Escobar Blocking Issues

[Miller]

Just a young guy. Has the attitude but if he is going to get the playing time, this has to improve so Romo isn't running for his life.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/8410/gavin-escobar

Coach Jason Garrett says second-round TE Gavin Escobar has "got to get stronger."
"He knows that; we know that," Garrett continued. "He just has to keep working at it. But one of the things I have been impressed with has been his nastiness and his toughness." Escobar has been invisible during camp and two preseason games. He's caught just one pass for three yards, and Pro Football Focus has Escobar graded out as the worst run-blocking tight end so far this preseason. Aug 12 - 6:49 PM

 

[Ren]

We knew what we where getting, if blocking was so important for the role he's gonna play we should have never drafted him

 

[CyberB0b]

We knew what we where getting, if blocking was so important for the role he's gonna play we should have never drafted him

What does he do that is special? He is slow and can't block. I have heard he has "elite" hands on this board, but that doesn't really matter if you don't have some wiggle to get open. Witten is slow but he is always open. Maybe Witten can mentor him.

 

[Miller]

We knew what we where getting, if blocking was so important for the role he's gonna play we should have never drafted him

Well that begs the question then.."why?" Obviously you can work with a guy on blocking but the funny part is they had a guy with hands who could ALSO block in Bennett and somehow that didn't work. I think we are always going to need a TE to do some blocking with the way the line has been. I just can see a point where JG may not trust him on the field to get catches if he can't help on the line.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

What does he do that is special? He is slow and can't block. I have heard he has "elite" hands on this board, but that doesn't really matter if you don't have some wiggle to get open. Witten is slow but he is always open. Maybe Witten can mentor him.

He is not slow. He just has slow 40.

 

[Matts4313]

Well that begs the question then.."why?" Obviously you can work with a guy on blocking but the funny part is they had a guy with hands who could ALSO block in Bennett and somehow that didn't work. I think we are always going to need a TE to do some blocking with the way the line has been. I just can see a point where JG may not trust him on the field to get catches if he can't help on the line.

technically Bennett did have hands. They were just made of stone.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Well that begs the question then.."why?" Obviously you can work with a guy on blocking but the funny part is they had a guy with hands who could ALSO block in Bennett and somehow that didn't work. I think we are always going to need a TE to do some blocking with the way the line has been. I just can see a point where JG may not trust him on the field to get catches if he can't help on the line.

Bennett was not a good receiver. He could not get the footwork right and often times he would be off balance when trying to catch a ball. That's why we started using him more on screen passes where he didn't have to balance himself as much and then we would have a 6'7" 265 pound runner of the ball. Bennett had all of the athleticism, but his skill was largely unrefined.

I'm not for the Escobar pick. I think if you're going to run 12 personnel, you're better off drafting the other TE/H-Back in the 4th or 5th round. Particularly since Witten wasn't drafted until the 3rd round. I know they picked Escobar because he was rated highly on their draft board, but they should have gone elsewhere IMO

With that said, Escobar fits the role of the TE/H-Back better because he can run routes, particularly when he's lined up in the slot or out wide. And far, far, far better than Bennett could. I think people mistook Bennett's size and athleticism for being a 'good receiver' when he's really a poor receiver because his skills were so raw.

I will say that there are plenty of good TE's that were not good blockers early on that became pretty darn good at blocking down the road. Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark come to mind. And a lot of about receiving as a TE is about being smart enough to improvise and understand where the hole in the zone is. That's one of the things that Witten is an expert at and you don't need to be fast in order to do that.

For me, my concern is that they seem hell bent on running the 12 personnel. They could always go with 11 personnel. But, I'm very concerned about the team in short yardage situations without a fullback and an extra TE that can block well.




YR

 

[dboyz]

A couple thoughts.

I think we are holding back in the preseason from having the TE's stretching the field vertically so we are not seeing positives from Escobar in this regard which is intentional.

Second, Escobar has very good length and long arms it seems to me so he may have the ability to be a good in-line blocker with more strength. So he needs to get stronger which hopefully will be next year.

