Tight Ends

[Box_O_Rocks]

Rivals.com College Football - Tight ends becoming popular picks in NFL

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Nice find Box. And some nice insight on our kids.

Bill is always ahead of the curve. He just didn't have the right TE's. Both were reluctant blockers coming out of college and maybe because it wasn't in their pedigree they were injured a lot learning the role. Graham became a solid blocker, but he hated the role. And athletic as he was, Watson could never master chewing gum while walking. Sounds like this crop has been genetically altered to be multi dimentional coming out of college... because of the spread of the spread.

Bad news for all the WTF is our fullback let's get back to pounding the rock crowd... Now if they can get Maroney integrated into the short passing game, what's comin' next will be a formational diagnostic crap shoot...

 

[NEGoldenAge]

If Crumpler really has trimmed up, and gotten significantly quicker, we could have a pretty sick 3 TE formation. That group would create some serious matchup problems.

 

[PatsChamp88]

Nice read... I can't wait to see these guys light up the Jest!

 

[jczxohn1]

Interesting that the article mentioned Gresham, at first but based the rest on the Pat's 2 picks. Physically, this "new breed" of TE compares to the defensive equivalent of the successful DE/OLB conversion project. Hopefully, with a more agile Crumpler, they will prove competitive against Ryan's blitz pkgs.

 

[patchick]

I'm very happy with the TEs the Patriots picked, but the article is utter hogwash.

Teams are NOT suddenly drafting more tight ends for strategic reasons. The average number of TEs drafted in the last four years of this decade is precisely the same as in the first four years of this decade. This year it happened to be the deepest position in the draft, so teams took a lot of them, that's all.

Check it out: all of the receiving threats who are supposed to be the prototypes of this "new breed" that "everybody wants" -- Hernandez, Pitta, ****erson -- went much LATER than expected in this draft. That's not a sign of increased demand, it's increased supply!

Hogwash, I tells ya, hogwash. :snob:

 

[Deus Irae]

Weakening one area to theoretically strengthen another. Meet the new NFL, same as the old NFL.

 

[eom]

this season can't start soon enough.

 

[jays52]

In five years the spread will be dead. It will rest at the bottom of Lake Ichigumi with the K-Gun, the original shotty, the run and shoot, the wing-t, and certain west coast concepts. It's not difficult to anticipate this trend, and the league is already shifting. Spread is speed and space. Defenses adjust to disrupt the timing and get into quick pursuit angles. Offenses will eventually get beat by these upfield/penetration, and realize what Joe Gibbs did two decades ago. Block the defenders and they are at your mercy. So, like in anything else, the balance shifts back towards blocking and physical football. Not too difficult to grasp, and certainly nothing brilliant, but far too often
media is well behind the trend.

As Patchick pointed out, it's not a demand conversation but a supply conversation. Don't get me wrong- there are some great tight ends that are coming out. However, a guy like Gronkowski is much more of a true TE than Hernandez or Jimmy Graham. There will be excellent opportunities to utilize their skill sets, but the position and the game as a whole will always seek it's own level. Those who become enamored with the offense will be out thought, out strategized, and eventually become obsolete. Those that can take the concepts with validity each new trend brings can anticipate the shifts, and grow mentally.

They're getting tougher, more physical on offense. They recognize this trend. Now bring me my fullback!

 

[Deus Irae]

In five years the spread will be dead. It will rest at the bottom of Lake Ichigumi with the K-Gun, the original shotty, the run and shoot, the wing-t, and certain west coast concepts. It's not difficult to anticipate this trend, and the league is already shifting. Spread is speed and space. Defenses adjust to disrupt the timing and get into quick pursuit angles. Offenses will eventually get beat by these upfield/penetration, and realize what Joe Gibbs did two decades ago. Block the defenders and they are at your mercy. So, like in anything else, the balance shifts back towards blocking and physical football. Not too difficult to grasp, and certainly nothing brilliant, but far too often
media is well behind the trend.

As Patchick pointed out, it's not a demand conversation but a supply conversation. Don't get me wrong- there are some great tight ends that are coming out. However, a guy like Gronkowski is much more of a true TE than Hernandez or Jimmy Graham. There will be excellent opportunities to utilize their skill sets, but the position and the game as a whole will always seek it's own level. Those who become enamored with the offense will be out thought, out strategized, and eventually become obsolete. Those that can take the concepts with validity each new trend brings can anticipate the shifts, and grow mentally.

They're getting tougher, more physical on offense. They recognize this trend. Now bring me my fullback!

Preach on!

+1 (if we had rep)

 

[condon84]

In five years the spread will be dead. It will rest at the bottom of Lake Ichigumi with the K-Gun, the original shotty, the run and shoot, the wing-t, and certain west coast concepts. It's not difficult to anticipate this trend, and the league is already shifting. Spread is speed and space. Defenses adjust to disrupt the timing and get into quick pursuit angles. Offenses will eventually get beat by these upfield/penetration, and realize what Joe Gibbs did two decades ago. Block the defenders and they are at your mercy. So, like in anything else, the balance shifts back towards blocking and physical football. Not too difficult to grasp, and certainly nothing brilliant, but far too often
media is well behind the trend.

