Witherspoon at slot?

[TraderGary]

(Mods, if you want to combine this into the other Witherspoon thread, I have no problem with that, but this has nothing to do with his contract status)

So, it’s common knowledge that they worked Witherspoon a lot at the slot in mini-camp. I’m curious what you all think about this, and what you think they have in mind for him.

I can’t imagine they would take someone with his potential and try to turn him into a slot corner. Also, you don’t take the number 5 player in the entire draft and put him in the slot. No one in their right mind would do that. So what are they doing?

I know PC loves Michael Jackson and raved on and on about him during mini-camp. Is it possible he plans to start Woolen and Witherspoon at the corners, and then when they bring in the nickel package, Witherspoon moves inside and Jackson takes over at his corner spot?

Maybe they want Spoon to be in a position inside where he can more easily rush the passer or assist in run support, being that he's so physical?

I’m really perplexed (and concerned) about this. I think Witherspoon has all-pro potential and I hate that their messing with him this way. I would prefer they let him excel at his natural position.

Would be interested in hearing others' opinions on this.

 

[Maelstrom787]

You want to move a guy like Witherspoon around. He closes on the ballcarrier in a hurry and delivers hard blows. Sure, his primary value would be as a boundary corner, but work him in from several angles if you really want to put him in a position to do what makes him special.

I want him ready to go from any angle.

 

[LeveeBreak]

Not sure what their plans are…but TE/middle coverage and run support are too undervalued…especially in the nfcw. If petey thinks he can tilt the field with him there, I’m on board.

 

[bileever]

@TraderGary: I understand your concern. I posted something similar earlier, saying there is no way Witherspoon plays slot CB this year. But the more I thought about it, I realized that the slot CB has become way more than the extra DB in the nickel.

Often, the best WR on a team is now lining up in the slot. In our division, Cooper Kupp, one of the best WR in the league, lines up in the slot 66% of the time. Deebo Samuel lined up in the slot 40% of the time last year. I expect that CMC will line up in the slot occasionally for the 49ers.

CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Chris Godwin, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams also line up in the slot a lot. They were all ranked in the top 10 in slot reception and yards last year.

The slot receiver is no longer the under-sized, third string receiver. So it makes sense to play one of your best corners at that position, especially if he happens to be good against the run as well.

 

[Mick063]

You need the versatility to move him around. You need to create opportunities for Michael Jackson. You need to get your best pursuit tackler closer to the action. You need to be able to make personnel adjustments on the fly because injuries are unpredictable.

 

[TraderGary]

All really great comments, and all make perfect sense. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[TraderGary]

@TraderGary: I understand your concern. I posted something similar earlier, saying there is no way Witherspoon plays slot CB this year. But the more I thought about it, I realized that the slot CB has become way more than the extra DB in the nickel.

Often, the best WR on a team is now lining up in the slot. In our division, Cooper Kupp, one of the best WR in the league, lines up in the slot 66% of the time. Deebo Samuel lined up in the slot 40% of the time last year. I expect that CMC will line up in the slot occasionally for the 49ers.

CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Chris Godwin, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams also line up in the slot a lot. They were all ranked in the top 10 in slot reception and yards last year.

The slot receiver is no longer the under-sized, third string receiver. So it makes sense to play one of your best corners at that position, especially if he happens to be good against the run as well.

Really excellent point about many of the best receivers in the game today working out of the slot. I hadn't considered that.

 

[sutz]

All over the league, WRs rotate around the various positions, even coming out of the backfield at times. We need to do the same thing with our coverages to counter. Offenses are always trying to find mis-matches. Need to keep the D flexible enough to counter that.

 

[hawkfan68]

I believe this has more to do with getting the best players on the field. Witherspoon probably is more versatile. Jackson has shown he is solid on the outside along with Woolen so if they can get all three on the field at the same time, the secondary is that much better.

 

[oldhawkfan]

Problems (if you want to call it that) like this are way better than what we experienced last year. In 2023 we are “worried “(?) about the #5 pick in the draft having to play the slot? Last year going into the 2022 season we were actually all worried about having any viable CBs. We had an unknown CB in a former pop singer in Michael Jackson and a raw unknown 5th round pick at the other corner all battling it out with a couple other potentially good drafted corners in Tre Brown and Cobe Bryant.
I love this depth and the “problems “ it creates.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

You want to move a guy like Witherspoon around. He closes on the ballcarrier in a hurry and delivers hard blows. Sure, his primary value would be as a boundary corner, but work him in from several angles if you really want to put him in a position to do what makes him special.

I want him ready to go from any angle.

