DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Eric Wright

I am starting this thread because I have a few questions I want to ask my fellow Dawgtalkers here. i am looking forward to realistic discussions here..I am NOT talking about how we should cut Wright, or Wrights a bum or any of that. I just have some legitimate queestions.

1. Former NFL Player and Expert Shawn Springs rated Eric Wright as a Top 5 Corner in this league...you can watch the video here
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101005-planes-pollution-deaths-science-environment/

2. Does our lack of consistent Pass Rush effect the play of our DB's? i mean Brown, elam, and Ward have all been burnt this year and its not like our 3 man or 4 man rushes get to the QB very well at all. Is that part of why our DB have struggled...and all of our Db have struggled this year just not Wright.

3. The big knock on TJ Ward coming out of the draft was coverage...early in the year this kid was flat out "lost" back there. I like Ward I love his hitting but this kids zone coverage so far has been nothing short of awful...if this don't improve, next year Ward will be the guy being reamed instead of Eric Wright. Do you think this has not effeccted Wright and Browns play?

So Wright is labeled a Top 5 Corner...yet he just "magically" one day loses his talent and stinks? I don't buy it...I try to look for answers not scapegoats...

I seen 2 plays against Cincy where Wright "thought" he had help over the Top on TO and Ward wasn't there....and because of that Wright got toasted....now its important to understand something here...If Wright "IS" in his spot playing the scheme like he is supposed to and Ward is out of position...its diaster...its not all about "one guy" like many on here are making it out to be...its a "team sport"

On a lot of the plays Wright has been burnt this year have been "zone coverage" schemes...that tells me someone is out of place and that someone is most likely TJ Ward

now Ward is a rookie and I expect him to improve, but its not fair to crucify Eric Wright when Ward is out of place...Ward Zone coverage has gotten a bit better the last few weeks, and with it Wright and Brown have both performed better....this is no coincidence...

i am just saying, that even if we put Haden in Wright's place, if Ward is out of position your going to get the same results here.

Look I think BOTH Wright and Haden are good corners...We need to keep them both...we have two very good corners who are young that we can move forward with and have a lot of success....we should not be so hasty to want to give up on Wright so soon when he has played well for us the last few years...that not fair....

I firmly believe that as Ward gets better at Zone Coverage Wright and whoever else is playing corner will get much better...its a "team sport" Revis would get owned too if his safety is out of place...part of Revis coverage plan is "knowing" he has that safety help over the top...all corners need that...Wright is just now finally starting to get that somewhat as Ward has improved in that area.

Wright is a very good corner...he is going through growing pains right alongside Ward, Brown has also suffered from Ward's growing pains...i know the coaches like Mangini see this.

rob ryan and Mangini have raved about Eric Wright's ball skills and his hard work..i think Mangini sees the film that Ward has been out of place often....They are working with Ward and it has shown the last few weeks...Ward is slowly getting better with his zone coverages back there...

I am just saying...are you ready to throw away a good corner due to some growing pains? Every guy has a bad year every now and then....its not like Wright has a "history" of sucking here...Wright has a history of playing well here for us...we need to rally behind this guy and give him a chance.

We should not be so ready to give up on such a promising player....

My problem with EW has nothing to do with whatever cover scheme we're running...

This entire season, watching him, he's coming across as someone that doesn't care...

It's beyond not having good tackling techniche... He's not putting the EFFORT into it...

The WR he's covering gets the ball, and he's just going through the motons.

Sure maybe Haden gets beat over top like EW did, but IMO on every other play at least Haden will put forth effort.

Perhaps EW is bothered that he is obviously getting outplayed by the young Jedi,....

Eric Wright does not want to be a Cleveland Brown....if he re-signed with the Browns, I would be shocked!!! I believe he wants to play elsewhere. Time will tell.

Well I think you can candy coat things until the cows come home, but in the end Eric Wright is a quiter.
Whether or not he has the talent or not is irrelevant.

That's right I'm calling a spade a spade.

It was almost as blatant a play as Antonio Cromartie's play last year with the Chargers.

