untested and probably still a bit raw, but has excellent physical tools as a former track star and champion hurdler. Battle is a linebacker/safety 'tweener, but I have a hunch he'll have a good season in 2011 as a designated hitter. Ant Harris is looking more and more like a can't-miss future starter, which might lead to his redshirt being burned in order to get his dick wet for full-time duty in 2012. Add it up, and it's a so-so group of backups. Nice potential, but nothing in the way of proven success.
Chance -- Rodney McLeod stays on the field and has a GREAT senior campaign. Corey Mosley continues to make mistakes and begins to cede playing time to Dom Joseph and eventually Ant Harris. Generally poor safety play costs us a game, but McLeod makes up for it by making a game-sealing interception... against Duke. Some other player not listed in this synopsis (Brandon Phelps, maybe?) sees playing time at safety, and makes us start to feel secure in the future at this position.
I think the potential is definitely there for McLeod and Mosley to have excellent senior seasons. But I'm not expecting it, mostly due to the last two up-and-down years for those two guys. There is some nice future potential at safety in Ant Harris, but that's where I draw the "can't-miss" Mendoza line. Alvarez still has to prove that he's a football player. Battle has to prove that he isn't just a nickel linebacker and special teams guy. More talent needs to bubble up on the roster, hopefully from true freshmen Kameron Mack (who might end up being a linebacker, himself) and/or Mason Thomas (who was lightly recruited but well regarded by our coaching staff). There aren't many slam dunks here, and that makes me nervous for the present and the future. However, there IS talent at the safety position --- it just needs to be developed and supported by the rest of the defensive portfolio. Just like the light blues in Monopoly. (See what I did there?)
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