I agree with you. There is a reason why no rookie WR in the BB era has EVER had more than 520 yds receiving. BTW- the guy who holds the record is Aaron Freakin' Dobson. So it that doesn't scare you straight I don't know what will.
That's a 20 year history we are talking about.
We know that given the fact that Harry will likely get a lot of snaps this season and see his fair share of targets, he DOES have a good chance to break that record. However that being said, some people are talking like a 1000 yd season is more likely than not....and that's CRAZY. 6-700 yds would be a fantastic rookie season for Harry. To think he would actually double the current rookie record is entering yahoo fanship land.
Let the kid be a rookie and lets give him rookie expectations.
BTW- as to your Manning observation. I rarely miss an opportunity to dump on Peyton, but in this case I feel the need to point this out as a former coach. Tony Dungy was a big believer in perfection football. He believed on defense if his players lined up in the same place almost all the time and he simplified their responsibilities and they kept seeing what the offense is trying to do to them, their EXECUTION of those responsibilities would improve as the game went along. If he asked them to do a lot of things that looked great on paper but weren't executed in a game what good were they.
That's a legitimate school of coaching thought. Its a fact that simplicity creates better execution. Dungy won a LOT of games with his Tampa 2 defense, and that same philosophy ran through on the offensive side of the ball. Maybe the Colts ran a limited route tree, but they executed those routes VERY very well. To the point when even when you knew what was coming it was almost impossible to cover it. Manning put up enormous numbers in that kind of system (which I bet was a lot more complex than what we'd like to think.
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It was the same philosophy that made Unitas to Berry such an impossible combination to cover.
Now I'm going to rant a bit.
Now the Pats use a philosophy that is almost diametrically opposed to that....basically. Every week can see them in a completely different game plan on BOTH offense and defense, depending on who they are playing. Makes a lot of sense right? Ever ask yourself why doesn't every other team do the same thing? Why does it seem like its only the Pats that can manage to do it so successfully?
There is a reason, ya know. It's HARD to do. VERY VERY hard! Don't you think others haven't tried this approach. They are certainly trying to do it in Detroit and in Tennessee, and we'll see it up close in Miami this year. And I'm sure there have been many others who have tried it over the last 20 years to varying degrees of success.
I have some slight experience in this. I coached at the smallest school in the biggest school league. The ONLY way we could compete schools like Brockton, Newton, Quincy etc was to be the team that was totally unpredictable. One year playing an Arlington team that sent 4 kids to the big 10, between the our last game and Thanksgiving we put in a true triple option in 10 days. We had well over 300 yds rushing that game despite being totally outmatched on both LOS. We lost the game but we kept it close most of the game until a few fumbles (which were inevitable I guess) took us out of the game. One of my prouder moments as a coach.
But getting back to the point, I can guess what the Pats do to make it happen. While they align all over the place. Once the player gets to his spot, his FUNDAMENTALS and techniques will be the same ones he uses all the time. Easy to talk about, hard as hell to implement, otherwise every team in the league would do it.
HOW exactly Bill has managed to create this ability and make it work over such a long period of time is a mystery. It would be my fondest wish to go behind the scenes and what how it's done. It's not something you can get just hanging for a week or two. I have to believe its more complex than that, and has a LOT to do with the so called "harder than everyone work ethic" we hear so much about.
Now getting back to the point, there are a LOT of ways to coach football successfully. Dungy's ways works. Carroll's way works. BB's way works. They all have some things that one could find consistent in all winning programs. 1. Great leadership - though the visions might be different, the ability to get men to buy into that vision, whatever it is, could be the most important factor in the success of any coach. 2. Consistency - staying on message - having your players know what to expect and giving it to them. And continue to be consistent when you are both winning and when there is adversity.
3. Belief - When your players believe that your game plan gives them the best chance of winning they are more likely to follow your lead. It is especially effective when they lose and see WHY they lost. Where the breakdowns were and how they can get better.
That's another reason why players put up with all the crap they have to go through here. Guys who love the game, never stop wanting to be better at their craft. The prevailing view that most players believe that playing for the NE Patriots will make you a better player.
I'll stop here before this becomes long enough to be a book, I'd love to write about the Pats and this era.