LaTunaNostra
He Made the Difference
- Messages
- 14,985
- Reaction score
- 4
Dennis Dillon
Dillon's SportingBlog
It's not easy catching on at wideout
Posted: September 27, 2005
Like the children in the adage, rookie wide receivers are frequently seen but rarely heard. The initial NFL experience for wideouts can be filled with hard knocks. Growth spurts are sporadic, and few mature quickly.
From 1995 through 2004, NFL wideouts produced 208 1,000-yard performances. Rookies accounted for only five of them: Joey Galloway (1995), Terry Glenn ('96), Randy Moss ('98), Anquan Boldin (2003) and Michael Clayton ('04). But for every Clayton, who caught 80 passes for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bucs, there are a plethora of Michael Jenkinses, who had seven receptions for 119 yards and no touchdowns for the Falcons last season.
It's a steep step from college to the NFL. The game is much faster. Cornerbacks are smarter and more physical. Defenses are more complicated. And getting open -- a receiver can't catch a pass without learning how to do it -- is a lot harder.
"It took me about eight weeks to really realize what was going on around me," Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce recalls of his 1994 rookie season. "And eight weeks in the NFL is a long time."
There are good reasons why receivers who soared in college have trouble getting off the ground in the NFL.
Jagged edges. Some receivers aren't products of collegiate pro-style passing attacks. Vikings rookie Troy Williamson is known for his speed, but he played in a run-oriented offense at South Carolina.
A player's fundamentals could be lacking. He might not run precise routes. He might not know how to position his body to shield defenders and make catches. The one technique most rookie receivers lack is the ability to beat press coverage by cornerbacks.
"They're going to hit you in the chest; they're going to disrupt your route," says a former NFL college and pro scout. "You have to be quick, you have to be strong, and you have to play with some power. If you don't have those things, you're going to struggle."
Crafty corners. One thing Jenkins noticed in his rookie season about some cornerbacks was their eyes. They tended to peek into the offensive backfield to see whether the quarterback was taking a three-, five- or seven-step drop. That allowed the corners to anticipate routes and react more quickly.
"You've just got to be really conscious of working back to the ball and getting there before they do," Jenkins says.
In college, a receiver might face an elite cornerback once or twice a season. In the NFL, most teams have a premium corner, and many have two. Top NFL corners disguise coverages, read routes and force adjustments in pass patterns -- in other words, they make life miserable for fledgling wideouts.
Codependency. Players at positions other than receiver don't necessarily have to have good players around them to excel. A star corner on a bad defense can shut down his opponent's best receiver. An elite left tackle on a weak line can neutralize the league's top pass rusher.
But a wide receiver can't gain yards and score touchdowns unless he has the ball in his hands. And the ball has to be delivered to him by the quarterback. If the quarterback doesn't think that receiver is going to get open, he has two, three or sometimes four other options.
There also is a matter of trust. A receiver must build chemistry with his quarterback -- and then be in the right spot at the right time. "If the coverage dictates that you get the ball, you have to be where the quarterback expects you to be," Bruce says. "He doesn't want you to fool him."
Rookie receivers don't put up big numbers because they often don't get opportunities to make plays. Even if they get playing time, they might get only a handful of passes, if that, thrown in their direction during a game; a running back, by contrast, usually gets 20 or more carries. That's one reason rookies accounted for 19 of the 175 1,000-yard rushing performances in the past 10 years.
"It's a challenge," Jenkins says about a receiver making a splash as a rookie. "I wouldn't say it's easy, but it can be done."
It just isn't done often.
Dennis Dillon is a senior writer for Sporting News. Email him at ddillon@sportingnews.com.
Comments
Young WRs
Posted by Headhunters88 on Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:14 am
I agree, usually in college these stud wrs see maybe 1 or 2 good corners, where in the NFL they are all good or great corners. In college these guys can get by on athletic ability. When they get to the NFL they are expected to run crisp routes which most have never had to do, face more jams at the line, plus adjust to the overall increase of speed at the NFL level as compared to college. In today's NFL where the salary cap rules, there is not a lot of time to get with the program, b/c if you don't they will find someone who can.
