Boston College Head Coach Jeff Hafley is Packers New DC

[Uffdaswede]

17 minutes ago, Mazrimiv said:

MacBot claiming to be one of the only people disappointed with the Barry hire is so MacBot.

He’s not wrong…

 

…ever.

[Isherwood]

I thought Barry was a horrendous hire from day 1, stated that he would be fired in 3 years, and I even speculated that he would be LaFleur’s undoing. Glad that last part didn’t come true, but it easily could have! 
 

The best I can say about Hafley is that I don’t know what to think, which is a far better starting position than “I am certain this is a bad hire”

[craig]

Gute was asked about Hafley.  Said it's a 4-2 league, so kinda dismissed the idea that Hafley would change who we draft, or make misfits of existing guys.  

[MacReady]

10 hours ago, ThatJerkDave said:

If Hafley is truly going to run the same defense, we are in desperate need for new safeties.  Luckily enough, we have about zero invested in the position right now.  The story is, he likes to play single high most of the time.  That is going to require a fast centerfielder type.  I am not exactly sure where we find that guy.  There are some FA safeties, do they fit the role, and can we afford them?  On the flip-side, there seem to be quite a few box safety types available in the draft, and we are going to need one of those also.

That is Savage. He’s already on our roster. One year older than Nick Collins was when Collins went from everyone calling him a bust to one of the best safeties in the NFL thanks to a new defensive coordinator finally deciding to use him in a way that fits his gameplay style.

[Leader]

4 minutes ago, MacReady said:

That is Savage. He’s already on our roster. One year older than Nick Collins was when Collins went from everyone calling him a bust to one of the best safeties in the NFL thanks to a new defensive coordinator finally deciding to use him in a way that fits his gameplay style.

After a few years of him I have to say I'm not impressed with his play making ability. He's not a stout defender/tackler, he's not a huge PBU guy and when he gets a shot at one, he's seems as liable to drop an INT possibility as catch it. I dont see his game as being held back by the DC as much as I just see it as his game. I hope I'm wrong and Hafley can make a new player of him. 

[MacReady]

23 minutes ago, Leader said:

After a few years of him I have to say I'm not impressed with his play making ability. He's not a stout defender/tackler, he's not a huge PBU guy and when he gets a shot at one, he's seems as liable to drop an INT possibility as catch it. I dont see his game as being held back by the DC as much as I just see it as his game. I hope I'm wrong and Hafley can make a new player of him. 

Same complaints were made of Nick Collins.

Collins had 10 interceptions in his first 4 seasons. Savage had 9. In his first three seasons, Collins had 3 interceptions. Savage had 8.

Savage first three seasons he had 8 interceptions and 26 passes defended. Collins had 4 and 27.

Savage only turned to crap when Barry came to town. He flashed a ton of potential in his first three years and then turned to complete crap.

Kinda hard to flash when you’re sitting back in the end zone on every play.

[MacReady]

2 hours ago, Uffdaswede said:

He’s not wrong…

 

…ever.

Wrong, I just use a lot of hyperbole and people here get upset with that because they can’t pick up tone on the internet.

I speak the same way in real life, it’s just a lot easier to tell that my absolute terms - I was the only one, never, impossible, cannot - are a lot more easily discernible as equivalent to practically, generally, the most vocal, etc.

It always shocks me how people can be so offended by it. Like… Dude. Get a life. This is the Internet.

[Leader]

4 minutes ago, MacReady said:

Same complaints were made of Nick Collins.

Collins had 10 interceptions in his first 4 seasons. Savage had 9. In his first three seasons, Collins had 3 interceptions. Savage had 8.

Savage first three seasons he had 8 interceptions and 26 passes defended. Collins had 4 and 27.

Savage only turned to crap when Barry came to town. He flashed a ton of potential in his first three years and then turned to complete crap.

Kinda hard to flash when you’re sitting back in the end zone on every play.

Okay...works for me if the new DC can improve his play. Perhaps with a new emphasis on press coverage (or actually getting on and staying with your coverage responsibility instead of affording them a 5-10yd bubble....) that he'll improve in that area. You'll get no argument from me.

[MacReady]

2 minutes ago, Leader said:

Okay...works for me if the new DC can improve his play. Perhaps with a new emphasis on press coverage (or actually getting on and staying with your coverage responsibility instead of affording them a 5-10yd bubble....) that he'll improve in that area. You'll get no argument from me.

