Tag: Secondary

Texans CB Bradley Roby likes teaming up with Ohio State ‘little brother’ Gareon Conley

Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby is pleased to team up with fellow Ohio State Buckeye Gareon Conley in the defensive backfield.

Houston Texans cornerback Bradley Roby knows Gareon Conley all too well.

The former Ohio State Buckeye had Conley as his “little brother” in 2013, his final year with the program.

“It’s super cool for me because when I was at Ohio State, he was my little brother,” Roby said. “In your last year at Ohio State you have to get a rookie or a freshman and he has to be your little brother. He goes around with you and stays in the same hotel as you on road games. He was my little brother.”

The Denver Broncos selected Roby in Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft. After three seasons following in Roby’s footsteps, Conley also went in the first round to an AFC West club when the Oakland Raiders drafted him in 2017.

Roby was a free agent after 2018, and he signed a one-year deal with Houston. In 2019, the Raiders traded Conley seven weeks in, and the Texans desperately needed cornerback help as injuries ravaged the group, including Roby.

“Fast forward six or seven years, for us to be on the same team is pretty special,” said Roby. “Like I said, secondary is all about that connection you guys have and we have that.”

The Texans are hopeful the Ohio State connection proves to be successful in 2020 with Roby playing the role of a playmaking cornerback while Conley locks down the other side.

“He looks up to me and it’s fun to play with him,” Roby said.”It’s just fun to play with guys that you’re friends with. It doesn’t seem like a job then. It seems like you’re a group that’s out to accomplish big things.”

Roby signed a three-year contract with the Texans in the offseason while Houston declined to pick up Conley’s fifth-year option. Nevertheless, the Texans have big plans for the tandem in 2020.

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Pete Carroll on safety Jamal Adams: ‘I just know he’s the real deal’

After just one day in a Seattle Seahawks uniform, coach Pete Carroll thinks former Jets safety Jamal Adams is the “real deal.”

The Seahawks were able to pull off a trade for former Jets safety Jamal Adams just days before players were set to report to training camp. Adams is expected to immediately contribute to the defense, strengthening the secondary – something Seattle desperately needed.

And after just one day in a Seahawks uniform, coach Pete Carroll knows what type of play Adams will bring to the team.

“He’s really sharp, he’s really competitive in that he really cares in that he wants to know all the details, he wants to be corrected, he wants to be helped, he wants to be taught, coached and all that,” Carroll told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s got a unique focus that some great players we’ve had really demonstrated. I just know he’s the real deal. You can see it on film, you can see it when you meet him, and he gets along really well. He has really high expectations for what he’s going to bring to the team and how he’s going to help out, but he also has a real cool approach about it that he knows he to earn it every step of the way, and that’s a great combination.”

Carroll isn’t worried that the “Prez” is going to let things get to his head, either.

“He’s not too full of himself,” Carroll noted. “He wants to be a great player, but he wants to work for it. That’s all we can ask for.”

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Bradley Roby is the OG in the Texans’ secondary with Johnathan Joseph gone

Houston Texans CB Bradley Roby has become the OG in the locker room as far as the secondary is concerned with Johnathan Joseph now in Tennessee.

Johnathan Joseph had earned his two career Pro Bowl selections in his tenure with the Houston Texans from 2011-19. Joseph also left the franchise this offseason as the all-time interceptions leader with 17 and was tied for third-most games played with 133.

With Joseph departed and now with the Tennessee Titans, a Houston media member asked an apt question of Bradley Roby: are you the OG now?

“Yeah, definitely,” Roby told reporters on Aug. 11. “I feel like I’m definitely the oldest guy and most experienced. I definitely feel like it’s my job to lead the guys and lead us to be better than we have been in the past.”

Roby, a former 2014 first-round pick, played 79 games with the Denver Broncos, helping the club win a Super Bowl at the end of 2015. The former Ohio State Buckeye wants to bring that level of success to the Texans.

