David Amerson

[PAPDOG67]

It looks like the club definitely dropped the ball on this guy. I wondered why we gave up on him so soon. Its too bad because he's becoming one damn fine CB in this league. You have to question management's decision to release him.

[SkinsJock]

Not really - For the most part players earn their spots on the roster and then they get to earn their playing time - the FO is only at fault in that the player did not clearly show he was worth keeping - it happens all the time and this FO has shown that they have a good idea of which players to bring in and give a shot to - some stay and some don't - this is the NFL

good luck to him - we're really lucky that the players we have know that they are held accountable now - was not always the way here

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

May as well say we dropped the ball on Tyrann Mathieu too if we're going to talk about players who never did anything here and then had success elsewhere. Sometimes it's just a bad fit and Amerson was here.

[DEHog]

I read an article about him a few weeks back, Amerson basically said it was his fault and it took getting cut to wake him up and realize that nothing is guaranteed in this league.

[riggofan]

Interesting to hear. I know he had a pick v. Rodgers recently, but last I'd heard about him it didn't sound like he was doing so hot in Oakland. This was on foxsports just a month ago:

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/oakl ... ter-111615

There's a reason why David Amerson hit the free agent market so late.

It's not because he's an All-Pro cornerback. It's because he struggles in coverage -- something the Raiders found out right before they replaced him with incumbent T.J. Carrie.

Carrie (chest) returned from injured reserve-recall and played a large role (82 percent of defensive snaps) vs. the Vikings.That pushed Amerson (35 percent) down the pecking order; he played in 97 percent of them just five weeks ago.

Carrie (82 percent) stole those snaps. And it looks like he might've stolen back his old starting job in the process.

That sounds basically like what was going on here. Not really sure what the team could do with a corner who couldn't cover and didn't help on special teams.

He's been doing well though more recently?

[Chris Luva Luva]

It looks like the club definitely dropped the ball on this guy. I wondered why we gave up on him so soon. Its too bad because he's becoming one damn fine CB in this league. You have to question management's decision to release him.

Amerson stated that being cut from this team was a wake up call for him. So whatever improvement he's seen, was a direct result of him being put on the street. My point is that, his lack of production was his own damn fault.

When you have a staff that coaches up an UDFA rookie WR to the point where he's covering Dez Bryant on MNF... It's not a coaching problem. It's not a strength and conditioning problem. Amerson failed himself here in Washington. He could have been here right now, on a winning team. But he choose to slack and not put the effort in.

[DEHog]

Interesting to hear. I know he had a pick v. Rodgers recently, but last I'd heard about him it didn't sound like he was doing so hot in Oakland. This was on foxsports just a month ago:

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/oakl ... ter-111615

There's a reason why David Amerson hit the free agent market so late.

It's not because he's an All-Pro cornerback. It's because he struggles in coverage -- something the Raiders found out right before they replaced him with incumbent T.J. Carrie.

Carrie (chest) returned from injured reserve-recall and played a large role (82 percent of defensive snaps) vs. the Vikings.That pushed Amerson (35 percent) down the pecking order; he played in 97 percent of them just five weeks ago.

Carrie (82 percent) stole those snaps. And it looks like he might've stolen back his old starting job in the process.

That sounds basically like what was going on here. Not really sure what the team could do with a corner who couldn't cover and didn't help on special teams.

He's been doing well though more recently?

He's number 1 in the NFL in passes defended for whatever that stats is worth?

[riggofan]

He's number 1 in the NFL in passes defended for whatever that stats is worth?

Yeah I'm not really sure how to judge that. Couldn't that just mean that a lot of QBs are throwing at him? haha. Revis only has 6 passes defended to Amerson's 23.

[SkinsJock]

I read an article about him a few weeks back, Amerson basically said it was his fault and it took getting cut to wake him up and realize that nothing is guaranteed in this league.

+ 1 - each and every franchise has a lot of players that they wish they'd kept - mostly the player is given a pretty good shot at making the squad and for whatever reason it does not work

I'm just glad that we seem to have a pretty good FO here finally - players know they are accountable & it's helping the product on the field

[PAPDOG67]

He's played very well in Oakland the last 5-6 weeks. My point is I just don't understand how an organization can give up on such a high draft pick after only 2 seasons and 2 games, especially one who came out as a junior.

[DEHog]

I’m guessing there was a lot more to it than just the Miami game. This regime didn’t draft him; he wasn’t a starter this year. I’m guessing they weren’t that high on him coming into the season based on last year and the off-season.

[SkinsJock]

He's played very well in Oakland the last 5-6 weeks. My point is I just don't understand how an organization can give up on such a high draft pick after only 2 seasons and 2 games, especially one who came out as a junior.

it seems clear that the player felt he was let go because he did not do enough to stay - what don't you understand?

[Irn-Bru]

He's played very well in Oakland the last 5-6 weeks. My point is I just don't understand how an organization can give up on such a high draft pick after only 2 seasons and 2 games, especially one who came out as a junior.

Do you want coaches and personnel managers that hold players accountable, or not? The coaches got a pretty darn good look at Amerson over the course of the 2014 season and probably let him know that his roster spot wasn't guaranteed going into 2015. He follows up with a terrible camp and, yes, a bad couple of opening games. Personally I support the coaches in this case, judging when it's time to hold someone accountable even if they were the number 2 pick overall and rookie of the year. Being an all star in college or even in your first year in the league is great, but what have you done for me lately?

And the fact is, Amerson's own comments seem to support the idea that he wasn't getting it done.

[DarthMonk]

Whom did we keep ahead of him? Maybe he just wasn't good enough to stay here.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

Whom did we keep ahead of him? Maybe he just wasn't good enough to stay here.