I’ve always been a fan of Savage. People expecting him to be some elite proverbial strong safety while also being an elite proverbial free safety are just asking too much. Ideally your free safety isn’t having to do too much tackling of running backs. That should be taken care of by your strong safety and your front seven. And yes, I am sticking to strong and free safety designations because it’s what I got started with and I like those nomenclatures.

Savage has every physical tool to be that center fielder free safety. He’s shown plenty of flashes and plenty of wow plays on those. He’d have about 16 interceptions if he held onto all the ones he perfectly jumped and timed.

He might not live up to my expectations, but he absolutely deserves the chance.

[vegas492]

13 minutes ago, MacReady said:

I’ve always been a fan of Savage. People expecting him to be some elite proverbial strong safety while also being an elite proverbial free safety are just asking too much. Ideally your free safety isn’t having to do too much tackling of running backs. That should be taken care of by your strong safety and your front seven. And yes, I am sticking to strong and free safety designations because it’s what I got started with and I like those nomenclatures.

Savage has every physical tool to be that center fielder free safety. He’s shown plenty of flashes and plenty of wow plays on those. He’d have about 16 interceptions if he held onto all the ones he perfectly jumped and timed.

He might not live up to my expectations, but he absolutely deserves the chance.

Well, he's had ample chances.  Let's not pretend that he has not.  I get your point about different DC's, schemes, though.

Also?  He has a nice PFF score this year, and since we don't get to see safeties really work during a game, good or bad, that's about all I have to go on.  He just had his best PFF score of his career.

He was PFf's 15'th ranked safety.  Overall defense score of 75.5

2019: 65.7.  2020: 72.1.  2021: 57.3  2022: 47.5.  2023:  75.5.

Like I've been a vocal Savage hater in years gone by, because he's stunk.  Flat out stunk.  Scores reflect that.

But this year?  He must have been doing more right than we really see during a broadcast.

Not saying he's a must to re-sign....but I'd not be upset at all if we did end up with him back on the roster.

[Packerraymond]

Savage is not the deep safety, he doesn't conceptualize the play well enough to be the deep guy, he sees the ball and attacks it, like the pick vs Dallas and the one he should've had vs SF. He's a downhill alley player. Really a small box safety in that Bob Sanders mold. Might be a worthy slot CB too. Really up to Hafley if he wants that body type as his in the box safety, not going to find a better one than Savage, but he could want that Dugger/Chinn 6'3 220 type there instead. We will see. 

[Uffdaswede]

29 minutes ago, MacReady said:

Wrong, I just use a lot of hyperbole and people here get upset with that because they can’t pick up tone on the internet.

I speak the same way in real life, it’s just a lot easier to tell that my absolute terms - I was the only one, never, impossible, cannot - are a lot more easily discernible as equivalent to practically, generally, the most vocal, etc.

It always shocks me how people can be so offended by it. Like… Dude. Get a life. This is the Internet.

Hey…I stick around for the familiar voices and takes and tones. Your tendency to work in absolutes is fun.

 I don’t often weigh in with a take on a forum member in such a personal way, but 1) you can take it; 2) I appreciate you for how you is; and 3) it’s okay by me that you’re never wrong—like Q from Star Trek NG, you play your character very well.

It’s always entertaining when others think they’ve got you. Well… the first dozen exchanges are entertaining. Then the curve dives down.

[ThatJerkDave]

13 minutes ago, Packerraymond said:

Savage is not the deep safety, he doesn't conceptualize the play well enough to be the deep guy, he sees the ball and attacks it, like the pick vs Dallas and the one he should've had vs SF. He's a downhill alley player. Really a small box safety in that Bob Sanders mold. Might be a worthy slot CB too. Really up to Hafley if he wants that body type as his in the box safety, not going to find a better one than Savage, but he could want that Dugger/Chinn 6'3 220 type there instead. We will see. 

I agree with you.  I don't see Nick Collins when I look at Darnell Savage.  I see HaHa Clinton-Dix.  Adequate, but not a guy you want to be spending money on.  He gets beat deep too often to be the centerfield guy and misses too many tackles to be the box safety.  

[incognito_man]

I'm really curious to see what kinda contract Savage gets

will be interesting how the league views his time under Barry

[incognito_man]

6 minutes ago, ThatJerkDave said:

I agree with you.  I don't see Nick Collins when I look at Darnell Savage.  I see HaHa Clinton-Dix.  Adequate, but not a guy you want to be spending money on.  He gets beat deep too often to be the centerfield guy and misses too many tackles to be the box safety.  

this is where I land, too. However, I don't think Savage is anything like Collins, HHCD or Sanders.

his best spot is probably slot DB where he's not asked often to tackle. I'm not sure that's actually a position in the NFL, though.