Why Lovie Would Never Have Drafted Dre Kirkpatrick......
Dre Kirkpatrick: 'I never backpedaled' at Alabama
By Marc Sessler
Writer
Published: June 16, 2012 at 03:07 p.m.
Updated: June 16, 2012 at 03:22 p.m.
Rookie cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick isn't being asked to start right away for the Cincinnati Bengals. That might be a good thing. The team's first-round pick excelled at Alabama, but entered the pros missing one important on-field skill.
Kirkpatrick played a lot of press man coverage in a Cover 2 scheme under Nick Saban. He said he wasn't asked to sit back and read receivers on their routes. All of this has made his first offseason in Cincinnati an adventure.
"It didn't look pretty," Kirkpatrick said of his first three days of practice with the team. Coach Marvin Lewis and his defensive staff are impressed with Kirkpatrick's development, but he won't be rushed into action. The Bengals are knee-deep in defensive backs. Leon Hall and Nate Clements should be ready for training camp after dealing with injuries this spring. Terence Newman and rookie Brandon Ghee are in the fold. And don't forget about Pacman Jones.
It's not unusual for rookies to hit the pros with holes in their games. The team would rather coach Kirkpatrick in its scheme than shake out bad habits. It's been a long time since we've been able to say this -- because the Bengals are finally deep -- but the rookies on this team aren't being asked to save the day.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Kind of funny these things that aren't mentioned prior to the draft as being potential problems which delay the development of some rookies. Kinda like drafting a guy to play LB who can't cover or as a DE when he never played out of a three point stance.
We do use some press coverage but the majority of the time the Bears CB's are asked to play their zones facing the QB not with their back to him. That was what Zack Bowman struggled with. He played man coverage in college and never could get used to playing in a zone. He got lost in coverage and was beaten too often. Kind of surprising when he had all those picks one year but he just couldn't adjust.
Seems like drafting Kirkpatrick would have presented us with the same challenge and the same risk. Besides where the Bengals have sufficient depth at CB to wait for him to develop that skills the Bears didn't.
I just thought this was an interesting post draft fact that was overlooked before the draft by those of us who'd never scouted him and would be unaware. I noticed that he played press coverage in the BCSC Game but never knew he had no experience backpedaling into his zone.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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