I didn't love the Escobar pick but it is way early to start rueing this pick now. Think back to Witten at this point in his career. Did he look like a HOFer as a rookie? (I'm not saying Escobar will be like Witten).

 

[Bullflop]

I choose not to jump to any conclusions until I've seen what he's capable of over time in live NFL action. He was pretty doggone successful at San Diego State -- enough so to have been widely regarded as a legitimate second round draft pick at the TE position.

Evidently, there weren't any interior linemen left that suited the C'boys staff at that particular point in the draft since they disappeared so early. I'm looking forward to seeing what he's able to contribute in the pass-receiving area and will remain hopeful he'll eventually improve his blocking skills.

Jay Novacek had a great career at TE despite never being an outstanding blocker. It's been said he managed to block effectively simply by positioning himself so as to "get in the way" of would-be tacklers. If push comes to shove, maybe Escobar could manage to do the same.

 

[Miller]

Just to clarify, and I said it above...I'm not ripping the pick. Just reporting what is being said and saying in order to see the field, he must improve. I also said I think a guy can improve. As for Bennett. I thought the guy in college and the pros had soft hands, he just wasn't in the right position sometimes and lacked the maturity/concentration to be effective all the time. His commitment is what I questioned most. I just think with what we are running..and to be effective in the red zone..he needs to work on the blocking in order to hit the field.

 

[dmq]

This is one of the writers from Cowboys Nation. He watches their practice, so I trust his opinion a little bit.

Steven Van Over Zeus
• 3 hours ago
Escobar is a rookie. He has had whiffs. So has Tyron Smith. His blocking is certainly not his strong suit, however he is willing and is getting better. He is/will be a Witten/Novacek style blocker. Effective versus pretty.

 

[CATCH17]

Escobar will eventually get ok at blocking.

I just want to see him stretch the seem at the NFL level like he did at the college level.

So far all we have seen him do is eat up the short stuff underneath. I want to see this guy get a little more vertical.

I want to see the athleticism.

 

[Doomsday101]

This is one of the writers from Cowboys Nation. He watches their practice, so I trust his opinion a little bit.

Steven Van Over Zeus
• 3 hours ago
Escobar is a rookie. He has had whiffs. So has Tyron Smith. His blocking is certainly not his strong suit, however he is willing and is getting better. He is/will be a Witten/Novacek style blocker. Effective versus pretty.

I agree. Escobar has never been asked to block in the past so spending a lot of time improving in this area has not been at the forefront for him. I listend to people make the claims of Novacek not being a great blocker but he learned to be an effective blocker I see no reason Escobar can't become a more effective blocker if he is willing to put in the work.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I chuckle at those ripping the pick. Escobar has only been a Cowboy for less than 4 months.

 

[egn22]

he's a huge target in the red zone with great hands. i'm thinking this was one of the reasons for the pick. During the draft, i remember them saying that he is very good at getting open and providing a big target for the QB. I think people are getting worried too soon. the guy has a lot of potential and i don't think we've seen his best yet, and if we haven't seen his best, why question the pick right now?

 

[DFWJC]

I assume he'll turn out fine.
But I thought Hanna was developing well and they seem like similar players. My guess is that Hanna, not Escobar, will be the main additoon in the 12 package.
So I was (and am) surprised we burned such a high pick there, but no big deal really.as he has the potential be a a force in a few years though.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

I chuckle at those ripping the pick. Escobar has only been a Cowboy for less than 4 months.

This and the fact that Esco's blocking is the least of this team's concerns going into the season.

 

[Miller]

I chuckle at those ripping the pick. Escobar has only been a Cowboy for less than 4 months.

I don't see too many people ripping the pick. It's basically a discussion on how he can improve so he can be used more.

 

[Idgit]

It's not accurate to say he's been invisible in camp, either. The TE position has a steep year one learning curve. Escobar, from every camp account I've heard is doing fine. He hasn't produced offensively in two preseason games, but that will come, eventually.

 

[erod]

Eventually this guy might be a good player, but I expect this to be a redshirt season for him. He's just so incredibly weak, I don't see how he's going to get off press coverage or win battles for the ball. Let alone his putrid blocking.

Very strange pick in the second round if you ask me.