UL Looking Nice At the Safety Pos
Preview 2004
Ragin' Cajun Inside Scoop & Analysis
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2004 UL Lafayette Preview | Offense Breakdown and Analysis | Defense Breakdown and Analysis
By John Harris
The Safety Dance – The evolution of the safety position in college football over the last thirty years has been downright remarkable.
Safeties of the late sixties and seventies (outside of Jack Tatum) were guys that patrolled center field and kept everything in front of them, rarely getting involved in stopping the run unless they were forced to stop a long run. The late seventies saw guys like Kenny Easley and Ronnie Lott start to change the safety position in front of our very eyes, as they combined a thorough knowledge of the game with the desire to decapitate opposing ball carriers. That dichotomous approach altered the way the position was played and perceived.
Consequently, the eighties and nineties saw more and more guys with size at the safety position (guys like Ken Swilling, Patrick Bates, Stanley Richard and Eric Turner), perhaps an off-shoot of the increased use of press man coverage, allowing safeties to be intimidation marvels. But, at the close of the decade and on into this one, the advent of cover two and multiple schemed defenses brought about a more well-rounded player, one who could not only knock your block off, but could be a blitz maven as well as a cover guy with an unnerving cerebral approach to the game.
Guys like Sean Taylor and Roy Williams have become prototypes for modern day defenses, making the safety position the most important on the field. Luckily for the Ragin’ Cajuns, they have two of the conference’s best safeties on their side: strong safety C.C. Brown and free safety David Prater. The two of them combined for 135 tackles and were 1 and 2 on the team in tackles in 2003 (Prater with 68 and Brown with 67).
But, on a team that must replace the core of its defensive line, these two become the backbone for a defense that had more than its share of ups and downs last year and they are the key to the season for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Brown is a tremendous specimen at strong safety – 6’2” 210 pounds, long, wiry and willing and able to decapitate you on call. His speed and physical nature make him the X factor on this defense.
Now that the Ragin’ Cajuns are going to a more traditional 4-3 this season, Brown is going to have a number of roles, moving from rover to strong safety (although the ‘position’ change doesn’t change much for Brown, as rover and strong safety are nearly synonymous). One, he’s going to be a factor on the blitz. Two, he’s going to be involved in every coverage, from cover zero (pure man) to cover four (quarters coverage). But, most importantly, three, he’s going to be the key to stopping the run. With a defensive line that is severely depleted from last year, Brown is going to be the ‘eighth’ guy in the box, regularly lurking within three yards of the line of scrimmage, making the offense account for him on every play.
In so doing, the defensive line and linebackers don’t get doubled as much because Brown is drawing a tight end or a lead blocking fullback. With guys like DeWhitt Betterson and Patrick Cobbs returning within the conference and some other cat named Sproles on the schedule, it’s imperative that the Ragin’ Cajuns improve on the 215 yards per game they gave up last year against the run, making Brown that much more valuable in 2004.
Prater is moving back to free safety and may not have as prominent a role in the run defense as he did last year (or so defensive coordinator Brent Pry hopes); however, with every corner that played significant minutes back, Prater can play a bit more robber coverage in the intermediate middle of the field as well as being a quick-to-react alley player, due to the corners’ ability to man up on the outside receivers.
In so doing, he’s freed up to think run first, if needed, especially against the aforementioned group of running backs. Having two physical, smart football players in the middle at the safety positions is no longer a desire as much as it has become a necessity. The Ragin’ Cajuns can now build around those two cornerstones – Brown and Prater.
Conclusion: Perhaps the one thing that sticks out about a Ricky Bustle coached team is determination. After losing to formerly winless rival Louisiana Monroe 45-42 at home, the Ragin’ Cajuns sat at 0 and 7. Done deal, right? Pack it in? Home for winter? Not only did they not pack it in, they won four out of the last five games, including four Sun Belt Conference wins, including a four-overtime thriller over Middle Tennessee in the final game of the season. Bustle’s crew showed the heart and guile that are indicative of their head ball coach. As mentioned above, the defense has to become more consistent and stop the run, but the offense, led by versatile dual-threat QB Jerry Babb, has a chance to be balanced and good. Babb is a solid running threat, as predicated in Bustle’s offense, but he’s got to get better production from the running back position, whether one guy emerges or a committee of runners takes over. They might be one year away from winning the league, however, the days of 0 and 7 should be long gone.
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