I'm coming around to the idea that it may in fact be Sean Smith that's the better bet if he has over the top help from a real help FS like a Culver. If we make the playoffs against New England, Smith should play Moss with safety help leaving Vontae against Welker in the slot. It's close though, Vontae overall is better but as far as pure coverage it's probably Smith.
I don't think that is the case at all, the Fins do not normally swap their CB to take adavange of matchups (that I am aware of). Having said that, this is a big fat who cares? Both Smith and Davis have performed very well for rookies. They both have strenghts and short comings. IMO, IF they take care of business they have the potential (gotta love that word) to be the best CB duo the Fins have ever put on the field at the same time.
playoffs with new england? we have to take care of houston and pittsburgh and hope for help first before we talk about playoffs you are waaaaaay ahead of yourself
I dont think Smith is ready to cover the top recievers in this league, part of the reason he looks good is pretty much because he has never had to cover the top recievers in this league...
Davis is pretty much in man coverage on every play, can't remember ever seeing him get help out there. All things considered (Size/Rookie/No Help) I think he's doing pretty amazing.
I am very pleased with Davis' performance thus far. He is always "in the play", but seems to have had issues making plays on the ball. Once he learns better body control when the ball is thrown, the league better watch out! This kid is ALWAYS in the play! He seems to just let his WR get to the ball. That's the only problem I have with him. I am not quite as sold on Smith. I do not know what has happened, but I think his inadequacies are being revealed by who he covers. He is very soft and has poor hip movement when getting turned around. Once a receiver gets Smith turned around, he's out of the play. He is bad in space. Regardless of the plays made on Davis, the receiver rarely has an easy catch downfield. Davis has all of the tools to be a shut-down corner, no exaggerating.
Well, Vontae does get "help" but it is from Gibril Wilson, so that is sort of like a lifeboat with a big hole in the bottom of it... Vontae will match up on Andre', he has taken the opponents best Wr all year long, this game will be no different, the person to watch is Gibril Wilson he has to offer effective help over the top or Johnson will go off this Sunday. And people really should keep in mind Sean Smith came out as a Jr, and he had a year and a half at Cornerback at Utah, he will improve the more he plays.
When I used to play football I hated playing guys like Smith, their arms are so long even if you truck them they can reach out and ankle tackle you right when you thought you had put them behind you... If one has ever seen Smith in a locker room interview, he really needs to hit the weight pile, he is a soft as a quart of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream..
Yea that's what I mean he's pretty much playing man coverage every down because our safeties are pretty much useless in pass coverage. If we had one good safety in pass coverage it would certainly make both these guys lives a little easier. All things considered I think they're both doing great but I don't think Smith is in the same league as Davis.
We all know that rookie CB's play chasing the ball the first year...most of the time they are behind the play and they have to catch up the whole play. I think once you give Vonte and Smith some time this offseason and another season under their belts they are going to start playing ahead of the play and they are going to be able to make some big time plays. You also have to think that if we could add a couple good saftey's thats going to give them some help. You really have to trust your saftey to be there if you are going to make a big break on a ball. Sometimes your going to make a great play, other times your going to take yourself right out of the play and you have to know that you have help over the top.
well if sean is like cookie dough then ben and jerry better come up with a new flavor for channing crowder...somethin like "Super duper marshmellow cream pie, with extra marshmellow. I dont think sean is soft, just a skinny youngster...
i dont get why people are higher on davis then smith. i know davis is more physical and has a few picks..... but lets take a minute to REALIZE who opposing teams are throwing at more. its no secret that we dont have daivs and smith switch sides alot. opposing teams with veteran players would take advantage of that and line their best receiver up against smith if he was half as bad as some of you people make him sound to be. nope, they are instead making sure to put them against vontae davis. dont foget that smith earned the starting job before davis, even though davis was drafted first. smith will get better too. im sure he will get stronger and more physical as he gets more time in at CB.
The article is flawed. The fact is that Andre Johnson should be in double coverage almost the entirety of the game.
both corners have had outstanding rookie seasons ONLY PROBLEM HERE IS EXPERIENCE & they're well on the way to rectifying that.. just a matter of time the same could be said of Clemons w/ a thumbs up for Natan Jones & Tyrone Culver & a recognition that Jason Allen has improved should be understood that Bell & Wilson are SS's & playing much better @ the end of the season got all the right gears for the clock the DB has to be adjusted to run just right & it will be davis or smith? doesn't really matter
while i believe that Davis is the 'total package' ..... it don't think it matters - as if we don't have Andre double and triple teamed repeatedly i will be extremely disappointed on SUN. we get a break that Daniels (TE) isn't playing, and the back-up isn't a big threat - even though it seems every TE is a threat against us. both Smith and Davis will continue to get better .... but Davis' ceiling is unlimited. Smith still can't cover an 'in' even at this point in the season, i realize he gets help .... but he just lets up on the break and the WR is wide open before the backside help can get there. part of that is the system .... but regardless, we should have a fix to that by now. I expect to see Andre run that repeatedly on SUN .......
Although he had help, Smith did pretty well vs Peyton and Wayne. Opposing teams are not picking on Smith. He's been thrown at 61 times, as opposed to 68 for Davis on many fewer snaps. I do understand the match-ups but, that is not many passes to throw at another rookie. I could not be happier with both picks.
I have what has become a running joke in my Phins fan club. After Smith's 2 preseason INTs, I started rooting for him big time. Before each game, I would say 'Ok, is THIS the game when Smith gets his first pick?" 3 Vontae interceptions later, the guy who owns the bar started a pool about it. I picked Qtr 2 vs Houston. As if to add insult to injury (for lack of a better term) Vontae's 4th pick at the Titans game happened right in front of me. lol Even though Smith has no picks yet, I am satisfied with his play this season. He's been a solid corner. Vontae has been great. Both have been burned, but name me one star who has never been burned. It happens. I think both will be monsters next season.
It's really quite simple. Vontae Davis has had 4 INTs at crucial points in football games. His pick against NE saved our season for the time being. His pick against Buffalo prevented any chance of that being a close game. And he's made a few key 3rd down tackles preventing 1st downs Sean Smith has yet to make a play all season. Besides being thrown to 7 less times, he's done nothing to prove he's a better CB than Vontae Davis, and especially since Davis has been assigned to cover the opposing teams' #1 most of the time
I think this article is pretty much moot. If I remember correctly, didn't Sparano say during an interview that the two rookie cornerbacks will play whomever is lined up on their side? Since they are both still learning the schemes, the coaches didn't want to move them back and forth and confuse them. That is why we had the 6'4" Smith shadowing little Welker and the 6'0" Davis trailing Randy Moss. In an ideal world (probably next year), we would have switched the two.
