Chris Culliver was the best 49er cornerback in training camp, and he’s been the best 49er cornerback the first half of the season, too, but he still doesn’t start. That should change.
He might be the best cornerback in the NFL. He’s picked off two passes and knocked away five. According to Pro Football Focus, Culliver has allowed the lowest percentage of completions of all NFL cornerbacks who have played more than 300 snaps this season. He’s allowed 38.4 percent of passes to be caught. That’s 14 passes for 150 yards and no TDs. Quarterbacks have a 28.7 rating throwing into Culliver’s coverage – 2nd-lowest of all CBs who’ve played more than 300 snaps.
Culliver is ready to take over as the 49ers’ starting left cornerback over Carlos Rogers.
MIDTERM GRADE: A.
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Grant do you have any idea what percetage of the time Culliver lines up VS. the opposing teams
#1 receiver
#2 receiver
#3 receiver
@ old coach:
I don’t know if those numbers are available, but I do know that when he comes in, Culliver takes over at left CB, and Rogers slides inside to the nickel. Since most teams tend to play their No. 1 receiver at the flanker spot on the offense’s right side, Culliver is facing the No.1 receiver more often than not.
I know some (many?) teams like to move their No.1 WRs around seeking mismatches, but I would bet that they still spend the majority of their time on the right side of the offense.
I like the hyperbole, but I wouldn’t say Culliver is the best CB in the league. Surely Fangio/Harbaugh would be foolish not to start him if he was.
Very good CB – sure. Best – not so sure.
Given the position he plays and his production – the “A” grade is fair.
LOL you’re just throwing it all out there today Grant.
4 skins lost at home looks like its time for President Romney?
I knew before I even opened the link that the grade was going to be an A…best corner in the NFL per Grant. All joking aside, the guy has played well and has a bright future in the NFL – another whiff by Baalke.
Grant
I approve of this grade :) Another home run by Baalke!
I’ll tend to trust the guy (Fangio) who brought our under-performing D from 2010 into the best D since the Ravens D during their Super Bowl year. If Culliver deserves to be the #1 CB, he’ll be rewarded as being the #1 CB.
I think he isn’t near my guy, Brown. And Brown is #2. I don’t think it is a good idea to take your #3 and promote him to the #1. You go up 1 rung. Not two. How many times do any of you recall how lucky Brown was that a pass was overthrown or dropped vs. tnumber of times Culliver was so blessed? Brown hasn’t given up a deep ball all year that didn’t require a perfect catch or pass. He hasn’t been beat off the start. And the few times I’ve seen teams throw deep on Brown and the ball isn’t perfect, Brown has the guy blanketed. He’s not 1 or 3 steps behind.
I have seen Culliver blow too many assignments for an A. Good solid B tho.
No complaints here.
This is a grade I can get behind, with one caveat: an “A” grade as a nickel corner. He’s young. He’s got solid measurables, he’s very good at his job and improving . Can’t wait to see how he looks next year in competition for a starting role with Rogers (losing a step?), Brown (quiet and solid, exactly what we need in a #2), and Cox (talent, talent, talent)… and a high draft pick???
Grant,
Why isn’t Culliver starting?
@ Jack:
Given how successfully the secondary has played, would you make any big changes? Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Or maybe Culliver has been as effective as he has been because he plays fewer snaps. He still gets to watch and learn on some plays.
I will be surprised if Culliver isn’t the starting LCB next year.
No I wouldn’t Claude. It just seems odd for him not to be starting if he is the best CB on the team and thought Grant might have some inside information.
Bold prediction: Culliver will be the #1 CB next season.
Grant, you feeling ok cully might be best cb in the NFL? What’s next luke kuechly won’t be a 1st round pick?
Who’s better than Culliver?
The 2 that might be are out for the year sooo, Culliver is the best. Culliver’s Island! I said that first you know!
@Grant, Darrelle Revis jets, Johnatan Joseph texans, Sean Smith mia are my top 3.
Chicago bears Tillman is having a MVP type season
Is Vick Fangio saving Culliver as our secret weapon? Is that why he isn’t the #1 right NOW?
@ DS:
Try looking at it this way: Culliver is the #1 CB when he is on the field (64% of all snaps).
claude
Please provide something to back that statement up. Grant didn’t (considering his blog topic was about how great Culliver is, he really should have).
Keep in mind that Culliver only comes in when CR is playing a WR in the slot because he is so good at defending the slot WR. Is Culliver as good defending the slot WR as CR? If not, then of course you’d have CR take the slot guy.
By default, if CR comes in to play the slot WR who isn’t the #1WR on the other team, then the next guy up, the #3 guy (Culliver in our case) will take that WR who our #1 CB was taking. The only other way is if Brown moved on over to the other side (covering the #1 WR when CR moves in to cover the slot), and Culliver came in to replace Brown’s #2. But that seems like it would be difficult to do and make life hard on Brown who would have to know everything about both CB positions. And that would involve moving a lot of bodies around, and make it way too easy for a miss-communication in the secondary. Which will lead to a big play at best and a TD very likely.