I think you're way off here. The spread and pass happy trend will continue because of all the rule changes that favor the passing game. QBs can't be hit too hard now, receivers can't get laid out anymore while making a catch, simply touch a receiver after 5 yards and it's a penalty, etc.

Sorry, but the spread is here to stay unless they change the rules again to favor physical play.

 

[ausbacker]

Weakening one area to theoretically strengthen another. Meet the new NFL, same as the old NFL.

What's old is new and what's new is old. That's the way of the world isn't it .

 

[jays52]

I think you're way off here. The spread and pass happy trend will continue because of all the rule changes that favor the passing game. QBs can't be hit too hard now, receivers can't get laid out anymore while making a catch, simply touch a receiver after 5 yards and it's a penalty, etc.

Sorry, but the spread is here to stay unless they change the rules again to favor physical play.

1) Who had the best defense in the NFL last year?
2) What was their primary philosophy?
3) Research anti-spread concepts.
4) Spread is quick hitting. Chuck rule is irrelevent.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think you're way off here. The spread and pass happy trend will continue because of all the rule changes that favor the passing game. QBs can't be hit too hard now, receivers can't get laid out anymore while making a catch, simply touch a receiver after 5 yards and it's a penalty, etc.

Sorry, but the spread is here to stay unless they change the rules again to favor physical play.

You might want to explain that to Belichick, because he's getting a different reading from the tea leaves....

4. Talking trends in the NFL. Belichick was asked about drafting players based on NFL trends such as more teams with high-powered pass offenses, and he responded by saying that might have been something on the radar 3-4 years ago. But recently, Belichick feels it’s headed in the other direction, toward the running game. “Just as an example, this past year I think there were almost three times as many plays in the league as there had been in quite a while with an offensive lineman lined up at a tight end position,” he said. “I think that also speaks to being a little more physical, and having a bigger body and a better blocker at that position.”

Quick hits from Belichick radio interview - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[condon84]

You might want to explain that to Belichick, because he's getting a different reading from the tea leaves....



Quick hits from Belichick radio interview - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

From what I've seen Belichick do with our team, signing Springs last year, Bodden this year, drafting Wheatley, Wilhite, Butler, and now McCourty, YET leaving a OLB in Tully who is weak against the run as one of our starters, and leaving the other OLB spot open to competition to Crable, Cunningham, Ninkovich, Woods, or whoever they bring, PLUS not addressing the other DE spot with a gap-controlling run stuffing player, instead signing one-gap players like Lewis and Warren to compete against Wright, who sucks against the run, leads me to believe that either BB is complete full of $H!T, or he's simply giving all of us lip service.

Just look at the past 2 SB winners and participants:

Saints vs Colts
Steelers (on the strength of Roethlisburger's arm with no running game that year) vs Cardinals

They've made even more changes the past two years. Now you can't hit a receiver jumping for a catch? LOL. Receivers used to fear laying out in the middle of the field because they'd get destroyed, now they call that a penalty on the defense for hitting a defenseless receiver. Receivers are now running wild. Not to mention the protection the QBs get from all the officials.

Nope, I don't see the trend going the other way. Rules have changed and unless they revert back to allow more physicality, it's not logical for the trend to go the other way.

 

[condon84]

1) Who had the best defense in the NFL last year?
2) What was their primary philosophy?
3) Research anti-spread concepts.
4) Spread is quick hitting. Chuck rule is irrelevent.

The Saints had the #25 defense last year and won the SB. The Colts, had the #18 defense and beat the #1 defense scoring 30 pts.

 

[eom]

What's old is new and what's new is old. That's the way of the world isn't it .

balance a tack hammer on your head, and you will be able to head off a balanced attack.

 

[Deus Irae]

balance a tack hammer on your head, and you will be able to head off a balanced attack.

Two men are drinking in a bar. The first one turns and says

"It's a dog eat dog world."


The second one thinks about it for a while, and then replies:


"Yeah, but sometimes it's the other way around."

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

You might want to explain that to Belichick, because he's getting a different reading from the tea leaves....



Quick hits from Belichick radio interview - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Oh because if BB says it, then it must be true.

1) Who had the best defense in the NFL last year?

The Jets, what does that have to do with spread offense? Sometimes the defense wins against spread offenses (Giants super bowl 42) and sometimes they lose (Jets AFC Championship game).

 

[jays52]

The Saints had the #25 defense last year and won the SB. The Colts, had the #18 defense and beat the #1 defense scoring 30 pts.

And therein lies my point. If you are proactive, you will be succesful. If you are reactionary you will fail. Check my man D's evidence, dude. The trend don't lie. If I want tips on how to find killer c*mshot avatars, I'll talk to you. If you wanna learn ball, come talk to me.