Dolphins cornerbacks still elite?

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Sean Smith not backing down from Vontae Davis' declaration last year that they are the best tandem in the NFL.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...backs-0605-20120604,0,5327589.story?track=rss

 

[DuderinoN703]

They never were elite

 

[damanref10]

Everyone knows they aren't but what is he supposed to say? "Yeah me and vontae are okay corners, i don't really think very highly of my skills"

It's what he and every other athlete has to say, its the kind of confidence that gets most of them to where they are today. Just like when Karlos declared himself the best linebacker in the league last week, everyone knows he isn't, but its self confidence... in one of my ears and out the other lol

 

[dolpns13]

Still elite? Smith is slowly, and I mean slowly progressing.. Vontae is right on the cusp of being a disappointment. he needs to be more consistent

 

[TheMageGandalf]

Madison, Surtain and T-Buck where an elite group.

This group we have here is NOT elite and never has been. Sadly...

They are about as elite as Paul Lankford, William Judson and J.B. Brown.

 

[tazthenomad]

Madison, Surtain and T-Buck where an elite group.

This group we have here is NOT elite and never has been. Sadly...

They are about as elite as Paul Lankford, William Judson and J.B. Brown.

Interesting comparison. I think Lankford, Judson, and JB weren't as athletic but were more consistent.

 

[ROADRUNNER]

Sean just catch the ****ing ball.............

 

[tcdrover]

When Pat Surtain and Sam Madison were here was the last time the Dolphins had elite corners.

Drafting Vontae was a move in the right direction, CONTINUING to let Sean Smith start is a move in the wrong direction.

Davis has played at times at an elite level and has the talent to do it more consistantly. Smith is just a tall guy with long arms that should not be starting.

We've been hearing since he was drafted that he seems to be more suited to play safety. Realistically though, who wants a safety that can't catch the ball when it hits him in both hands?

 

[72 Undefeated]

When Pat Surtain and Sam Madison were here was the last time the Dolphins had elite corners.

Drafting Vontae was a move in the right direction, CONTINUING to let Sean Smith start is a move in the wrong direction.

Davis has played at times at an elite level and has the talent to do it more consistantly. Smith is just a tall guy with long arms that should not be starting.

We've been hearing since he was drafted that he seems to be more suited to play safety. Realistically though, who wants a safety that can't catch the ball when it hits him in both hands?

Totally agree. I suspect this will be Smith's last chance to prove he should start. He will need to earn the right during camp and pre-season.

 

[Vaark]

As a tandem set, so far they're about as "elite" as the 2009 jest.

 

[LikeUntoGod]

I could care less if a corner or safety ever gets a interception as long as they stop the WR from catching the ball. If corners could catch, they would be playing WR. From what I understand, Sean Smith has done a good job defending the player he covers from catching the football.

Sean Smith is not great but he is one of the best that we have. So until we can replace him with someone better, we keep him.

In this case, Sean Smith answered a question and he was asked if he was backing up his teammate so I can see this being his answer. On the other hand, when Dansby told everyone that he was the best MLB in the NFL, that was just stupid.

 

[LikeUntoGod]

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/05/20/cornerbacks-cover-snaps-count/

So, by way of our game analysis process, we’re bringing you something that will push things a step further. A simple enough premise, we’ll look at how often a cornerback is thrown at and how many receptions he allows compared to how many snaps he has spent in coverage.

Up first, we’re checking out the percentage of plays in coverage that corners were thrown at. For this study we looked at all cornerbacks who were in coverage for at least 300 snaps (playoffs included), and it’s no surprise who has been targeted least often: Nnamdi Asomugha.

