What's Wrong with Wright?

[BernietheKid]

What's Wrong with Wright?
		By Fred Greetham OBR Browns Reporter Posted Nov 18, 2010 | More Browns beaten, battered DB discusses his troubles during 2010 season.
BEREA, Ohio—It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Eric Wright. Before the season, Wright was counted on to be one of the young pillars to go with Joe Haden for years to come. Wright was beaten three times for touchdowns by the Ravens’ Anquan Boldin early in the season and has had been beaten repeatedly, including getting beat by Santonio Holmes for a 37-yard touchdown in last Sunday’s loss to the Jets on the game’s final play. “First and foremost, we’re playing ‘Bell’ technique to protect the deep pass,” Wright said. “You’re never going to stop a one-step slant in that technique because it’s impossible. “But, I had an opportunity to make a tackle and I didn’t and it’s going to fall on me,” he said. “I’ll take it in stride and look forward to this week.” Wright said as a corner, you have to have a short memory. “You just have to keep practicing, keep pushing, keep working, keep chopping wood and get ready to bounce back and get ready for the next game,” he said. “Obviously, I have to do it again because the last play was what it was. I had an opportunity to make a tackle to put us in a position to possibly win the game with a tackle.” Wright said his play against the Jets was solid, but when a mistake is made at that position, it’s obvious to everyone. “You can play 99 out of 100 plays play pretty solid and to let a play like that go at the end of the game, it’s going to fall on you.” Eric Mangini said at the cornerback position, it is definitely more noticeable. “I think with any position like that when you make mistakes they’re a lot more visible than any other position and he had a really outstanding year last year and there’s been times this year where we’ve seen that level of play,” Mangini said. “That’s what I expect from him each week. There really hasn’t been a drop off in the way that he’s worked or competed at practice. “I continue to expect him to be able to correct that and correct the mistakes and move forward,” he said. “He had the interception the week before and that was a real plus and we’ve just got to get into a consistent pattern with that.” Wright admitted that he’s had a disappointing season, thus far. “I haven’t had the year I expected to have,” he said. “I think, after going through a whole season in (2009), mostly press man coverage and giving up limited production, I think I gave up only two touchdowns and limited production, and to have a year like this has been personally disappointing.” Wright has 38 tackles with nine passes broken up and an interception. He thinks he will bounce back. “Obviously, I have a responsibility to the team to have more production and play better,” he said. “You have teammates who look in your eyes and you don’t want them to say they don’t believe in you anymore, which hasn’t happened yet. I’m just going to keep pushing and working.” Wright didn’t make any excuses, but said sometimes fans don’t really know what the responsibilities are on certain plays. “Certain plays happen you don’t want them to happen, but they do,” he said. “There have been certain things that I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. Other times, things didn’t pan out the way I thought things were going to happen. “Obviously it’s a team game and sometimes things land on you that really aren’t your fault.” Notebook Focusing: With the Browns just completing a stretch of games against the Falcons, Steelers, Saints, Patriots and Jets, it could be easy for the Browns to let down a little in facing the Jaguars, even though the Browns are just 3-6. “They’re 5-4,” Mangini said. “They’re resilient. They’re tough and they’ve found ways to win games. Win or lose, we have to continue to focus on the next game. “I’ve seen growth in that area and we’ve been able to do that,” he said. “That should be week in and week out, regardless of anything external. That’s how you know when you’re growing as a team. I’ve seen it over the course of the season.” QB Colt McCoy agreed. “I can guarantee you that we as a team are going to be focused,” OL Shuffle: With both OL Eric Steinbach and OL Floyd Womack not practicing, OL Steve Vallos worked at left guard and OL Shawn Lauvao at right guard. Mangini did say that he is hopeful that Steinbach and Womack will be back. OL John St. Clair is back practicing at right tackle after missing several weeks with an ankle sprain. Jake’s Progress: Delhomme is listed as questionable. With the release of QB Brett Ratliff, Mangini was asked if Delhomme is ready to be the third quarterback this week. “I would expect that,” he said. “Jake could be the third guy but will have to finish out the week (to see if he can be the second guy).” Injury Update: DB Mike Adams (abdomen), LB Eric Barton (thigh), LB Marcus Benard (illness), CB Sheldon Brown (shoulder), WR Josh Cribbs (foot), LB Scott Fujita (knee), DL Shaun Rogers (ankle), OL Eric Steinbach (calf) and OL Floyd Womack (knee) all missed Wednesday’s practice. QB Jake Delhomme (ankle) and DL Kenyon Coleman (ankle) were questionable with limited participation. Adams, Benard, Barton and Rogers were back at practice Thursday. Coleman sat out Thursday as per the normal rotation with Rogers. “I’m still hopeful for Cribbs and Brown this week,” Mangini said. Benard Update: LB Marcus Benard said he was dealing with a lot of stress and that contributed to his fainting spell last week. “I fainted a little bit,” Benard said. “My body got a little weak. It was stress related. Personally, I have a lot going on and I just have to take care of my body a little better.” He said it didn’t affect his game. “I played hard and I was focused.” Against the Jets, he picked up another sack to give him a team-leading 5.5. Benard said that he had a son born on Monday morning that contributed to some of his stress. Mangini on Fan Conduct: A report that a young boy wearing a Jets jersey was tackled by a Browns fan after the game. Mangini blasted the fan that did that. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I would be furious if someone did that to my kid. As a parent, I would be angry. That shouldn’t happen.” Scout.com: What's Wrong with Wright?