Whenever he allowed an injured receiver to make an 'uncontested' reception for a 3rd and forever play and if that weren't bad enough, he then gave no effort to tackle the receiver who scored the final points.

Haden came in and replaced Brown when he was taken out of the game after injury. I thought he showed enough to win the starting job @ CB opposite Sheldon Brown. Thus reducing Eric Wright,s role on this team.

actually, haden was getting picked on a lot in the jets game.

hey can you check that link?

just a feeling I have. Like I said, time will tell.

I don't doubt that our lack of Pass Rush doesn't help his cause, and sure there are plays where Ward might be out of position. Even on the plays we get a rush his man is the one making the big catch..such as the one legged catch by Cotchery. He embodies none of the core qualities that Mangini is building this team on...That is obviously just my opinion tho. To me it looks blatantly obvious that he does not give too much effort. Seems like he doesn't care or doesn't want to be here. He at this time is a liability and I believe Haden should be given a shot at this time. I feel the same about our receivers so it is not just him..It looks like Robiskie has gotten EZitis.. I am all foe putting Demetrius Williams in his spot. Back to Wright.. I have never been impressed with Wright, his ball skills, his toughness, His Hustle..none of it. Of Course I am going against the grain here, but I just Don't see what Springs sees and some others..He is a weak link that breaks week after week..What some of you fail to see..Is that Wright is Brandon McDonald(who I actually liked better) from last year. That is why QB's go right after him...Not Brown. I would rather see Mike Adams in there..At least the guy gives all effort, will make a tackle and stay on the play the whole Time. He's nopt a quitter and won't give up or half ass it like Wright does.

I am not saying cut the guy now..but his role needs to be diminished and in the offseason he is a free agent and can take his talents to South Beach. I won't miss the guy.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, KOB. Cornerback is one of the most unforgiving positions in football--when you do your job exceptionally well, no one notices because the ball is never even thrown your way; when you do your job poorly, eeeeeeeeverybody knows. That's why it takes a certain mentality to play the position, not unlike a QB who throws an interception. Anyone who played CB in high school knows what I'm talking about.

Having played CB myself, I tend to pay closer attention to that position than others (when I can--damn those close-up shots of the middle of the field!). I think Wright's play this year is a combination of three factors.



1) The arrival of Sheldon Brown/Joe Haden

Coming into this year, a great many of us thought of Wright as one of the most underrated corners in the league. By any account, he'd played very well in his first few seasons. The link you posted took me to some National Geographic site, but I'll assume the "Top 5" statement in question was made before this season.

While I don't want to take too much away from Wright's play in those years, one thing that has corresponded with his apparent decline in play is the fact that we have made a serious upgrade in his counterpart across the field. The weakest link in any secondary is going to get picked on, and for two years the guy on the other side of the field, McDonald, could be rated anywhere from below-average to god awful depending on the day. Since we've made that upgrade, quarterbacks have been much more willing to test Wright and he hasn't stepped up his game sufficiently.

2) T.J. Ward

Not much more to say here that you haven't already said. I love Ward to death and think he'll be a great safety for us, but there's no sugar-coating that his coverage was pretty bad early in the season and still needs improvement. As you pointed out, there are at least a few plays blamed on Wright in which Ward clearly blew his over-the-top coverage assignment. A corner who knows he's got support over the top will play much more aggressive. As we've seen, that can lead to big plays when the guy in support doesn't do his job.

3) Wright's technique has declined

Now, I don't know if declined is the right word, because it implies it isn't coming back, but even with the coverage problems with Ward, there's no denying Wright's technique has been off this season. The problem is his hip-turn.

It seems he can't find a happy medium. Sometimes, he'll concentrate too much on what's happening in the backfield and let his receiver blow by him. Other times, he'll get gun-shy and give his receiver much too big a cushion, especially the last few games. This happened on a number of third-down curl routes to Braylon against the Jets. And while this is normally a less serious problem than getting burnt deep, Wright's subpar tackling skills mean even a nine yard curl can turn into a big gainer.



