The Final Countdown: Jim Leonhard
Yes, yes … we know we know … we’re getting WOEFULLY behind. But fear not! A clear calendar means that by Monday we will be back to full steam and back on track with the countdowns.
Position: Safety
Player: Jim Leonhard
Summary:
Scrappy little Jim Leonhard has been discounted every step of his playing days. Discounted in college recruitment, discounted once playing college, discounted via his draft assessment, discounted as a player in Buffalo, and discounted as an injury step-in with the Ravens last year. Will we make the same mistake everyone has made before with Leonhard? Yeah, I imagine we will.
If you’ve watched any tape on him, even though he’s small for a safety, he hits like someone with 20-30 more pounds on his frame.
The biggest reason for any doubt is whether or not he can duplicate what he did last season in Baltimore with what many analysts would say is a defense with better personnel. Can Leonhard have the same impact with a whole other set of personnel, but under the same scheme? We’ll have to see. Leonhard came on strong and juxtaposed against Abe Elam’s overall rather uninspiring play (don’t let the impact plays fool you) during the season, you have to imagine that he will be an upgrade for the Jets in ability, his playcalling skills and his flexibility.
Moving Forward:
It’s well documented that Rhodes will relinquish his responsibilities to call plays to Leonhard, since Leonhard is more familiar with the system and with the way it’s designed to be called. Watch for communication in the secondary. There were more than a few breakdowns last season on coverage, see if the team can tighten that up this season with Leonhard’s leading from that perspective.
Questions:
Where will he be most effective in this scheme? Up? Back? Both? Will his playcalling make life easier for Kerry Rhodes? With a smaller frame than many of his peers, how long can his body take the abuse of launching himself like a missile?
3 Responses to The Final Countdown: Jim Leonhard
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Head_coach says:
His name is eric smith
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EastSide says:
exactly
Durability will be the biggest cloud over any hard-hitting undersized safety. Bob Sanders is a prime example of that. I’m glad Leonhard’s on the team because he will be essential both on gameday and on the practice field. However, I think most fans would feel a lot better if there was some insurance behind him on the chart.