This.

I wasn't too upset they let him go. You can win a super bowl with a guy like Routt as your #2. The thing that sucks is the money saved from not signing Carr wasn't used to get Manning or extend Bowe.

I got blasted for making that last statement a few months ago. You simply cannot let the hardest working man on your football team walk away.

Can win one easier with two corners the quality of Flowers and Carr.

Maybe. It's not like the Giants, Colts, or Steelers had great corners and when Green Bay won the title Woodson was out for most of the game.

The point is not the relative merits of the cornerback position, but the fact that talent is allowed to leave when there is more than adequate cap space to retain it. Either Pioli is a fool, or Clark has burdened the franchise with his own personal salary cap.

Giant's Corey Webster is pretty damn good. Tramon Williams was a monster when GB won a SB as well.

Incidentally, all of those teams had good or elite safety play. Safeties that aren't required to play man-coverage the entire game.

the reason Carr is so sorely missed is because this front seven blows. If it weren't for Carr/Flowers the past few years, this team would look about like it does, really.

Exactly!!

And imagine how much more imaginative the defense could be - I mean, the defense RAC usually wants to go with, the DBs are expected to be flexible, as in play either S or CB (there is no true 'FS' or 'SS' in that D - both are expected to cover either side depending on the situation) - Berry is that guy (when he's 100% - and he's not right now) and Carr TOTALLY was that guy.

Carr could play either side CB, S or Nickel without being a liability at any (I'm talking to you, Travis Daniels and Javier Arenas); he could man up, and cover his zone. One-on-one or playing underneath assignments...

He was a model teammate and one of the most versatile and complete football players on the team...

and they let him walk, and signed a man-to-man cover corner who struggles with reads and zones.

Awesome.

Routt should've been a nickle back here, and Travis Daniels should be working at Home Depot.

But no, it's a process.

Carr did none of those things. He played the right side and right side only. Just like Routt.

Berry actually plays up in a LB spot covering TEs typically, not in a safety position in our sub package, which we run quite a bit. Carr never did that.

Agree. Carr or no Carr doesn't change much for this team, even though I really liked Carr.

It's all about getting that above-average QB and a good HC now. I'm still convinced that this team has top 10 talent outside of QB but definitly, some guys have underachieved.

But he was certainly capable. He has the physical talent, ball awareness, football IQ and work ethic to play either side, the middle, and in man or zone coverages.

Routt is strictly a man-to-man guy...and I think he a LCB his entire career in Oakland. Don't know if that could be a reason for his poor play, or if the disease os suck permeating the team has affected him to.

Chicken-or-the-egg.

Routt would get worked much worse on the inside. If you think he is playing horrible now, he would be that much more ineffective playing inside IMO.

Javier isn't the answer either. Don't think I'm saying that. We have no quality RCB or nickel/slot/inside corner (whatever term you prefer).

Routt is flat out one dumb som'bidge. Stupid.

He's got much better athletic ability than Carr or Flowers but he'll never see it to the end because he's a ****ing idiot. He's easily played (jawed from his game) by WR's and consistently makes mental errors.

Carr would get worked on the inside IMO. He has also struggled playing the LCB spot for Dallas this year.

He is an effective man and zone player however.

Routt played RCB when Nmamdi was there and had his best results. He has struggled here. Simple as that.