Xavier Adibi - Strong Safety?
 

Over at the Houston Texans board there was a thread started by the equipment manager for Virginia Tech. He seems to think that perhaps X-man's best position might be Strong Safety. His measurables are close to NFL optimum for the position and Sporting News has him rated as the top LB for coverage skills.

Here are some of his comments:

...thought you might want to hear some inside information on the 2 guys you selected from VT. I know both players very well. I was an equipment manager with VT for 4 years and i worked specifically with the Linebackers for my final 3 seasons....What (Xavier) lacks in size, he makes up for in speed and technique. He broke the VT speed record for speed in the 40 at around 4.6. I can't remember the number exactly, but I recorded the time before spring practice started 2 years ago. He is a great guy and after working with the linebackers for 3 years, he had the best technique out of all of our LB's. He is smart, he can hit, hes great in coverage from sideline to sideline, and he has great hands....I wouldn't be surprised if they moved him to strong safety because of his size....X's brother Nathaniel who played for the Jags for a bit said X would most likely play Strong Safety in the NFL....

I hope the coaching staff are at least aware of this possibility.

I've seen him compared to.....Michael Boulware in some predraft stuff. Not sure I'd like that if I were him.

I agree with Vinny, being compared to Boulware is not a good thing.

He is going to play "Will" for us. The team was not going to draft someone in the 4th round to move him to a new position.

John McCain, in an e-mail, said the same. He said the Texans have no intentions of a position change, believing X-man has everything the Texans want for LB.

I think between Demps, Brown, Earl, the Brandons, Simmons, and Barber. I think they feel there's plenty of competition at safety.....although I'm curious as to why Earl is listed as a "SS" while everyone else is listed as just "S" on the official site.

Frankly the idea of a LB who has good enough coverage skills to be considered as a safety excites me.

There's really no distinction between free and strong safety on the Texans.

At least, not that I can tell.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vGR4tSHxKz0&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ujv_-6EpgIs&feature=related

A LB who doesn't get lost in Zone Coverage and actually has hands to grab an INT, is something to get excited about. I wish he were a little faster and a better tackler, but then again, we got him in the 4th round.

Wow, then it must be true if Johnny Mc said it. All we need now is for Dr. Ron to "write it down."

Not that I can tell either....and Kubiak has said as much. Earl has probably been listed that way since he was drafted, and I'm sure there is nothing to it. It just struck me as strange that he was the only safety on the roster who didn't have the generic "S" listed as position.

The problem appears to be that the Texans want both of their Safety positions to be able to support the run AND drop into deep coverage, while garnering players who are better at the former than the latter.

In theory, one could conclude that the SS had better be able to play in the box to support the run. Also, because of the proliferation of "rocked up WRs" playing TE (borrowing a Mayockism), the SS had better be able to play man coverage against the likes of Kellen Winslow Jr, Jeremy Shockey, Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark, et. al. That, my friends, is a rare commodity (I was hopeful Boulware could be that guy). In order to disguise coverages (like a single deep safety), the defensive coordinator has to feel confident to be able to drop the SS just as often as he does the FS. Now, if you happen to have a talent like LaRon Landry, then it doesn't matter if the QB knows who is deep because he can close so quickly.

Personally, I think our best combination at the present time would be to play Nick Ferguson with Will Demps. I'm hopeful that the addition of Frank Okam will allow the defensive coordinator the luxury of playing the better coverage safeties and our LBs will be recording more tackles than our secondary. Remember, our LB corps has gotten faster this offseason too so they should be able to fly to the ball.

That's about how I've felt about our safeties. They are supposed to be interchangeable, and I think if you compare the players on the roster, they are. They just all seem to be a little better suited in run support. The hard part is Finding TWO guys who give you the best of both worlds. Right now I would just be happy with one, but sometimes I question if what some of the schemes we are trying to run are just flawed, because of the difficulty in finding the players who can do it.

The 'Skins were the only team I know of who had that with Landry & Jason Taylor, but of course no more after the tragic death of Taylor ?

I didn't see Okam play in college, but everything I've read about him says he is really talented and is a classic NT, something not that easy to come by and something we've never really had here.
Trouble is of course he's not thought to have any motivation, any desire
to really play football, let alone in the NFL. This guy must really be a long-shot, even for a 5th rounder, and I wonder why the Texans think they can motivate him when nobody else does ? Looks like maybe the guy is just hustling the Texans to pick up some quick cash in the form of a signing bonus ?

Philosophically, the 3-Technique is a position that is of greater importance around the NFL. A guy like Amobi should be able to play 3-downs and create havoc in passing situations. Both Dorsey and Ellis project to that type of defense.

I'm wondering if scouts believed that Okam was a 3-Technique that simply ate himself out of contention. Here is an athletic big DL who appears to "take plays off" and has gotten huge. Do people wonder if his lack of motivation is evident in the way he has gotten out of shape?