I think perhaps my biggest concern about Wright is how he's responded to his struggles. Which is to say, not well. I'm certainly not in the "cut him now" camp, which I think is a classic knee-jerk fan reaction, but his play must improve if he wants to be more than a nickelback on this team next year (or even the end of the season). I still have hope he can return to form, but he's got to start proving it soon.

Sorry guys, my copy and paste didn't work right

the correct link for the Video is here:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-around-the-league/09000d5d8193f5b1/Shutting-down-with-Springs

thats the link i meant to post...it won't let me edit the post so once again, sorry for the wrong link

Fair enough

So if Wright "really turns around" this year your in the keep him camp?

I think Wright will get things straightened out..this is the 1st year he has really struggled...he is learning new things to....

Yes, I'd keep him. I just don't see what's to be gained by cutting the guy; at the very least he'd be fine as a nickelback. He's struggled against teams' #1's this year, but he's certainly talented enough to cover slot receivers and the like. If Haden can pan out, that may be the best thing for him; that way he won't be called upon to shut down every team's best receiver.

Anyone know what his contract situation is? What I found said this is the last year of his contract, can anyone confirm if that's correct? Even if he doesn't show improvement, I'd still bring him back for the right price as a solid third corner. Which I'm sure wouldn't be anywhere near the number he'd want, but that's another story.

We have dumped a lot of DB's over the past ten years.

How many DB coaches have we had ? Maybe that's part of the problem.

As I said in another thread, the problem with Wright isn't his coverage ability. I think he is above average in coverage. Top 5 is pushing it (just because some ex-player says it doesn't make it true). A top 5 corner should be able to lock-down a player without needing safety help every play, which Wright has shown he isn't capable of this year.

I also used to play corner, so I know it's a demanding position. I've seen 2 flaws in Wright's coverage: he gets caught looking in the backfield at times, and he NEVER turns to locate the ball on long throws.

However, Wright's major problem is that he can't tackle, period. He is one of the poorest tacklers I've ever seen in the NFL, and that fact is almost undeniable. If you can't tackle the WR after he catches the ball, you better be able to keep him from catching the ball. Wright isn't good enough to do that the majority of the time.

Let me ask you a question: if Wright needs safety help to cover his man, and Wright need safety/LB help to tackle his man, then what is Wright doing out there?

The Browns are building a TOUGH, HARD-NOSED, DISCIPLINED defense. When I think of those qualities, I don't think of Wright. Sorry.

what confuses me bout Eri Wright this year is that his hip movement is horrible.

Look at all 3 Boldin touchdowns against the Ravens...this has been a common theme with him...TO's tds too. His hips have just been moving the complete wrong way.

also...his unwillingness to tackle is disturbing. He arm tackles worse than BMac even did. I think it just wasnt an issue before because he was doing a decent job in coverage.


Those two things really bother me about him.


But mostly...i think with Eric Wright is that i think Eric Mangini wants a certain type of DB and Sheldon Brown and Joe Haden are a different type of DB. Theyre tough in your face tackling physical corners and Eric Wright is a positional, handsy, and not physical tackler and that it has been an issue. I think hes regressed because that just isnt his style of football. Its why BMac was ushered out, and i see the same thing happening with EW in the offseason.

OK, here is another question to put on top of KOB's (good post by the way KOB).

Is Wright more suited to play in a different style of defense?

this is also a legit question and not meant as a loaded question. Maybe the Style that Ryan has been going with is not suited to Wright's style?

IF this is the case, any chance another team may see some value in him and we can pick up an extra pick in the draft?

I think Wright is just having a bad year, but as I stated in another post, I also beleive that Wright has played better since the bye week. I am NOT advocating gettiing rid of Wright.......just trying to get some more feedback on KOB's original question.

And to answer your questions:

Yes, I am ready to move on from Wright, and I think Wright is ready to move on from the Browns. Wright just doesn't fit in this defense for the reasons I stated earlier. He is "good" in coverage, but not irreplaceable, and his tackling and physicality can definitely be improved. And I don't think Wright is just having a slump...he has been exposed as being soft, and teams are picking up on the flaws in his coverage skills.