[PlaygroundLegend]

I still believe in Wright, he has played well for too long now to end up being a shitty CB

I stand by him, he will get out of his slump, obviously the schemes this year are different, it doesnt sound like he is being called on to do much man coverage (sounds like he's being sent into mid/deep zone) so the schemes have alot to do with it.

Playing zone is a hell of alot different from shadowing a WR

[Sez.EJ]

I still think Wright is ok too. he's had some bad patches... but there are other factors.. Such as Mangini Blitzing Baltimore and whiffing giving the QB 8 seconds to stand back there.. no one can cover that long.. He has made some mistakes..but he's still young is decent. I don't ever think he's going to be GREAT..but he's a solid player.. Even solid players make mistakes and have bad patches. Like the article said..when your a cb and make a mistake..it's amplified. Mangini sees him every day and still has confidence in him.. So do I.

[Enigmatic Evil]

I think Wright has had a bad season. I'm not turning my back on the guy so long as he is wearing the Brown and Orange but the level of play he's brought to the field this season has been, by far, a disappointment. We've heard largely the same things regarding Wright all year long, from everyone.

"Gotta have a short memory"

"You're going to have bad plays"

"Just gotta move on and focus on the next game"

The quote that made me kind of chuckle was this one :

“You can play 99 out of 100 plays play pretty solid and to let a play like that go at the end of the game, it’s going to fall on you.”

The thing is, Eric Wright hasn't even made 50 out of 100 plays. He's been burned so many times this year, and does he have a single INT to his credit? He needs to step up and have a strong finish to the season, he needs to hold his own, break up passes, tackle players, STOP big plays and remind us why we were considering him as a "top-10 Corner" last pre-season. He has ONE interception... last season he had 4. Plain and simple, we need more from him. His play this year has been disappointing on a defense that, on the whole, is largely improved overall.

[golfer704u]

Originally Posted by PlaygroundLegend

I still believe in Wright, he has played well for too long now to end up being a shitty CB

I stand by him, he will get out of his slump, obviously the schemes this year are different, it doesnt sound like he is being called on to do much man coverage (sounds like he's being sent into mid/deep zone) so the schemes have alot to do with it.

Playing zone is a hell of alot different from shadowing a WR

Great points PGL, I haven't waded into all these discussion before now because sometimes it's clear when a majority of fans get an opinion on a player or a coach, your not going to change thier minds.

And while NO ONE would claim Wright is playing well this season, I've not always been convinced he is the only problem, he's just the one that's in the camera frame at the end of the play.

I for one hope we have Wright back on our team next year with Wright and Haden starting and Brown being the back up.

[DawgFan]

I am not sure where I stand on Wright...but the fact is he played at too high a level for 2 years for him to suddenly forget how to play.

I have a feeling he is just having a hard time adapting to the formations and intricacies of the Ryan defenses.

CB is an instinctual position. You have to be able to react instantly, and have that be the correct reaction THAT FITS THE DEFENSE.

Wright was used to being on an island for much of his first two years...now he is part of a backfield 'scheme' where he has more than one responsibility...and is required to know when to peal off on another guy. That can make him hesitate just long enough to get beat by the WR's in the NFL.

Given time, and the chance, I think he can get it down and become an integral part of the DB, but he needs TIME...and he needs a VERY short memory.

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by DawgFan

I am not sure where I stand on Wright...but the fact is he played at too high a level for 2 years for him to suddenly forget how to play.

I have a feeling he is just having a hard time adapting to the formations and intricacies of the Ryan defenses.

CB is an instinctual position. You have to be able to react instantly, and have that be the correct reaction THAT FITS THE DEFENSE.

Wright was used to being on an island for much of his first two years...now he is part of a backfield 'scheme' where he has more than one responsibility...and is required to know when to peal off on another guy. That can make him hesitate just long enough to get beat by the WR's in the NFL.

Given time, and the chance, I think he can get it down and become an integral part of the DB, but he needs TIME...and he needs a VERY short memory.

Good points, but my main issue is the lack of effort he is exhibiting at times, especially the tackling aspect. Toward the end of last year he started getting aggressive with his hitting and stopping the run. This year, he seems hesitant to hit anybody unless he absolutely has to, and I would say last week with Holmes was an absolute has to.

