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Who do you think will be our starting Safeties next year?

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Cornerback6

Cornerback6

Optimism Lover
JO filled in nicely but seemed awkward in pass coverage sometimes and was out of place in run support on more than one occasion from what I recall. Before Russell got hurt, I was quite pleasantly surprised with the player he'd become and what not. Patterson to me is still somewhat of a mystery because he always seems to get rave reviews, but hasn't had a ton of PT yet due to Mitchell. Gant blew up in practice and became a quality junk-time player near the middle of the season, so with more practice, could he take the starting spot? Lastly, there are some (not I) who believe Clifford is good enough to step in and steal a safety spot right away.

So the question then becomes...who do you think will be our starting safeties next year? I think the corners and LBs are pretty much set, so the safeties have me curious. The good thing is, we have tons of depth to choose from and are absolutely stacked at the position. :biggrin:

What are your thoughts?

I personally think it'll be Russell & Patterson just due to prior experience, but anything can shake up.
 
Russel and JamO at the beginning of the year. As the year goes on, JamO will see less playing time, while Gant (who I was very impressed with in special teams and late-game situations last year) and possibly Clifford will see more playing time.
 
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If Russell comes back 100%, then obviously he's one starter. I think the other safety spot is battle with JamO and Gant. I too was very impressed with Gant on special teams and some late-in-the-game situations. He seems to be a nice hitter with good speed. I think after another off-season Gant overtakes JamO, and the starters are Gant and Russell.
 
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Cornerback6;741451; said:
I personally think it'll be Russell & Patterson just due to prior experience, but anything can shake up.
Click to expand...

Patterson went from starter to MIA in just a couple of weeks.

I doubt that he starts.

Russell has a lock on one spot and I think he'll be among the best safeties in the Big Ten.

I think Gant and Clifford will battle it out for the other spot, with Clifford starting by years end.

So I think our two starting safeties will be a 2* and a 3*. :biggrin:

:osu:
 
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When JamO played at Mansfield he was a Hybrid FS-CB usually running with the WRs with speed, not talent, so he didnt surprise me as much not being able to cut off routes. I did, however, expect more playmaking ability out if him just in general.

I think JamO needs to find a niche, a weakside CB or nice Nickleback, but he just demands the playing time because of his "make something happen" speed. Every interception can be a potential pick six in his hands, but again almost all of our Dbs can take it to the house in open space.

But hey, SEC speed is the only speed that matters i guess.
 
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Well I'd love to see Russel/Clifford as the starters and Jam-O as the nickleback. The reason i'd like to see Jam-O as nickleback is because we blitz that nickleback position a lot and for a person like Jamario who's better off attacking rather than laying back in pass pro a lot I think it would help him. Jamario could be another linebacker out there with another hard year in the weight room. He looks like he's 205-215 already and with that kind of speed that'd be pretty crazy to see him coming off the edge! With the ends that we have next year as far as speed and talent goes I'd think that'd leave the Running back one on one with our nickleback. What do you guys think? Go Bucks!
 
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bukIpower;742266; said:
Well I'd love to see Russel/Clifford as the starters and Jam-O as the nickleback. The reason i'd like to see Jam-O as nickleback is because we blitz that nickleback position a lot and for a person like Jamario who's better off attacking rather than laying back in pass pro a lot I think it would help him. Jamario could be another linebacker out there with another hard year in the weight room. He looks like he's 205-215 already and with that kind of speed that'd be pretty crazy to see him coming off the edge! With the ends that we have next year as far as speed and talent goes I'd think that'd leave the Running back one on one with our nickleback. What do you guys think? Go Bucks!
Click to expand...

Thats what I was getting at with my post. I think we have some large and strong LBs but the strong suit is not experienced depth-LBs could use some breathers- and JamO out of a Pirate/Nickleback blitz is strong possibility.

I just believe he has to be on the field - and not because he was from Mansfield:biggrin:

I don't know about one on one run support with a RB, a real RB might have him on the pad level (read: Hart, PJ Hill, etc.)
 
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Speed wise with jamario going against a running back in pass pro would be a disadvantage for the other team I think. For sure he cant' run around them all the time so I know what ya mean! I just think that mayb since he struggles in pass protection that we should just cut him lose and tell him "go get the ball". I mean why put someone thats liable in pass protection in pass pro? I hope that either Jamario has the light click and not only gets a starting position but proves he's one of the most physically gifted athletes in the NCAA. Either way I'd love to see him blitz more! GO BUCKS
 
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O'Neil is a tough one to figure out. I don't see him everyday on the practice field, so my observations on him is based on extremely limited evidence...He strikes me as a guy who can do more things with the ball in his hands and he is a player who enjoys having the ball in his hands. Safety IMO is not really the position for him, even though he is rangy with his speed. One he does not demonstrate adequate understanding of the defensive scheme, which has resulted in defensive mix-ups. Two he does not strike me as a player who love to be physical on every single play. Three he hesitates a lot, which results in bad breaks on the ball or not coming up in time to make the play. With his athleticims and speed he might be more adequate for a corner spot or maybe a WR.

On the flipside Hartline is a guy who loves to make contact. It's a shame because he is a fine WR, because he would be causing a lot of big collisions on defense.
 
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JamO seems like quite an athlete but in my mind if he does not get a lot better he is suspect as a safety. He makes too many big mistakes and big mistakes from a safety are costly.

  • Bad run support including poor open field tackling and bad pursuit lanes at times. He lost his jock on numerous occasions last year.
  • As people have mentioned, it appeared he was not on the same page with the defense at all times last year, mental mistakes?
  • Bad ball awareness and plays on the ball, Michigan game, others.
Hopefully he was just a little green last year.
 
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