The Cornerback Scare...
By Jake Cohn (Varg6)
8/2/06
Tye Hill was the first cornerback selected in the 2006 NFL Draft at pick number fifteen. With that being said, there are great expectations from a lot of people (Especially we Rams fans out there.)…Hill weighing one hundred eighty pounds and his height around 5-10, he doesn’t have the idealistic size of a running back, or a cornerback. But people, be not fooled, because this guy can jump, his vertical jump is 41”! I, personally have a lot of optimistic and pessimistic views on our future cornerback(s).
Although Hill lacks ideal size for his position, I expect a lot from this young man. However, I expect a lot later in his career, perhaps a year or two to truly produce and extricate all of his potential onto the field. With that in mind, this might not be possible. Jerametrius Butler and Travis Fisher worry me a lot with the amount of injuries ailing them from year after year. We don’t know if these injuries are still plaguing them still or not.
Ronald Bartell still is forming, and will eventually be a better player. But, keep in mind, he did not only play corner, he also played the free safety position. With Bartell switching between the two positions during games, who is going to fill in when he’s at free safety? I have my hopes for Bartell, but at the cornerback position, I am quite nervous with these question marks.
Fear not? I wish I could say so. We’ve acquired a new cornerback from New Orleans, via free-agency. Fakhir Brown, entering his seventh year into the NFL,
Jim Haslett sees potential and talent in Brown. But, with the stats of Brown’s career (Which aren’t the most impressive.), I really don’t see him being that great of a player for the Rams. I think the only reason he may start is the reasons posted above. The injuries once again might make this happen. But, at least his stats show that he can stay healthy.
My main concern for cornerbacks this season is basically our future prospect,
Tye Hill. He may be one of those guys who can come into the NFL and immediately become a great impact player. But, most of the time, rookies do not have that luxurious talent, at least not yet in their early careers. What I’d like to see is see our first round pick get some time to watch the speed of the game, and not immediately play as a full starter. I want to see him get some time in, especially during pre-season. I want Hill to digest the speed of the game, and become a great starter we all know he can and will most likely be.
I’d love to see the guy start and really make a name for himself, but unfortunately, this isn’t something we know will happen or not. We don’t know if he’s going to be an impact player from day one. Hopefully, all in all, everything will work out with the injuries that plagued Fisher and Butler. I’d love to see them all work out their injuries and start once again.
The cornerback situation for this season can really either be excellent or be another lurid scare. One reason, why I think overall, we will be successful is because of the new addition of
Jim Haslett. I think with a lot of the rookies on defense, it will immediately set them straight for the NFL. And for the Veteran players, this will be yet another test to prove their talent to be starters, and to prove their respect to coach Haslett. In the end, our cornerback situation could be ugly, but I think the illustriousness outweighs the ugly in this particular position.
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