The Benefits of Ras-I Dowling
by Richard Hill on Jun 8, 2011 12:00 PM EDT
in Opinion/Analysis
Email
PrintI would have put money on the Patriots trading away from the 33rd pick overall. They were going to either trade down and pick up some mid-second round draft picks, or gain another 2012 first rounder. I would have guaranteed that course of action. Of course, the Patriots have Bill Belichick so they definitely weren't going to do anything I thought they were going to do.
However, I believe most people were a little a lot surprised with the selection of cornerback Ras-I Dowling. The Patriots already have young star Devin McCourty, a returning star in Leigh Bodden, as well as plenty of depth in Kyle Arrington and Darius Butler. Dowling played LCB all throughout college, which is the same position as McCourty, and Belichick has expressed that Dowling has the frame to play on the outside- which basically means that Dowling will not be the nickel-corner.
So what does that mean? The Patriots used the 33rd overall pick to pick a player who will play behind a second year star? That doesn't make much sense. I understand that Dowling has experience in a Patriots-type system, in the Al Groh defense at Virginia, and that he has elite size and speed, is a sure tackler, has the ability to break up passes, and has great versatility as both a potential cornerback and free safety, but is that worth the 33rd overall pick?
I'll say "yes."
We all know that the league is a "passing league." Everyone's been saying. However, the most dangerous wide receivers aren't always on the outside of the field- they are the slot receivers. The Wes Welkers, Davone Bess', Danny Amendolas, Santonio Holmes, and Austin Collies all have gained tremendous value. Teams are lucky to have two solid corners, so adding a third slot receiver on the field will often tip the balance towards the offense.
So how does adding an outside corner help defend the slot receiver?
Devin McCourty. Leigh Bodden. Projected Ras-I Dowling. I'd put that trio of cornerbacks against any other trio in the league and I'd trust the Patriots to hold their ground. McCourty has the size, quickness, and skill to cover the slot corners who can do some damage, while Dowling can take McCourty's spot on the outside.
Also, keep in mind the age of Bodden. He'll be 30 at the beginning of the season and he's coming off a season-ending injury. I wouldn't be surprised if the 6'1, 197 lbs Dowling replaces the 6'1, 194 lbs Bodden in the long term- or even in the next season or two.
Thirdly, add in the versatility of Dowling; with his size, tackling ability, and ball skills, he could be an ideal free safety in the Patriots' defense. Belichick has stated that he plans on using Dowling as a corner, but also acknowledged his free safety size- so keep an eye out for Dowling at safety as Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders enter their last years in their contracts.
So when we look at the selection of Dowling, we can see many benefits:
1) McCourty is now free to cover the slot receiver against spread offenses.
2) Bodden has a long term replacement in case he doesn't return to full health.
3) The free safety position has a little more insurance, which could open up an additional roster spot.
I'm sure a lot of people have moved on from the pick of Dowling and have learned not to question the pick, especially after the success of McCourty. Hopefully, these are a few more reasons to be happy with the pick.
57 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I loved the pick then and more so now
dowling was projected as a top 20 pick in his junior year if he came out. he decided to come back for his senior year and the only thing that held him back was injuries. he got hurt one year so wouldnt consider him injury prone injuries happen to football players. he comes to camp when camp opens with a head start on defense , the defense isnt the same but groh said its very very close and the terminology is near identical. with the secondary talent accrued it might give the front seven that extra second it seems to need.
Bill has already built a good stable of RB's, and TE's, and If Ras I works out a great trio of CB's. Next I want a a scary D-line.
Vince is a elite NT but at already 30 years old Bill will prob, start to rebuild that whole line.
by businessbmw on Jun 11, 2011 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions
He likes to rebuild in rotations.
It allows him to splurge on a draft and take 3+ chances (FA included), with an early and a late rounder. If he gets 3 players, awesome. If he gets two, swell. If he gets one, it’s an improvement. He doesn’t get zero.
by Richard Hill on Jun 12, 2011 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Dowling is also beastly against the run
He was a demon in college for the Cavs.
Follow me on Twitter @Ethanhamm!
Proud Patriots fan and draft analyst, no matter what Ted Thompson says.
Dowling should fit in nice, boy it’s going to be great to have Bodden back.
"I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be
Kobe Bryant"
-Kobe Bryant
I don't think the Patriots have had this much depth in the secondary...
…since the early part of the decade. They have five players with starting experience (Bodden ‘09, Butler ’09, Wilhite ’09, Arrington ’10, McCourty ’10) and they’re adding Dowling into the mix. Now not all of them are elite starters, but I’m pretty comfortable with the depth.
early part of the decade they won Super Bowls.....