Reply to this comment
Report abuse
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=20680
Dillon's SportingBlog
It's not easy catching on at wideout
Posted: September 27, 2005
Like the children in the adage, rookie wide receivers are frequently seen but rarely heard. The initial NFL experience for wideouts can be filled with hard knocks. Growth spurts are sporadic, and few mature quickly.
From 1995 through 2004, NFL wideouts produced 208 1,000-yard performances. Rookies accounted for only five of them: Joey Galloway (1995), Terry Glenn ('96), Randy Moss ('98), Anquan Boldin (2003) and Michael Clayton ('04). But for every Clayton, who caught 80 passes for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bucs, there are a plethora of Michael Jenkinses, who had seven receptions for 119 yards and no touchdowns for the Falcons last season.
It's a steep step from college to the NFL. The game is much faster. Cornerbacks are smarter and more physical. Defenses are more complicated. And getting open -- a receiver can't catch a pass without learning how to do it -- is a lot harder.
"It took me about eight weeks to really realize what was going on around me," Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce recalls of his 1994 rookie season. "And eight weeks in the NFL is a long time."
There are good reasons why receivers who soared in college have trouble getting off the ground in the NFL.
Jagged edges. Some receivers aren't products of collegiate pro-style passing attacks. Vikings rookie Troy Williamson is known for his speed, but he played in a run-oriented offense at South Carolina.
A player's fundamentals could be lacking. He might not run precise routes. He might not know how to position his body to shield defenders and make catches. The one technique most rookie receivers lack is the ability to beat press coverage by cornerbacks.
"They're going to hit you in the chest; they're going to disrupt your route," says a former NFL college and pro scout. "You have to be quick, you have to be strong, and you have to play with some power. If you don't have those things, you're going to struggle."
Crafty corners. One thing Jenkins noticed in his rookie season about some cornerbacks was their eyes. They tended to peek into the offensive backfield to see whether the quarterback was taking a three-, five- or seven-step drop. That allowed the corners to anticipate routes and react more quickly.
"You've just got to be really conscious of working back to the ball and getting there before they do," Jenkins says.
In college, a receiver might face an elite cornerback once or twice a season. In the NFL, most teams have a premium corner, and many have two. Top NFL corners disguise coverages, read routes and force adjustments in pass patterns -- in other words, they make life miserable for fledgling wideouts.
Codependency. Players at positions other than receiver don't necessarily have to have good players around them to excel. A star corner on a bad defense can shut down his opponent's best receiver. An elite left tackle on a weak line can neutralize the league's top pass rusher.
But a wide receiver can't gain yards and score touchdowns unless he has the ball in his hands. And the ball has to be delivered to him by the quarterback. If the quarterback doesn't think that receiver is going to get open, he has two, three or sometimes four other options.
There also is a matter of trust. A receiver must build chemistry with his quarterback -- and then be in the right spot at the right time. "If the coverage dictates that you get the ball, you have to be where the quarterback expects you to be," Bruce says. "He doesn't want you to fool him."
Rookie receivers don't put up big numbers because they often don't get opportunities to make plays. Even if they get playing time, they might get only a handful of passes, if that, thrown in their direction during a game; a running back, by contrast, usually gets 20 or more carries. That's one reason rookies accounted for 19 of the 175 1,000-yard rushing performances in the past 10 years.
"It's a challenge," Jenkins says about a receiver making a splash as a rookie. "I wouldn't say it's easy, but it can be done."
It just isn't done often.
Dennis Dillon is a senior writer for Sporting News. Email him at ddillon@sportingnews.com.
Comments
Young WRs
Posted by Headhunters88 on Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:14 am
I agree, usually in college these stud wrs see maybe 1 or 2 good corners, where in the NFL they are all good or great corners. In college these guys can get by on athletic ability. When they get to the NFL they are expected to run crisp routes which most have never had to do, face more jams at the line, plus adjust to the overall increase of speed at the NFL level as compared to college. In today's NFL where the salary cap rules, there is not a lot of time to get with the program, b/c if you don't they will find someone who can.
Reply to this comment
Report abuse
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=20680
