News: BTB: Rico Gathers looks to be working on his route running ahead of training camp

[Typhus]

It makes a big difference. Having a guy that is adept at blocking as well as pass catching allows the offense much more flexibility and an ability to disguise play calling/intentions based on the personnel left on the field. If your TE has the ability to play inline as a blocker and sit down in a zone on passing downs, you can run 11 personnel and still get favorable run looks, as well as keeping the defense on their toes.

It's why I prefer running backs like David Johnson or Elliott who are strong at running, blocking and receiving - their presence on the field does nothing to tip off what kind of play you are running. It opens up the entire playbook for the offense.

Sure it does, and I responded to Doomsday in the same context,,, your talking the perfect TE, what every team covets...
We don't have that currently.
Rico should be given a shot, that's all Im saying.

 

[Bleu Star]

What about his blocking, though?

We’re just about two weeks away from the Dallas Cowboys arriving in Oxnard for training camp.

There’s a lot to be determined under the bright California sun, namely roster spots. With a few faces of the franchise gone, things are going to be shaken up quite a bit at certain positions.

One spot that highlights this idea is tight end. Jason Witten is now retired which means the tight end spots is wide open. When you bring this up with fellow Cowboys fans the responses are all over the place. Some people believe in the veteran Geoff Swaim. Others prefer the two-year player Blake Jarwin. There’s a contingency that is talking themselves into rookie Dalton Schlutz being the guy. The most relentless group though are the Rico Gathers supporters.

Rico is a question mark on the 53 right now


Gathers is entering his third season with the Cowboys and he has yet to “actually” make the 53-man roster. He spent his first year on the practice squad and spent last year on injured reserve due to an injury.

As of now, it’s honestly a question for Rico to be on the Cowboys 53-man roster. Just a few days ago here at BTB we put out eight different roster predictions, and only half of our writers had Rico on their squad.

Gathers has been working on his route running


One of the renowned gurus in the world of route running is David Robinson. Back in March we talked about how Dez Bryant was going to work with him over the offseason (he ultimately did a bit), but that is kind of something that doesn’t pertain to us anymore.

Rico has been working with David Robinson and posted some videos of his progress. You be the judge.

Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers is working with route guru @drobalwaysopen pic.twitter.com/Ljw1oUnxem

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018

Training camp is only a few weeks away pic.twitter.com/TfoHTMG0Hj

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018

How well Rico Gathers run routes is going to define his fate during training camp and preseason. What do you see? pic.twitter.com/PC66ReAAKD

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018​

This is great, but how Rico performs in the run game will matter more


Jason Garrett has been clear when it comes to Rico Gathers. Dallas Cowboys tight ends need to be able to do more than excel in the passing game, they have to be blockers as well.

This isn’t meant to be a knock against Rico for working on his craft. He should be doing this. It’s fantastic that he is. The reality on top of it all though is that he’s already shown what he can do in this aspect and the Cowboys want to see him block better.

Jason Garrett says he believes Rico Gathers' understanding of the passing game is better than his understanding of the running game.

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) May 30, 2018

Garrett notes that Rico Gathers has made "a lot" of progress. Says his position is not an easy one, that he's significant in the running game and deeply involved in all aspects of the game. Notes some (route running, pass-catching) comes easy to him.

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) June 12, 2018​

We know Rico Gathers is a physically dominant vertical weapon in the passing game. No one has denied this. What we don’t know is how great of a run-blocker Rico is, and that’s likely going to be the difference-maker come cut time.

Continue reading...

As I have noted previously, Rico will be on that final 53. His ascension is inevitable.

 

[Doomsday101]

Sure it does, and I responded to Doomsday in the same context,,, your talking the perfect TE, what every team covets...
We don't have that currently.
Rico should be given a shot, that's all Im saying.

I think Rico deserves a shot as well. We drafted him in 2016 and he has had a couple of seasons now to learn and improve. I have no doubt he will get his opportunities in this upcoming camp and pre season.

 

[Plankton]

Sure it does, and I responded to Doomsday in the same context,,, your talking the perfect TE, what every team covets...
We don't have that currently.
Rico should be given a shot, that's all Im saying.

