Concern About Keyshawn?

[junk]

Key certainly isn't the elite receiver he seems to think he is.

He is a solid blocker. He will make the tough catch in traffic.

What is it about the receiver position that these guys constantly need to have their ego stroked?

 

[baj1dallas]

There has been some concern about Keyshawn in the media but there doesn't seem to be from the coaching staff. I'd bet that went the lights come up Key will be ready to go; that's just the way he is.

He has not looked sharp at all this preseason imo. He has not gotten open, made catches, broken tackles...nada. Not that I dislike him as a player, I just think this is the year that we first start to notice him age.

 

[Eskimo]

There is reportedly some concern about Keyshawn Johnson among Dallas observers this season.
A lot of people forget that Keyshawn is coming off a broken left ankle and torn meniscus. Those are serious injuries for an already-slow receiver of Johnson's size. It makes the Peerless Price signing make more sense. Sep. 9 - 5:14 pm et
Source: ESPN.com Insider

Johnson has lost a step that he probably couldn't afford to lose with the latest injury. Vinny T threw a lot of INTs last year trying to hit Keyshawn in tight coverage. I think Bledsoe will shy away from these throws and I think Keyshawn's numbers will be very poor this season leading to his release in the offseason.

Then again, I could be completely wrong - hopefully I am.

 

[Nors]

These guys have been on Pedestals their whole life. Probably local legends in Pop Warner days. Recruited and stud HSers. Wood and nationally rated college recruits. Go on and usually excel in college. Make it to the big show, make the big $ on the biggest stage. Thats all most of these guys know. There's a lot to Key, TO, Irvin types - that same quality makes them great on the field - that gets them in trouble off the field.

 

[Nors]

By season end our top 3 WR's will be Crayton, Glenn, Price.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Johnson has lost a step that he probably couldn't afford to lose with the latest injury. Vinny T threw a lot of INTs last year trying to hit Keyshawn in tight coverage. I think Bledsoe will shy away from these throws and I think Keyshawn's numbers will be very poor this season leading to his release in the offseason.

Then again, I could be completely wrong - hopefully I am.

Yes VT tried to feed Key, he only had Key and Witten to get the ball to. What other options were there? If our corps stay healthy, Bledsoe has some nice options VT surley didnt have.

 

[Eskimo]

Yes VT tried to feed Key, he only had Key and Witten to get the ball to. What other options were there? If our corps stay healthy, Bledsoe has some nice options VT surley didnt have.

Yes, Bledsoe will have choices that VT didn't have and will choose not to throw to Keyshawn who will be blanketed. This will lead to Keyshawn putting up historical lows in catches, receiving yards and TDs. He talks a big game about being a team first player but this will be the big test this year. He may only be the #3 WR on this team whose job it will be to play the slot in 3rd down and do some blocking for Julius - can he accept it?

My guess is he won't and will not be content. This is probably his last year on this team. Hopefully Glenn stays healthy, Price makes a comeback and Crayton has a breakout campaign. A big, young, physical WR will be a priority next draft.

 

[Nors]

Yes, Bledsoe will have choices that VT didn't have and will choose not to throw to Keyshawn who will be blanketed. This will lead to Keyshawn putting up historical lows in catches, receiving yards and TDs. He talks a big game about being a team first player but this will be the big test this year. He may only be the #3 WR on this team whose job it will be to play the slot in 3rd down and do some blocking for Julius - can he accept it?

My guess is he won't and will not be content. This is probably his last year on this team. Hopefully Glenn stays healthy, Price makes a comeback and Crayton has a breakout campaign. A big, young, physical WR will be a priority next draft.

Watch the Patriots - a very quick WR that can get open fast is in order..... All these STUD 6-5 draft WR's of late aren't lighting it up........?

