Our TE's - Eifert, Kroft, Uzomah

[BFritz21]

(07-21-2015, 07:07 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Why is it impossible for a safety playing in the box to drop into coverage, but a LB can do it?

If it was as simple as you suggest then every team in the league would run this play constantly and score 100 points a game.

Safeties can cover TEs.  They do it all the time.

It's not impossible, but they'd have the same struggles that a backer would, playing on the hip of the tight end and pretty much screwed because the tight end can break either way or just shield off the defender.  Yes, some defenders can make plays to bat passes if they're just shielding, but it's difficult.  Not to mention that the safety would likely be running off the tight end's back hip and that's very difficult to cover receivers that can run good routes.  A safety would have to cover four directions without knowing which way a tight end will go.

Every team doesn't do it because, as I said, most teams don't have one receiving tight end of the caliber that we do, much-less two, nor do they have a receiver as good as AJ, or a running back keeping the defenses honest.  Most teams have troubles finding one safety that is good at covering receiving tight ends, which is why they're so valuable, and to find a team with two safeties that can cover a receiving tight end is very rare.

I don't think you realize how fast things happen in the NFL.  A defender has a split-second to decide if he's going to cover his man or commit to the run, and then he has to get to his man and try and run with him when he doesn't know where he's going.  Our tight ends don't fire off the ball when the ball is snapped. then stop, look at the safety and linebackers and say "do you need another few seconds to decide on whether or not to cover me?"