Holland: Elite, very good, good, average

[utahphinsfan]

To me there is no debate. Year one he was used properly and mostly healthy. Year two we had a mash unit on defense so he was forced to play free safety a lot and could not emulate year one's Swiss army knife of the defense play due to needing to cover for other players. Year three, new DC and he was injured a bit.

However, I know there is a large group on here that would have trashed Marino in his '85 and '86 years....

Lemmings are weird.

 

[daryl]

“Elite” has First Team All-Pro and potential Hall of Fame connotations. It was easier to label safeties as “elite” in the black and blue football era. Rangy headhunters like Lott, Atwater, Tatum, Easley shut down primitive passing games. Then Polamalu, Reed, and Lynch, were around as the NFL was getting more pass oriented, and still struck fear into offenses not orchestrated by Brady and Manning. I don’t know how you define a great safety today. Versatility and mastery of the scheme I guess, because QB’s throw a fraction of the picks they used to, and you can’t ear-hole anyone coming across the middle. So put Holland in the “good” category so long as he’s not routinely in highlight videos with wide-outs catching bombs five yards behind him, or being trucked or juked at the first down marker by Mahomes and Allen.

 

[Mello Yello]

“Elite” has First Team All-Pro and potential Hall of Fame connotations. It was easier to label safeties as “elite” in the black and blue football era. Rangy headhunters like Lott, Atwater, Tatum, Easley shut down primitive passing games. Then Polamalu, Reed, and Lynch, were around as the NFL was getting more pass oriented, and still struck fear into offenses not orchestrated by Brady and Manning. I don’t know how you define a great safety today. Versatility and mastery of the scheme I guess, because QB’s throw a fraction of the picks they used to, and you can’t ear-hole anyone coming across the middle. So put Holland in the “good” category so long as he’s not routinely in highlight videos with wide-outs catching bombs five yards behind him, or being trucked or juked at the first down marker by Mahomes and Allen.

The S position definitely has RB vibes. It's a position with dying value. If you're a player, you would much prefer to play a more lucrative position with the game relying more directly on your abilities.

As a position, S doesn't require the elite athleticism of a boundary corner nor does it routinely put the player on an island. It also doesn't tend to be the "heart" of the defense that MLB does getting the calls and attacking with the front defenders either shutting down the run or pressuring the pocket.