 

[junk]

These guys have been on Pedestals their whole life. Probably local legends in Pop Warner days. Recruited and stud HSers. Wood and nationally rated college recruits. Go on and usually excel in college. Make it to the big show, make the big $ on the biggest stage. Thats all most of these guys know. There's a lot to Key, TO, Irvin types - that same quality makes them great on the field - that gets them in trouble off the field.

So have players at QB, RB, DE, LB, etc. Doesn't it just seem that WRs in general are kind of like a bunch of 2 year olds out there? TO, Chad Johnson, Key, etc.

 

[Eskimo]

Watch the Patriots - a very quick WR that can get open fast is in order..... All these STUD 6-5 draft WR's of late aren't lighting it up........?

You don't got to be 6'5" to be a good blocker but not many 5'9" 180 lbs WRs are going to be good blockers and BP seems to put a lot of weight on that. Personally, I'd got with the better receiver but that is just my philosophy.

 

[kmd24]

I don't see how that's relevant. From "Just Throw Me the Damn Ball," to "he's a flashlight, I'm a superstar," to suspended from the team in Tampa he has given me enough evidence to be concerned that at any time Mr. Model Citizen might open his mouth and insert his foot.

The question was any concerns. Yes, I have some because he has a History of "me first" faux pas. That is why I brought up TO. Same boat, better talent. If you're telling me that Parcells is the elixir that gets a prima donna player past being a disruption then go get him.

In other words, I'm not sold that Key will never do or say something here that makes me roll my eyes and think he just doesn't get it. I appreciate his contributions. I'll always likely be waiting for the other shoe to fall.

In Key's defense, I would argue that most of his bad behavior seems to be focused on winning. He has been a malcontent mostly when his teams were performing poorly, and he argued that he wasn't being used to his fullest ability.

Key is not TO - demanding new contracts and calling his teammates out (at two stops now).

 

[JackMagist]

Wasn't Parcells his coach on the Jets? Two of the incidents I mentioned under his watch.

To be truthful, Irvin's antics concerned me too. So, I'm not being inconsistent.

Actually Keyshawn wrote "Just Give Me the Damn Ball" while a rookie the year before Parcells came to the Jets. It wasn't published until after but the book was written and the publication deal was in place before Parcells arrived. The Superstar / Flashlight comment came after Parcells arrived but that is the only thing that I can recall that he did under Parcells.

As for what happened in Tampa; I've heard both sides of that tale or at least the parts that were made public by either side. It sounds to me like both Keyshawn and Gruden were culpable in that blow up. They got crossways early on and never did get along. Then win they quit winning the salve that smoothed over the rift was gone and it just blew up in their faces.

I'm not saying that Keyshawn is an angle or that he was not an extraordinarily cocky young man his first couple of years in the league. But he came into the league as the #1 overall pick and was told constantly how great he was...that could make a humble man cocky and Key has never been humble. I do believe that he has matured and understands his place in the grand scheme of things. And I feel sure that Parcells has helped in that regard.

However, to say that Parcells could have the same effect on TO is just wishful thinking. Parcells could not get through to AB and he was an amateur compared to TO when it comes to being an immature Prima Dona. TO will be the same regardless of where he goes and I would puke purple if he ever came to the Cowboys.

 

[Coakleys Dad]

key will b fine! i love havin key on our squad

 

[Boy's fan in Giant land]

I agree. Key's going to be just fine. Sure seems to be an awful lot of people here wishing for him to fail.

 

[twa]

I share some of hostile's concerns about Key,but I believe as long as he feels he is part of the gameplan there will be no problem.

The situation in Tampa will not be repeated here imo,because Bill will use him correctly.

If we avoid major injuries this season could get Interesting

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Actually Keyshawn wrote "Just Give Me the Damn Ball" while a rookie the year before Parcells came to the Jets. It wasn't published until after but the book was written and the publication deal was in place before Parcells arrived. The Superstar / Flashlight comment came after Parcells arrived but that is the only thing that I can recall that he did under Parcells.

