This is something I've been kicking around in my head for awhile now. I know I'm certainly not the first to post something about it, and I'm sorry if I'm just repeating what someone else has posted, but a few days ago when I was watching something on ESPN about the draft hosted by Jeremy Green and Todd McShay. I think it was Green that said it but they were talking about the safety position and how weak it was in this draft and Green said something about how the safety position had changed. How you used to say that "this guy is going to be a good in the box type guy" and how teams used to care about that.

That got me thinking about this issue again. Isn't the SS position basically obsolete now days?? With teams going three and 4 wide so much, isn't ability to cover the most important thing to have in a safety. Maybe Roy Williams problem isn't just a loss of confidence, being overweight, or not putting in enough time in the film room (those are all HUGE problems though), but the fact that the time have passed him by. He's obsolete. A dinosaur.

In an article by Len Pasquarelli a couple of years ago he quoted Ravens GM as saying this, "You have to have at least one safety now who has some cornerback-type skills," acknowledged Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome, who filled that need when he chose Reed in the first round in 2002. "It's a game of matchups and gaining individual advantages, and it's a lot easier if you don't have to 'situation substitute' every time the offense has three (wide receivers) on the field. If you've got a safety who can line up across from a slot (receiver), it makes things a lot easier. I don't see how you can play the game, the way it is today, without that kind of a guy in your defense."

My question is this: Instead of having at least one safety that has CB skills, why not have TWO safeties that have CB skills?? Instead of looking for a FS type and a SS safety type, why not just go after FS/CB types to man those positions. Hey, I loved those huge hits that Roy used to lay on guys going across the middle, or RB's coming up the gut, but I've grown tired of athletic TE's like Shockey turning Roy into his personal hand puppet. Give me a guy who can cover these type of guys, guys who don't have to come off the field on 3rd downs, who can make just a simple tackle, over the Roy Williams and Donovan Darius' anyday. The Jason Allens, Michael Huffs, and Laron Landrys are the way of the future at the safety position.

I recently posted a mock in another thread where I had us taking safety Josh Barrett from Arizona St. Big, fast, and decent in coverage. Boom or bust type prospect. I've been looking at Quintin Demps also. He's not quite as big, runs in the 4.3's, and is the definition of a playmaker in the secondary. He's been described as a one dimensional type of player by Scott Wright. He might actually be a better prospect for this new type of safety that I'd like to bring on board than Barrett. 17 INT's over the last 4 years doesn't lie. I know that everyone, including me, is hot for a top flight CB because we lost 2 CB's in FA, but we also lost a safety and could use another. Here's my latest mock draft again. Keep in mind that I'm thinking of replacing Barrett with Demps:

1a - WR Devin Thomas
1b - CB Antoine Cason
2 - RB Matt Forte
3 - NT Red Bryant
4 - FS Josh Barrett
5 - QB Josh Johnson
6 - OC Matt Spanos
7 - RB Andre Callender