jporterweb
08-21-2003, 09:41 AM
I thought this was very pertinent to our Champ Bailey situation
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayton_john/1493179.html
5. The cornerback situation around the NFL is scary. Consider that there was only one starter available in free agency -- Dré Bly -- who had 16 games of starting experience last season. Teams paid good money to take other teams' third and fourth best cornerbacks to move them into starting job. Other teams are going with rookies. The Chargers may have done the best job of restocking their secondary, but they ended up with three top young corners -- Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence and Sammy Davis -- and only one experienced safety, Kwamie Lassiter. There will be growing pains -- particularly if the Chargers can't mount a pass rush -- but this should be a pretty good unit by the end of the season. The Rams are a little scary starting Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler and being backed up by rookies. The Dolphins, Eagles, Cowboys and Seahawks have some of the deeper cornerback units I've seen. Still, most teams aren't deep at corner and that should lead to a lot of scoring this season.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayton_john/1493179.html
5. The cornerback situation around the NFL is scary. Consider that there was only one starter available in free agency -- Dré Bly -- who had 16 games of starting experience last season. Teams paid good money to take other teams' third and fourth best cornerbacks to move them into starting job. Other teams are going with rookies. The Chargers may have done the best job of restocking their secondary, but they ended up with three top young corners -- Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence and Sammy Davis -- and only one experienced safety, Kwamie Lassiter. There will be growing pains -- particularly if the Chargers can't mount a pass rush -- but this should be a pretty good unit by the end of the season. The Rams are a little scary starting Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler and being backed up by rookies. The Dolphins, Eagles, Cowboys and Seahawks have some of the deeper cornerback units I've seen. Still, most teams aren't deep at corner and that should lead to a lot of scoring this season.