The flashlight comment came from Key in Tampa, after he had been traded and the Jets faced the Bucs early in the 2000 season. It was part of the pre-game week hoopla. Al Groh, the Jets HC, said the Jets still had stars even with KJ gone, and Key replied The Bucs had him, a star, but the Jets just had a flashlight. Groh, master of the corny, then passed out green flashlights to the team.

Key did have a rivalry with Chrebet when he was in NY, but Tuna seems to have let it go because 1) it seemed to get the best play out of both, and 2) on the field Key always had Wayne's back.

KJ was simply jealous, imo, of the incredible worship Wayne received from the Jets fanbase. After all, Chrebet's jersey for several years was the second biggest seller in the US, and on game day, it outnumbered Curtis Martin's, maybe five to one. Key when in NY referred to WC not as 'the flashlight', but as 'the mascot'.

 

[Hostile]

In Key's defense, I would argue that most of his bad behavior seems to be focused on winning. He has been a malcontent mostly when his teams were performing poorly, and he argued that he wasn't being used to his fullest ability.

Key is not TO - demanding new contracts and calling his teammates out (at two stops now).

Fair enough.

The original premise was reason for concern. I still say relevant history is reason enough for me to stay concerned. If he never rocks the boat I'll love it. If he rocks the boat I won't be shocked.

 

[Hostile]

Actually Keyshawn wrote "Just Give Me the Damn Ball" while a rookie the year before Parcells came to the Jets. It wasn't published until after but the book was written and the publication deal was in place before Parcells arrived. The Superstar / Flashlight comment came after Parcells arrived but that is the only thing that I can recall that he did under Parcells.

As for what happened in Tampa; I've heard both sides of that tale or at least the parts that were made public by either side. It sounds to me like both Keyshawn and Gruden were culpable in that blow up. They got crossways early on and never did get along. Then win they quit winning the salve that smoothed over the rift was gone and it just blew up in their faces.

I'm not saying that Keyshawn is an angle or that he was not an extraordinarily cocky young man his first couple of years in the league. But he came into the league as the #1 overall pick and was told constantly how great he was...that could make a humble man cocky and Key has never been humble. I do believe that he has matured and understands his place in the grand scheme of things. And I feel sure that Parcells has helped in that regard.

However, to say that Parcells could have the same effect on TO is just wishful thinking. Parcells could not get through to AB and he was an amateur compared to TO when it comes to being an immature Prima Dona. TO will be the same regardless of where he goes and I would puke purple if he ever came to the Cowboys.

Fair enough and LTN has also corrected me on when the Flashlight comment was made.

I too do not want TO. It's not that I don't see him as a serious talent and potential weapon. He clearly is. I believe the mix of bad with good makes him as much of a liability as it does a boon. That was my point.

To this point Key has not disrupted things with the exception of some bad blood with Q. According to BrownSugar Key told Q he was a "washed up version of Shawn King." Q replied with a comment about Key's wife in a porn tape with Suge Night.

What I'm saying is that there is always potential there for a rocky romance and that keeps me concerned.

 

[Reality]

I have no concerns about Key .. because we have Crayton waiting in the wings to replace him should he get injured, not perform as needed pull a TO, etc.

 

[JackMagist]

Fair enough.

The original premise was reason for concern. I still say relevant history is reason enough for me to stay concerned. If he never rocks the boat I'll love it. If he rocks the boat I won't be shocked.

My take on the original premise was that there was concern about Keyshawn because he had not played well in the preseason this year. I had character concerns when he first arrived here but I am long past any of those concerns now having seen how Keyshawn works in the community. He sponsors the Keyshawn Johnson Education Foundation working within the community to help kids and he invests in the community. I have never heard of a Terrell Owens foundation for the benefit of anything but Terrell Owens. There is just no comparison between these two.

BTW I am not concerned about his play either. Keyshawn is a competitor and he will be ready to go come game day.