The signing of CB Eric Green has sparked some debate among Dolphin fans. So I decided to go right to SBN's Arizona Cardinals blog - Revenge of the Birds - and see how they feel about Eric Green.
First up is "Andrew602" - one of the site's editors:
Eric Green began his career in Arizona as a solid cornerback and in his first couple years, he was a player you knew you could depend on every Sunday. He has a nice frame for a corner, and is tall enough to defend most wide receivers. He likes to jam receivers and plays his best with a safey over the top. He isn't a ball hawk, and rarely gets any interceptions. He doesn't have the ideal speed to cover the fast receivers and can get burnt often. The main reason things didn't work with Green in Arizona was because he was getting burned for big plays regularly. He was benched halfway through the season for that reason. I don't know the exact amount of deep balls given up, but the Cardinals were the worst with him starting and as soon as DRC came in, they eventually got better. I believe he has upside but needs an aggressive coach to fix some of his issues. If they are fixed, he can surely be a solid cornerback in the league.
And next up is "cgolden" - the site's founder:
Green's time in Arizona was marked by two things: injuries and inconsistent play. He finally broke into the starting lineup in 2007 and his play was good enough for cornerback to be the top need heading into the '08 draft. With DRC coming into the fold, he pretty much saw the writing on the wall but there was some hope that he'd have a career year in hopes of landing a big contract this off season. Instead of a career year though, he fell from starter to completely inactive by season's end. Several people reported that he took the demotion very poorly and that's what led to him dropping from starter to fifth on the depth chart in a matter of weeks.
I still maintain that he's got the athletic ability to play the position but he seriously lacks the ball skills to be an effective cover man. Even if he is in position to make a play, he rarely turns his head and tries to locate the ball (as evidence by just 2 picks in 33 career starts). He also bites on play action and double moves to often. There were also concerns that he'd blame blown coverages on teammates and even one instance where he faked an injury after biting on a pump fake. If you're looking for a bright spot, I'd say that he's a sure tackler. Often times he'd play well off a receiver leading to underneath routes being completed but he was always there to make a tackle after a seven or eight yard gain. He's got the athletic ability to be effective on special teams as well but for whatever reason he was unwilling to accept that role after he lost his starting job.
The best case scenerio for him would probably be to go back to being a nickel or dime corner and try to fully develop his game. He might be more effective in a zone coverage where he won't have to worry about turning his back to the QB. Bottom line though, if you're expecting very much from Eric Green I think you'll end up disapointed and god forbid he has to start for you.