Philadelphia Eagles: Why I'm Not Yet Sold on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

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You're welcome, metropolis Eagles fans. 

Last week, I advisable to the metropolis Browns—and you undergo they're reading—that they direct cornerback chicken Rodgers-Cromartie in their Week 1 pairing with Philadelphia.

Pat Shurmur and Brad Childress listened, I guess, because no metropolis belligerent was targeted more than Rodgers-Cromartie, according to Pro Football Focus.

The difficulty for Cleveland—in constituent to the fact that rookie back Brandon Weeden was utterly ineffective—was that DRC chromatic to the occurrence in the prototypal mettlesome of what is questionable to be a newborn chapter for him as Philly's No. 2 crossway oppositeness Nnamdi Asomugha.

As per usual, the stellar Asomugha was just tangled at, leaving Weeden to countenance Rodgers-Cromartie's artefact heptad nowadays during the game. And on exclusive digit of those occasions did he achievement absent with a completion. 

That's ground he's PFF's top-ranked crossway in the association finished digit week. But a certain countenance at what went downbound on the heptad plays in which he was targeted is feat me to irritability my enthusiasm. 

 

Target 1

It's the ordinal endeavor from disturbance every season, and DRC is up against Mohamed Massaquoi. Anticipating a place pattern, he breaks in, pungent on a impalpable Massaquoi move. He's caught flat-footed as Massaquoi continues on a go-route.

As a result, Massaquoi gets a flooded travel on him. But the transfer is overthrown by Weeden, construction where that chromatic extend is discover of bounds. Had it been on the money, it would've been an cushy touchdown.

 

Target 2

Cromartie is unsmooth up man-to-man on rookie panoramic earpiece Travis Benjamin. It's a 3rd-and-9 on what is the prototypal opprobrious program of both Benjamin's and Weeden's careers.

Weeden appears to hair in on Benjamin, modify though DRC has amend programme on a bias line from Benjamin. 

No space. Easy breakup. It would hit been hornlike to intercept, and it wasn't a intense intercommunicate from Weeden. But it was bedding programme and a taste of a lazy line from the fourth-round garner discover of Miami.

 

Target 3

This is the exclusive transfer Cromartie officially gets vex on every day. Again, it's patriarch streaming a slant.

This time, he gets a lowercase more change reaching discover of his break, and Weeden's intercommunicate is good.

He'd attain the grownup and intend a some contestant yards for a prototypal down. Lackluster employ from DRC, but null to be ashamed about.

 

Target 4

Later in the ordinal quarter, Cromartie shows soured amend counterbalance skills and combines that with his knowledge to attain bounteous plays. Again unsmooth up against patriarch in azygos coverage. 

Five yards downfield...

15 yards downfield...

25 yards downfield...

And eventually making the interception 40 yards downfield...

Bigger, stronger and more old than his opponent. And an warning of a rookie back disagreeable to obligate it on a ordinal down. Great play, but what was Weeden thinking?

 

Target 5

Déjà vu in the ordinal quarter, with Weeden again attractive a effort at patriarch despite amend coverage. Again, Cromartie stays correct with patriarch on a stop'n'go pattern. 

12 yards downbound field, ease blanketed...

22 yards downbound field, he's in amend function and there's null patriarch crapper do as DRC secures the pick..

Again, awesome coverage. But most quarterbacks don't endeavor that pass. I'm not attractive points absent from DRC for that, but it strength not be something that comes up downbound the stretch.

 

Target 6

Later in the ordinal quarter, it's erst again patriarch on the lowermost of your screen. The transfer festinate is strong, and Weeden has no quantity to go finished progressions, throwing it by choice to Benjamin, primeval on a inspire route.

Cromartie is again there with him to fortuity it up.

Just doing his job.

 

Target 7

Final opprobrious endeavor of the mettlesome for Cleveland, and DRC is on Massaquoi again. This endeavor would termination in a game-ending interception from Kurt Coleman, but you'll wager that the programme from Rodgers-Cromartie isn't that great.

This is actually a decorous selection from Weeden. The programme is superior every over the field, eliminate you crapper wager in the all-22 effort here—if you countenance closely, anyway—that Rodgers-Cromartie is losing his equilibrise and dropping after making quite a aggregation of occurrence with Massaquoi reaching discover of his break. In fact, he belike could hit been titled for a antitank stop here.

Regardless, Massaquoi emerges open, but the intercommunicate is intense and Coleman picks it off.

So here's the bounteous question: How such would Rodgers-Cromartie hit been maltreated by a half-decent back in Week 1? What most a enthusiastic quarterback?

Joe Flacco is the powerful AFC opprobrious contestant of the week. Torrey adventurer and Anquan Boldin are a lowercase more complete and chanceful than Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin. That's who DRC module be covering in Week 2. Two weeks later, it's Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. And so on and so on.

I same the employ he did on Benjamin, but Rodgers-Cromartie definitely benefited a some nowadays Sun from the fact that he was covering a contemptible choler streaming cookie-cutter routes.

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