This.

What set Witherspoon apart from the other corners in the draft is his instincts and ferocious physicality. So you want him moving around from outside to inside to hit, blitz and disrupt.

The best modern game defenses are ones that can disguise and adjust quickly, so to just line up in base formations with your defenders playing predictable traditional roles isn't being proactive, it's being reactive. Lord knows we've seen too much of base reactionary defenses since the LOB years.

IMO it's EXACTLY why we used the 5th overall pick on Witherspoon, to take advantage of what we're talking about here.

 

[nanomoz]

His aggressiveness and instincts will have the most impact on the run/screen game in the slot. It makes sense to me.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

His aggressiveness and instincts will have the most impact on the run/screen game in the slot. It makes sense to me.

I think some fans think being a slot corner is somehow a demotion or downgrade.

Maybe that was the case 5-10 years ago, but in the modern game you need 4-5 good DB's and safeties to combat the spread RPO offenses prevalent in the game now. So having versatile safeties and corners is imperative IMO, and Witherspoon certainly fits that mold.

 

[sutz]

I believe this has more to do with getting the best players on the field. Witherspoon probably is more versatile. Jackson has shown he is solid on the outside along with Woolen so if they can get all three on the field at the same time, the secondary is that much better.

Not just getting them on the field, but getting them in the best spots to perform at their peak and exploit their strengths as well.

 

[chrispy]

9rs slot has to be covered (whoever lines up there) but they also have CMC and Kittle. Pete got a 3-sweep handed to him last year because Seahawk D couldn't address all their playmakers, the flexibility they allow, and at different levels of the field. Kittle and CMC and DSamuel all serve multiple functions and line up in different places. It allowed/s Shanahan to target any soft spot on the field.

It seems to me the offseason had to include a plan to address SF. So... not only do Seahawks take Spoon that can play multiple places, but also adds Smith-Njigba and Charbonnet on O. I'm not saying they're equivalent to DSamuel and CMC, but they'll be used in multiple positions similarly. Bobby should help recognition and pre-snap positioning, just as SF's pro-bowl LB, Warner. Improving OLine to slow down Bosa&Co as well as attempting to bolster the pressure on D isn't a new dilemma, but it fits the same puzzle.

So... it seems to me like a lot (all) of the moves this year were an attempt to 1)address SF's strengths: where we got our hats handed to us in '22 and 2) use some of those same ideas ourselves going forward. Player to player, the Seahawks are still undermanned in several of those areas. However, Geno's play should make up any difference. I think Pete and John had a top priority this off season and I further think they've done as well as possible to confront it. ...still a lot of questions (Shanahan's in-game adjustments v Pete's...???) but there's clear hope for a quantifiable improvement in-Division.

(Sorry if this is too far off-topic, but it hits my feelings on Spoon in the slot.)

 

[Hawkmode]

Many good posts...I'll add my own. Spoon is our corner of choice as CB2 in our base defenses. The Nickel packages will vary between Heavy Nickel (3 safeties) and the traditional nickel of 3 corners with M-Jack/Coby rotating in based on Spoon covering the "better" WR in either the slot or the flanker position...allowing Tariq to roam the Right Corner side like last year. I still think most of Spoons coverage snaps will be out of holding down the Left Corner assignments.

 

[Fade]

What I would do is play Witherspoon outside, and then when they go nickel kick him inside.

I think not playing him outside at all, he could devolve into just being a nickel. Which is not what you drafted with a top 5 pick. They drafted a #1 outside corner.

So play him there, and kick him inside when in Nickel. Admittedly, on film he looks like he'd be a badass in and around the LoS, like honeybadger, but with more speed.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Pete knows defense, and is one hell of a coach. He'll get the best out of that kid. He usually does.

 

[nanomoz]

I think some fans think being a slot corner is somehow a demotion or downgrade.

Maybe that was the case 5-10 years ago, but in the modern game you need 4-5 good DB's and safeties to combat the spread RPO offenses prevalent in the game now. So having versatile safeties and corners is imperative IMO, and Witherspoon certainly fits that mold.

Exactly. Great job of articulating this. Antoine Winfield is an example that comes to mind. As the NFL went to more of a 3+ wr league, he'd spend a good chunk of his time in the slot, because he had a lot of great skills that Witherspoon seems to have.

 

[Kamcussionator]

I'll post this Ronde Barber clip again. He loves Spoon, and also says he's best suited for the slot. It would make sense Pete sees the same thing.

I would be more worried about whether Pete's pimping Michael Jackson because he's improved, or to temper fans reactions who assume Spoon is going to be outside.