Is Berry at FS or SS?

[jason1981]

ive heard of 2 different depth charts which has him listed the opposite. any one know where he played in atlanta"s game

[rodu]

from what i saw on the replay on TV, he was on the field with McGraw, so I'm guessing FS

[Pro_Angler]

He started SS.

[yashi]

Berry is the SS.

[rodu]

then who started at FS?

[yashi]

then who started at FS?

McGraw... it's a battle between McGraw and Kendrick Lewis right now. Lewis will probably win it for sure at some point since he's faster and more talented.

[jason1981]

i thought berry would be better at FS. i thought Mcgraw was a ss cuz he is to slow?

[Three7s]

i thought berry would be better at FS. i thought Mcgraw was a ss cuz he is to slow?
McGraw is definitely a better SS than FS, but no worries, Lewis will beat him without question.

[AussieChiefsFan]

I'm Pretty sure he's at FS.

[Pro_Angler]

i believe lewis started didnt he? mcgraw did make some nice run stops and even almost gat a sack. But remember all the big plays mcgraw let get made last year in the middle?? he got torched.

[jacko58]

lol i love it berry played ss no he played fs lol i think well see berry at both and in coverage mcgraw is good against the run but i was vary impressed with lewis is a fast guy who likes to hit we keep him healthy could have a really good secondary with flowers berry lewis and carr im excited

[yashi]

Berry definitely started at SS and McGraw at FS Friday. That was the one thing I was specifically watching for at the beginning of the game.

Berry at SS is starting to make more sense to me because from what I saw the other day, he is probably the best tackler on the team already. McGraw is definitely not the answer at FS, which is fine because I'm pretty sure he's just holding the spot until Lewis is ready and then he can go back to being our special teams ace.

[jason1981]

i thought we would want him at fs with his play making ability like fs ed reed

[bwilliams]

Berry definitely started at SS and McGraw at FS Friday. That was the one thing I was specifically watching for at the beginning of the game.

Berry at SS is starting to make more sense to me because from what I saw the other day, he is probably the best tackler on the team already. McGraw is definitely not the answer at FS, which is fine because I'm pretty sure he's just holding the spot until Lewis is ready and then he can go back to being our special teams ace.

Playing a guy picked number 5 in the draft out of position because you were too shortsighted to get a decent starter at another position is a terrible idea. At best, it will merely hurt Berry's growth into a top FS. At worst? Berry's big advantages at FS are his speed and athleticism. Those are why he was picked number 5. SS is a position with a long, long history of injuries. A couple of bad injuries, and Berry loses that speed and athleticism (see Rogers, Charles for the best/worst example of what bad injuries can do to a potential superstar).

We need to play Berry at FS, play McGraw or Lewis as a stopgap at SS, and just bite the bullet. I don't like it any more than anyone else here, but it's the best long-term decision by a very long shot.

For some reason, our current braintrust loves playing guys out of position. DJ, Edwards, Dorsey, Albert, McCluster, and now Berry. You know, we'd have a pretty good team if we played guys at their natural spots instead of this mix-and-match, patch-the-holes sort of thinking.

[bwilliams]

i thought we would want him at fs with his play making ability like fs ed reed

You'd think so, wouldn't you? Our current braintrust keeps outsmarting itself. They think they can coach players up that can't be coached up, or they think they can implement schemes in which every player is replaceable. It's shortsighted thinking at its worst.

[yashi]

Playing a guy picked number 5 in the draft out of position because you were too shortsighted to get a decent starter at another position is a terrible idea. At best, it will merely hurt Berry's growth into a top FS. At worst? Berry's big advantages at FS are his speed and athleticism. Those are why he was picked number 5. SS is a position with a long, long history of injuries. A couple of bad injuries, and Berry loses that speed and athleticism (see Rogers, Charles for the best/worst example of what bad injuries can do to a potential superstar).

We need to play Berry at FS, play McGraw or Lewis as a stopgap at SS, and just bite the bullet. I don't like it any more than anyone else here, but it's the best long-term decision by a very long shot.