Overall disappointing, but like you I'm not ready to crown him king goat of the year just yet. The kid has too much talent to play like this unless he really has issues focusing, and that would be really stupid in a FA year. Regardless how he finishes though, he will still get a nice FA offer, that is a guarantee.

[Enigmatic Evil]

I'd hate to see the team give up on him, players have off years and it happens all the time in the NFL. Theres a lot of validity to the argument that our secondary has more talented personnel in it this year so maybe Wright's flaws are more noticable? I think there's merit to that, there's merit to the 'he keeps getting burned in the highlights' argument as well because those are the plays people are seeing on a national level. There's always that as well. Maybe it's a 'personal' thing but I'm not convinced that's the case either. Bottom line, I don't feel convinced that the coaches are working to get Wright past this but on the other hand I think the fact that Mangini's showing confidence in him proves that it's not a work ethic problem. If it was, you bet your ass that Haden would probably be starting ahead of him by now.

I gotta respect that he's not pussy footing around the issue, he's owning up to his level of play, he knows that the team expects more from him and I don't want to lose faith in him just yet. A player like Elam is definately higher on my "shit list" so to speak than Eric Wright.

Is Eric Wright the "king goat" of the year? I don't know... but he's definately near the top for the season so far. I would think someone like Brett Favre would take that title hands down.

Now if we're just talking about THE TEAM... then maybe that title is his to keep for this season.

[Jax Dawg]

Eric Wright's play this season has been suprisingly disappointing. Like others have noted his lack of effort at times is disturbing and that is what is really turning the fans against him. The one good thing though for the Browns is if Mangini does really still believe in him it will now be cheaper to resign him this offseason. I think it will be very obvious what the organization thinks of Wright by the offer or lack there of for resigning with the team when he is a FA in a couple of months.

[nickers]

It may just be that EW is a system DB and cant understand the complexity of Ryan/Manginis Defensive schemes and might be better suited for a simpler "Just play and run defense"

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Jax Dawg

Eric Wright's play this season has been suprisingly disappointing. Like others have noted his lack of effort at times is disturbing and that is what is really turning the fans against him. The one good thing though for the Browns is if Mangini does really still believe in him it will now be cheaper to resign him this offseason. I think it will be very obvious what the organization thinks of Wright by the offer or lack there of for resigning with the team when he is a FA in a couple of months.

As a fan, it's easy to get disillusioned by the IDEA of Wright; but at some point we have to start understanding the trend that has continued to unfold. I hate to say it but he seems limited by his own admission. When he indicates he can't defend a slant - he pretty much surrenders right at his stance and positioning. Take a look at the difference between Haden and Wright pre-snap and you tell me what guy is ready to play ball and what one isn't.

As Jax Dawg says here - it's been the lack of effort that's been unsettling. In that Ratbird game there was a throw he saw coming that was headed straight over his helmet without a ton of zip on it. He didn't even jump to try to deflect it or worst case scenario impede the receivers vision of the ball in the process.

Aside from that, he's gotten really bad at tackling. It first came to my attention when I was treated to the Adrian Peterson highlight countless times on the sideline where the choices were: A) use enough effort to knock the ballcarrier out of bounds, B) text book tackle with the shoulder, wrap the arms and drive through the man, C) don't get dirty just use your hands and pray it becomes the 1st time that little effort takes the guy down. He chose option C. He didn't look like he tried much harder on Santonio Holmes last week.

It's almost a Randy Moss attitude where if it's a defensive call/scheme he likes - he'll contest the pass. If it's that slant pattern he referred to, he won't even attempt to get in a good stance or consider the importance of the body positioning thing. This KIND of attitude can be infectious the wrong way IMO. I'd rather have a guy in there that buys into every scheme busting tail than a guy the opponents keep finding as the slacker to go after.

Our opponents ALWAYS seem to know who they need to go after when they need a big play or a TD pass. It's easy to spot a slacker on film. Cleveland has been a team in transition so I think people can at least understand why Haden was drafted in round 1 and Brown came via free agency. Brown TENDS to get beat at times but it's never from a lack of effort and he's a very good tackler. He does alot of the little things right from the pre snap stance to body positioning to using the sidelines to his advantage when applicable. The sum of doing all the little things right equates to winning close ball games. If one is not willing to - you can BET the next opponent has seen enough hours of film to go after him. It ain't happening by accident.
- Tom F.

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Wright is a Diva. He thinks of himself as Deion Sanders, he believes he is a good enough shut-down CB that he doesn't have to get dirty.

Wright flat out told me in the off-season that he WILL NOT risk his career by going in and tackling a guy that's bigger than him and going to get him injured. He claimed he's a good tackler, but he's not going to put himself in a situation in which his career might be at stake.

Wright was never as good as most of us thought he was. He was the best we had, so teams usually went after the other guys on our team ...and that just goes to show how lacking we were for talent on this football team. Now that Wright is the weak link, and you've got teams throwing on him instead of staying away from him ...the truth is revealed.