Breeland. Or Biggers.

[riggofan]

Whom did we keep ahead of him? Maybe he just wasn't good enough to stay here.

Breeland. Or Biggers.

Or Griffin, I hate to point out.

[riggofan]

He's played very well in Oakland the last 5-6 weeks. My point is I just don't understand how an organization can give up on such a high draft pick after only 2 seasons and 2 games, especially one who came out as a junior.

Do you want coaches and personnel managers that hold players accountable, or not? The coaches got a pretty darn good look at Amerson over the course of the 2014 season and probably let him know that his roster spot wasn't guaranteed going into 2015. He follows up with a terrible camp and, yes, a bad couple of opening games. Personally I support the coaches in this case, judging when it's time to hold someone accountable even if they were the number 2 pick overall and rookie of the year. Being an all star in college or even in your first year in the league is great, but what have you done for me lately?

And the fact is, Amerson's own comments seem to support the idea that he wasn't getting it done.

Great post, man.

[mastdark81]

Huuuuuh Amerson still is terrible put there. Antonio Brown roasted him for like 16-17 catches a few weeks ago. He is a safety not a corner.

[PAPDOG67]

Antonio Brown roasts every corner in the league, what's your point?

[PAPDOG67]

He's played very well in Oakland the last 5-6 weeks. My point is I just don't understand how an organization can give up on such a high draft pick after only 2 seasons and 2 games, especially one who came out as a junior.

it seems clear that the player felt he was let go because he did not do enough to stay - what don't you understand?

Listen, I understand why he was let go, I'm just disappointed we didn't get the most out of him. That is a direct reflection on the coaches. Its the coaches job to get the most out of the players, and we clearly did not do that in this instance. I have no problem with the FO. They have to make decisions. Our secondary has been a disgrace for years now, maybe its time we start looking at who's coaching, and more importantly HOW we're are coaching these guys as an organization. How many safeties have we drafted that we can't seem to get to contribute at all?? Our O-line was a mess for a while, and that seems to have been fixed this year for the most part. That is strictly because of Callahan. He is the best O-line coach in the business. I guess my point is I hope we can get someone in here to coach up the secondary on the level of Callahan. It would be nice to see our secondary improve like our O-line has.

[Irn-Bru]

Listen, I understand why he was let go, I'm just disappointed we didn't get the most out of him.

I hear you. I am, too.

That is a direct reflection on the coaches. Its the coaches job to get the most out of the players, and we clearly did not do that in this instance.

Agreed. The way I look at it is, has Amerson been an exception or the rule? I personally think we've seen the coaches getting the most out of sometimes limited talent rather than having a roster stacked with talent that underperforms. So on balance I think they're doing a good job, though if things were different Amerson's situation could be indicative of a failed coaching staff.

Another player to contemplate is RGIII. Did Gruden really get the most out of him we could? The patience our coaches displayed with RGIII, and the fact that the players were entirely on board with the decision to bench him later on, tells me that it wasn't just poor coaching.

I have no problem with the FO. They have to make decisions. Our secondary has been a disgrace for years now, maybe its time we start looking at who's coaching, and more importantly HOW we're are coaching these guys as an organization. How many safeties have we drafted that we can't seem to get to contribute at all??

None since McCloughan got here. Kyshoen Jarrett is already making an impact, for instance. I think Scot is just waiting for the right player to come along, with players like Goldson and Hall serving as stop-gaps. I suspect they were hoping for more from Jeron Johnson, but he'll get another crack at it next year.

Our O-line was a mess for a while, and that seems to have been fixed this year for the most part. That is strictly because of Callahan. He is the best O-line coach in the business. I guess my point is I hope we can get someone in here to coach up the secondary on the level of Callahan. It would be nice to see our secondary improve like our O-line has.

I disagree with the bold text. Yes, bringing in Callahan was a very shrewd move by this FO. But he's not the only reason our o-line is playing pretty well. We nabbed one of the top talents in the draft this year, regained a promising talent who spent his rookie year on IR, and have also benefited from depth that we've been steadily building since 2012. The improvement definitely didn't come by accident.

[SkinsJock]

there are some here that have posted that Griffin is never going to play QB well in the NFL because he's never going to be able to mentally manage the game or be able to read defenses ...

I'm looking forward to seeing if Griffin has benefitted at all from what has happened here - with help I think he can be an effective NFL QB

I will be the first to admit I'm mistaken if that's not the case ... but, I will also be even more of a royal pain in the ass if he does well

[SkinsJock]

I understand that Griffin might not have been easy to 'coach up' and that Gruden may have gotten very frustrated at the lack of effort - my point is that I think that with help, maybe a lot of help or just a coach that can get more out of him, Griffin may prove to be a good NFL QB - I have seen Cousins improve greatly & I think those that KNOW that Griffin cannot play QB are mistaken and their hate for him is misplaced

we're going to find out next season

[Countertrey]

That is a direct reflection on the coaches. Its the coaches job to get the most out of the players, and we clearly did not do that in this instance.

Agreed. The way I look at it is, has Amerson been an exception or the rule? I personally think we've seen the coaches getting the most out of sometimes limited talent rather than having a roster stacked with talent that underperforms. So on balance I think they're doing a good job, though if things were different Amerson's situation could be indicative of a failed coaching staff.

I would just point out the the same coaching staff (that PAPDOG says blew it) has taken an UDFA WR, and turned him into a starting CB who is more than holding his own against opposing starting WRs, has kept pace with their #1's, and is looking pretty darned good in general. Does that really sound like an underperforming coaching staff?

[SkinsJock]

Joe Barry and Bill Callahan are definite keepers