He should only be given a shot if he earns it. To this point, whether it's due to injury or inexperience, he hasn't.

 

[Cowboys22]

“We know Rico Gathers is a physically dominant vertical weapon in the passing game. No one has denied this. What we don’t know is how great of a run-blocker Rico is, and that’s likely going to be the difference-maker come cut time.”

Seriously? I deny it very vehemently. How does one become a dominant vertical weapon when they can’t even make a roster in two years? If he were that, he would have been on the field by now. I just don’t get how people can write these things under the pretense of being serious.

 

[CowboyRoy]

What about his blocking, though?

We’re just about two weeks away from the Dallas Cowboys arriving in Oxnard for training camp.

There’s a lot to be determined under the bright California sun, namely roster spots. With a few faces of the franchise gone, things are going to be shaken up quite a bit at certain positions.

One spot that highlights this idea is tight end. Jason Witten is now retired which means the tight end spots is wide open. When you bring this up with fellow Cowboys fans the responses are all over the place. Some people believe in the veteran Geoff Swaim. Others prefer the two-year player Blake Jarwin. There’s a contingency that is talking themselves into rookie Dalton Schlutz being the guy. The most relentless group though are the Rico Gathers supporters.

Rico is a question mark on the 53 right now


Gathers is entering his third season with the Cowboys and he has yet to “actually” make the 53-man roster. He spent his first year on the practice squad and spent last year on injured reserve due to an injury.

As of now, it’s honestly a question for Rico to be on the Cowboys 53-man roster. Just a few days ago here at BTB we put out eight different roster predictions, and only half of our writers had Rico on their squad.

Gathers has been working on his route running


One of the renowned gurus in the world of route running is David Robinson. Back in March we talked about how Dez Bryant was going to work with him over the offseason (he ultimately did a bit), but that is kind of something that doesn’t pertain to us anymore.

Rico has been working with David Robinson and posted some videos of his progress. You be the judge.

Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers is working with route guru @drobalwaysopen pic.twitter.com/Ljw1oUnxem

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018

Training camp is only a few weeks away pic.twitter.com/TfoHTMG0Hj

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018

How well Rico Gathers run routes is going to define his fate during training camp and preseason. What do you see? pic.twitter.com/PC66ReAAKD

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 10, 2018​

This is great, but how Rico performs in the run game will matter more


Jason Garrett has been clear when it comes to Rico Gathers. Dallas Cowboys tight ends need to be able to do more than excel in the passing game, they have to be blockers as well.

This isn’t meant to be a knock against Rico for working on his craft. He should be doing this. It’s fantastic that he is. The reality on top of it all though is that he’s already shown what he can do in this aspect and the Cowboys want to see him block better.

Jason Garrett says he believes Rico Gathers' understanding of the passing game is better than his understanding of the running game.

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) May 30, 2018

Garrett notes that Rico Gathers has made "a lot" of progress. Says his position is not an easy one, that he's significant in the running game and deeply involved in all aspects of the game. Notes some (route running, pass-catching) comes easy to him.

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) June 12, 2018​

We know Rico Gathers is a physically dominant vertical weapon in the passing game. No one has denied this. What we don’t know is how great of a run-blocker Rico is, and that’s likely going to be the difference-maker come cut time.

Continue reading...

Amazing. Some teams have these passing chatching demons that arent good blockers yet they are very very effective. Why cant we have one? How do these other teams manage? And we have one the best lines in the game. You would think we could compensate. Is it Garrett and his system? Lack of flexibility?

 

[CowboyRoy]

Because we rely on the TE to seal off the edge in the run game. If all Dallas was going to do is run the TE out in passing then hell keep an extra WR and run 3 and 4 wideouts, you don't need a TE.

Shannon Sharp tore up defenses when Terrell Davis was in town and Sharp was rarely asked to block. That was a run first offense with a passing catching TE.

Emmitt Smith and Jay Novacek?

 

[Typhus]

He should only be given a shot if he earns it. To this point, whether it's due to injury or inexperience, he hasn't.

totally agree with having to earn it, that should be a standard for every position,, but the Witten presence all by itself has blocked potential talents like Bennet, and others,,, Witten is gone, so if Rico or any of the others on this roster cant make a move up, than this team will need to spend high future draft picks.
The starting gig is wide open for who ever can grab it.. hows that for the American dream?