If Wright is willing to come back as a nickle DB in a reduced role and for not as much money as he's going to want, then yeah, he can come back. But, I don't see that happening.

And no, teams will not trade for him, because the trade deadline has passed, and I believe Wright is not under contract for next year. I could be wrong though.

I would like a more physical corner than Wright.. but I think he is decent.

NRTU

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns' grudge games against familiar coaching staffs and family have passed, and the ruse of Colt McCoy possibly returning to the bench no longer garners much attention.
With storylines evaporated, the media posse aimed cameras and recorders at Eric Wright on Wednesday. And in what amounted to an inquisition in the center of the team's locker room, the cornerback commonly referred to as "embattled" stood his ground.

"I think I obviously haven't had the year I expected to have," Wright said. "After going through a whole season pretty much playing press-man [coverage] with no help and giving up limited production -- I think maybe I gave up two touchdowns last year -- to have a year like that and to come back and give up a lot more production this early in the year for me has been disappointing.

"Obviously, I have a responsibility to this team to be a certain player and I've let my team down time and time again. Obviously, I have to play better. Until I can look in one of these guys' eyes and they say I don't believe in me anymore, I'm good. That hasn't happened yet. I'm gonna keep pushing."
Cornerbacks play on an island with the receiver they cover. It's a lonely place on game days, especially when it ends with Santonio Holmes catching a five-yard pass on a quick slant and running past you and two others for the game-winning score.

Then the player has to relive it with coaches and teammates in film review on Monday. By Wednesday, the player is looking to turn the page. But for Wright, that luxury was lost when he was beat for three touchdowns in Baltimore in Game 3.

"The Baltimore game obviously opened the floodgates to us having this type of discussion," Wright said. "It's the worst game I've ever played in my career."

Since that game, Wright has worn a target on his back. He doesn't believe quarterbacks have thrown more at him, but it appears that way. What Wright is sure about, however, is that he currently has a Q factor close to that of Braylon Edwards in Cleveland.

Prior to the media descending on him en masse, Wright said to one reporter, "I think I've been looked at as a little arrogant to a certain degree because I'm not super down on myself or people feel I don't care.
"I'm confident, and I have players in here that are going to lift me up as opposed to kick me while I'm down. At the end of the day, I play for these guys in this room. I'll never make it anything that it's not. It's me and my teammates and that's it."

If nothing else, Wright has gained respect from teammates -- old ones and new ones -- who have seen him handle a trying season with class and unshakeable faith in his game.

"Eric Wright's a great player," said cornerback Sheldon Brown. "We as DBs all have our moments when things don't go right. That's part of the game. You define a champion on how he bounces back, period. You can't control the past.

"I think he's mentally still in it. He comes to work. You don't hear him say much. He's studying film, working hard, being a great teammate in the locker room. That's all you can ask."
Rookie cornerback Joe Haden said, "Eric Wright is always the same person. When he has good games, he comes in the same way as when a game doesn't go his way. Sometimes you're just one second off [from making a play]. It's not that bad. He comes in with a positive attitude. Never gets mad at anybody. I like the way he stays positive."

Said veteran defensive back Mike Adams, "That's my teammate, my guy. I think he's holding up fine. I still wouldn't trade him for anybody in the league."

Wright is somewhat at a loss to explain why his game has gone south. He is in his fourth NFL season and coming off what coach Eric Mangini described as a "real outstanding year." Wright's contract is up after this year and he could be a free agent, depending on the labor dispute. He swears the future has not entered his mind since the season began.

One change in his role this year is that he slips inside to cover slot receivers in the defense's nickel package. But he points out that most of his bad plays have come in his comfort zone covering outside receivers in the base defense.

"I've never been in this position as far as negative media attention," Wright said. "So in that sense, it's been tough. I mean, there's just a lot that goes into playing this game, mentally and physically. I feel fine."
He was asked what fans should know about him as he goes through this difficult period in his young career.

