The NFL’s 11 best safeties
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar ranks the top 11 safeties in the NFL going into the 2024 season.
Tag: Doug Farrar
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Why defensive tackles matter more than ever
Why are defensive tackles more important in today’s NFL than they’ve ever been before? Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar are here with the answers.
In today’s NFL, with as much quick game as teams are using, it’s more important than ever to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Often, the shortest distance between the line of scrimmage and the quarterback is a straight line, and when your edge-rushers don’t have time to get home, it’s up to your interior defensive linemen to make those sacks and pressures happen.
It’s why the NFL has placed an increasing importance on those inside guys, and the money has gone up accordingly.
In 2019, there were 15 interior defensive linemen with in-season cap hits of more than $10 million, led by Aaron Donald at $17,108,000. In 2024, there are 22 such players. Now, a lot of those contracts are ones in which the cap hit happens to explode in this league year, but the point still stands – the NFL is placing an increased financial priority on interior defensive linemen.
It’s also why NFL is paying more centers and guards more money and selecting more higher in the draft, as well.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into all the reasons why interior defensive linemen are of such crucial importance, the techniques they use to pester enemy quarterbacks, and the best players at creating pressure in the shortest possible time.
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:
You can also listen to and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Inside the NFL’s press coverage revolution
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get deep into a new press coverage revolution in today’s NFL.
Over the last few seasons in the NFL, a lot of coaches and executives have tailored their defensive schemes in one specific fashion — an increase in press coverage from their cornerbacks. Not only the old-school aggressive press-man coverage we all know, but also mirror-match press man coverage, where a cornerback trails the receiver through his route as the route is declared.
Why? Because NFL offenses have found all kinds of ways to beat the old Seattle Cover-3 stuff from a decade ago with 3×1 and 2×2 receiver sets, and the route concepts inherent in those deployments. Now, if you’re rolling out that “Country Cover-3,” your defense is going to be in trouble.
There’s also the element of quick game in the league, which has increased in recent years. When the quarterback is throwing out of zero- to three-step drops, there are times when edge defenders simply don’t have time to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. So, logic dictates that if you can’t disrupt the quarterback in the timing of the down, you need to disrupt the timing of the receivers’ routes, forcing the quarterback to delay his reads and throws, and giving those pass-rushers that extra split millisecond to get home.
In this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, investigate the NFL’s changes in press coverage, and the players who do it the best, including...
- L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans;
- A.J. Terrell of the Falcons;
- Martin Emerson Jr. of the Browns;
- Patrick Surtain Jr. of the Broncos;
- Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the Jets; and
- Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers.
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell” right here:
You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
Seahawks cornerbacks among NFL’s most-improved position groups
The Seahawks already had a pretty strong cornerback room heading into the 2024 offseason.
The Seahawks already had a pretty strong cornerback room heading into the 2024 offseason. In free agency they chose to retain high-quality backups such as Artie Burns and Mike Jackson and in the draft they added two more corners: Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James, both out of Auburn. They join projected starters Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen, both of whom have already made a Pro Bowl team.
With the two new rookies in the fold, Seattle now can legitimately claim to have the deepest cornerback group in the league. According to Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire, this is one of the most-improved units around the NFL.
“There are two cornerbacks from Auburn ready to write their names in something — Nehemiah Pritchett with the 136th overall pick in the fifth round, and D.J. James with the 192nd pick in the sixth. These gentlemen are added to a cornerback group that already includes 2022 rookie Pro Bowler Riq Woolen and 2023 fifth-overall pick Devon Witherspoon… Pritchett and James are already used to working together. With Pritchett and James, it got to the point where they would decide which side of the field they were covering pre-snap.”
The Ravens, Eagles and Packers also made significant investments at cornerback this offseason – and those teams are generally among the best at drafting from year to year. More evidence that smart teams see this as a critical position for the modern game and the Seahawks were right to push more chips in this direction, even though they already seemed to be set.
More Seahawks Wire stories
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: The best offensive scheme fits in the 2024 NFL draft
From Jayden Daniels to Xavier Worthy, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get into the best offensive scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft.
There are at least two stages of evaluation when dealing with draft prospects. There’s the work you do watching tape of a player in a vacuum pre-draft, when you’re looking at a player’s attributes and liabilities overall. Then, when the player is drafted, you’re trying to figure out why the team selected the player, and how that player best fits in his new home from a schematic and performance perspective.
With the 2024 NFL draft in the rearview, it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to determine the best scheme fits from this class.
Greg and Doug begin on the offensive side of the ball, with these players:
- Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
- Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
- Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
- Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
- Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
- Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
- Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
- Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
You can watch this week’s Xs and Os right here:
You can also listen and subscrive to the Xs and Os podcast on Spotify…
Chargers and Ladd McConkey, Kimani Vidal among draft’s best scheme fits
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar laid out his favorite scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft on the offensive side of the ball.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar laid out his favorite scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft on the offensive side of the ball and mentioned two players the Chargers selected: Ladd McConkey and Kimani Vidal.
Starting with McConkey, Farrar highlighted his route-running prowess and ability to get open to all areas of the field, adding that he will quickly become Justin Herbert’s best friend because of his skill set.
Love the speed, 4.38 [40-yard dash], but he plays to it. Harbaugh said of McConkey. He plays to that 4.38 every single play. You can see it in the way that he rages off of the ball, and once he has the ball in his hands.
