Good Article on Importance of Fit

Harry

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Often times the system makes the player. It’s the old horse for the course theory. Vance Joseph likes to play a significant amount of zone pass defense. Through the years there have been some CBs who were far more effective in that mode. Josh Jackson may well fit that description as this article points out. I went back to my scouting notes. His final season he had an incredible 27 passes defended. That’s off the charts. He has great arm length and displayed outstanding ballhawk skills. He intercepted 3 passes against OSU and had 2 pick sixes against Wisconsin. He was viewed as a potential day one starter in the right system. Unfortunately for him he never played in that system. He has only modest speed and his hips are a little stiff so good receivers can separate from him at their break. In zone, however, he shows great awareness and his long arms allowed him to forge a completion rate of only about 40%. He was especially effective in the red zone when the field condensed.

 

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Not much hope for this one. It is true he's more suited to zone which he played at Iowa, but I think it more likely he just had a fluke season at Iowa and was way over drafted.

Maybe reasonable back end depth.
 

Jetstream Green

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Not much hope for this one. It is true he's more suited to zone which he played at Iowa, but I think it more likely he just had a fluke season at Iowa and was way over drafted.

Maybe reasonable back end depth.
What did he do when he excelled at Iowa which tells you he was a fluke? Just curious about technique, instincts... elaborate
 

BritCard

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What did he do when he excelled at Iowa which tells you he was a fluke? Just curious about technique, instincts... elaborate

Nothing in particular. Just that in the 2 season before that he did very little. Then he had this one explosive season and declared. Then back to 4 years of doing nothing again.

I'm a big believer in scheme fit but 1 good season out of 7 doesn't suggest that's all it is.

Maybe he can be a good role player. Maybe in the RZ for example where he can sit off and use his length and doesn't have to worry about getting burned.
 

Jetstream Green

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Nothing in particular. Just that in the 2 season before that he did very little. Then he had this one explosive season and declared. Then back to 4 years of doing nothing again.

I'm a big believer in scheme fit but 1 good season out of 7 doesn't suggest that's all it is.

Maybe he can be a good role player. Maybe in the RZ for example where he can sit off and use his length and doesn't have to worry about getting burned.
That is not a adequate observation when you claim a guy was a fluke, dispensing everything which made him exceptional at that span of production. Maybe as you stated it was then his speed at the pro level, but then that does not make what he achieved that season in college a fluke
 
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Harry

Harry

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What did he do when he excelled at Iowa which tells you he was a fluke? Just curious about technique, instincts... elaborate
It’s all about scheme. Iowa played zone almost exclusively. while he’s not likely to be Sherman, the Pack certainly didn’t use him to focus on his strengths. playing great zone requires awareness and near instantaneous response. I complained last year that the Cards’ zone was to static. The CBs simply didn’t react promptly enough to prevent receptions. They seemed more focused on tackling than reception prevention. Jackson exhibited a superior understanding of positioning and shifting quickly if a zone got flooded. He used his length to screen out receivers from throws, especially near the goal line. He had the knack of dropping deep enough to prevent tosses from being lobbed over him, but close enough to the line of scrimmage to prevent significant runs. He also exhibited great hands and was effective as a runner after making an interception. He was especially good at anticipating routes and reading the QB. I would agree it‘s weird that season seemed to be such an outlier, but you don’t forget skills. He has ability if the Cards can find a system to unlock those talents. I do disagree he was taken too early. The consensus was he was a second round talent and some had him late in the first. Except for middle of the road flat speed, he had an outstanding combine. A few did see him as a safety and he may see some time in that role. He is a fine athlete and a good DC should find a way to get productivity from him. This is a good signing.
 

cardpa

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That is not a adequate observation when you claim a guy was a fluke, dispensing everything which made him exceptional at that span of production. Maybe as you stated it was then his speed at the pro level, but then that does not make what he achieved that season in college a fluke
I don't know maybe instead of calling it a fluke you could call it his career year. A one year wonder. In either case you expect a bit more from a player chosen as the 45th player in the NFL draft. His stock has decreased over his NFL career. When you get traded for a player (Isaac Yiadem) who is having a similar pro career compared to you and then get released from the team you were traded to mid season with zero playing time, then get signed to another team's practice squad and then get released again right after the season ends it doesn't bode well or instill any confidence that Jackson is suddenly going to flourish in AZ. By the way the Packers were right behind the Cardinals in percent of time in zone coverage in 2021.
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