….can I say “woohoo” yet?
know that luck favors the prepared. - SMP
by pats4life on Jun 8, 2011 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't like the pick because corner just doesn't seem to be a major weakspot.
Ras-I is great, and, if you look at him alone its a great pick. However, I just don’t see how cornerback is worth it. We may need some more corners, but it wasn’t a glaring weakness that needed addressing imminently.
QBs like Peyton will carve up any secondary easily, but they’ll be alot less efficient if they are ending up with their faces in the turf after every other play. Until the Pats can accomplish this, it doesn’t make much difference if our secondary is good, brilliant, or perfect.
Now, I wouldn’t call myself one of those who is screaming pick a DE!!! all the time. I think it would have been a better pick, however I would have also liked to trade up, down, or trade for next year.
Also, if having this great secondary allows us to blitz more often, and as a result make up for our below-average to average pass-rush, then I’m less likely to complain.
Basically, I’m waiting to see how Ras-I does and how he effects the team before I judge the pick, but I figure I’m more likely to be disappointed then impressed.
Yankees suck.
by New Century Silver on Jun 9, 2011 6:51 AM EDT reply actions
QBs like Peyton...
Look for the mismatch to carve up the defense.
When you toss 3 receivers, a catching TE, and a catching RB out there, you are likely to have a favorable matchup. Especially when there’s not a lot of drop off between your #1 receiver and your #3 receiver.
Who has the strength in the secondary to deal with that? Well, the Patriots do – now. Last year Peyton ignored McCourty and whoever he covered and preyed on our weaker DBs. With Bodden back and the hopes that Ras-I can hold his own. Those passing windows just got a whole lot smaller.
Who can keep up with a TE like Dallas Clark? Page and Guyton
Who can stop a catching RB out of the backfield? Guyton and Ninkovich or Fletcher
I think we have the personnel to win those matchups with whatever package we put on the field which means Peyton is going to have to be almost perfect to beat us.
Cunningham was very close to Manning last year before he dumped a pass to Chung’s guy (please never put him in the nickel again), or some outlet guy. If those guys are covered better, there’s a much better shot at a sack or a pick.
The idea of the pick is sound since a complete OLB takes time to develop in our system (rush, set the edge, and drop into coverage). Coverage is coverage, and Ras-I was in a Patriots-like system.
I agree, that we have to see how he does, but what struck me watching games wasn’t the lack of a pass rush. It was, “Why is THAT guy open”, kinda like people always ask about Welker.
In the playoff loss to the Jets, they put Revis on Welker, and took away our short game. As Ryan put it, he wanted to make Brady have to play perfect to beat them. He didn’t. The same thing can (and did) work with Manning.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Official Fire-Puncher for Pats Pulpit an SB Nation Blog
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jun 9, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
It's also important to note
that Manning specifically assumes he is going to get pressure because of his O-line so he tends to get rid of the ball quickly. Having better guys in coverage is probably more beneficial than having better pass rushers against him.
It's a great point and worth repeating.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Official Fire-Puncher for Pats Pulpit an SB Nation Blog
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jun 9, 2011 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
truth is, the way to beat an Elite QB is to have both a pass rush and good coverage
on the back end.
-Pulse of the Maggots P.o.t.M. The "pm striker king"- WZB
"3 sentences that will fix your relationship problems: You're right. I'm wrong. I'm sorry." - One of the things you learn in Physics class
Behind every great man is a good woman; behind every good woman is a man looking at her @$$.
"Loving a good woman is the best thing a man can do for his moral welfare" -Narrator from The AutoBiography of an Ex-colored Man
Go see Mosul's new blog! An Observation on Sports
by PotM on Jun 12, 2011 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
He tried to get a 2nd,
but SF wouldn’t offer more than a 3rd next year.
Seeing as no-one sacks Manning, yet he still loses, I’m not as concerned about that.
Last year it was the inability to cover for 5 seconds that was our downfall. That can be helped 2 ways – make it less than 5 seconds, or get guys that can cover for 5 seconds.
There will always be times where the pressure doesn’t get there, but getting good DBs should almost always still be in coverage.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by insertscreenname on Jun 9, 2011 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Manning threw 3 interceptions against the Patriots last year
know that luck favors the prepared. - SMP
Well
you haven’t seen either of them play yet so it’s unfair to compare them to other rookies who played a full season. They could still come out next year and combine for 25 sacks and then the decision to pass on them wouldn’t be looking like such a good idea.
Wait, what?
The fact that a guy didn’t get on the field because he was injured is naturally a factor you use to compare them.