"I put in the work," Wright answered. "I put in the time to continue to try to get better, to move forward past mistakes and issues. I constantly work on those things, whether things are going good or bad. I don't know what to do or say [to people].
"Other than I'm working."

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/11/cleveland_browns_cornerback_er_4.html

I am really pulling for Eric Wright to get things turned around.

The kid is obviously working, and trying ..... and damn near everything that can go wrong is going wrong for him. I hope he can get things back on the right track and prove his critics wrong over the final 7 games of the season ..... and continue on in a Browns uniform.

Holmgren needs to pull him into his office, make him reservations for the best restaurant in town and tell him to relax. I dont think he is a bad corner he is just in a slump. And yes his tackling isnt that great.

I've really been down on him, and what I perceive to be his lackadaisical attitude on the field, but I really do hope he can work through what ever issues he's having. Where I get stuck is, should he continue to work through them on the field during games at the expense of our season, or would we be better off with Haden in there? Maybe the point will be moot if Brown can't make it back this week, but it's certainly something to think about.

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Next year however, I don't want to see him in a Browns uni. It's time he moved to greener pastures and we let the grass grow back under where his lethargic feet have been planted this year.

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so let me get this right, Eric Wright has played at an "outstanding level"
the last few years here and he has a "few" bad games and suddenly its time to dump him? thats just ridiculous...its absurd...

Wright is a young corner....actually Wright didn't have the traditional "sophomore slump" like most players have...yes its not uncommon for a rookie to have a slump his sophmore year...maybe Wright is finally having his sophmore slump two years later....

Wright is a good player...Mangini even said he had an "outstanding year" for a corner last year...why do folks want to make more holes for ourselves...face it Sheldon Brown is old and slow and he is not even a starting caliber corner this year...his age...he won't be next year either....we need to stick it out with Wright the kid is a good player...sometimes in football you get bad breaks sometimes.

Also...look at what Owens did to the Steelers, Boldin carved up the Steelers secondary in the super bowl two years ago...these receivers are some of the "best" no corner is going to stop those guys from making catches and scoring...there is a reason Owens is 3rd all time in TD passes in NFL history only behind Moss and Rice...thats pretty elite company...Boldin is another one...he is IMO a top 5 receiver in this league...guys like that are hard to stop...somedays you will have a good day against them(keeping them out of the endzone is a good day) and other days you won't..thats just how it is...

I am not ready to give up on Wright...the kid has great talent and is young...we as fans and this city need to get behind the kid and ride out the storm...he will come out stronger from it.

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And yes his tackling isnt that great.

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Actually his tackling has gotten much better this year....

did you see the straight up open field tackle he had on Shone Greene? if Wright don't make that tackle in the open field, Greene is going for 6 points.

Eric Wright flat out STUCK Greene...it was a prototypical Daylon McCutcheon type of tackle...Wright planted the guy one on one by himself.

its hogwash Wright isn't physical, sure Wright may not be as "physical" as Haden or Brown...but he has much better ball skills..I have yet to see Haden jump a route this year...as much of a slump Wright is in he does try to jump routes and he sure jumped many routes the last few years....I have yet to see Haden jump a slant or a curl route or even an out route...we have seen Wright do this a lot.



I think a lot of Wright's problem is he doesn't "trust" his safety help (Ward) and he hasn't had good reason too either...Ward is a big reason he got torched on some of those plays early in the year.

Its already been mentioned on this thread Comic seen it as well..Eric Wright played aggreesive early on because he was supposed to have help over the top, but Ward was flat out no where to be found....so i really think a lot of Wright's problem is he is not being as aggressive because he doesn't trust Ward to be there...and I can't say I blame him right now.

look folks...what "changed" in our secondary between last year and this year...Wright's talent just didn't vanish...thats hogwash....Haden (part time) but Ward...Ward is the BIG CHANGE....put two and two together....He had Adams back there a good bit last year...Adams may not be the most talented guy but by god Adams is ALWAYS in the right place and always in his position like he is supposed to be in zone coverage....adding one fulltime rookie to a secondary is a "huge change" DB is one of the hardest positions to play in the NFL....We got spoiled that Wright came in and played so well right away.

mark my words...put Adams back there at Safety on passing downs in place of Ward and you will see a big change in Eric Wright's play..when Wright knows his safety help is there...you will see a whole different Eric Wright.

its going to take time for Ward to grow...once Ward actually learns to stay in his zone and quit blowing coverages and Wright trusts him...Wright will go back to last years form

Wright is making small steps the last 3 weeks....these coincide with Ward making small steps with his zone coverage.....

