What's the Deal at Safety?

                With seemingly everyone wondering if Charles Woodson will move to safety this year, I figured I should probably take a closer look at the position group before I formed an opinion. After taking an extended look at the safeties and listening to what people within the organization had to say, my take on the Woodson issue is that the answer isn’t important. But let’s take a look at the players actually listed at safety before we get into that.

                There is not a heck of a lot of experience at the safety position on the Green Bay Packers (the distinction between Free and Strong safety in Dom Capers defense is negligible, according to multiple members of the coaching staff including Capers himself). Only two of the five players at the position on the current roster have ever played a snap at safety, and one of those (Morgan Burnett) has started only 20 games and is only 23 years old. Take a look at the vitals for each of the five players below:

Player	Years in the League	Height	Weight	Age	College
Charlie Peprah	7	5'11"	203	29	Alabama
Morgan Burnett	3	6'1"	209	23	Georgia Tech
M.D. Jennings	2	6'0"	187	23	Arkansas State
Anthony Levine	1	5'11"	199	25	Tennessee State
Jerron McMillian	R	5'11"	215	23	Maine

It’s clearly a young position group. There are numerous reasons for optimism, but plenty of room for concern. Here’s my short take on each player.

                Charlie Peprah has by far the most experience of any safety on the team. He is very familiar with the defense, has played in huge moments, and has filled in admirably over the past two years. The operative phrase there is ‘filled in.’ Peprah has physical limitations (mainly speed and agility) that have prevented him from being looked at as a starter at the NFL level. He’s a low ceiling guy that doesn’t offer a lot beyond mostly solid play. He’s not a game-changer and probably never will be, but you could do a lot worse at safety and many teams do.

                Morgan Burnett holds probably the most assured role on the team going into 2012. Coaches have raved about his physical abilities since he was drafted by Green Bay in the third round of the 2010 draft. He was given the starting job at safety in his first game as a pro, showed tremendous promise at times, and was promptly lost for the season in week four to a torn ACL. Burnett bounced back nicely in 2011, starting all 16 games and notching some impact plays. He’s got ideal size for the safety position, and has a very high ceiling. Coaches are excited about his potential this season and will give him every opportunity to hold on to a starting spot.

                M.D. Jennings (or ‘the doctor’) is the most intriguing player at the position and possibly on the team.  A classic ‘diamond in the rough’ for Thompson, Jennings not only made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie free agent, but was also activated for 15 games. Although the playing time was strictly on special teams, Jennings clearly showed enough to the coaching staff to earn both a roster spot and a chance to get on the field. This year he’ll likely battle Peprah for a starting spot opposite Burnett, and is using a reportedly strong OTA/minicamp performance to make his presence felt. Never one to read too much into off-season programs (especially since Burnett and Peprah haven’t even been participating due to rehabbing injuries), I’m anxious to see what Jennings can do with the pads on. He’s most definitely undersized, but smaller players have made it happen at safety (just ask Jimmy Leonhard).

                I’d be lying if I said I knew much about Anthony Levine. I know that he’s a tad bit undersized, was not good enough to make the active roster last year, and is also two years older than both Burnett and Jennings. Although he has one year of practice squad experience with the team, I think he’s a long shot to make the 53-man roster. His best chance is to tackle like a maniac and grab a roster spot on special teams.

                Jerron McMillian was a three year starter at Maine with 92 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss in his senior season. He’s known as an aggressive tackler that knows how to use his size. He ran a 4.5 40 yard dash at the combine, despite his solid 215 pound frame. I’ve never seen the young McMillian play, but Ted Thompson thought enough of him to draft him in the fourth round. With poor tackling across the board for the Packers last year, I’m guessing they were drawn to his aggressive nature and willingness to attack the ball carrier. He’ll get plenty of looks as a potential starter if he’s able to grasp the defense early on.

                For all the talk of Charles Woodson moving to safety, I think the Packers have enough talent among their ‘true’ safeties to put together a nice starting tandem. Now, if the injuries begin to pile up again, that may be another story. For now, Woodson to safety is mostly irrelevant. Mike McCarthy has stated specifically, “Charles’ role on our football team may change somewhere between six and eight percent compared to where he’s played in the past.” This statement is meaningful in that McCarthy directly states that Woodson’s role will not change much, and also in that he does not say, ‘Charles may play six to eight percent more safety compared to just cornerback in the past.’ Meaning, the letters in front of Charles name on the depth chart mean much less than his actual responsibilities on the field. His role has been more fluid than the typical player for some time.

Charles Woodson is a special player whose resume dictates as many playmaking opportunities as possible. He has played (and will continue to play) multiple positions on the Packers’ defense, including safety. The defense has a package called ‘corner okie’ which is simply a base defensive call with Woodson moving from corner to safety. They’ve used this in the past and will use it in the future. Woodson’s ball skills, tackling skills, pass rushing skills, and play reading skills make him an ideal candidate to hang out near the line of scrimmage. From there he can cover the quicker slot receiver, blitz, jump a route, drop back in coverage, or attack the ball carrier on a running play. The idea is that Woodsen needs to be on the field, and the defense can be adjusted to make that happen.

You can call Charles Woodson a safety if you want, but for now I’ll just call him a playmaker. All the talk of his takeover of the position is disrespectful to the true safeties on the current roster. Let’s hope they use it as motivation to master the defense, tackle with purpose, execute their assignment, and hold down their position.