2009 Spartan Nation Football Profile: CB Ross Weaver #37
2009 Spartan Nation Football Profile:Â CB Ross Weaver #37
Height: 6’1 ½â€
Weight:Â 207
2009 Eligibility:Â Senior
EXP:Â 3 Letters
Status: Starting CB
Strengths: Ross Weaver is set for a big season. He has had to endure injury while at MSU and that has held him back, but if he can stay healthy the sky is his limit. Weaver is one of the most liked and jovial players on the Spartan team who plays the game with passion and fire.
When healthy, he is a fixture on the special teams and that is a key to any observer on how respected he is. On punt coverage, it is a badge of honor for this team when the staff selects you and you do see Ross there.
Here is a great example of Weaver’s strengths. Against Cal in the second quarter, Weaver fought off a great blocking scheme by the Bears on a punt and he broke the block and crushed the receiver. Weaver made that play on sheer will and it is an example of when healthy, the plays he can make.
Weakness: Besides fighting injury there are two plays that we can look at from the Capital One Bowl that best illustrate his weakness. In the second quarter, Moreno reverses his field and spins away from Weaver who stood flatfooted and waited for him to come to him. Had Ross simply kept up pursuit, Moreno would have been able to spin away. Weaver slowed down to let Moreno come to him and he is simply too good and too fast for Weaver to do that. He has to let his passion for football make him a punisher. I don’t think Ross is afraid of contact and, in fact, I asked him about the play. He simply wasn’t aggressive enough in going for the take down.
Another example from the Capital One Bowl again, Moreno had Ross in space again and Ross fell at his feet. The biggest weakness that he shows, and it was illustrated in those two plays, is playing people in space. He can break up a pass and do all the intangibles of a CB and you have to love his size, speed and strength. The issue is simply playing guys in space and playing through the tackle and not waiting for it.
Final Analysis: I think part of Weaver’s issues with playing in space is attributable to his injuries. If he can stay healthy in 2009, it will be his best season and it will be a big reason that the Spartans continue their march to national prominence. He has all the tools and the heart to make the most of it. It is simply an issue of being healthy, and I look for him to be ready for a great senior campaign.