For some reason, our current braintrust loves playing guys out of position. DJ, Edwards, Dorsey, Albert, McCluster, and now Berry. You know, we'd have a pretty good team if we played guys at their natural spots instead of this mix-and-match, patch-the-holes sort of thinking.

I disagree with you about him being played out of position, but we've had this discussion before so there's no point in beating a dead horse, though I'm sure I'm about to do that.

Berry is versatile and equally as comfortable at either safety position. He played FS as a sophomore and SS as a junior.

Don't take it from me though:

WalterFootball.com: 2010 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Eric Berry (http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2010eberry.php)

Note that this was written was he was still 195 lbs and not 211, so the strength thing is less of a concern now.

I'd personally rather see him at FS, but he's worthless to us back deep at the moment because at this rate, no team is going to need to attempt a pass if our run defense doesn't improve.

[bwilliams]

I disagree with you about him being played out of position, but we've had this discussion before so there's no point in beating a dead horse.

Berry is versatile and equally as comfortable at either safety position. He played FS as a sophomore and SS as a junior.

Don't take it from me though:

WalterFootball.com: 2010 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Eric Berry (http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2010eberry.php)

Note that this was written was he was still 195 lbs and not 211, so the strength thing is less of a concern now.

I'd personally rather see him at FS, but he's worthless to us back deep at the moment because at this rate, no team is going to need to attempt a pass if our run defense doesn't improve.

I agree with everything you wrote. Berry *can* play SS, although I think you'd agree that he's a much better FS, and he was picked so high because he's such a good FS. If we drafted him to be our SS, I think you'd agree we wayyyyy overdrafted him at number 5. Just as Albert is a mediocre LT but a great RG, Berry is going to be a grea FS forced to be a mediocre SS.

As I wrote above, my big fear isn't that Berry plays out of position. My big fear is that Berry gets hurt this season. We didn't draft Berry because we need a guy to stop the run. We can plug in warm bodies to get killed doing that. We drafted Berry because he's an Ed Reed-clone. Above all else, we can NOT get him needlessly hurt in 2010 because our front office screwed up at SS. If he gets hurt and loses some of his atheticism and speed, our coaches should be taken out behind a barn and shot.

[STLChiefs]

Okay this is dumb, but.. Other than the side of the field they play what is the difference? Why would one need to be faster?

[chief31]

Okay this is dumb, but.. Other than the side of the field they play what is the difference? Why would one need to be faster?

FS plays deep ball on almost all occaisions. Far more pass-oriented position than SS, who is regularly brought closer to the LOS for run support.

SS winds up being a more injury-prone position due to the amount of contact that the player will have, often in a crowded area of the field.

You prefer more speed at FS due to the fact this is the guy who has to be able to make it from the middle of the field, to either sideline, anytime you are in any form of a Cover-1 defense.

For example, in college, Brian Urlacher (LB for The Chicago Bears) was a SS.

[STLChiefs]

Ahh, thanks.

[jason1981]

i think they might be doing this so they can switch them up during the games and the offense wont know who is the fs or ss during that play. if we could get two versitile guys they could switch it up to confuse the Qb's. dont know if that would work though.

[bwilliams]

i think they might be doing this so they can switch them up during the games and the offense wont know who is the fs or ss during that play. if we could get two versitile guys they could switch it up to confuse the Qb's. dont know if that would work though.

That could be true. And Crennel did that exact thing (albiet ineffectively) with the Browns. But I have a feeling that if they signed Page to his tender, or had anyone else remotely competent to put in at SS, Berry would be at his proper position at FS. This seems more like desperation than anything else.

Look at our safeties on the roster. The only true SS on the roster is DuJuan Morgan, and he isn't going to do anything but special teams. McGraw is too soft and Lewis and Washington are too inexperienced and not strong enough. Page was supposed to be the guy, but he got smart and realized that there was a very good chance his career would be over by the end of 2010 if he switched.

We need to be very, very active in finding someone after the next round of cuts. Some NFL-worthy SS will be cut. We need to scoop him up and install him ASAP.