It’s a new year, and time for some new strategies. For the Eagles, their 2009 regular season is coming to a close this weekend with a rivalry showdown with the Cowboys, but after that and what hopefully will be a long playoff run that is capped off with a Super Bowl victory, there will obviously be some things in need of a tune-up. In this brief, beginning-of-the-year article, I explain why making a switch in the Safety positions, so to speak, is the right move to make in order to help solidify the secondary for the Eagles’ 2010 season. And while there might be more interest in focusing on the game this Sunday, we will have that covered a-plenty, for there is an in-depth game preview and much more on the way. For now, though, consider why making a move at the back end of the defensive backfield is the right thing to do to improve the Birds’ secondary in this new year and season of 2010 that lies far ahead but close enough to discuss:

When Quintin Mikell (pictured), the current starter at the Strong Safety position, began his career with the Eagles in 2003 as a rookie free agent signing, his natural position was Free Safety. And although he primarily played on special teams in his first few seasons, he saw most of his reserve repetitions on defense at the FS position in place of the legendary Brian Dawkins who has since moved on to play for the Denver Broncos. In fact, prior to Mikell’s transition to SS, he played notably in the Eagles’ Super Bowl game in 2004 as a backup to Dawkins at the Free Safety spot and was known as the potential successor of Dawkins at the spot. But when struggles mounted at the other Safety spot amidst the likes of Michael Lewis and Sean Considine, Mikell was awarded a chance to start there.

And since he’s taken the starting job at Strong Safety, he has not looked back. With the departure of Dawkins in this past offseason, the Free Safety position was left open for taking by young players Quintin Demps and Macho Harris, as well as established veteran Sean Jones, who was added in free agency after spending some solid years with the Browns. As we’ve seen, the FS spot has gone through several starters this season of 2009, and even with Jones manning the spot now, he is still substituted frequently as part of a secondary rotation.

With the Free Safety spot unclear for the future, it seems somewhat of a smart idea to move Mikell back to where he began his career as a defensive back. Here he could utilize his physicality, not exactly in the manner that Dawkins was able to do, but closer to it than what he is now. And while it may seem the Strong section of the Safety position would then be left open with the switch, Jones could easily fill that duty. Why, you ask? Well, he had most of his success in Cleveland playing as a SS, where he was able to become one of the league’s top Safeties in terms of amount of interceptions recorded.

And while this transition may take a bit getting used to, an entire offseason of practice with the swap of Safeties would certainly be enough time to perfect the change, especially when Mikell and Jones are seen lining up in different areas of the field on game days anyway.

Further evidence a change like this would only be for the better is shown in these statistical comparisons of Sean Jones’ totals over his career with both the Browns and Eagles (15 games through 2009):

Sean Jones lined up in Free Safety position: 9 game started. 57 tackles. 2 interceptions.
Sean Jones lined up in Strong Safety position: 44 games started. 263 tackles. 14 interceptions.

So, although the real focus now is the game(s) ahead and the secondary can be worried about later, take some time and ponder this idea. Do you believe a Safety switch is the right move for 2010?

(picture source)



1 Comment

i’ve always said Mikell was a better FS than SS. He’s all over the field

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