This has been done to death, but Corey Coleman's return is huge. Cody Kessler gushed about how he looked forward to a Pryor-Coleman combination, and how lucky any quarterback would be to have that weaponry.
I was looking forward to calling Gordon and Pryor the Twin Terrors, but now I need to come up with another nickname, since Coleman isn't a skyscraper like Pryor.
Cody said the two of them were "kind of the same way", but that's not quite accurate. They're both deep threats, and both can turn short passes into big plays as well, but that's where the similarity stops.
Pryor can't stop and start, or change directions like Coleman. You could line Coleman up at tailback, but not Pryor.
Coleman can't wall people off with his body, and has a much smaller catch radius.
While both can cross and slant, Coleman is the much better option there, because he can gain quick separation, and his shorter stature is no issue on those throws, as it could be on vertical routes. He is also much more "sudden" than Pryor, and can make more happen, ala Eric Metcalf.
Pryor is the prototypical deep threat, like Calvin Johnson. He is never not open, and an accurate deep pass to him is literally unstoppable, regardless of coverage.
The Cowboys and other teams will try to match up with these two based on the traits of their cornerbacks, rather than their ability. That is to say, Pryor will pull the bigger, taller one, and Coleman the shorter, quicker one (sometimes a slot corner).
Pick your poison. Both these guys are lethal, and you can only match up your top cornerback with one of them. You can only try to double cover one of them.
Coleman's presence makes at least one deep safety mandatory. If Pryor catches a slant or cross, he can be ridden toward the sidelines and then shoved out of bounds.
If Coleman catches one of those, he can blow this up by suddenly reversing his field and going vertical. One fast safety has to stay "up top", even if the quarterback is Kessler, and all he throws are short passes.
Imagine you're the defensive coordinator. Who scares you more, Pryor or Coleman? Can you EVER stack the box to stop the run? Dare you blitze?
Coleman is more significant still: Unlike Pryor, he creates separation immediately. Kessler (and it should be Kessler) can throw to him long before pressure can reach him.
There is also the looping deep timing pass to Pryor, but that's more dangerous, as it could easily be intercepted if Pryor is delayed, or merely stumbles. The quick pass to Coleman on a cross or slant is line-of-sight, lower and faster, leaving the defense with no time to react.
Last week, Josh McCown racked up a long gain by hitting Andrew Hawkins with one of these. Coleman is much taller, bigger, and faster. This play is much more hazardous for Hawkins than for Coleman, which is why they couldn't run it more often with him.
Coleman's presence makes five-man pressures much less likely for this and other reasons. He gives the quarterback more time, the running backs more room, and in general makes a defense less aggressive.
Like I said, his addition means a lot more than some fans think it means.
Now, I've read some more in-depth articles on Jamie Collins, and can start out with Lombardi again.
Mike says that Collins would have been better served as an outside linebacker rushing the passer, instead of an inside linebacker in coverage a lot.
Apparently, Bill Belichick didn't move him around much, and most certainly, how he was used had much more to do with his so-so sack statistics than I had thought.
I also hadn't known that in college, he actually spent some of his time as a passrushing defensive end.
Ray Horton will most certainly make him the "joker", and he will like it here.
That has to be part of this deal: Discussions took place ahead of the trade, not just with Lord Insideous in New England, but with Collins and his agent. Collins is coming here to be a big fish in a small pond, and to do more than he was able to do in Bill's scheme.
Collins is too effective in coverage not to use in that way, but he will most likely rush the passer more often here too. In New England, he was an inside linebacker. In Ray Horton's wilder and crazier defense, on any given down, he could show up anywhere.
Now, I heard salary projections in the 12 mil/year range for him. That sounds too high, but is far more palatable than Von Miller's 19 mil/year.
Don't assume he'll want out. He can stand out and shine with the Browns as he never could in New England. He can have more fun here. This team is embryonic now, but will improve much more quickly than the uninformed and superstitious anticipate.
He is already practicing against Pryor/Coleman/Barnidge and Crowell/Johnson. He is sometimes behind Shelton or outside Nassib. He will see a bright future here. He's inarticulate, but not stupid.
Dallas is going to tear this defense up. Collins can only do so much. But with Coleman and KESSLER back, this offense can tear that defense up, too.
A lot of people are expecting a blowout, but it's more likely to be a shootout. No, I don't think the Browns will win, but they'll score a bunch of points, and I'll take the over, whatever it is.
I repeat: The Browns defense sucks (a little less now), but the offense does not (less so now). Coleman is libel to score twice himself.
Now if they only had a defense...
No comments:
Post a Comment