Bell Should Be In For Bush

Yes, I dared to point it out when Jarrett Bush had a solid game. Yes, Bush responded to my kindness by having an unbelievably bad game against the Steelers. However, this wasn't all that surprising if you actually read what I wrote:

Yes, he’s a disaster in man coverage. For whatever reason, he just has a terrible time locating the ball in the air. He is vary rarely flat out beat. He is almost always right on top of whoever it is he is covering in man. But he just doesn't have the ball-skills needed to be a man corner

At least we now know that Bruce Arians is a fan of the site.

Knowing that much of this week would involve discussion of Bush and Josh Bell, I went back and watched as much as I could of Bell with the Broncos last year using the indispensable Game Rewind feature over at NFL.com. And from what I can tell, not only should Bell continue to be playing in the dime over Brandon Underwood, but he should be getting a serious look at the nickel spot. He's a willing tackler and has at least a modicum of a sense when it comes to playing the ball when it's in the air. Yes, he was the victim of a perfect pass by Ben Roethlisberger last Sunday - that doesn't change the fact that he's a better option than Bush, who is now an even bigger target for opposing offenses than he was before.

 

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Comments (15)

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packsmack's picture

December 24, 2009 at 11:18 am

Crazy what a week can do! Amen, Aaron.

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Jersey Al's picture

December 24, 2009 at 11:48 am

If you watch that TD play, you'll see Bell twice look over to see where his safety help is, and finds none (BIGBY'S MISTAKE). So he is forced to play it like man coverage. He is all over Wallace with excellent coverage. As the ball is arriving, both he and Wallace dive to the ball. Bell's back foot slips out from under him, and he doesn't get the extension on the dive to reach the ball. Still, his hand is right there, but he just can't get to the ball without the full extension Wallace gets. If the ball is thrown 6 inches further inside, Bell gets it. It was just a perfect sequence of events for the Steelers on that play. Bell is head and shoulders better in coverage than Bush.

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PACKERS.'s picture

December 24, 2009 at 11:58 am

As soon as someone teaches Bell that letting the receiver drag him across the field is holding, than he should be fine.

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Ron LC's picture

December 24, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Kind of like do you want to be on the Titanic or the Lusitainia? Kidding! I agree totally. Watching some of Bell's reactions on the DVR he was able to stick to his man. Once a little too stciky but that could have been a no call with other officials.
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Santa - please stop by the Packer Locker Room and paper it with "Remember Tampa Bay" signs. They MUST win Sunday.
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Corey and Aaron. Thanks for giving us such a great outlet for our pent up emotions. You have saved many Packers fans from intitutionalization.

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PackersRS's picture

December 24, 2009 at 01:03 pm

While I still disagree that Bell played wrongly in the last play, there's no doubt that he played lightyears better than Bush.
Like I said before, Bell's error is very much correctable, as his mistake was to have too much awareness, and trying to do too much. Bush just doesn't have any ball skills, and that's not coachable.
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Bell in, Bush out. And McCalister in.

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retiredgrampa's picture

December 24, 2009 at 02:29 pm

I would make a bet Bush starts before Bell. MM usually only makes changes when forced to. Bell will have to show up big (int.) before MM moves him up. Sad but true.

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Ruppert's picture

December 24, 2009 at 03:02 pm

Agree totally on putting in Josh Bell for Bush...or Sam Bell...or Liberty Bell...hell, any old bell is better than Jarrett Bush.
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I do not recall seeing enough of Underwood on defense to form any opinion, really. He's gotta have better ball skills than Bush, because (see above). But I haven't gone into any detail re-watching games to see enough to compare Bush and Bell. Any suggestions as to what games and/or parts of games I can check out? I keep the most recent 4 or 5 on my DVR.

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PACKERS.'s picture

December 24, 2009 at 04:25 pm

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nerdmann's picture

December 24, 2009 at 09:29 pm

I agree, Bell had good coverage. It was just a Superbowl calibur play by a Superbowl calibur QB.
When Big Ben gets out of the pocket, he's a danger to any defense in the NFL.
I'm still not down on Bush, but I wouldn't mind seeing Bell get some opportunities. I'd like to see what he can do.

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Nypacker's picture

December 24, 2009 at 09:34 pm

Aaron i've got an interesting idea. Why don't the packers put derrick martin back at corner? He's played the spot really well back in baltimore and i'm sure that's where he could fit in. I understand he gave up a big play back in the vike's game but i still prefer him over bush.

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PackersThad's picture

December 25, 2009 at 02:10 am

I think that Bell played OK coverage on the touchdown...I think his problem was that he turned around to run with the receiver. He should've been backed up far enough so that he could keep his eye on the QB all the time. The half-second he lost when he turned around gave Roethlisberger the opportunity to throw a perfect ball.

But I agree, he is much better playing the ball than Bush...But I am wondering if Bush is actually good in run support??

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Phil Hanrahan's picture

December 25, 2009 at 01:42 pm

I think Jersey Al makes an excellent point about Bigby on that last throw. I'm a Bigby fan but he stands frozen 30 feet from the play - and that's the nearest help. Capers said Bell should have used "outside leverage" to force Wallace back toward Bigby but as Jersey Al suggests, maybe Bell judged Bigby was too distant to provide help. Also, did it seem strange to anyone else that Bigby didn't even take a single step in the direction of the pass? Granted, he had a long way to go, but why not take off the instant the ball is in the air? Remember that soaring Nick Collins breakup of a Manning pass intended for Marvin Harrison last year? Collins probably covered 30 feet before leaping.

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Oppy's picture

December 25, 2009 at 04:28 pm

Phil,
it would have been nice to see Bigby moving towards the ball, but comparing Atari's abilities to Nick Collins is probably not fair.
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Nick Collins speed and athleticism at the safety position is rare if not unique in the NFL. His ability to break on a ball from virtually anywhere sideline to sideline and close effectively is something Bigby simply does not possess.

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NickGBP's picture

December 26, 2009 at 09:07 am

Glad you're enjoying NFL Rewind. Not sure if my recommendation was what got you interested, but it's pretty much the coolest thing ever. It's $50 in the beginning of the season which is a little rough but a few weeks later it halves in price (as it stands now). Definitely the best way to watch any game from this year and the last year...all without commercials!
(After that pitch I deserve some commission from NFL.com...)

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PackerAaron's picture

December 26, 2009 at 10:25 am

Nope - been signed up since the day they launched. But you are right - it is the coolest thing ever. ;)

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