Otherwise Shawn Crable isn’t a bust, because we didn’t see enough to judge? Uh, no.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit
by Comedic.Sans on Jun 11, 2011 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
He is a snitch though.
Non Sibi Sed Patriae ;I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life.
In Bill We Trust.
And now he's unemployed. Lulz.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit
by Comedic.Sans on Jun 12, 2011 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Ohh yeah
Crable played 6 games last year and recorded only half a sack. If recorded 10 sacks in those games guess who still would be on the roster.
If they are rookies
and they did not play their rookie season how can you determine how good they are? You can’t. Tom Brady didn’t really play his rookie so did you just say the pats really wasted their pick on him. Taylor Price didn’t really play his rookie season either, was he a better or worse pick than other rookies that played? You can’t compare just by looking at one year. If you do then you must have thought Matt Cassel should start over Tom Brady in 2009 because he played the prior year while Brady missed the season. Tom Brady most likely would have had the better year, but just because he got injured for that one season he is worse player? Uh no :)
Well...
…when one of those players was called a “mistake” by the guy who drafted him (Hughes) and the other one has so many off-the-field issues that he might never make it on the field (Kindle), I think it’s fair to at least judge them a little. You have to take the whole package and when they can’t even make a special teams impact as a rookie, then that’s a problem.
by Richard Hill on Jun 12, 2011 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't think Polian said Hughes was a mistake.
Even if he did use that term, I thought it was more “we should have drafted Saffold instead”.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by insertscreenname on Jun 13, 2011 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
So...
Do you consider Taylor Price a problem because the main reason he didn’t get the nod over Eldeman or Tate was because he couldn’t play special teams.
I don't believe that to be true anyways.
I believe the main reason Price didn’t get the “nod” is because he didn’t graduate in time to make it to any offseason camps. He was behind as far as learning the playbook and the system went.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 14, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
MUCH different to be a 1st round pick vs late 3rd.
by Richard Hill on Jun 14, 2011 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Add in the fact that Price missed early training camp...
…because Ohio didn’t graduate until later, he was already behind the eight ball.
by Richard Hill on Jun 14, 2011 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Good
so do you think it would be unfair to judge him for missing most of the season? I think it would be unfair because we haven’t seen him play really.
I try to look at things from an unbiased view (not suggest any of you guys do not) ,but if the patriots drafted Kindle and he got injured before he played, would we be really saying he was a bad pick after just one year, I for one don’t think so and I don’t think the Fans in Baltimore do either. Or if the roles were reversed and McCourty got injured before he played would we be saying Bill is a idiot and wasted his pick? Nah .
I hear you
but I know I wouldn’t be so high on Kindle if the Patriots drafted him last year, especially in light of what happened with Shawn Crable and Terrence Wheatley. It’s a bonus if they come back in their second year and contribute at a productive level, but until then…
Keep the faith!
Okay,
Should we have drafted an undersized, special teams walk on who struggled against college tackles, who only had 6 career college sacks (and I think it was even less than that), and played alongside a known user?
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by insertscreenname on Jun 16, 2011 5:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm still a little suspicious of just how much he bulked up post-college
It’s not like he didn’t have good training facilities in college. SC’s a football factory for a reason.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit
by Comedic.Sans on Jun 17, 2011 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
It would be a GREAT pick if...
they complimented it with a pressure guy. Either BB think he guys who will step up the pressure or he thinks he can pick one up via FA. If not, I hate the strategy of not pressuring the QB. Look at the teams that have success against Brady. They get pressure on him. The ones that tried the extra guys in coverage as a tactic came out with a L.
Jets rushed 3, dropped 8. Worked for them.
Steelers continually bring 5, 6 guys. Brady carves them up every time. No, succesful schemes against the Bradys, Mannings, Breezes (???) of the league are where the coverage is good enough for whoever is coming to get there. If that’s 3 guys, then the coverage needs to be 5, 6 seconds to succeed. If it’s 8, it probably only needs to be a good jam and there’s a sack.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by insertscreenname on Jun 9, 2011 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Not all game
I think they did that on 3rd down mostly. They had pressure on Brady almost all game.
Pressure from their D-line.
One all out blitz that Brady got wrong, and got killed. The rest of the time it was LBs jamming Welker at the line and then taking up space in the middle, and safeties filling the rest of the field.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by insertscreenname on Jun 9, 2011 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I watched the GB game
and the Jets used a similar gameplan they used. Stunts…3 man stunts sometimes 4 man stunts. ..that’s all. Used it against Koppen, Connelly and sometimes Mankins effectively.
Non Sibi Sed Patriae ;I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life.
In Bill We Trust.
