Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith
Stephanie has a new post on her convo with a Football Outsiders writer, and the writer is not very complimentary of Dunta Robinson.
http://blogs.chron.com/texanschick/2...ootball_o.html
More insight there on Jacques Reeves and Fred Bennett, too. Interesting stuff since stats are only part of the picture when it comes to evaluating cornerbacks.
I don't think anyone debates that Robinson was rusty coming back from injury last year. The debate is just how much better he will be in 2009 and beyond. |
Here's some more numbers from FO, for the corners talked about, for additional context:
Dunta Robinson
2005:
Pass Success Rate: 52% (41st in the league)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 7.7 (52nd)
2006:
Pass Success Rate: 55% (20th)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 7.0 (30th)
2007:
Pass Success Rate: 57% (9th)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 7.7 (51st)
2008:
Pass Success Rate: 44% (69th)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 8.9 (78th)
Jacque Reeves
2007 (First year with enough playing time to qualify):
Pass Success Rate: 47% (53rd)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 8.1 (56th)
2008:
Pass Success Rate: 54% (28th)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 8.0 (57th)
Fred Bennett
2007:
Pass Success Rate: 61% (2nd in the NFL)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 4.4 (1st)
2008:
Pass Success Rate: 46% (58th)
Adjusted Passing Yards/Attempt: 7.9 (52nd)
Here's what Ned Macey wrote about the Texans secondary in the 2009 Football Outsiders Almanac:
"Both of Houston’s corners are question marks: one due to health, the other to inconsistency. For the second
consecutive season, franchise cornerback Dunta Robinson missed extensive time due to injuries. Robinson was
never physically right all year, and his performance suffered as a result. Still, Robinson has exceptional cover
skills and a track record of success. If he is fully healthy, he provides the Texans with an outstanding top cornerback.
After 2007, we felt that the Texans would have an outstanding cornerback duo because rookie Fred Bennett
dominated our charting statistics. By his second year, however, it was clear that teams had studied film and
figured out what kind of receivers and routes they could use to attack Bennett. As a result, Bennett was terrible
early on, and Gary Kubiak demoted him to nickelback after just three weeks, although Bennett did improve after
that. The one cornerback who started all 16 games — and is likely to be starting alongside Robinson in 2009
— was free-agent pickup Jacques Reeves, a league-average player who is reasonable on short stuff but gives
up too many big plays deep. The Texans increased their depth at the draft by using a fourth-round pick on New
Mexico’s Glover Quin, a physical corner who could excel in the slot, although some project him to eventually
be a safety. They also added undersized but speedy cornerback Brice McCain out of Utah in the sixth round.
At safety, the Texans have made good use of former New England cornerback Eugene Wilson. Wilson plays it
safe at times, but he is fundamentally sound in coverage. Nick Ferguson, on the other hand, was an unmitigated
disaster, average as a run defender but consistently abused in coverage. The Texans failed to find an impact upgrade
this offseason and will probably go with 2007 fifth-rounder Brandon Harrison as this year’s starter. He’s
better in coverage but could not beat out Ferguson last season. The other possibilities including moving Quin to
safety this season or hoping that seventh-round pick Troy Nolan out of Arizona State is ready to contribute as a
rookie. The Quin move is obviously more intriguing, and if he shifts to safety in training camp, it is clear that
the Texans realize they have a problem."
(since I'm quoting a large chunk of text, I feel obligated to put in a quick plug: the FO Almanac is available in PDF form on the Football Outsiders website for $12. I'm on page 185 of 558 so far: tis interesting stuff, as always)