Dug into PFF stats to ease the dead zone boredom and there is some interesting info to be had on this topic of free safties and defensive backs in general.

 

First, let me make a couple points:

 

Stats are history and very poor indicators of rookie potential.

Stats can tell some things but not all things.

You can probably find a stat to support just about anything.

 

Cyprian started fifteen games and played all the defensive snaps in each game, 1062, That is a tremendous accomplishment for a rookie.  Ten of his starts were at free safety and five were at strong safety.  Out of the 86 safeties ranked, he ranks 84th.  Even though PFF stresses that its grading is history based rather than potential based they give him an average rating on their depth chart as our starting strong safety going into this year in spite of the terrible rookie numbers.  He graded -17.5 overall and most of that was from the -14.8 pass coverage portion.  Two of his last three games were graded negatively for pass coverage. 

 

Evans started ten games at strong safety and only a single game at free safety.  He played 682 snaps and ranked 78th of 86.  He graded out at -10.9 overall and -7.9 on pass coverage.  

 

Guy started two games at free safety.  He played 363 snaps and ranked 68th of 86.  He graded out at -6.9 overall and +1.4 on pass coverage.  Guy has only one more year in the league than Cyprian and Evans and he played very little in that year so he is almost as green as they are.

 

So what do we make of these stats?  First thing I thought was although I had always considered Cyprian as a strong safety I now wonder if he was drafted as the hope for the future single high safety and has since been been shifted to a better position for him as a strong safety.  Only Gus and Caldwell know the answer to that.

 

Second, the concern for the free safety position is valid.  It is disturbing to see so many negative grades for pass coverage for a position that is the key if we are going to mimic the Seattle style of defense with a single high safety standing alone on a rather large island.

 

Third, they are all essentially just starting their second year so no one, except maybe Dave and Gus, know what we really have at safety now.  

 

Fourth, our four cornerbacks are ALL ranked in the upper half of the league.  Of the 110 rated cornerbacks, Ball is 20th with a +7.5, Blackmon is 22nd with a +7.2, Gratz is 38th with a +3.3 and Mike Harris is 48th with a +1.1.   This tells me that the little known quality we displayed at cornerback may have been offsetting the deficiencies at safety.  It also says we ought to be giving our cornerbacks a lot more appreciation than we are.

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