rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
I think the FO is aware that they don't have a true "free safety" in there, ala an Ed Reed type.What don't you like about them though? DeShon hits like a truck and reminds me of Pollard except without the bad attitude (and better coverage skills as well) while Clark is just a smart, solid player. I still think we could use a better coverage safety out there so that we could have DeShon and Clark play closer to the line, but it's hard to complain about our safety play overall.
That being said... the criticism the media was suggesting of Earl Thomas was that he played a traditional free safety role in Seattle, and the Ravens like to play more split safety roles, where they basically split the field in half. Basically they don't view Safety play in this scheme as a Pollard/Reed combo, with a box safety vs a free safety.
That was part of the reason for ET's complaints and why it took him awhile to adapt to the defensive scheme. I think Clark and Elliott play well together, but I wouldn't say either is a "great" safety. I do think the FO will be looking for a high-round upgrade in the near future, especially with Elliott's contract set to expire after this season. Though he can probably be retained for a similar, team friendly deal to Chuck Clark. I wouldn't think Elliott would have a robust FA market.