Mckenzie at FS?????? (1 Viewer)

[NPs6724]

Cornerbacks and safeties are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT positions.

Just because McKenzie's good at cornerback does not mean he'd be an effective safety. Just because Ed Reed is an excellent safety does not mean he'd be a good cornerback.

McKenzie will not play safety. He's a cornerback.

No one said the positions were the same. But they do require several like skills and McKenzie, with the way he's built and how he plays, he could probably make an easy transition to safety. He's a physical guy, he has good size, decent speed, he doesn't bite hard on play action, and we know he can cover. He could make a Rod Woodson-type move that allows him to play for quite a few more years once he loses a step.

I would say, though, it is easier for a corner to move to safety than a safety to move to corner because cornerback just requires better overall talent to be effective, moreso than safety.

 

[CRESS_137]

McKenzie does not hit near hard enough to play that position.

Bullocks might not be the best in pass coverage from what we've seen, but he stuffs the run and can lay the wood.

 

[NPs6724]

McKenzie does not hit near hard enough to play that position.

Bullocks might not be the best in pass coverage from what we've seen, but he stuffs the run and can lay the wood.

Not every safety has to lay the wood. What good is it when you're running behind the play most of the time? But a team of Bullocks in run support and McKenzie in coverage wouldn't be bad at safety (if MM can't recover to be a CB, of course).

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

MM will be starting Corner on the Right Side in Week 1......

Loomis said he fully expects him to be ready for training camp!!!

Mike usually lines up on the defensive left, but lat last season they started moving him around a bit. An ACL tear in December would be hard pressed to be ready by TC. In the words of Roger Clemens, I think you misremembered what Loomis may have said.

Also IMHO, MM is a very solid hitting CB and he has done very well in run support. I think he actually "lays the wood" better than Bullocks.

It is not common, but CB's have made the switch to FS before in the NFL. I think MM could make the transition, but until we get some more CB help, he will probably be at CB when he comes back.

 

[Furious One]

I hope MM is not yet at the point where he has to make the "Rod Woodson" change, but I'm sure he could pull it off. He's a savvy player. When he does have to do it, I can see him, Harper, and whoever our best two corners are will be much better than last seaon. I'm beginning to understand that alot of our problems were Bullocks and not just Jason David. This is a team sport.

Maybe something's going on that we don't know about, and MM is going to be perfectly healthy and they'll put Gay in at FS and bench Bullocks. Bullocks seems to have been a bust, as far as his 2nd round draft statis goes.

 

[basilisk]

Mike usually lines up on the defensive left, but lat last season they started moving him around a bit. An ACL tear in December would be hard pressed to be ready by TC. In the words of Roger Clemens, I think you misremembered what Loomis may have said.

Also IMHO, MM is a very solid hitting CB and he has done very well in run support. I think he actually "lays the wood" better than Bullocks.

It is not common, but CB's have made the switch to FS before in the NFL. I think MM could make the transition, but until we get some more CB help, he will probably be at CB when he comes back.

i agree, he's make a great FS (jmo)... he would have fantastic cover skills for that position, he hits as well as either of our safeties now, he's smart and knows the game... plus he's be a great D backfield "quarterback" for the others

 

[oysters]

I've worked with quite a few ACL repairs...not on a NFL level but in HS athletes, weekend warriors, etc. I've seen HS QB's cleared to play in as little as 16-20 wks with use of a brace. Most average people are doing quite well i that time. When does TC start? I'd be VERY surprised if McKenzie is back to playing before August-September.

Most of the time the ACL graft isn't the issue, it's the stregth and cofindence the NFL player needs in the knee. His balance and proprioception will be off but that'll come back with rehab. He'll be able to cut but may not feel 100% confident in his ability for awhile. That'll lead to tenative play which isn't really his style. We still have a huge need at CB.

 

[EternalOptimist]

Bullocks might not be the best in pass coverage from what we've seen, but he stuffs the run and can lay the wood.

Bullocks can lay the wood? One of us is thinking of a different player. The guy I'm thinking of plays free safety for the Saints and hasn't delivered a big hit in three years in the league. Not one. I keep waiting. Hoping. "Bring the wood!" I scream. Because I'm cursed with memories of guys like Tommy Myers and Sammy Knight who routinely sent a message to receivers who dared to cross the middle of the field. But with Bullocks, it never happens. He's uninstinctive, so he's never in position to deliver the big hit, and he's undersized, so he couldn't deliver it, anyway.

McKenzie on run support hits 10 times harder than the guy I'm thinking of.

 

[Saint Droopy]

I don't see the problem with MM playing FS... I can name a few CBs off the top of my head that were good CBs and made the move to FS after they had apparently "lost a step"... Rod Woodson, Aneas Williams, Ray Buchanan.

Sure CB and FS are COMPLETELY different, but having MM at FS would be great because he'd remain in the secondary... he could still cover the TE or slot... and we'd have an extra ballhawk in the secondary.

I hope he can come back healthy and play his CB spot, but hey... if moving him to FS would further his career in black and gold then I'm all for it.

 

[saintsfan15]

i would still like to see him at CB unless we really need to move him i wouldnt we can always get another FS so yea i dont think he will change especially since he is the best CB we got at this point

 

[mony_b22]

It is a very small list of players who have made the move to FS from cb and were succesful. Most of those guys were exceptional talents(HOF)before the move so there football IQ made it a smooth transistion. Not saying that MM is bad but he is no HOF by any stretch. Could he make the move maybe but it rare and risky. We couldn't make the move unless we had a play maker that coud equate to MM play. We haven't had one since when maybe toi cook and he was helped out by a great front seven. MM will be fine one thing is for sure. You may lose speed but you never lose the instincts, if anything your awareness gets better and he never was a burner to begin with. You have guys like Ty law who still can play at a high level. Yes it is more of a system but his football awareness is still razor sharp imo/.

 

[Cultadelic]

McKenzie does not hit near hard enough to play that position.

I agree though that moving him to safety though is a horrible idea