02-04-2017, 06:53 PM
(02-04-2017, 05:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: He finished '17 ranked 6th in the league among CBs in yards per target (4.9).
Not saying he is an elite shut down corner, but he is among the better CBs in the league. Check out his numbers compared to First Team All Pro Aqib Talib
Dre - 4.9 yards per pass, 1.4 YAC, 68 targets, 10 passes defended, 3 INT, 35 tackles, 11 tackle assists, 46 total tackles
Talib - 4.3 yards per pass, 1.4 YAC, 58 targets, 12 passes defended, 3 INT, 32 tackles, 11 tackle assists, 43 total tackles
Kirkpatrick is one of those players who has usually been grossly underrated by many Bengal fans.
Good stuff, Fred. That said, DreKirk wasn't performing quite at this level until 2016. I'd say he was solid in 2015 and disappointing prior to that. I defended him last year from guys saying he sucked, but I wasn't totally confident in him long term. I'd say he won me over with his '16 performance, but I can also understand why some are still a bit skeptical.
That goes for FA as well. I would think teams would look at his full body of work. It's tough to justify elite money on one season of evidence that he "might" be a top notch CB. I'm hoping that makes him more affordable to bring back. I'd compare it to Andre Smith's first foray into FA. A good season or two that followed some disappointment and injuries. We wound up getting a bargain due to lack of interest from other teams.
Good point on the saturation of CBs available. That may drive down price as well.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
