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Breaking down Shareece Wright's 2013 season: Should the Chargers draft 2 Corners?

Kyle Posey breaks down Shareece Wright's success in coverage last season and discusses whether the Chargers need more than one new Cornerback.

By Kyle Posey
Joel Auerbach

In the Johnnie Troutman article this week, analysis led me to the conclusion that the Chargers should draft an offensive guard early. Similarly, I wanted to take a closer look at Shareece Wright's 2013 season. We know San Diego is going to draft a cornerback, but how high? Was Wright's performance last year enough to warrant not drafting two cornerbacks in this years draft? The position doesn't exactly scream confidence at the moment.

This article will use the same grading scale as my Jason Verrett write-up. I surely can't take credit for the idea, Cian Fahey originated the thought, and does a damn good job breaking it down. What I want to get out there is that this is not going to be an article about how many receptions Wright gave up compared to how often he was targeted. That type of information is on the internet. It also doesn't paint the whole picture.

How The Process Works

Again, I want to make this simple to understand, there's no "magic" formula here. I just wanted to give us all a better idea of what routes give Wright trouble, what type of receiver he struggles against, etc. Here's what the spreadsheet will include. Keep in mind, this is all subjective.

  • Failed Coverages - When you see 2/3, that 1 missing means there was a failed coverage. This means Wright as beat at some point in the route, aka not arms length away from the receiver. This doesn't have to be a target to be a failure. Conversely, a catch doesn't equal a failed coverage.
  • Shutdown Coverage - These are when the receiver would have to make a miraculous, 1-handed catch in order for a completion. In a dream world, this is all you'd see.
  • In Position - This is where the corner is in position to make a contested play on the ball. Ideally, this is all you would like to see.
Versus Houston

Here's how he fared in coverage

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Go
Andre Johnson 0/1. 1/1. 1/1. 4/5.
Deandre Hopkins 0/1. 1/1. 1/1.
Owen Daniels 1.1 2/3.
Keshawn Martin 0/1. 0/1.
17 Coverages
4 Shut Down Coverages
7 In Position
6 Failed Coverages

This wasn't the greatest debut for Wright. 6 failed coverages is a little much. It's not like the Texans ran anything exotic his way. A lot of curls, and simplistic looks. Most of these when he was beat he was giving too much cushion (as you can imagine). I wouldn't blame this one on John Pagano; Wright played very tentatively this game, even in off coverage. It looked like he had 0 confidence.

Versus Philadelphia

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Go Skinny Post
Desean Jackson 1/1. 1/2. 2/5. 4/7. 1/1.
Jason Avant 1/1.
Riley Cooper 1/1.
Brent Celek 1/1.
20 Coverages
0 Shut Down Coverages
13 In Position
7 Failed Coverages

While it might appear Wright did fine, having a 2/1 ratio on failed coverages vs. in position coverages isn't very good at all. This game, I do put it on Pagano. He isolated Wright in press coverage against arguably the fastest player in the NFL with little to no help. It didn't work. Wright had no shot. On curls, he was forced to respect his speed. On deep routes, Wright was 2 steps too slow.

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He won't have a tougher assignment, so I have a hard time imagining it gets any worse than this for Wright. But this was a bad game all-around.

Versus Indianapolis

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Go 5 Yard In
Reggie Wayne 1/1. 1/1.
D. Heyward-Bey 1/1. 2/2. 1/1. 1/1.
TY Hilton 1/1. 0/1. 3/3.
12 Coverages
2 Shut Down Coverages
9 In Position
1 Failed Coverages

The Colts ran a lot of quick passes. Pagano combated that with a lot of underneath, cover-2 type zone. Because of both, there were only 12 coverages for Wright. This game was much better than the last. Wright looks very comfortable in zone coverage. Other than a missed tackle that turned a 2 yard gain into a 13 yard gain, and giving up a reception over the middle, it was a pretty solid game all-in-all for Wright.

Versus Jacksonville

Receiver Curl Out Slant 5-yard In Comeback Skinny Post Go
Cecil Shorts 0/1. 2/2. 1/1. 1/2. 1/1. 2/3.
Justin Blackmon 1/1. 1/1.
Mike Brown 1/1.
13 Coverages
1 Shutdown Coverage
9 In Position
3 Failed Coverages

Only 13 coverages this game due to garbage time. Wright was very good on short routes. He was patient, but aggressive. Maybe his long speed is an issue, because his very 1st coverage, Shorts ran right by him. Apparently, it's easier to play corner when you have an incompetent offense with a solid pass rush.

Versus Washington

Receiver Curl Slant Out 5-yard In Go
Pierre Garcon 1/2. 1/2. 1/1. 1/1.
Leonard Hankerson 1/2. 1/1. 1/2. 2/2.
Jordan Reed 1/1.
14 Coverages
2 Shutdown Coverages
9 In Position
4 Failed Coverages

Washington was an okay game, I guess. There's still too much room being given up, and Wright could stand to be a whole lot more aggressive. The go routes were mostly dummy routes; it was the shorter routes that gave Wright problems. It seemed like he was scared to make a mistake.

