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The Position-less Defensive player experiment

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edge

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Simmons experiment was a failure in NFL. It works in the college game, which is what we are trying with Williams. But he better hone in his safety skills if he wants to make it at next level.

www.espn.com

Cards trade Simmons to Giants for 7th-round pick

The Cardinals have traded Isaiah Simmons to the Giants for a seventh-round pick. They also sent OT Josh Jones to the Texans.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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edge said:
Simmons experiment was a failure in NFL. It works in the college game, which is what we are trying with Williams. But he better hone in his safety skills if he wants to make it at next level.

www.espn.com

Cards trade Simmons to Giants for 7th-round pick

The Cardinals have traded Isaiah Simmons to the Giants for a seventh-round pick. They also sent OT Josh Jones to the Texans.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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It's interesting because it doesn't seem to apply to smaller guys like Honey Badger and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who are moved all over the place, but the big guys like Simmons haven't worked at the next level.
 
Everyone thinks a 6'3+ 215+ defensive back is Kam Chancellor. Kam was uber-athetic, uber-physical, and played is a system that was perfect for his skillset.

I really never followed Simmons once he got the the NFL but I always thought he would have a hard time transitioning to the league as a safety.
 
cowboycane said:
It's interesting because it doesn't seem to apply to smaller guys like Honey Badger and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who are moved all over the place, but the big guys like Simmons haven't worked at the next level.
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I think those are just exceptional football players. Jabril Peppers hasn't been able to make it work like they did as a smaller guy.
 
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I think the team didn’t and won’t throw him under the bus which is the right way to handle it… Simmons was adamant that he only play safety. He then had to live the consequences of only playing that position which he isn’t as fully skilled at as he thinks he is. He underperformed at his desired position and didn’t want to be a Swiss Army knife anymore so he got shipped out.

I think it’s less about what he’s capable of doing and more he thinks he’s something he isn’t.
 
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CaneThang2020 said:
James Williams will be okay. Imo while Simmons developed into a stud at Clemson, he also appears to have peaked just a few yrs in the NFL. James Williams hasn’t even began to tap into his full potential….he will absolutely blossom while in the NFL.
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what makes you believe this? honest question
 
edge said:
Simmons experiment was a failure in NFL. It works in the college game, which is what we are trying with Williams. But he better hone in his safety skills if he wants to make it at next level.

www.espn.com

Cards trade Simmons to Giants for 7th-round pick

The Cardinals have traded Isaiah Simmons to the Giants for a seventh-round pick. They also sent OT Josh Jones to the Texans.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
Click to expand...
We're not TRYING to do anything positionless with him. But he's resisted evolution since he's been here. This is the first step in making him comfortable with the realization that safety isn't in the cards for him considering he has to work against himself in order to stay there.
 
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Memnon said:
The model that JW needs to follow is Jayron Kearse; that's how he'll stick in the league.
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I've always wondered if people really know James measurables. So I just googled him & clicked on an s.i article that said he's 6'3 224. I wonder if our fans are thinking similar. James is **** near 6'6 he's 6'5 and change while jayron who I'm sure you'll recall was a cane commit before he flipped & I got to know him as a result. While they're similar I suppose jayron is a solid 6'3 he was 6'2 coming out of high school. He also was more than aware what genetics was doing to him at the time so he embraced wr & safety. James on the other hand tried to fight genetics cause he's always dreamed of being an NFL safety. His body just ain't that. Jayron and Taylor mays were similar in that they both embraced what was going on with their bodies.
 
Simmons has had a tough go of it...Cards have been a pretty ****** organization (was a bad fit in the first place) and just as he was starting to come around (70 tackles, 2 picks, 4 sacks last year moving around, playing a big nickel type of player) and then the Cards hired Gannon.

The highlights of him in the last preseason game are ROUGH. Looked like he didn't want to do anything out there.

I wouldn't close the book on Simmons yet...Cardinals drafted Hasson Reddick, had no idea what to do with him for years, broke out in Year 4 and then went elsewhere and he's been just fine since. But the positionless game...Simmons needs to get that out of his head and he needs to go out there and play ball.
 
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Disgustipated said:
what makes you believe this? honest question
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Just my opinion. His comments during the post practice interview about finally accepting he has “do what he has to do” provided a lot of evidence in his mental growth as a player.

You have to also remember that this young man has come from the ground up…he has raised his game all throughout his life when the rubber met the road. Unfortunately his 1st two years at UM, he had nothing to challenge him, not in legitimate competition nor with a coaching staff that had a clue. Some guys are self starters but it is rare, like Kam Kinchens.

James knows this is his money year and even though there’s not necessarily competition to push him this year, his NFL aspirations will handle that
 
Two totally different players with totally different skill sets.
Simmons is nowhere near the coverage player that Williams is and Williams had better safety film in high school.

Linebacker is a very cerebral position. The problem is most people don’t look at it that way because the players are so physically imposing and are always hitting everything.

Same goes for safety. The best dudes are always ahead of the play.

Go back in history, and all the best linebackers in the sport in college or the pros have been extremely intelligent football players.
 
CaneThang2020 said:
James Williams will be okay. Imo while Simmons developed into a stud at Clemson, he also appears to have peaked just a few yrs in the NFL. James Williams hasn’t even began to tap into his full potential….he will absolutely blossom while in the NFL.
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He'll finally blossom as a 7th rounder like DJ Ivey!
 
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