@DS:
Please provide something to back that statement up.
Sure, but I think you just walked yourself right past it. When Culliver comes in, he plays LCB. LCB is where teams play their No. 1 CB because the LCB usually guards the opposing team’s No. 1 WR. Culliver has played 64% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps. Therefore, on 64% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps this season, Culliver has been the team’s No. 1 CB.
And, as Grant noted, he’s doing it exceptionally well. No. 1 in completion percentage against, and No. 2 in passer rating against. He certainly took care of business against Larry Fitzgerald last week. Perhaps you noticed.
Culliver takes over at LCB because Rogers moves to the slot which is the toughest CB spot to play. Culliver has improved no question, but Grant is overselling his abilities. Go back and watch the Giant game where Culliver gets beat a number of times once very badly by Dominique Hixon of all people, and try to tell me this kid is all that. He can get there but he has a ways to go.
@ rocket:
I agree that Grant is engaging in his usual hyperbole, but there should be no doubt about how well Culliver is playing this season. As for his play in the Giants’ game, my memory is of decent coverage, but ridiculously good throws/catches. That said, I am trying to wipe that game from my memory, and I’ll thank you not to interfere with my plans.
We’ll have to agree to disagree about the nickel position being more difficult to play. It’s a different skillset, and Rogers is valuable because of his unique ability to do both, but I don’t see how you can definitively say nickel is the more difficult position. The pay differential for the two positions would suggest otherwise.
claude
The basic rule is you play your best players the most during the season barring injury.
How often has Culliver come out to replace CR on the field? Do the Niners go into a defense where Culliver is on the field while CR isn’t? How often did Culliver have LF?
@ DS:
What you say is true, but it doesn’t change the fact that when both are on the field, Culliver generally has the assignment of covering the better receiver.
But don’t take my word for how well Culliver is playing. In addition to the recognition he had been receiving from PFF, Pro Football Weekly has this quote from an NFL insider:
“Take a look at the cornerbacks in this league. With (Darrelle) Revis and (Lardarius) Webb out, there are not any truly elite, shutdown corners. … One of the guys that does not get enough credit is Chris Culliver. He is not even starting for San Francisco, but when he is on the field, all he does is make plays. He has the swagger that is so important at that position. He is not afraid to cover anyone. He shut down Larry Fitzgerald on “Monday Night Football.” He’s extremely physical. He is one of the better tackling corners in the NFL right now.”
Claude,
We’ll have to agree to disagree about the nickel position being more difficult to play.
I’m talking about the slot Claude, not the Nickel. Nickel is a formation, not a position. ( Not trying to be condescending there so please don’t take it that way)
The hardest postion a DB has to play is the slot because you have to defend the whole field. Culliver does take over at LCB, but he does so because he can’t play the slot. I’m not trying to cut down Culliver. I’m just trying to have a realistic look at his ability and progress to this point. He has improved a great deal and when you factor in that he was a Safety coming out of College, it’s even more impressive, but he’s nowhere near as good as Grant is portraying him imo. He’s a good young player who is improving and may one day be as good as he’s being annointed here, but he’s not there yet.
@ rocket:
I understood what you were saying. While you are correct that “nickel” is technically the name of the formation, it is common to refer to the CB who comes in to cover the slot receiver as the “nickel corner.” I believe Fangio refers to the position that way.
As for the respective difficulties of the two positions, having to defend more of the field is (usually) balanced by having to defend a lesser receiver.
Because the skill sets are different, most teams do not have their starting CBs move inside to cover the slot receiver when the offense brings out 3 receivers. Instead, they bring in a nickel/slot specialist. Again, the money paid to the nickel/slot specialists is less than the money paid to CBs, which gives some indication as to how NFL teams value the two positions.
But reasonable minds can differ on this, so I won’t/can’t tell you that you are definitely wrong.
Claude,
Differing perspectives for sure, but the bottomline for me is that Culliver is not a top level player…yet anyway.
I agree i think culliver is the best cb on the team and soon the league and everybody will see him as a top corner in the league im with you with this 1
Off topic but has anybody seen Frank Caliendo’s Jon Gruden impersonation? Hilariously spot-on. Dig it.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8562999
Grimey,
You have to hear his Morgan Freeman impersonation, it is the funniest thing. He was on the Rich Eisen podcast awhile back and he was hilarious. Madden and Barkley are really funny too. Check it out at the 40 second mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDGO2DQWJac
For a rookie still unlearned in the veteran ropes
Culluver is a stud!
Lock it down niners!
Culliver isn’t a rookie. He has as much time learning this offense as PW has.
Huh?
*defense* claude
Sorry. This blog is obsessed with the offense so much my fingers automatically type it.