Article on Eric Wright

[Tim Couch Pulls Out]

Here's an article on Eric Wright from the Canton Repository. I actually enjoyed the read, it provided some food for thought.

BEREA —

 

Browns cornerback Eric Wright gave his most frank interview of the season today, in the wake of missing a game-deciding tackle on Santonio Holmes in overtime.

 

Highlights of the interview:

 

• On Holmes’ touchdown:

 

“The last play was what it was. I had an opportunity to make a tackle to end the game. You play 99 plays or 100 plays and, I played pretty solid. To let a play like that go at the end of the game is gonna fall on you, so ...

 

“We were playing bear technique, which is more geared to a deeper pass, You’re never gonna stop a one-step slant in a bear technique. It’s just ... really not possible.

 

“I had an opportunity to make the stop. There were a number of guys around. I was lined up over Santonio, so ... it’s gonna fall on me. I’ll take it in stride and look forward to this week.”

 

• On the kind of year he thinks he’s had:

 

“Obviously, I haven’t had the year that I expected to have, after going through a whole season pretty much playing press man with no help and giving up limited production. I think I gave up maybe two touchdowns last year, as well as limited production.

 

“So, to have a year like that and come back and obviously give up more production this early in the year, to me personally, it’s very disappointing.

 

“Obviously, I have a responsibility to the team to be a press-type player and ... I’ve let my team down.

 

“Obviously I have to play better. But until I look in one of these guys’ eyes, and they look me in the face and say, ‘I don’t believe in you any more’ ... until then, I’m good.

 

“I’m gonna keep fishin’ and keep workin’.”

 

• What is happening with Wright?

 

“It’s just .... certain plays happen. You don’t want ‘em to happen, but they do.

 

“There have been a number of times when I just didn’t do what I was supposed to do. There have been other times when things just kind of didn’t pan out. I expected it to happen, and ... Obviously, it’s a team game and you play the game with your teammates and sometimes things land on you that are really not your fault.”

 

• His approach from here:

 

“It’s just a matter of making certain plays when they’re there ... not really pressing ... not trying to do too much.”

 

• Is he thinking too much?

 

“I don’t feel like it’s necessarily been a streak. We had the Baltimore game (when he was burned by Derrick Mason), which obviously opened the floodgates for, you know, this type of discussion. That was the worst game I’ve ever played in my career.

 

“It’s moreso of me not doing what I was supposed to do mentally, more than even physically. But I feel like throughout the course of the games of the nine games, I’ve had more better games than bad games, but obviously when you have certain big plays, which you will have playing cornerback, it’s gonna be looked at in a different way.”

 

• A bit earlier, safety Mike Adams said he wouldn’t trade Wright for any corner in the league.

 

“They obviously have a lot of respect. They’re my teammates. They have my back. This is my fourth season, so they’ve obviously seen me at my best and progress. So, to have certain plays and the season I’ve had ...”

 

At times, Wright says the right things. But then he passes the buck and tries to levy out the blame to the defense, the situation, to this, that and the other. C'mon man, just man up and admit you've been playing like crap.

 

 

Honestly, I think he's not liking the acquisition of Sheldon and Haden. It seems like he liked being top dawg on a bad defense. Now he's got to actually prove he's worth a lick, and he's not putting on the big boy pants.

[Gips]

Its my firm belief that both elam and wright will be waived the very second that even the tiniest little upgrade to the positions become available..

Wright has been downright wrong this year and elam hasnt improved enough to compete against a real safety for a starting job anywhere else...

These 2 guys combined with adams are the weak links in an otherwise strong chain, its hard to believe that last year wright and adams were among our best players on defense....man this team has came a long way!

[medicineman]

Yup Wright will be unemployed next year and he should be. As for Elam he shouldn't be in Cleveland in the first place. He is awful

[CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS]

OBVIOUSLY...

[medicineman]

I just can't see how he can pass the buck. Does he not know we watch these games? He gives up more plays than anybody on our defense. If he did his job our linemen would have more sacks or deflections

[Louisville Slugger]

Wright has always had an issue with tackling but now that hes getting toasted on a regular bases people are just starting to notice.

 

Last year McDonald was easy pickins so Wright looked like an all star in comparison. I hope we tender him at the end of the season so we can see if can make a run for a more physical corner like Richard Marshall. If we cant land us an upgrade then we would still have him for one more year at a acceptable price.

