Thread: Safety Battle

So what do you guys think about the safety battle going on in camp between Sanford and Johnson?

Personally from what I saw of Sanford last year and all of the glowing reviews of what he is doing in camp, he deserves a chance to start over Johnson. Or at least rotate him in more often. Johnson has shown me no reason for him to be a starter.

I liked what i saw last year from Sanford so hoping he gets a fair crack at it. Madieu Williams has never impressed me in the time he has been here either.

Sanford has had flashes, but I don't want to just hand him the job. I'm not convinced he's better than TJ2, but lets get him some reps this year though so we can find out. Let the best man play.

I haven't seen enough of Sanford to decide.
But I have seen enough of Johnson.
Johnson was good in the playoffs. But was not very good before that.
Madieu seemed ok when Sharper was here, but was worse last year.
Safety play must improve one way or another.

Safety is an easy position to be critical of in our scheme. So I am not writing off Johnson completely, I think he had a lot to adjust to when he went from the college game to the NFL and this year we will see a much better measure of what Johnson can be counted on as a player.

Sanford is intriguing, he is really a very small linebacker playing safety. But, he gives it everything he has and is a very good fundamental tackler and I think much better prepared for NFL competition coming out of college, he should continue to push the much more highly drafted Johnson all year.

Neither Sanford or Johnson overwhelm me in coverage. If Frazier gets creative when we get all our CBs healthy and decides to try some packages with Cook replacing one of these guys in the line-up on 3rd/passing downs it wouldn't surprise me at all.

I do think it very likely that the overall play from these guys will be a marked improvement from last year.

The big question, is really if Madieu Williams returns to form at the other Safety spot. Lot's of uncertainty there.

sanford i think has everything you want from a strong safety in our system. Would like him a little taller but pound for pound a good hitter, i mean the best Tampa2 SS was John Lynch and he was know for his hitting not his coverage.

i think that there should be a competion for both spots and have sanford VS Johnson for SS
and Johnson VS willams for FS. i think johnson's skills are better suited for the FS role instead of the SS.

My ideal starting tandem would Be Johnson at FS and Sanford at SS...

that is unless Willams some how remembers who he was that got him his contract in the first place.

Cutler thowing him down is still burned in my mind.

delviking wrote:

sanford i think has everything you want from a strong safety in our system. Would like him a little taller but pound for pound a good hitter, i mean the best Tampa2 SS was John Lynch and he was know for his hitting not his coverage.

i think that there should be a competion for both spots and have sanford VS Johnson for SS
and Johnson VS willams for FS. i think johnson's skills are better suited for the FS role instead of the SS.

My ideal starting tandem would Be Johnson at FS and Sanford at SS...

that is unless Willams some how remembers who he was that got him his contract in the first place.

Cutler thowing him down is still burned in my mind.

good post all around Del. I personally wouldn't mind seeing some Sanford / Johnson lineups at least tried myself. So far Williams hasn't been pushed as much, and he definitely needs to be. As of now, Sanford has been the better safety in camp, within a couple days it'll be more clear

delviking wrote:

sanford i think has everything you want from a strong safety in our system. Would like him a little taller but pound for pound a good hitter, i mean the best Tampa2 SS was John Lynch and he was know for his hitting not his coverage.

i think that there should be a competion for both spots and have sanford VS Johnson for SS
and Johnson VS willams for FS. i think johnson's skills are better suited for the FS role instead of the SS.

My ideal starting tandem would Be Johnson at FS and Sanford at SS...

that is unless Willams some how remembers who he was that got him his contract in the first place.

Cutler thowing him down is still burned in my mind.

The game has changed since Lynch's hayday. Most notably, the tight end position. You have guys like Gates, Shiancoe, Vernon Davis, Kellen Winslow Jr, Shockey, Dustin Keller, Jermichael Finley, and others who can stretch the field vertically, wreaking total havoc on the Tampa 2. Safeties were able to intimidate guys running into the flat and over the middle before they had to worry about being beat deep by a TE.

He could hit the back coming out of the backfield, the tight end running more traditional TE Routes (short ins/outs basically,) or the wideout running the short/intermediate routes. You better believe guys would get alligator arms when they feel the footsteps of a safety with a 10-20 yard running start. Now he has to contend with a 6'4" TE running a 4.4 down the middle of the field.

Gone are the days of Todd Heap being the big receiving threat at tight end.

Think about what the 49ers have now. Ted Ginn Jr, an obvious deep threat, whether or not he can catch, he's gonna burn you. Crabtree cleaning up underneath, and Vernon Davis running a 4.38 against LBs and safeties. Put John Lynch and Dexter Jackson at safety for us against a team like that(or the Packers, Cowboys, Saints, Chargers, or Jets) and they'll fail.


I want our safeties to be blankets, not hammers.

Mr Anderson wrote:

delviking wrote:

sanford i think has everything you want from a strong safety in our system. Would like him a little taller but pound for pound a good hitter, i mean the best Tampa2 SS was John Lynch and he was know for his hitting not his coverage.

i think that there should be a competion for both spots and have sanford VS Johnson for SS
and Johnson VS willams for FS. i think johnson's skills are better suited for the FS role instead of the SS.

My ideal starting tandem would Be Johnson at FS and Sanford at SS...

that is unless Willams some how remembers who he was that got him his contract in the first place.

Cutler thowing him down is still burned in my mind.

The game has changed since Lynch's hayday. Most notably, the tight end position. You have guys like Gates, Shiancoe, Vernon Davis, Kellen Winslow Jr, Shockey, Dustin Keller, Jermichael Finley, and others who can stretch the field vertically, wreaking total havoc on the Tampa 2. Safeties were able to intimidate guys running into the flat and over the middle before they had to worry about being beat deep by a TE.

He could hit the back coming out of the backfield, the tight end running more traditional TE Routes (short ins/outs basically,) or the wideout running the short/intermediate routes. You better believe guys would get alligator arms when they feel the footsteps of a safety with a 10-20 yard running start. Now he has to contend with a 6'4" TE running a 4.4 down the middle of the field.

Gone are the days of Todd Heap being the big receiving threat at tight end.

Think about what the 49ers have now. Ted Ginn Jr, an obvious deep threat, whether or not he can catch, he's gonna burn you. Crabtree cleaning up underneath, and Vernon Davis running a 4.38 against LBs and safeties. Put John Lynch and Dexter Jackson at safety for us against a team like that(or the Packers, Cowboys, Saints, Chargers, or Jets) and they'll fail.


I want our safeties to be blankets, not hammers.

A number of very good points there....