“My goal is to be a whole lot better than we’ve been over the past couple of years,” said Roby. “That’s my plan and I’m doing everything I can to help everyone, including the safeties as well.”

With just 10 games in Houston under his belt, safety Justin Reid might actually be more of an OG than Roby. The former 2018 third-round pick from Stanford has played 31 games for Houston, over three times as many as Roby. With so much experience on the back end, Roby knows he has to be in sync with the talented younger brother of Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid.

Said Roby: “Trying to get on the same page as J-Reid, working out with him this offseason and just getting that bond together. One thing I know about the secondary is you have to be a tight-knit group on and off the field. I think I’m trying to build that as much as possible.”

The Texans’ defense seeks to return to its formidable form in the first year of defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Part of achieving those goals will be having Roby play like an OG.

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Best of AFC East: Division boasts top talent in secondary

Rankings the secondary units in the AFC East heading into 2020.

NFL defensive coordinators and general managers are catching up with the rest of the league. The NFL is leaning toward a pass-happy contest, and that means defenses have had to find a way to defend against the aerial attack in a multitude of ways. The best way teams have found in combating that is to find defensive backfield talent, and the AFC East reflects that.

The secondary may be the most talented position among any group as a whole within the division. On a few different AFC East teams, the secondary might be the strongest-overall unit… and by a lot.

So who has the best of those squads? Here’s Bills Wire’s rankings of the AFC East’s secondaries:

Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots have a stellar group of players in their secondary, as hard as it is to admit. Stephon Gilmore has been at the top of the cornerback charts for the past few seasons. He’s been named an All-Pro in each of the past two seasons and was 2019’s Defensive Player of the Year. He tied for the league lead with six interceptions and led the league with 20 passes defensed. Gilmore was graded as the No. 1 cornerback by Pro Football Focus in 2019.

Opposite Gilmore is Jason McCourty and JC Jackson. Jonathan Jones gives this cornerback spot great depth, but the Pats didn’t even stand pat there recently. The Lions traded cornerback Michael Jackson to New England last weekend, adding further depth pieces at cornerback.

Devin McCourty has been among the top safeties in the league in recent memory. The veteran recorded five interceptions last year. But it’s all perfect for the Pats.

The only knock on the unit is how will they fill in the gap left by Patrick Chung, an 11-year veteran who opted out of this upcoming season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s a few potential options.

The Pats drafted Kyle Duggar in the second-round of the 2020 draft. Duggar is a versatile player who can be a presence at the line of scrimmage. Adrian Phillips, a 2018 All-Pro, will be looked upon to fill the void as well. He missed time last year due to a forearm injury. If he’s completely healthy, Phillips should garner starting snaps for this unit. But even without Chung, this secondary won’t be coming into New England a stroll in the park in 2020… even without Tom Brady.

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Duron Harmon is working hard so his teammates to know they can count on him

During a recent video conference, Lions new safety Duron Harmon explained what he is doing to be a player his teammates can count on.

The Detroit Lions secondary went through a significant overhaul this offseason, yet they appear stronger and deeper as a whole than what was on the field in 2019.

Among the new additions, Duron Harmon — whom the Lions traded with the Patriots for last March — could have the biggest impact in 2020 due to his leadership and scheme knowledge. Harmon played for seven seasons on the Patriots defense and he is expected to be able to smoothly translate into coach Matt Patricia’s scheme.

During a recent video conference with the media, Harmon mentioned that this is a defense that he is very familiar with, but also acknowledged that it has evolved a bit since Patricia left New England.

“So obviously there are some new things I’ll have to learn”, Harmon said. “I’m working as hard as I can to make sure I learn those things. To make sure that when I go out there, people can count on me. To know that I’m always going to know what I’m doing and that I’m going to do my job at a high level.”

While the MIKE linebacker typically gets a lot of the glory as they distribute the defensive play call, the single-high safety spot in Patricia’s scheme acts as the quarterback of the defense, making pre-snap adjustments and re-aligning players in coverage.