 

With that said the Holmes touchdown was the fault of 3 players Elam, Bowens(i believe or it may have been Gocong), and Wright. They all had reasonable chance to make that tackle but they all flinched when they seen each other trying to make the tackle. That is the problem with our entire defense were not aggressive with out tackling. There is far too many attempts to hold someone up so some one else can finish the play. Another prime example is the 3 missed tackles to sack Sanchez.

[medicineman]

I would like to see Brandon Mac comeback.

[CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS]

Wright has always had an issue with tackling but now that hes getting toasted on a regular bases people are just starting to notice.

 

Last year McDonald was easy pickins so Wright looked like an all star in comparison. I hope we tender him at the end of the season so we can see if can make a run for a more physical corner like Richard Marshall. If we cant land us an upgrade then we would still have him for one more year at a acceptable price.

 

With that said the Holmes touchdown was the fault of 3 players Elam, Bowens(i believe or it may have been Gocong), and Wright. They all had reasonable chance to make that tackle but they all flinched when they seen each other trying to make the tackle. That is the problem with our entire defense were not aggressive with out tackling. There is far too many attempts to hold someone up so some one else can finish the play. Another prime example is the 3 missed tackles to sack Sanchez.

in my eyes it was a tired defense basically giving up because we weren't gonna win and they were already in field goal range.

[BrownB499]

Somebody brought it up on another post

 

Last year you had McDonald ,Poteat,Adams,why throw at Wright?

 

This year they've thrown at Brown with some success...thrown at Ward with little success...Hayden no success....guess who I'm going after?

 

Oh... and MAYBE two touchdowns last year Eric???? are we counting the one where Adrian Peterson pitch you like a rag doll on his way to 70 yd TD?

[medicineman]

in my eyes it was a tired defense basically giving up because we weren't gonna win and they were already in field goal range.

No way. What was his excuse for the Baltimore loss? And if what you wrote is the case then he is a cancer and needs cut

[Harry Buffalo]

Wright has always had an issue with tackling but now that hes getting toasted on a regular bases people are just starting to notice.

 

Last year McDonald was easy pickins so Wright looked like an all star in comparison. I hope we tender him at the end of the season so we can see if can make a run for a more physical corner like Richard Marshall. If we cant land us an upgrade then we would still have him for one more year at a acceptable price.

 

With that said the Holmes touchdown was the fault of 3 players Elam, Bowens(i believe or it may have been Gocong), and Wright. They all had reasonable chance to make that tackle but they all flinched when they seen each other trying to make the tackle. That is the problem with our entire defense were not aggressive with out tackling. There is far too many attempts to hold someone up so some one else can finish the play. Another prime example is the 3 missed tackles to sack Sanchez.

 

The touchdown was the fault of Wright and Barton who didn't even touch Holmes, and Ward was set up for a big hit, but he was banking on one of the two to at least touch the guy and he was totally out of place.

[TheClevelandSound]

When he wore number 24 he was faster

[Earl34]

1. Eric Barton in Coverage (4 of the scariest words in football)

 

2. Eric Wright is THAT bad. It's not necessarily one thing that he does wrong. He makes mental mistakes. He doesn't react well. He overplays the simplest routes. When he takes risks, they're always wrong.

 

3. Abe Elam is never going to be confused for a great player HOWEVER, I did hear something on the radio that made me want to give him a break. He's a guy who is working in tandem with a rookie safety and no matter how good Ward is at this point, if you notice, Elam makes a lot of presnap communicating with TJ and that's probably holding him back a bit. You can't knock the guy for not playing hard. He isn't the best safety and he does get beat at times BUT he did have the strip that changed the game against NE. When we get someone better....he'll be replaced.

[Frenchie]

Last year the Browns first two slections were def. secondary and so was their 4th (or fifth?). It would not surprise me if the team goes defence with the first three picks including one D lineman, one DB and one S.

[Harry Buffalo]

I'm going to go ahead and play devils advocate here even though I am pissed at Wrights play this season. I read the interview on Cleveland.com and from what I got out of it wasn't what you are all talking about. This guy clearly knows that he is screwing up and he isn't making excuses for it. He clearly states that he was in the same situation last year with the blitzes not getting through and having to go one on one and he didn't have this kind of problem then. He isn't saying that to blame the rest of the defense, he is saying that he has got the job done before and that and there is no excuse for his bad play. He also talks about he can only work to get better, not make excuses, not put the blame on someone else, just go back out to practice, take his lumps from the coaches, and do the best he can, which is all you can ask from anyone.

 

Plus you have to like how the team has his back in this situation.

[BrownsKidd]

Why no mention of what happened to guarding the Jets Pegged Legged Pirate... That should have been a INT and possibly Pic 6.