[h=2]Top 20 Cornerbacks, Times Thrown At per Coverage Snaps[/h]

Rank	Player	Team	Cover Snaps	Thrown At	TA/COV
1	Nnamdi Asomugha	OAK	441	29	6.58%
2	Sean Smith	MIA	448	44	9.82%
3	Asante Samuel	PHI	446	46	10.31%
4	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	592	67	11.32%
5	Rashean Mathis	JAX	567	66	11.64%
6	Shawntae Spencer	SF	622	77	12.38%
7	Chris Gamble	CAR	377	47	12.47%
8	Kelly Jennings	SEA	625	78	12.48%
9	Sam Shields	GB	543	68	12.52%
10	Vontae Davis	MIA	566	72	12.72%
11	Joselio Hanson	PHI	450	58	12.89%
12	Leon Hall	CIN	563	74	13.14%
13	Ike Taylor	PIT	763	102	13.37%
14	Champ Bailey	DEN	489	66	13.50%
15	Quentin Jammer	SD	576	78	13.54%
16	Bradley Fletcher	SL	601	82	13.64%
17	Ronde Barber	TB	515	71	13.79%
18	Charles Woodson	GB	658	91	13.83%
19	Corey Webster	NYG	576	81	14.06%
20	Kyle Arrington	NE	533	75	14.07%

[h=2]Top 20 Cornerbacks, Receptions Allowed per Coverage Snaps[/h]

Rank	Player	Team	Cover Snaps	Receptions Allowed	REC/COV
1	Nnamdi Asomugha	OAK	441	13	2.95%
2	Asante Samuel	PHI	446	21	4.71%
3	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	592	28	4.73%
4	Sean Smith	MIA	448	24	5.36%
5	Rashean Mathis	JAX	567	39	6.88%
6	Quentin Jammer	SD	576	40	6.94%
7	Bradley Fletcher	SL	601	42	6.99%
8	Tramon Williams	GB	792	56	7.07%
9	Josh Wilson	BLT	451	32	7.10%
10	Sam Shields	GB	543	39	7.18%
11	Brandon Carr	KC	700	51	7.29%
12	Kelly Jennings	SEA	625	46	7.36%
13	Tim Jennings	CHI	621	46	7.41%
14	Ike Taylor	PIT	763	57	7.47%
15	Corey Webster	NYG	576	44	7.64%
16	Stanford Routt	OAK	548	42	7.66%
17	Chris Gamble	CAR	377	29	7.69%
18	Champ Bailey	DEN	489	38	7.77%
19	Leon Hall	CIN	563	44	7.82%
20	Vontae Davis	MIA	566	45	7.95%

Meanwhile, those suffering the biggest drops include Richard Marshall who went from 53[SUP]rd[/SUP] in targets per coverage snaps, to 78[SUP]th[/SUP] in receptions allowed per snaps in coverage. Some of this is down to Marshall moving inside in nickel situations (a study we’ll be looking to do in the future), but it remains an alarming fall, and not in line with other starting cornerbacks who move into the slot in their team’s sub package such as Charles Woodson or Ronde Barber.

 

[ckparrothead]

That material's a little dated. It's from 2010 when Smith spent the better part of four games playing safety.

To show you how much those stats can mean, sometimes....consider that in 2011 Smith spent 668 snaps out in coverage and had the ball come to him 104 times for 61 completions. He had a very low 9.82% target rate and 5.36% catch rate in 2010, but by 2011 that was up to a 15.57% target rate and a 9.13% catch rate. Those figures would literally be off PFF's charts in 2010.

Needs to improve.

I personally look at yards per coverage snap as a very basic measure similar to a tailback's yards per carry. Smith's was 1.19 in 2011. It was 0.96 in 2010. As a rookie in 2009 it was 1.42 yards per coverage snap.

Vontae's was 2.31 in 2009 as a rookie, 0.94 in 2010, and 1.14 in 2011. But Vontae has been the bigger play guy. He creates more interceptions, has big hits, etc. Always gotta consider him the higher potential player.

 

[hoops]

here we go with all the statistics again...sean smith needs to be replaced as a boundary cb...he's a liability

 

[FinHopeful]

An elite corner is great to have on defense, but I prefer a very good pass rush with good corners. I have no problems with Davis, Smith, and Marshall. We could do better, but these corners are solid. My concern is the pass rush and pressure. I hope for an attacking defensive style.