Also Brown has been victimized just as much as Wright has....yes Brown has been victimized due to Ward's rookieness...it is what it is...

We as fans need to let cooler heads prevail and get behind Wright even go as far as to take signs to the game in support of Wright..let him know your behind him and behind the team...you would be suprised what making a guy smile and showing support and confidence in someone will do for them...

I like this post.

Right on KOB. There have been a few times when Wright got beat and he turned to look at Ward as in WTF? where were you? however, Wright's never said a word in the media and always has taken it all on himself.

Ward is getting better, but his coverage leaves a lot to be desired. Actually, same for Elam. Both safeties are good run support, mediocre coverage guys. It also doesn't help that Ryan was overBlitzing much of the early part of this year. He's toned it down and we haven't give up as many big TDs.

The TD on Sunday to Holmes was a good reciever running the right route on soft coverage and three players out of position.

I gotta tell you ... that pass to Holmes that won the game for the Jets ...... I had visions of our 3 guys banging heads trying to tackle Holmes ..... and him just ducking his head and going off to the races.

Instead, it appeared to me that everyone pulled up, and then, of course, no one made the tackle.

Eric problem is , Compared to what we had in the past 2-3 years ago, he was the best we had, he looked good out thier because QB's were leaving him alone picking on the other corner, Now that we have Sheldon Brown & Hayden, who are better than him, he dosent look so good, QB are now picking on him and exposing his weakness....TALENT....As you upgrade things that looked good in the past are now sore points and need updated...Wright prime example.

Does our lack of consistent Pass Rush effect the play of our DB's? i mean Brown, elam, and Ward have all been burnt this year and its not like our 3 man or 4 man rushes get to the QB very well at all. Is that part of why our DB have struggled...and all of our Db have struggled this year just not Wright.

It's only part of the equation..here is whats happening..the Browns have a rookie safety who's learning but looks promising so he's going to take lumps..his problem is recognition and being in the right place at all times.
Elame is a clueless safety..his does not have the instincts you want out of your safety..if he's in the box he's o.k..ask him to cover anything outside of 10 yards and he'll hurt you,because he bites on play-action and line runs..he's easily frozen which allows any TE/WR to slip by him ..when you need the deep help he's late because of being out of position.


On a lot of the plays Wright has been burnt this year have been "zone coverage" schemes...that tells me someone is out of place and that someone is most likely TJ Ward



On more plays he's been in man coverage and burnt.
Why? The more physical wideouts are simply moving into the inside hash and he's given up too much space to them ,there's no resistance at all when the ball comes.
He's not physical at the point and opposing teams now know it and are taking advantage of it.
His technique in that area is horrible and he's not doing much to correct it..once the receiver comes into your area you're supposed to tighten the space (unless it's zone and you're passing him off to the safety) making the window to complete the pass tougher.He's doing the opposite.
His attitude is puzzling also..as a corner when you get beat,it should tick you off so much that you play with a chip,make receivers pay for making a catch..

The best thing to do is when Brown is back,the corners need to be:
Haden
Brown
Wright needs to go to the nickle.
I always say you should draft a good corner every year,next year will be no exception..this has got to be fixed.

I'm with you on this.

I hope the dude turns it around this season for the teams sake, but come next year I won't lose any sleep or regret at all if he's gone. He's been horrendous this year and the fact that people can watch the games and defend him just blows my mind. He "stuck" Shonn Greene?... oh, one tackle? Is that not what he's supposed to do? He also was directly responsible for the play that lost the game - yes, others were too - but he made no effort to make the stop then did his little clap look at the sky move when he realized the game was over.