Me and Joe [Hortiz] were talking about him, he’s very [Raiders TE] Brock Bowers-like with the way that he gets yards after the catch,” Harbaugh added. “Competitor, big-time. Those things. He catches the ball. A terrific route-runner. He has the quickness, he has the speed that is going to be great for our offense. I love the guys that can run in the 4.3s.
The Chargers want to run the ball at a high level under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
They began the building process with the signings of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins and Vidal, the team’s sixth-round selection.
Troy’s Kimani Vidal is one of my favorite backs in this class, and the Chargers got him with the 181st overall pick in the sixth round. Greg Roman loaded up on Pocket Hercules runners in Baltimore when he was the OC there, and Vidal is exactly that type of guy. Last season, the 5′ 7⅞”, 213-pound Vidal gained 1,661 yards and scored 14 touchdowns on 295 carries, with 94 forced missed tackles (by far the most among all backs in this class), and 19 carries of 15+ yards. He’s a do-it-all back in a package the Chargers seem to like.
Vidal will have to fend off Isaiah Spiller. But he has the skillset with the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility, and passing game impact to do so and contribute early on.
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar: Doug’s favorite underrated draft prospects
In this week’s Xs and Os, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar discuss Ricky Pearsall, Malik Washington, Renardo Green, Max Melton, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, and Javon Bullard.
In this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into six of Doug’s favorite underrated prospects in the 2024 NFL draft — players who most likely won’t hear their names called in the first round next Thursday night, but who all can provide serious value to their soon-to-be NFL teams. Two weeks ago, we focused on “Greg’s Guys” in that same regard. Now, here are Doug’s favorites.
Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall — Will Pearsall be able to maintain his gliding speed, route awareness and amazing catches into contact at the NFL level? We’re betting on “yes.”
Virginia receiver Malik Washington — Washington is a shorter (but not thin) player who can create explosive plays all over the field; a team like the Chiefs (for example) should be watching as much of his tape as possible right now.
Florida State cornerback Renardo Green — Green projects well as an outside cornerback despite a lack of desired size, but how will his NFL team deploy him?
Rutgers cornerback Max Melton — In Melton’s case, his NFL team will love his ability to match receivers all over the field, and they’ll likely see the necessary technique fixes as a worthy time investment.
Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson — More than any other safety in this class, Taylor-Demerson has field-scalding speed when in coverage. If he can tamp down the more rogue elements of his athleticism, he could be an easy Pro Bowler.
Georgia safety Javon Bullard — Over the last two seasons, Georgia asked Bullard to completely change his positional profile in ways most college defenders are not asked to do, and he did it all very well. That should make him an easy prospect for most NFL teams.
You can watch this week’s “X and Os” right here:
You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Super Bowl LVIII recap edition
Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar review Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and 49ers as only they can in this week’s “Xs and Os.”
Now that Super Bowl LVIII is in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs have established themselves as the NFL’s nest dynasty with their 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers, it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to review everything as only they can with copious tape study and advanced metrics.
Among the topics discussed in this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar”:
- Steve Spagnuolo’s shocking man-blitz plan.
- How Trent McDuffie made that deflection with 2:00 left in regulation.
- Was Chris Jones robbed of a Super Bowl MVP award for the second time in four years?
- Why Spags went so heavy with nickel, and Cover-0 stuff.
- Why Brock Purdy wasn’t the reason the 49ers lost.
- Was Dre Greenlaw’s injury a major factor in the game or not?
- How were the Chiefs able to spot man coverage on Travis Kelce’s huge fourth-quarter catch?
- How Patrick Mahomes showed his development as a quarterback at the most important points of his season…
- …and why Mahomes’ biggest throw in the Super Bowl was the one he never should have attempted.
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:
[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/S19Xq40B4tYbd-8KB0nD/1707978569327_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0ia215dHN3ZHJncXllZW5kdWxmcmdpbGp5am5iZGEzc2UiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]
You can listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Super Bowl LVIII
It’s time for Super Bowl LVIII, which means that it’s time for Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar to dive into the Chiefs-49ers matchups with tape and advanced metrics.
It’s nearly time for the biggest game of the NFL season, which means it’s time for our guys Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to do a very deep dive on Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, using all kinds of tape study and advanced metrics.
Here, the guys cover these topics, as well as many others:
- Why run defense for each team could be the key to the entire game, and why Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco might unlock it all for Kansas City.
- How Christian McCaffrey became the NFL’s best and most prolific zone runner.
- How Steve Spagnuolo might blitz Brock Purdy, who has been amazing against the blitz all season.
- Why Patrick Mahomes, who in the past has been similarly “unblitzable” in recent seasons, hasn’t been that in 2023.
- Steve Wilks’ 49ers defense is far more multiple than some people think — especially in coverage — and why that could be a problem for Mr. Mahomes.
- The Chiefs’ four-strong formations and use of 13 personnel, and how those two things have come to define Andy Reid’s offense to a great degree.
- Why linebackers for both teams will be so important.
- The Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVIII.
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:
[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/Td2Fh40BR5iLzi9vSPGG/1707377294061_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0ia3JzZGVydGlncXllZXVydm5mZ2h1Mmp6b3pqdmFyMmgiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]
You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
Pete Carroll reinvented himself, and he helped me do the same thing
2010 was Pete Carroll’s first year in Seattle. It was also my first year covering the Seahawks in an official sense.
