With training camp fastly approaching, we here at Playoff Bound Sports have been covering the few training camp competitions that the Miami Dolphins will have come the first day of camp, on Saturday, July 31st.
Last week we ran down the battle at outside linebacker, and what the Fins planned on doing with their pass rushing crew.
This week we will take a look into another crucial position for the Dolphins defense, the free safety spot, and the competition there.
The main competitors for the starting spot are second year man Chris Clemons, veteran Tyrone Culver, and rookie Reshad Jones.
Despite the Fins taking Jones in the draft to compete for the starting job, it appears that Clemons is the favorite for the job so far. He was picked by ESPN's Tim Graham to be one of the breakout stars of the 2010 season.
It would take a bad camp for Clemons to relinquish his grip on the starting job, as not only are the experts high on Clemons, but the coaches are fond of him as well.
Not only is Clemons fast as lightning (he ran a 4.41 at the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine), but Clemons is a ball-hawk and tackling machine as well ( Clemons registered 5 interceptions over his last three years of college, and 252 tackles as well).
Clemons will need to prove that he can make plays, and help the cornerbacks not give up the big one, which hurt the Fins so much last year, to capture the starting spot in camp.
Last year when the Dolphins featured two rookie cornerbacks as their starters, it was the free safety spot that time and again let down the coverage.
That is one thing that defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will emphasize during camp this year, and all throughout the pre-season and regular season.
Clemons offers the most speed out of the trio of players, and has a knack for getting to the ball. But Clemons tackles amount in college could be a scray number. For a free safety, you do not necessarily want huge amounts of tackles because that may mean that Clemons was giving up numerous completed passes into his coverage.
Clemons, or whoever starts on gameday for the Dolphins must help out the young corners in coverage. Last year the Fins were 24th in the league in pass defense, and gave up 234.6 passing yards per game last season.
Out of the three competitors, here is a look into who is the best in certain areas that is required to be a successful free safety in the NFL:
Best BallHawk-Reshad Jones:
Jones registered 11 total interceptions in three years of college football. Jones played in the SEC as well, which featured some of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation over the past three years. Jones will be looking to show what he can do in camp, and an impressive showing in camp and the pre-season games may give him the edge over Clemons if he can show he has a knack for the ball.
Best Coverage Man-Tyrone Culver:
Last year, Culver was perhaps the best coverage free safety the Dolphins had. Culver limited opposing quarterbacks to a 49.9 QB rating, while intercepting one pass, and defensing three others. Even if Culver does not nab the starting job at the start of the season, he will get more than sifficient playing time.
Biggest Hitter-Reshad Jones:
Jones has been know throughtout his college career and the draft process as a hard hitter. In fact, what hurt Jones in the draft, and what caused him to fall in the draft was the notion that Jones looked for the monster hit too often, and got lazy with his fundamentals. If Jones can still hit hard while getting the fundamentals down and not getting lazy with his technique, he could be an asset in the run game.
Best Overall Free Safety/Favorite-Chris Clemons:
While Clemons may not be the best in any of the above categories, he does combine all of the above into one package, something that cannot be said for any of the other two safeties just yet. Culver is not a big-hitter, Jones does not have the technique down yet, so that leaves Clemons.
Clemons can swarm to the ball, and hold his own against the run. He still needs some work, but it is only his second year in the league, and over time he will learn the ropes of the NFL. I expect to be some growing pains with Clemons, but anything is better than Gibril Wilson last year! It is Clemons job to lose.
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