Spring Retrospective: Ramon-Flowers Pairing Undoubtedly Interesting

All right, Ramon Richards is a safety. Let’s do this.

Summary

Before spring practice began, coach Mike Gundy held a press conference up in the box at Boone Pickens Stadium. Reporters were catching up with one another, grabbing a view of the stadium and also picking up a spring media guide.

One by one, they flipped through to the positional breakdown page, and one by one, they caught the line that mattered:

7                     Ramon Richards                    S

That “S” didn’t stand for “Super” or “Special.” It was “Safety,” and that meant we had a story.

“Tre will play in the back end, and depending on who we’re playing, one of those guys can drop down some,” Gundy said. “Ramon would be a guy that would play more in the middle of the field.”

With Jordan Sterns gone and Tre Flowers returning, that meant Oklahoma State would start two seniors at safety and therefore, thrust a horde of inexperienced cornerbacks into the mix.

The move made sense on one hand, Richards almost perfected giving up the big play while playing corner, at safety he’d probably be able to keep it all in front of him. And he played there a little bit at the end of last season. But on the other hand, the move begged a lot of questions. What if he can’t play center field? Why would they leave themselves vulnerable at corner? Who will even start?

Defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said not so fast.

“We can always put Ramon back,” he said. “That’s the good thing about spring ball. Nobody’s keeping score.”

A corresponding move sent Kenneth Edison-McGruder down to linebacker to free up that safety spot (and also, that just made more sense for him).

Through the spring, Richards learned and learned, and I guess it all worked out. He played the whole spring game at safety, and all seemed swell, but he was defending against Keondre Wudtee, John Kolar and Jelani Woods. Philip Redwine-Bryant, a receiver turned safety, would have been more equal competition.

Still, watching Richards and Flowers through spring practice at least drew some eyes.

Biggest News

Although Richards’ move is the most headline-grabbing, the most important thing to watch in fall camp and for the 2017 season is how the Cowboy safeties will try to replace the production of Jordan Sterns.

As a sophomore, junior and senior, Sterns led the team in tackles, and last season, he had the most interceptions of anyone on the Cowboy defense. He was a fixture, and undrafted or not, that’s why he is in the NFL after he and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to terms. Even halving his production would be acceptable.

Sterns had 101 tackles in 2016. Flowers had 61, and Richards had 64, which is an outstanding number from a cornerback. His number will undoubtably increase with a move to safety, but it likely won’t hit a Benjamin’s worth.

There is another side to replacing Sterns, too. He was the spiritual leader of that defense and the team for that matter. His poise and seeming professionalism are attributes that are much more difficult to replace than numbers on a stat sheet.

Flowers and Richards have played meaningful snaps since they were freshmen. They have been mainstays, good and bad, in the defense for years, and they have definitely matured since 2013.

But Sterns brought a particular sense of focus and force that only comes around every decade or so. It’s not impossible that Flowers and Richards can combine to lead like Sterns did, but knowing what we know about their easygoing, fun-loving personalities, it will be hard to duplicate that mentality.

Camp Star

He wasn’t necessarily a “star” in spring camp, but Jerel Morrow will play significantly more than the special teams duties that were delegated in his first three seasons.

Last year when Sterns or Flowers needed a breather, Edison-McGruder replaced nicely. He didn’t cover as well, but his tackling was easily what it was with the starters in there. He might slide back at times in 2017, but I would predict that Morrow gets that third safety role.

Morrow looked good. He still isn’t close to Flowers’ talent. He isn’t outstanding in any one area of safety play, but he is competent in all of them. After the Kansas State game last year, a reporter from Morrow’s high school area asked Gundy what the then-rarely heard safety added to the team. Gundy called him reliable and said this:

“I’ve got three sons and if they could grow up like him, it would be a heck of a deal. He’s a first class (act).”

Projected Two Deep

For the past few years, this spot has been relatively deep, but in 2017, it’s down there with corner for the shallowest.