Swwash_medium

Week 10 Versus Denver

Receiver 5-yard In Dig Slant Curl Out Skinny Post Comeback Go
Demaryius Thomas 4/4. 1/1. 1/1. 6/6. 6/7. 2/2. 0/1. 1/2.
Eric Decker 1/1.
Andre Caldwell
 0/1.
26 Coverages
2 Shutdown Coverages
20 In Position
4 Failed Coverages

Wright must play to the level of competition, because this game, against a receiver like Thomas, he played well. He made plays. The problem is his 4 failed coverages where the game clinching 1st down on the comeback route, and a pair of touchdowns. But if Wright played like this against the rest of the competition, he has a bright future.

Versus Miami

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Skinny Post Go
Mike Wallace 1/2. 0/1. 1/1. 5/9. 0/1. 1/1. 4/8.
Brian Hartline 1/1.
Rishard Matthews 1/1.
25 Coverages
3 Shutdown Coverages
12 In Position
10 Failed Coverages

See: Desean Jackson. Speed Kills. Wright really was no match for Wallace. Ball wasn't thrown his way often, but he still allowed so much separation. The few times he was aggressive, he looked good. That was few & far between though as Wallace had his way with Wright, especially on double moves.

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Week 14 Versus the Giants

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Comeback Go
Victor Cruz 1/1. 3/3. 0/1. 2/2.
Hakeem Nicks 2/2. 2/2. 1/1. 1/1. 2/2.
Rueben Randle 0/1. 1/1.
Louis Murphy 1/1. 1/1. 2/2.
25 Coverages
4 Shutdown Coverages
19 In Position
2 Failed Coverages

This is why sports are stupid. They make no sense. Against one of the better receiver groups in the NFL, Wright has his best game. The 2 failed coverages he had, Cruz pushed off, and the other one was because Wright slipped coming out of his break. He was so aggressive this game, and it paid off. He was very confident, he looked like a completely different player. Whatever he ate for breakfast this game, he should do every week.

Swnyg_medium

Week 15 Versus Denver

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner Comeback Go
Demaryius Thomas 1/1. 1/3. 2/2.
Eric Decker 1/1.
Andre Caldwell 1/2. 1/1. 1/1. 1/1. 3/3.
Julius Thomas 1/1.
Montee Ball 1/1.
18 Coverages
6 Shutdown Coverages
9 In Position
3 Failed Coverages

2 things: Wright picked up where he left off and guarding Caldwell is a whole heck of a lot easier than guarding Thomas for an entire game. This was nearly as good as the Giants game. Wright was very impressive, showed great route recognition, and some good physicality. It's clear that his strength is when he is playing off coverage, or press bail, where he can see the play in front of him. 2 of Wright's shutdown coverages came against Thomas, for what it's worth.

Wildcard versus the Bengals

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner
Go Skinny Post
A.J. Green 2/2. 1/2. 1/1. 1/1.
Marvin Jones 1/1. 1/3. 1/1.
Jermain Gresham 1/1.
16 Coverages
2 Shutdown Coverages
9 In Position
5 Failed Coverages

Not nearly as dominant as the previous 2 games, but Wright had some tough assignments, and he held his own. Only 16 coverages due to quite a bit of underneath zones. Wright got caught giving too much ground when he was playing the press-bail technique, and that's why there were failed coverages.

Wright had that beautiful interception that was a great call by Pagano, and he finished the play. But it's plays like this that stand out. If he can play with this type of aggression, he has a future on the roster.

Swgreen_medium

Divisional Playoff versus Denver

Receiver Out Slant Dig Curl Drag Corner
Go
Demaryius Thomas 1/1. 2/3. 3/3. 1/1.
Eric Decker 1/1. 1/2. 0/1. 1/1.
Andre Caldwell 1/1.
Julius Thomas 0/1.
15 Coverages
3 Shutdown Coverages
8 In Position
4 Failed Coverages

Lots of zone again in this game. He didn't show that same confidence/aggression. Two late plays came to his side and sealed the game. Would've liked Wright to play as well as he did in the 2 previous match-ups he had with Denver, and he just didn't do it.

Success Rate Versus Routes

5 Yard In-85%
Dig-72%
Slants-76%
Curl-72%
Out-65%
Post-87%
Comeback-57%
Go Routes-79%

Qualifying Coverages: 201
Shutdowns: 29
In Position: 124
Failed: 43
Success rate for season: 76%

76% is a very good number. Wright had his bumps and bruises throughout the season (mainly due to playing on an island versus 2 of the faster players in the league), but showed he can play at a high level for stretches. He showed much better than I expected. For a 1st year starter, I believe Wright showed enough promise in Pagano's system moving forward. 2014 will be a huge year, and expecting Wright to take the next step to become a reliable starter isn't out of the question. He's not going to be confused with a ball hawk by any means, but he showed enough glimpses in coverage to expect good performances on a consistent level next year.

That said, I would still draft 2 cornerbacks due to the lack of talent at the position, but that's independent of Wright's performance.


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