The Pats get it that D-backfield and pass rush are important, it's just more of a gamble drafting LBs
In his post draft analysis Caserio basically agreed that if one of the quality pass rushers (Quinn or Smith?) was there at 17 they would have drafted them there and then addressed T later.
We know the Colts, Saints and Packers are going to be in the mix at the end of the season, and this is the only way we can really get an edge against these teams, so the Dowling drafting makes alot of sense…
Also remember, everyone gets juiced up about the Steelers blitzing LBs but when we played them they totally took Harrison out of the game by making him track a TE the whole game.
Harrison was on Welker a time or two as well and that was funny.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Official Fire-Puncher for Pats Pulpit an SB Nation Blog
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jun 9, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Team D
I am fairly certain that BB expects Cunningham to be a force on the outside this season. Likewise, Spikes is expected to raise his performance on the inside. Ty Warren and Bodden sure up two key features on the defense. 14-2 last season without Warren and Bodden and with Cunningham and Spikes as rookies is amazing. No reason not to expect something even more impressivde this season with the TE’s a year older, Branch fully re-united with Brady, and perhaps the younger WR’s make more of an impact.
I never question a first round selection by BB. If he uses a 1st round pick, you have to believe that this player is expected to make a difference immediately.
His successes with 1st round picks has been quite good. Even guys like Maroney and Watson were not a bust by any stretch of the imagination. I’d give both a strong 2 (out of 5) or a weak 3 (out of 5). Certainly not good enough for a 1st round selection, but not disasterous. Wilform and McCourty set the bar as a 5 (out of 5).
by WinningisEverything on Jun 11, 2011 11:56 AM EDT reply actions
Exactly. BB's only "busts" in the first round...
…were quality starters for 3+ years. We consider them busts because they weren’t stars, they didn’t live up to our expectations.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 11, 2011 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking of Maroney.
Something that always drove me nuts about him was his explosiveness in the open field in his rookie and sophomore season, he never seemed to build on that in his later years.
I remember some pretty big plays from him in the screen game, or on outside runs. However he was just never a decisive enough inside runner to be an all-around, every down back.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 11, 2011 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Someone did a re-draft of 2006 and reckoned they wouldn’t have drafted Maroney at all
I mean, really?
you wouldn’t even throw a 7th rounder if you knew you’d get 2500 yards at 4.1 per carry and 20 TDs?
by quadruple option on Jun 11, 2011 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Maroney had talent, and did pretty well for us.
Especially in 2007.
He wasn’t a tough runner, or a decisive runner, and he did have a case of the fumblies his last entire season here…
But I remember, when we did have him, wondering why the hell we didn’t throw more screens to him, or use him more often on sweeps or pitches. He seemed very explosive in the open field, when he was used that way.
And Corey Dillon’s last year here, Maroney’s first, that was quite a tandem. Dillion could be your starter, your every down inside runner. And Maroney was explosive as a change of pace option.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 11, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
What happened?
Why didn’t BB get a bruiser the next year to keep that sort of tendem going?
-Pulse of the Maggots P.o.t.M. The "pm striker king"- WZB
"3 sentences that will fix your relationship problems: You're right. I'm wrong. I'm sorry." - One of the things you learn in Physics class
Behind every great man is a good woman; behind every good woman is a man looking at her @$$.
"Loving a good woman is the best thing a man can do for his moral welfare" -Narrator from The AutoBiography of an Ex-colored Man
Go see Mosul's new blog! An Observation on Sports
He thought Maroney could feature...
…and he started going with the spread offense, where they needed faster RBs for the passing game.
by Richard Hill on Jun 12, 2011 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
That's the part right there.
You hit the nail on the head.
We thought we had a feature back, we didn’t. We wanted to get a star, we didn’t.
But did we get a quality player who have 3-4 quality years ? Sure. These days RBs only tend to have 3 or 4 good years anyways. I wouldn’t consider Maroney a bust. I’d say he was an average pick. He never lived up to expectations. But he surely wasn’t awful.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 13, 2011 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions
He was awful in Denver though
I loved his vs Titans stat line
11 carris
5 yards
long of 8…
so on the other 10 he got -3???
by quadruple option on Jun 14, 2011 2:58 AM EDT up reply actions
He was dreadful in Denver.
Absolutely. He is a RB though, they tend to have very short careers in the NFL. Maroney did well his first couple years, albeit never living up to expectations as a feature back. Then he declined very quickly.
by UtopianAverage on Jun 14, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Who wasn't awful in Denver, though?
Tim Tebow was their most effective rusher.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit
by Comedic.Sans on Jun 17, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Media requests: Please email patspulpit at gmail.com
Related FanPosts on Pats Pulpit
Related FanShots on Pats Pulpit
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
