Vasher Extension

Along the same lines as Tank, haven't posted any links to this. My gut reaction: mixed feelings.

Statistically, Vasher is awesome. He had 10 picks in 2005. Ran back a missed FG for 108 yards & a TD. Made alot of highlihgt reels. But having great hands is a nice ocmplementary skill for a DB, not a necessity. And his INTs dropped off considerably in 2006. And we have a much better playmaker in the return role these days.

I look at it this way. In our Defensive scheme, you want two cover-2 type corners, who are great covering short routes, great against the run, and can hold their own on middle routes, and 1 nickel back, who is more the small, fast, playmaking type guy.

We have one of the top nickel guys in the game, in RMJ. He got a long term deal, that job is his as long as he is healthy (and he should be kept there, where he excels, not mvoed to an outside corner position).

So with that locked up, we look to the two cover-2 types. Right now, we have Vasher and Tillman, who are a pretty good pair. And conventional wisdom says we can only keep 1 long term, since paying 3 corners big money isn't really expected (although if we let Briggs walk, who knows). So if I have to pick between Vash & Tillman, for this system, I pick Tillman. He is bigger & stronger, plays much tougher in the short passing game, and is much tougher against the run. He can also match up with a big receiver (think how he always dominated Randy Moss, or how he shut down Plaxico Burress in a must-win game in 06). His skills fit the bill for what we need in this defense, better than anyone else on our roster.

So ideally, we'll keep them both. But if conventional wisdon prevails, and we only keep 1, I think Vasher was the wrong guy.