Springs or smoot?

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by jbcjr14

If we don't get a pass rush from the Dline and LB's blitzing, this question becomes irrelevant and they both get trashed often.

God, please send us a pass rush!

Very true. There's going to be tremendous pressure on both Springs and Smoot to blanket their assignments, as the inevitable use of heavy blitzing will frequently leave them on an island. In addition to the LBs being very involved in the blitzing, both Taylor and Bowen will be thrown in the mix pretty regularly as well.

But I expect Gregg Williams to be very creative in his use of the safeties, and when the matchups dictate it, Taylor could be used one-on-one against some of the bigger wideouts and tight ends. This would free-up Bowen to blitz or assist Smoot/Springs with their assignments.

One thing that should help is the depth the team has acquired for nickel/dime packages with Walt Harris and Ralph Brown. Combined with Bauman, these guys should be able to keep opponents' 3rd and 4th receivers pretty quiet, which is always a concern when the safeties are frequently blitzing.