Harmon is expected to start at the Lions’ single-high safety spot this year.

One of the reasons the Lions secondary has struggled in the past two seasons is the revolving door at single-high. Glover Quin never seemed comfortable in the role — it’s much different than the free safety spot he played the majority of his career — Quandre Diggs was better suited for the slot than in center field, Tavon Wilson was more successful as a box safety, as was Will Harris, and while Tracy Walker can survive playing deep, he is an absolute weapon as a JOKER.

By being able to deploy an experienced single-high safety in Harmon, the Lions not only shore up the position but it also affords them the opportunity to use Walker more in the JOKER role and Harris as the third safety in the box.

Experience, intelligence, leadership. Harmon is exactly what the Lions need in the secondary.

Kareem Jackson not pleased with national media’s coverage of Broncos secondary

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson thinks the national media needs to do a better job covering Denver’s secondary.

Last month, Pro Football Reference released its rankings for NFL secondaries going into the 2020 season. The Denver Broncos were ranked No. 18, which is pretty low even after losing Chris Harris.

PFF said of Kareem Jackson specifically that he “spent much of his time in the slot in 2019, but he will likely play at safety in 2020.” That’s not quite accurate — Jackson spent some time in the slot last season and most of his time at safety.

Jackson wasn’t pleased with the commentary.

“These the articles that make you wonder if these people are blind 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣,” Jackson wrote on his Twitter page. “Call themselves experts child please 🤣🤣🤣🤣.”

Jackson was also clearly not happy when safety Justin Simmons was snubbed from the NFL Top 100 list.

To be fair, NFL Network makes a list of the Top 100 players based on voting results from players. But not every player votes and players who do vote don’t list 100 names, so the process is flawed.

Jackson and his teammates will have some extra motivation this fall.

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Minkah Fitzpatrick opens up about his time with Miami Dolphins

Former Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick opens up about his time with the Miami Dolphins and what led to him requesting a trade.

Former Alabama star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick has made quite a name for himself in his two seasons in the NFL. While he is now mentioned among elite safeties across the league, his journey started with a rough patch on a team that was unsure how to utilize his versatility.

After being drafted No. 11 overall in the 2018 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, Fitzpatrick became a key piece to the franchise’s secondary. Starting in 11 games, appearing in all 16, 80 total tackles, nine pass deflections, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

Solid numbers for a rookie, but the Alabama product was not happy.

While being coached by Nick Saban, Fitzpatrick was moved around. Having been taught to play numerous defensive positions, he became somewhat of a secondary ‘Swiss-Army knife.’ However, he believed a transition into professional football would also come with a set position.

The Dolphins placed Fitzpatrick at safety or as a cornerback in various capacities.

He asked for a trade early in his second season with Miami. A request granted by the Dolphins front office, as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before Week 3.

In an interview with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, Fitzpatrick opened up about his time with the South Florida franchise.

He talks about his trust in then first-year head coach for the Dolphins, Brian Flores, and following the coaches lead.

“Even though they have me in the wrong spot and other players know they have me in the wrong spot,” Fitzpatrick says. “Even though I disagree with the coaches. I’m still going to follow their lead.”

The Dolphins had Fitzpatrick practicing at different positions, oftentimes the drills did not align with who he was as a player.

“It was messing up my skill set,” Fitzpatrick says. “I was working the hand-fighting drills against the tight ends and working on hitting the bags and stuff like that. That’s fine and dandy, but that wasn’t my skill set.”

On top of being misplaced, the young star was frustrated with the team’s culture. In a time where fans were claiming the team was ‘tanking for Tua,’ there were a lot of departures from the team and last minute signings.

“It was my first time ever seeing them,” Fitzpatrick says. “I didn’t even know half their names while I’m out there on the field with them. In the middle of the game! I’m trying to communicate with somebody, and he’s looking at me like I have no clue what I’m talking about.

