Dawg Talkers Message Boards: Home Page | Position Preview: Safties

Position preview: Safeties
Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
07.25.2007
Following is the latest in a series of position previews in anticipation of training camp, which opens to the public on Friday

Overview -- The Browns have an idea of how good they think Sean Jones and Brodney Pool can be, and it seems the safety position is in very capable hands.

But with Pool expected to assume a full-time starting role for the first time and Jones having just one season -- albeit a pretty outstanding one -- under his belt, there is still some uncertainty as to how they'll handle their newfound responsibilities. Brian Russell departed via free agency after two years as the quarterback of the secondary, leaving much in the way of pre-snap reads and guessing to the two young and talented former second-round picks.

Their physical talents stand out immediately and should help the defense both against the run and the pass. This is the safety pairing Phil Savage envisioned when he picked Pool as a 21-year-old early entry two years ago, as both are capable of offering run support and playing the pass.

Jones was third on the team last year with 107.5 tackles and tied for the team lead with 5 interceptions. He hasn't been shy about saying his goals for 2007 and beyond include making the Pro Bowl and continuing to improve in his second year as a starter and fourth in the league.

Another talented but inexperienced player, second-year man Justin Hamilton, will fight for reps as a backup and in sub packages, as will Mike Adams, the most experienced player of the group with three years and 18 starts in San Francisco under his belt.

Projected starters -- Jones and Pool. They started in tandem for the final four games of last season when Russell was placed on IR; Pool also started four games at cornerback, while Jones started all 16 at safety.

In the mix -- Hamilton played mostly on special teams in 10 games last season. He's still new to the position, but he looks like he belongs and can use camp to show he's made significant progress with a year under his belt. Joining Adams and Hamilton in fighting for backup roles are Justin Sandy, a late-season addition last year who previously played with Tennessee; and Jeremy LeSueur, who has safety and cornerback experience and spent all of last year on IR.

New face -- Adams started eight games for the 49ers last year but was let go when they added one safety in free agency and another in the draft. His experience both in the NFL and more specifically in a 3-4 defense should help his push to make an impact early in camp; how his role develops from there probably depends on the health of the secondary as a whole and on the progress of Hamilton.

Key storyline -- Can the athleticism and big-play potential Jones and Pool have make up for their relative lack of experience? If Jones can be even better in '07 than he was last year, he'll place himself in the top tier of AFC safeties.

Home Page

--------------------

Cry Havoc! And let slip the Dawgs of War!