09-14-2020, 06:30 PM
So this raises a question that has been in my mind a while. Many people refer to Mike Zimmer's great ability to develop and work with corners, and sometimes he is referred to, on this board, as "The Cornerback Whisperer", in reverent tones.
OK: What is his history of expertise at this position? Is he really some CB guru?
I looked (briefly admittedly) over his career and I see only 3 CBs who have had All-Pro seasons under Zimmer: Terence Newman, Deion Sanders, and Xavier Rhodes.
Newman was the #5 overall pick. Zimmer did fine with him, deserves some credit, no doubt. But he was considered a near-can't-miss prospect. Sanders - well, I don't think anyone had much to do with his success. Rhodes had 1 All-Pro season, then promptly fell off a cliff. Loss of athletic ability or lost technique and confidence? We will see how he does starting for the Colts but if he rebounds, one has to wonder why Zimmer didn't "whisper" to fix him.
Two other CBs reached 2nd-team All-Pro under Zimmer in Cincinatti: Leon Hall and Johnathon Joseph. Like Rhodes, they were mid first-round draft picks who each had 1 really good year and then declined. They were also all picked before Zimmer was involved with the team.
During Zimmer's tenure with the Bengals, they picked 2 CBs in round 1, and 2 in rounds 2-3. The Vikings have picked 3 CBs in round 1, and 2 in rounds 2-3.
I had this idea that "CB whisperer" means a coach who can take a lesser-talented prospect and bring him to new levels of achievement...or straighten out a troubled player, through the coaching and advice "whispered" to him.
But apparently, in Zimmer's case, "Cornerback Whisperer" just means a coach who whispers "cornerback, cornerback, cornerback" in the GM's ear on draft day.
If Zimmer can turn Holton Hill into a quality starting CB, he can claim a nice level of success. But I just haven't seen any reason to expect that. He didn't have any success with Josh Robinson, who became a whipping boy here but had plenty of talent and seemingly needed to be un-taught what Les Frazier taught him. But Zimmer dumped him after one season', said "no more short CBs", but has since drafted 2 first-round CBs who are no taller than Robinson. He couldn't get far with Trae Waynes or Mac Alexander; do we think Hughes and Gladney are more likely to succeed than them?
What I see in Zimmer is a coach who needs a LOT of first-round talent at CB, can do just fine with top 10 players, is about 50-50 with CBs drafted later in the first round, and develops no "hidden gems" from any level of talent below.
I don't think Zimmer is terrible, but I think he had a career as a good-not-great defensive coordinator, and his longevity gave him some advantages, but he isn't going to rebuild this defense without a lot of high-end talent. When you have a "guru" coach at some position, you should be able to give him a bit less to work with and still get results. Zimmer can give us a good (but not necessarily dominating) defense - but only if he is provided with 2-3 Pro Bowlers in each unit.
OK: What is his history of expertise at this position? Is he really some CB guru?
I looked (briefly admittedly) over his career and I see only 3 CBs who have had All-Pro seasons under Zimmer: Terence Newman, Deion Sanders, and Xavier Rhodes.
Newman was the #5 overall pick. Zimmer did fine with him, deserves some credit, no doubt. But he was considered a near-can't-miss prospect. Sanders - well, I don't think anyone had much to do with his success. Rhodes had 1 All-Pro season, then promptly fell off a cliff. Loss of athletic ability or lost technique and confidence? We will see how he does starting for the Colts but if he rebounds, one has to wonder why Zimmer didn't "whisper" to fix him.
Two other CBs reached 2nd-team All-Pro under Zimmer in Cincinatti: Leon Hall and Johnathon Joseph. Like Rhodes, they were mid first-round draft picks who each had 1 really good year and then declined. They were also all picked before Zimmer was involved with the team.
During Zimmer's tenure with the Bengals, they picked 2 CBs in round 1, and 2 in rounds 2-3. The Vikings have picked 3 CBs in round 1, and 2 in rounds 2-3.
I had this idea that "CB whisperer" means a coach who can take a lesser-talented prospect and bring him to new levels of achievement...or straighten out a troubled player, through the coaching and advice "whispered" to him.
But apparently, in Zimmer's case, "Cornerback Whisperer" just means a coach who whispers "cornerback, cornerback, cornerback" in the GM's ear on draft day.
If Zimmer can turn Holton Hill into a quality starting CB, he can claim a nice level of success. But I just haven't seen any reason to expect that. He didn't have any success with Josh Robinson, who became a whipping boy here but had plenty of talent and seemingly needed to be un-taught what Les Frazier taught him. But Zimmer dumped him after one season', said "no more short CBs", but has since drafted 2 first-round CBs who are no taller than Robinson. He couldn't get far with Trae Waynes or Mac Alexander; do we think Hughes and Gladney are more likely to succeed than them?
What I see in Zimmer is a coach who needs a LOT of first-round talent at CB, can do just fine with top 10 players, is about 50-50 with CBs drafted later in the first round, and develops no "hidden gems" from any level of talent below.
I don't think Zimmer is terrible, but I think he had a career as a good-not-great defensive coordinator, and his longevity gave him some advantages, but he isn't going to rebuild this defense without a lot of high-end talent. When you have a "guru" coach at some position, you should be able to give him a bit less to work with and still get results. Zimmer can give us a good (but not necessarily dominating) defense - but only if he is provided with 2-3 Pro Bowlers in each unit.
