It was great to read that Jamie Collins is looking good now that he's healthy again-especially that Gregg Williams is putting him on David Njoku.
Collins had some people knocking his coverage skills before and after he got here, but some guys say that about 90% of the linebackers in the NFL.
Unlike everybody else, Jamie is 6'5", with the same sort of speed that Avery and Kendricks have. He's a "smooth" athlete with loose hips, and this should logically add up to a linebacker you can put on a passcatching tight end.
Avery and Kendricks are both called "inconsistent" in coverage, but what do you expect? Sometimes they've had to try to cover a Duke Johnson, and other times 6'5" tight ends.
Duke can make Collins look even worse, but not DeValve, Fells, or Njoku. Collins matches up with these guys, and I'm glad to at least see flashes of that showing up here.
And I say "put on" Njoku rather than "covering" him because he's also a passrusher.
Way back when we had to walk barefoot uphill to and from school every day, Clay Matthews (the Brown) was lining up in tight ends' faces and jamming them.
Sometimes, he would then turn to run with them, but other times, he would come off that jam going after the quarterback.
This was when tight ends were mostly tight ends; guys who could block well and were reliable short/intermediate receivers.
Marty's use of Clay this way jammed up opposing offenses because conventionally, that tight end was supposed to chip block opposing edge-rushers, who normally lined up outside the tackle.
But here's Conan the barbarian right in his face, wherever he lines up, instead of inside him. No "chip" block here, so you're not running your route anytime soon, and you're not slanting inside either (Clay always had inside leverage).
On run plays, they'd have that tight end engage Matyhews, and the tackle lumber out there to push him outside, but Clay often read this instantly, and...
I guess you whippersnappers would need to see it: Clay would shake off the tight end and be in the backfield before...you'd just have to see that to understand why it's preposterous that Clay isn't in the Hall of Fame but I digress:
In today's NFL, Jamie Collins can sorta-kinda be the same kind of pain in the ass that Clay Matthews was.
For Jamie, he'll be setting up further outside than Clay did, and he has to handle much better athletes (who often can't block for shit), but that dual-threat thing still applies.
In the modern game, and on this team, Garrett and Ogbah are the edge-rushers, and they have to be accounted for by the tackles.
A tight end with Jamie Collins in his face can't chip Garrett or Ogbah. If he tries it, Collins will knock him on his ass and then run him over on his own way to the quarterback (utterly unblocked, unless a running back is held in as a speed-bump...Duke vs Jamie lol)...
Sending a tackle after Collins that far outside is pointless (unless they line the tight end up closer in, which is something else Gregg Williams would like), so running at him isn't a great strategy.
But in all this, I've inadvertently diminished how effective Jamie Collins will (hopefully) be when he actually simply covers these souped-up psuedo-tight ends.
Jamie has a very rare size/speed/quickness combination. He is as big and tall as most tight ends, and also quicker and faster than they are.
Across the NFL, "mismatch" tight ends are all the rage, but if Gregg Williams has his way, that's not going to work here.
Full disclosure: I'm "projecting" here. Since (dammit) it looks like Gregg hasn't been getting my texts or emails, I'm kind of assuming he'll use Jamie Collins like I would anyway, since he has been almost as smart as my humble self so far.
I'm getting kicked out again okbye
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