What are the primary jobs of Bears SS & FS?

[emperorjones]

In this Bears Defense, what are the SS & FS main responsibilities. How does Mike Brown look at FS and thus far do you guys think we are better at safety than midway through last season with Manning & Brown?


Also, here is a nice article on Archuleta from ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp07/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=2982520

[treyZz]

My only concern is how Mike Brown will be in coverage.

He has had some serious injuries the last couple years I think teams will try to test him early in the year.

But with that said he has incredible football instincts & a very high football IQ I think he will do fine.

There's really no doubt are secondary is better with Archuleta + Brown playing side by side. Archuleta is a great blitzer, not a good blitzer, a great blitzer. Our DL tends to be inconsistent at times and it will be nice to see Archuleta step up to the line and get to the QB with his blitzing ability.

Mike Brown way too many times the last couple of years has been stuffed when trying to blitz. It's going to be really hard to run against Urlacher, Briggs, Archuleta, Mike Brown, and the DL.

[seeso]

From what I understand, the two safety positions are very similar in the Bears' defense. When they're in the Cover 2, the safeties split the deep part of the field in half, with each safety being responsible for his half of the field.

I'm not at all worried about Mike Brown at the free safety spot. He played that spot for like the first 5 years of his pro career. If he stays healthy he'll perform at a pro-bowl level.

[tclg]

I think our secondary will be very good with brown moving to FS their isnt much difference really

[ChronicKerr]

the main difference is that the SS will be the main run stopper playing closer to the line. In the Cover 2 they will split the deep part of the field. Archuleta isn't the best coverage guy by any means but he is a hard hitter who is going to be used to help blitz and stop the run. The secondary has gotten a little slower with archuleta out there now but we still have D. Manning to insert in there whenever we need him

[emperorjones]

the main difference is that the SS will be the main run stopper playing closer to the line. In the Cover 2 they will split the deep part of the field. Archuleta isn't the best coverage guy by any means but he is a hard hitter who is going to be used to help blitz and stop the run. The secondary has gotten a little slower with archuleta out there now but we still have D. Manning to insert in there whenever we need him

So that would mean Archuleta would play opposite of wherever the speed guy lined up and closer to the line? Or is that way to simple. Does Madden football do a good job of illustrating this (I hate the cover 2 in Madden)

[NoSkyy]

Just like everyone said, Cover 2 has both safeties deep(about 8 yards off the los, or at least that's how my scholl plays it) and the corners are man to man. I know in many other defenses(Cover 3(which my school runs0 Cover 1) the FS is the safety that is also back and can roam free. He's has better coverage instincts and the SS can be treated more like a linebacker in different defenses.

[ChronicKerr]

the corners are only man to man so far down field until they turn zone and the safeties are responsible for the wideouts.

[ChronicKerr]

in fact there really is no man to man at all. The base Cover 2 is a zone defense where every defender is responsible for an area of the field and not a specific man. The field is divided into five underneath zones and two deep zones. The two corners and three linebackers. In Cover 2, it is obvious that the safeties have a tremendous burden and a lot of field to cover. They must get help from the underneath coverage to keep receivers from outnumbering them in the deep zones. There are two critical techniques that can help the safeties. First, the corners must collide with the receivers and flatten out their routes to keep them from running outside freely, which would stretch the safeties. If the wide receivers release unmolested, it is almost impossible for the safeties to get enough width quickly enough to defend the deep pass. The corners are responsible for their outside fifths, which is a shallow area, but they must sink with the receiver until another receiver threatens their zone.

[treyZz]

Great play by Archuleta on the first defensive play.

[Ayt]

in fact there really is no man to man at all. The base Cover 2 is a zone defense where every defender is responsible for an area of the field and not a specific man. The field is divided into five underneath zones and two deep zones. The two corners and three linebackers. In Cover 2, it is obvious that the safeties have a tremendous burden and a lot of field to cover. They must get help from the underneath coverage to keep receivers from outnumbering them in the deep zones. There are two critical techniques that can help the safeties. First, the corners must collide with the receivers and flatten out their routes to keep them from running outside freely, which would stretch the safeties. If the wide receivers release unmolested, it is almost impossible for the safeties to get enough width quickly enough to defend the deep pass. The corners are responsible for their outside fifths, which is a shallow area, but they must sink with the receiver until another receiver threatens their zone.

Excellent post.

Archuleta and Brown are good fits because of their intelligence, not their speed. The safeties (as illustrated above) have a lot of responsibility and a lot of thinking on the fly.

[HINrichPolice]

I'm a relatively new NFL fan in terms of consistently watching from week to week. I used to be the type of Bears fan that only caught the games when I happened to be home. Now I look forward to each and every game.

As a result, I've also been a Madden player for the first time in my life. Reading posts about the Cover 2 and how the responsibilities of the safeties and corners are defined is really interesting and educational for me, especially because I see how it plays out in a video game.

I have nothing to add other than thanks for the posts. Keep'm coming.