Conversely, the Texans may have seen Okam for what he really is: a nose tackle. We already have Okoye to be the penetrator. Ryans is arguably the most important player on the defense, why not allow him to roam freely to the ball by placing a space eater in front of him? Haloti Ngata seemed to really help Ray Lewis when he was added to the roster. The Bears had a pretty good defense when TANK allowed Tommie Harris and Urlacher to do their thing. Maybe appreciating Okam for what he can do instead of focusing on what he can't do was the reason we selected him.

Since we did not use a high pick on this guy, there is little risk involved. Everyone says how Frank is a smart guy, so it would be smart to play well enough to get a 2nd contract. If we rotate him during the game, he should be able to give maximum effort when he's on the field, because he will be fresh. Also, our coaching staff as well as the other players on the field should be able to motivate him.

I think that there is little doubt that this guy has more talent than say, Maddox. Now, we just have to wait and watch to see if he pans out.

Sean Taylor.

Man, that was a strong Combo to have in the secondary.

doubt it....It's not like this guy is a 280 pounder that let himself go. two gap types are commonly paired with penetrators so he is a perfect match imo. We've needed a situational Tackle that has some mass and is hard to move for short yardage and in goal line situations. Guys like this are only good for 20 or so snaps or so a game since the big massive 350 pound types wear down quicker than smaller players.

I know one of the big knocks on Mack Brown is that he tends to overlook lazyness. People say that he doesn't push weightroom training like other programs do and it tends to hinder development on players. Okam might just need a hard-ass that can push his buttons on the field and in the weightroom. Maybe Franklin is the guy that can do it.

Ultimately, Okam is a low risk, high reward type of investment. Here's to hoping it pays off.

Here's what Okam had to say about his weight during his con call with houston media after the draft:

link

i think the law school thing got blown out of proportion because he is so smart, and scouts aren't used to someone admitting they have other interest outside of football. To me this was a brilliant pick. I think he will be rotated in and will only have to give us 20 or so snaps a game, and that should make him very effective.

Now that's premature, to say the least.
If he starts in the opener at Pittsburgh in September, its a very good pick. If he goes to Hawaii in a couple years, OK its "a brilliant pick".
On the other hand if he's studying Torts & Contract Law in Austin in September with a fistful of cash by way of a short NFL career, don't be
that surprised.

I meant Brilliant in terms of the potential. I realize that he hasn't done anything yet.

I really don't know how to weigh this particular piece of information. For me it is kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, it means he is intelligent, at least in some aspects, and on the other hand, he has an alternative.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but likely means that he is less vested in football because it is not his only opportunity. It could also mean that he appreciates his own intelligence and will not want to take too many shots to the noggin' as it is known to result in symptoms like Emmitt Smith's butchery of the english language.

From what I saw of Okam I have to wonder if having an alternative is really the best thing for his football potential, considering that he didn't always look motivated out there to begin with.

Kind of a selfish perspective from a person, I know, but it is consistent with a fan

hi everybody!

semantics aside, this was unquestionably a great pick. in my eyes the expectations on a 5th round pick are low, low, low and if okam reaches to any of his potential then the texans are that much better for it. i think there is a video of the d'line motoring through a coupling tackling dummies with jethro franklin giving them "inspiration" on the official site. mario looks god-like, amobi looks good, and okam is doing exactly the opposite of what jethro is yelling about. maybe it was the end of practice, maybe he just got filmed on one bad rep, but he looked as advertised: big and lazy. not that it really means much at this point, but i just thought i would throw it into the fire. and since most of his job is going to be make amobi and mario look better i'm not all that concerned with his perception.....that is, as long as amobi and mario look better.

on topic: between demeco, diles looking to start, and now x. adibi does anyone think that our defense just prefers smaller, coverage-capable linebackers?

I don't think there is any question about that. i think kubs has made it clear that they want speed on the field. now, if they could find an big lb that was quick and could cover i dont think they would have a problem with that either, obviously.

basically i think they are looking for guys that are ball players and those aren't necessarily the conventional picks in all cases. i like that. if a defensive guy always seems to be around the ball and makes plays i honestly don't care whether he is a litte undersized or not. especially on the linebacker poisition. that is why we have those big guys on the line in front of them.

well the day they start passing on 6'6''-250, 4.6-40 linebackers that tackle like a freight train and cover like a blanket should be the day we all turn around and walk out of reliant stadium!!!

i should have just said they prefer LBs with better-than-average cover skills. it happens that we're looking at 3 quick, slightly undersized guys as a possible starting LB corps. maybe they value coverage skills over tackling, which i think they do because of how the safeties (are supposed to) play. no definition of strong or free (the traditional mini-linebacker/centerfielder duo) really just.....safeties. just extra help where extra help is needed, be it pass or run coverage. it helps to have guys like dunta who hit on the corners and bennett/molden bring some much needed size to the outside to counter the lack of size in the LB corps. it also helps to have a 6'8'' 290 monster playing every down next to what should amount to a d'line capable of putting on a hellacious pass rush and a brick wall of a run stopper.

man our defense has the possibility of being a monster this year, and for years to come!!

i don't know that they value coverage more than tackling from the LBs. i think they want both, our LBs have always been good tacklers. i think they may value coverage guys over guys that are going to be able to mix it up with o-linemen. also, it is well known that they want cbs that can cover both the run and pass and have passed on guys who were good coverage cbs but lacked run coverage skills. i get what you are saying though. and on average i think having a faster defense all around will pay dividends. as long as they swarm and are in position to make plays they will be effective. speed kills in the nfl.