Fitzpatrick is heading into year No. 3 in the NFL and is about to begin what should be his first full season with the Steelers.

 

Seahawks claim former 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed off waivers

The Seattle Seahawks claimed former San Francisco 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed off waivers, but he will miss at least the first six weeks.

After the San Francisco 49ers released cornerback D.J. Reed on Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks scooped him up on waivers the following day, adding another piece to their secondary.

Reed was waived with a non-football injury designation and will likely be unable to play for the first six weeks of the 2020 season while he heals from his torn pectoral muscle that he suffered during an offseason workout.

Seattle may have made this move for depth purposes, as Reed will not be expected to make a significant impact even if he returns in 2020. He recorded a mere 13 tackles on defense in 16 games and zero starts last season.

The Seahawks look to have a solid secondary with Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Shaquill Griffin in the fold, but their plans for Reed are relatively unknown at the moment.

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Pete Carroll hopes Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers can take next step

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that the cornerback unit, mainly Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers, must improve.

The Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback duo of Shaquill Griffin and Tre Flowers looks to take the next step as a unit in 2020 without Quinton Dunbar, who is on the NFL Commissioner Exempt list.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll joined reporters in a press conference on Monday to discuss the unit’s progress. He stated that Griffin had a breakout season in his third year in the league, rebounding from his issues in his second season.

“I thought Shaq had a great season last year for us – really bounced back,” Carroll said. “I thought year one to year two we thought he could do better. Year three, I thought he did a fantastic job. I thought he exploded. A playmaking, physical, count on come through guy, all of that. Big plays, all of that stuff, he did.”

As for Tre Flowers, Carroll said there is still work to be done, but he hopes that the third-year cornerback will be more physical and put his true potential on full display.

“In year two for Tre, I thought also kind of maybe not as much ground we made up as I would have liked, so he comes back for us with a whole other experience in his back pocket,” Carroll said. “I’m going to expect him to be – in fact, I’ve already talked to him about this – very aggressive, very physical, and make sure that we take advantage of the two years that he’s got behind him now and it really comes to the front.”

The safety duo of Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs shows promise, but fans can only hope that the cornerback unit can be solid and that the secondary as a whole will play strong football in 2020, provided the season proceeds as planned.

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Safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs have long history together

Seattle Seahawks safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs have a history together that harks back to their days at the University of Texas.

With the arrival of safety Jamal Adams, the Seattle Seahawks have a force to be reckoned with in the secondary. Adams happens to share a friendship with fellow safety Quandre Diggs that goes back to their college days.

“I was going to the University of Texas, obviously looking for the school I wanted to go to, and Quandre was there,” Adams told local media during a video press conference last week. “Quandre really wanted me to come very, very bad, he was my host. We had a great time on Sixth Street – I’ll never forget it, we had a great time.”

Adams and Diggs have kept their kinship strong ever since that time, and they constantly engaged in conversation during Diggs’ tenure with the Lions, when Adams was a relative greenhorn with the Jets.

“Me and Quandre have been close ever since, even when he was in Detroit, we talked literally every day,” Adams said. “He’d hit me up and say ‘I like that play you made,’ I’ll hit him and say ‘you ballin’ out there.’ We always talk. He’s like a brother to me. We’ve known each other for a very long time. We always talked about ‘what if we played together?’”

Adams gave Diggs a call after the former discovered that he got traded to the Emerald City, against the advice of his own agent.

“He was one of the first people that I called when I did find out that I got traded,” Adams said. “It was Saturday and my agent was like ‘man, don’t tell anybody, like that you’re getting traded to Seattle,’ and I was like alright, then I called Quandre and said man, ‘It might go through, it might go through.’”

As the two primary safeties, Adams and Diggs must anchor the secondary while making and preventing big plays. The two of them certainly look promising on paper, but will it translate to the field in 2020?

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