Is Eli Apple The Starting CB?

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(04-10-2022, 09:10 PM)basballguy Wrote: Grossly overrating how bad he was?  He was so bad the Giants traded him barely half way through his rookie contract.  He was so bad the Saints wanted nothing to do with him when his contract expired.  He was so bad the Panthers didn't even want to keep him on the roster in 2020 and cut him early.  Quote all the stats you want, but if he was good he wouldn't be on his 4th team in 6 or 7 years.  

Tyrann Mathieu is also about to be on his 4th team in 6 or 7 years. It is not unusual for guys to bounce around until they find the right schematic fit. Rasul Douglas for example just got a long term extension with the Packers after a great year. The guy was a spot starter for injuries in Philadelphia and Carolina for 5 years before landing in GB and being forced into a starting role yet again by injuries but being really good during that stint.

Quote:Nobody wants to talk about the TD Eli gave up before he made that game saving tackle vs the Chiefs. The entire team is in man coverage and Apple is 5 yards deep in the endzone while his man is in motion 10 yards away from him.  Never even had a chance to make a play because he was so far behind him.  Moments like that make me think "WTF Eli?"   

As Goose explains above, it was simply a case of the speed of Hardman and defense we were in. When you are in man and a WR motions you are supposed to take an over path as you never cross in front of other defenders otherwise you create a pick play for the defense. Usually outside the deep redzone it isn't an issue, but in the deep redzone it is tough because the cushion that is generated by the motion is usually enough to get what you need. There is a reason motion goes up in the redzone, it is also why you see what are called speed returns where a guy motions then motions immediately back across the formation (See OSU vs Bama a couple years ago). In that situation the offense always has the advantage if they have caught you in man and defending it is a plus play by the defense while not defending it is the expected outcome.