 

[Typhus]

“We know Rico Gathers is a physically dominant vertical weapon in the passing game. No one has denied this. What we don’t know is how great of a run-blocker Rico is, and that’s likely going to be the difference-maker come cut time.”

Seriously? I deny it very vehemently. How does one become a dominant vertical weapon when they can’t even make a roster in two years? If he were that, he would have been on the field by now. I just don’t get how people can write these things under the pretense of being serious.

Fasano actually played several years in this league after he left.
Bennett as well.
Basically with Wit in your way, you were never getting reps... period.
So saying that Rico has had a chance, is really no different than any of his predecessors.

 

[Shuff]

I don't think he makes the team. He has had 2-3 years and really, no real positive reviews on the guy.

 

[Sydla]

As you said we don't really know about consistent pass catching threat. Is Rico ability as a pass catcher going to be any greater than Swaim, Jarwin or Schultz? If he is not any better than these guys at pass catching and is a lesser blocker then why would Dallas release one of them who are known as good blockers?

I have no idea.

My only point is that if Gathers can show he's a consistent pass catching threat that can help this team and likely better than the other TEs we have in that department, not playing him or finding ways to utilize that skill set because he doesn't block well enough is a coaching issue plain and simple.

Great coaching staffs find ways to use guys at times that have limitations.

 

[zrinkill]

I hope he has been doing this for the past two years.

 

[OmerV]

The film room is where he can best work on his blocking. His blocking issues are mental, not physical. He made too many mistakes last preseason.

I'm certain that in 1-on-1 run blocking drills he is likely very good. Maybe better than the other TEs on the roster.

This is not an Escobar situation where he just physically couldn't block well enough.

Film room is part of it, just as it is for running pass routes. But the difference is a 10 yard out is run the same whether in shorts or in a game situation - it's a predesigned play with a predetermined pattern, and therefore the footwork to run it is the same either way, and can be perfected in shorts. Blocking is different because how you do it isn't predetermined. The guy you will block may try to run through, past or around you, and you may block a guy lined up directly across the line of scrimmage, or in the secondary, or a player running a stunt or a blitz, and the footwork is different for each. And it is done with contact every time (pass patterns are generally run with little or no contact), so there is much more of a limit to how much can be perfected outside of game like conditions facing off against opponents in pads at full speed.

 

[Number1]

umm ... we are talkin football ... points matter .... no Dez, no Witten ... where's the big red zone target ... Rico makes this team

 

[Typhus]

second level blocking I think

Back in the day when I actually played, it just seemed that second level assignments came with starting reps.

 

[cern]

Gonna be tough when the team is a run first dominant team who likes to use the passing game to keep the defense honest enough not to over sell on the run

Rico is talented... but solely working on only the passing game and not pass blocking will have him as a casualty when things get tough

There is some truth to what you say, but consider that Jay novacek, aikman's security blanket, weighed about 235 and was not a good blocker. But he was a receiving threat who moved the chains. Those cowboys were a run first team with emmitt

 

[cern]

Lots of teams figure out how to use a pass catching TE

Gronk, kelce, jourdan reed, ertz, Jimmy graham, et. Al. New generation te's are more receiving threats than blockers. The dinosaurs had their time.

 

[Big_D]

umm ... we are talkin football ... points matter .... no Dez, no Witten ... where's the big red zone target ... Rico makes this team

He should. I think Rico, Hurns and Gallup could all be nice targets in the RZ. Very helpful for a young QB.

 

[Big_D]

I get that he should be able to block, but if he is a solid receiving threat than the team needs to figure out a way to get him involved.

 

[Doomsday101]

Gronk, kelce, jourdan reed, ertz, Jimmy graham, et. Al. New generation te's are more receiving threats than blockers. The dinosaurs had their time.

Depends on the offense you run not all offense are pass happy. Hell if all you want is a big slow WR Dallas can do that but that is not a TE. In the mean time all the TE you named were top players in college, what football team did Rico play for in college? Trying to compare a kid who has not played the game and making him out to be a Gronkowski is a bit much