If McNulty makes the grade will you step down?

outoftown · July 10, 2015

Actually, we have no idea if we had decent WRs or not because QB SUCKED SO BAD!

How the hell are you supposed to rate WRs when you have NO ONE that can throw a forward pass?

Hmmm. When you have one WR who does quite ok, and all others don't, then maybe there is a difference between that one WR and the rest.

MeanGreenSig · July 10, 2015

So......

Now we should throw PICKLES onto the field instead of tortillas?

Yes!!!!!!!

UNT90 · July 10, 2015

Hmmm. When you have one WR who does quite ok, and all others don't, then maybe there is a difference between that one WR and the rest.

OR you have QBs who can't read a defense or see the field, so they revert to the guy they feel most comfortable with in most passing situations.

What was the combined TD to INT ratio again?

And if you consider the leading receiver having 863 yards for the season "quite well," you must LOVE what RV has done for this program.

Edited July 10, 2015 by UNT90

Cr1028 · July 10, 2015

I don't know about GOMG13, but I surely would say this. Carlos Harris was good, but not as good as Brelan Chancellor, and CH was doing pretty much all thee recieving heavy lifting completely by his own (which may be part of why he did not look as good as BC). In terms of RB, last seasons output was definitely not what it had been the previous seasons, and while one may debate the reasons (injuries, less talent to begin with, worse run blocking), I think we can agree that it had little to do with AM.
At least I am optimistic and think that both RB and WR are likely to improve this season (I got no clue where the OL will go this season). Particularly chances for improved WR play seem very real, and stopping DBs to be able to completely focus on CH would really help whomever is the QB.

I disagree with this. Patrick Cobbs yards per carry fell in 2005 (231att for 1154yds, 5.0 avg) by 0.5yds from his 2003 rushing champ season (307att for 1608yds, 5.5avg). I'd argue that Patrick Cobbs was a better running back in 2005 but without the passing game(Hall/Smith '03) to open up the run, his rushing total diminished with the less efficient quarterbacks (Meager/Phillips '05). Yes, Jamario took some carries in '05 but his and the other RBs rushing totals combined was only 370 yds. Having Jamario should've upped Cobbs YPC. In '03, RBs Roy Bishop, Kevin Moore, and James Mitchell combined for 586yds.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Cr1028

UNT90 · July 10, 2015

So......
Now we should throw PICKLES onto the field instead of tortillas?
Yes!!!!!!!

at least that would be an original thought.

Cr1028 · July 10, 2015

Hmmm. When you have one WR who does quite ok, and all others don't, then maybe there is a difference between that one WR and the rest.

Antonio Brown caught 129 passes for 1698yds for the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers while the next closest receiver caught 53 for 644yds(66 for 761yds if you count TEs, 83 for 854yds if you count RBs). This doesn't mean Big Ben is a bad qb or the others are not NFL-caliber receivers, it means that Roethlisberger prefers to throw it to Antonio.

Aldo · July 10, 2015

So......
Now we should throw PICKLES onto the field instead of tortillas?
Yes!!!!!!!

Wait, was I supposed to take them out of the jar first...?

outoftown · July 10, 2015

I disagree with this. Patrick Cobbs yards per carry fell in 2005 (231att for 1154yds, 5.0 avg) by 0.5yds (307att for 1608yds, 5.5avg). I'd argue that Patrick Cobbs was a better running back in 2005 but without the passing game(Hall/Smith '03) to open up the run, his rushing total diminished with the less efficient quarterbacks (Meager/Phillips '05). Yes, Jamario took some carries in '05 but his and the other RBs rushing totals combined was only 370 yds. Having Jamario should've upped Cobbs YPC. In '03, RBs Roy Bishop, Kevin Moore, and James Mitchell combined for 586yds.

I know what you mean, but I am not completely convinced it applies here:

The fact that there was slightly better passing in 2013 did not really change that much in terms of how difficult the task was, because the playcalling is sooooo predictable. It is not like defenses reacted much different to our system in 2013 than 2014: in both years they pretty much always knew when we would run and when pass, and the consequence was that runners pretty very often faced 8 or 9 guys in the box. In that respect O-line and runners faced quite the same uphill battle in 2013 as in 2014. They just handled it better in 2013. Macs teams don't beat anyone with confusion, they do it straight up (or they don't do it at all) the rbs and O-line were simply worse in 2014 than 2013 (to be fair though: the D also gave them less opportunites to lean on their opponents).

By the way one could just as easily argue the oposite: because the rushers (and we tended to rush on first down) were worse, it made even more obvious when we were going to pass (although I admit, I don't think that made all that much of a difference, as our playcalling was predictable anyway)

Edited July 12, 2015 by outoftown

GOMG2013 · July 10, 2015

There are skills that a WR will possess to show that he has potential. There are exceptions, but in most cases certain skills are visible, even to the average football fan.

Speed. this is an obvious one. and not just 40 times. game time speed where you actually see the wr running past defenders. does he have athe burst or extra gear.

Quickness. different than speed, and in some cases, is more important. how quick is he off the line. how quick are the cuts and jukes.

route running. this is an issue with younger wrs. college is much harder than high school. the timing must be right. the cuts and stops has to be sharper. you cannot give a defender any clues as to what route is coming. cannot round patterns. need to stop on a dime. cannot take extra steps to come to a stop.

Spacing. a very underated skill in almost every sport is proper spacing. knowing where to line up and when to break off patterns and when to cut. similar to a route running skill, but

speed, quickness, and good route running leads to separation. You can see if the WRs are getting separation from their defenders in the game. You will hear fans say, that dude is wide open...That defender is playing ten yards off him...

jumping ability. Guys that can go up and get the ball. they don't wait for the ball to come to them. the back shoulder throw and underthrows are becoming more popular so wrs can push off at the last minute and go up and get the ball.

Hands. another obvious one. does the wr catch with his body. how many drops.

concentration. does the wr look the ball in. does he keep his eye on the ball at all times or is he looking at defenders, or running before he secures it.