I know what I'm looking for at the Combine in terms of measurables.

6’2”
240lbs
4.63 – Forty
4.20 – Shuttle
7.10 – Cone Drill
34” – Vertical
9’ 9” – Long Jump


Of course it's always nice to see production in college where the guy can play coverage and still be able to wrap up and drive a RB into the turf.

Smaller than average, but fast linebackers with coverage skills. A dominant pass rushers.A couple of DT's who can move a little(Manchild and yes TJ). Questions in the secondary. Dos anybody else think it's a possibility that we could be running a lot more Tampa style Cover 2 this year as opposed to our usual man schemes?

For the record I do like Okam, and he is athletic for it's size, but I still think TJ starts. I thought he had a damn good year last year. Okam will get plenty of reps IMO, and if the Texans are smart and they rotate the lineman to keep them fresh then TJ and Okam will both be able to play at a higher level.

All this talk about LB's who can cover and have some speed just got me thinking. TJ, Okoye, and Mario are all guys who are can penetrate as opposed to being more of the hold the line 2-gap style lineman (although Mario can do it all). Nothing the coaching staff has said has indicated that we will shift more to a Tampa 2 style defense this season. They brought in Reeves and said they think he fits better in our man scheme than the way he was used in Dallas. They drafted a "cover" corner in Molden. Rhodes, from what I can remember/have heard has been a man to man type of guy. Our front seven just seems to have a lot of the qualities of a Tampa 2 teams. Now if we can combine that style up front with great man to man coverage, while still being able to stop the run...we could have something very special.

No I do not think the Tampa 2 is the goal. It (the Tampa 2) is a whole defensive strategy, based around the concepts your trying to highlight.

I want to point out that all 2 Deep Safety Zone coverages are not the Tampa 2, but the Tampa 2 is a 2 Deep Zone coverage. None of our current coaching staff has a background in the Tampa defense, Ray Rhodes is from the old school bend but don't break zone coverage era, that is his back ground. He will be able to help our guys, coaches and players, in zone coverage. He is being brought in as an assistant position coach, not the DC, so his input should be felt but not a huge change.

Back to our defensive plan, which I admit I have no privy to, but I see us more the press coverage, now being more athletic at the corner. A 2 deep zone, with man under is probably a good guess.

Our trouble has been injuries creating lack of experience and therefore issues in disguising the coverage pre-snap. We should be better at that this year. And I am thinking the safety play will be an improved area of the team, at least both starters do not go down at the same time.

PK-I don't think the Tampa 2 is the goal either...and I'm aware that not all cover two zone coverages are a Tampa 2. I just feel like our front 7 has some of the same characteristics personnel wise as some of the Tampa 2 teams. One area where we are different is at corner....at least in terms of what we are looking for. Man to Man cover guys more along the line of a shutdown corner. Many Tampa 2 teams don't place as much emphasis on the "lockdown" corner...one of the reasons that scheme became so popular is because the corner position is hard, and expensive, to fill with the lockdown type guys. The Tampa 2 teams go after the guys a little less highly thought of, and have them jam at the line and then get into their zone.

From what the coaches have said, and what I have seen, we do want our corners to play lots of tight man coverage. Last year I thought we played a lot more zone coverage later in the year. I don't really think that is indicative of a change in philosophy. Like you mentioned with all the injuries I think that was done to protect certain personnel in our secondary, and not necessarily a good example of our defensive philosophy.

i think it's pretty evident that they hold coverage above tackling. of course tackling is a part of a LB's job, what with running plays still being used :rolleyes:, but the only LB we have who has tackling to match his coverage is demeco. greenwood is ok in coverage, but certainly isn't thought of as a run-stopping tackler. danny clark couldn't cover but could hit twice a year. i'm all for diles and adibi but a little proof would be nice, and since they haven't had their chance yet i'll bite my tongue on them.

to me it looks like they are trying to open up the safeties by giving a little more attention to run-stopping at the corners and more attention to coverage for LBs...giving the safeties (a.k.a. definitely the least talented of any group on our team) less responsibilities in the overall game. my opinions though

I think once Frank Okam gets the light turned on, maybe like Mario did last year, he will be a force to contend with, and we will realize we made a helluva choice.