He can't cover. He can't tackle. What good is he?

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It's only part of the equation..here is whats happening..the Browns have a rookie safety who's learning but looks promising so he's going to take lumps..his problem is recognition and being in the right place at all times.
Elame is a clueless safety..his does not have the instincts you want out of your safety..if he's in the box he's o.k..ask him to cover anything outside of 10 yards and he'll hurt you,because he bites on play-action and line runs..he's easily frozen which allows any TE/WR to slip by him ..when you need the deep help he's late because of being out of position.

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Agree I am glad you see it too.

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On more plays he's been in man coverage and burnt.
Why? The more physical wideouts are simply moving into the inside hash and he's given up too much space to them ,there's no resistance at all when the ball comes.
He's not physical at the point and opposing teams now know it and are taking advantage of it.
His technique in that area is horrible and he's not doing much to correct it..once the receiver comes into your area you're supposed to tighten the space (unless it's zone and you're passing him off to the safety) making the window to complete the pass tougher.He's doing the opposite.
His attitude is puzzling also..as a corner when you get beat,it should tick you off so much that you play with a chip,make receivers pay for making a catch..

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On most of the plays you speak of Wright being burnt in Man coverage, those plays were were blitzing. When you blitz, you mostly play man on the outside unless your the Steelers (Who are smart enough to run zone when they blitz) so thats to be expected.

Manning, Brees, etc tear teams apart when they blitz and play man on the outside..Ron Jawoski said it best:

"Manning will look for the man coverage on blitz plays and will go for the jugular and throw the ball where man coverage is EVERY TIME no matter who is covering the receiver be it Revis, whoever"....

thats the "downside" to blitzing...the upside is great if you get there and hurry the throw...however we RARELY get there and we get beat because of it. Brown has been beat like a rented mule this year too because of it.

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The best thing to do is when Brown is back,the corners need to be:
Haden
Brown
Wright needs to go to the nickle.
I always say you should draft a good corner every year,next year will be no exception..this has got to be fixed.

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that will not solve anything...I fully expect Joe Haden to look exactly how he did against the Bucanneers when he gave up the game winning TD to the Bucs against a receiver that had never caught a TD pass in the NFL until that day...

that play was NOT Haden's fault...Ward was no where to be found over the top and Haden got hung out to dry....just like Wright has so many times this year...just like Brown has...

It won't be Haden's fault just as it isn't Wrights fault he has terrible safety play..

no a "better" thing to do would be to yank Ward and put Mike Adams back in there at S..atleast Adams knows how to stay in his zones like he is supposed to and can actually cover someone

Ward is the worst coverage player on this freakin team! the guy is freaking awful at coverage...Ward is probably the worst coverage safety in the league...the guy belongs in the box..outside the box the kid is lost....

Many people are in "love" with Ward because he can hit...however when we add new corners and the results are the same how long will we have before folks on this board start to see Ward for what he is (above average hitter, god awful in coverage)

Look I am holding out hope that Ward can improve I really am and thats why im not advocating yanking him or Wright either....however "if" your going to yank someone it has to be Ward...he has had a big part in costing us games...with his failures to play the scheme and stay where he is supposed to....the play of your corners counts on your safety play, your safety play counts on your corners...Ward is lost and no where to be found a lot of times...

As i said im holding out hope for Ward, that he can get better next year..but if anyone should be yanked or moved down the depth chart its Ward..the kids coverage has been nothing short of abysmal and makes Gay from the Steelers #22 look like an all-pro

yes I would take #22 from the Steelers gay over Ward in coverage ANYDAY of the weeks and twice on sundays.

Folks are in love with Ward because he can hit, but the guy couldn't cover my grandma...thats a hard fact amny folks on here don't want to admit...i might get labeled a "Ward hater"

As i said I am holding out hope for Ward, but if anyone a liability out there its Ward....with Elam a close second....if anyone deserves a chance to play its Adams at least he will play the zones correctly and can actually cover someone...