Denard a Top 10 Second Year Breakout Candidate
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10953112/zach-ertz-potential-…
This is an interesting piece for some offseason reading...I was not surprised to see Denard do very little as a rookie, being that he was on a terrible team with no direction and his packages were mostly gimmicks. That said, the Jags now have a QB of the future, got a lot better through the draft and are surrounding Bortles with weapons (or Henne, lets not forget about him but that's a discussion for another thread). We all know Denard has an amazing set of tools and now that the transition to full-time RB is complete, I agree that he will break out. Thoughts?
you blockquote some of the details or summarize? The Denard part is paywalled.
($) - thanks!
Basically the gist is that he now has a full-time position to work at, he won't be considered a starter right away but there is no star in front of him and he offers a set of skills no one else on the team does
I used to be an Insider, but let it lapse...CSB.
I would agree that having a full-time position (RB) and not being called simply an "offensive weapon" as well as someone like Toby Gerhart there with him in Jacksonville creates a situation where Robinson will probably make some huge strides. Really, just having one role and a definite set of plays to focus on will help tremendously. There was an article a few weeks ago where Gus Bradley talked about how Robinson seemed much more confident now that he had a definite role in the offense.
If he learns to hold onto the ball, then by all means I expect him to break out.
Wish him the best regardless.
Yeah, if he can't learn to hold on to the ball, he's not going to be breaking out much let alone last much longer in the league. 20 carries last season and three fumbles...13th most in the NFL and far and away the worst for someone with that few touches. As a unit, the Jacksonville RBs only fumbled five teams all season, with just one for MJD in 234 carries.
I say this without too much snark:
But when have fumbles not killed Denard?
On one hand it would be great to see him excel in the NFL, on the other hand dude does not have a grip on the ball...
Yeah, dude needs to invest in some super stickem. Or maybe larger hands.
I really hope he figures it out, because he's a great dude and electric player, but his own personal history is not on his side.
Well it probably helps that his arm is finally fully healed. Supposedly the nerve damage from his senior year was still affecting his ability to feel the ball in his arms and grip. I see it kinda like not having the ability to feel it when you're done pooping. You're bound to stand up a few times and have a hanger slap against the back of your leg.
with an additional imaginary +1 because from now on I will check for "hangers" if and when I can't tell if I'm done.
Denard fumbled way too much to get touches last season. If he keeps it up, he won't get many more this sesaon. Job #1 for an RB is hold on to the ball.
Last year he had 20 touches and three fumbles (lead the team). That's 15% of the time! I was at the Buffalo game where he had a clear lane to the endzone until he got hit and fumbled the ball. He definitely needs to learn how to hold onto the ball before he gets an integral role in the offense......but this could be the year.
I didn't see video of any of Denard's plays last year (except for the long run where he gets stripped just before the goal line) :-( But every week I checked the box score and the numbers were not encouraging. Usually one or two runs for something between -2 and 2 yards each. Can anyone who actually saw the Jags play provide any more info? Was he a gimmick that the defense was able to key off of whenever he was in? Did the blocking suck? Or was he just not able to make anything happen?
He just fumbled too much for them to trust him. 20 carries/touches and three fumbles. So if you gave him the ball there was a 15% chance it was going to wind up on the turf. And granted, that's a really small sample size, but I'd have to imagine that he was fumbling that much in practice too.
I wish Denard the best and I hope I'm wrong, but I have a hard time seeing him having great success in the NFL. He doesn't have the right frame/size to play running back, his hands aren't dependable enough to be a good pass catcher, and it's pretty clear that nobody in the league sees him as a quarterback. His athleticism is amazing, but he just doesn't seem to fit at any position. And what they say about a man that plays multiple positions is usually true - he's only asked to do many things because he's not good enough at any one thing.
Amazing Wolverine, great ambasador for the University, here's to me being wrong.
but he has to be able to field a punt... which, as far as I know, we tried here before the bowl game and he couldn't do it...
jdon
Not only that, but given the NFL's intentional rule changes in order to cut down on number of actual kickoff returns, the "return specialist" position isn't necessarily one that is worthy of its own roster spot anymore; see, e.g., Devin Hester and the Chicago Bears. He's quite possibly the best return man in NFL history, but since that's all he can do, he's sort of become obsolete. How many actual kickoff returns occur per game now that they changed the rules? Not many. So then you're keeping a guy on your roster to maybe return one or two (at most) kickoffs per game, and a handful of punts? If he can't tackle like a maniac on special teams and fill in as your 3rd RB or 4th or 5th WR, and do those jobs well, he's not bringing enough to the table to justify a roster spot.
not sure about his overall athleticism. I say this considering that things like touch, catching ability, hand eye coordination, body control, agility, flexibility all play into athleticism. I love Denard as much as the next guy but other than running really fast, what did he routinely excell at at UofM?
but I would say he is more of a one cut runner, not a true "juker", for lack of a better term. JMHO...
Denard has ALWAYS had ball security issues. Is that something he can make go away at the next level? I have my doubts. I just don't see him as a running back in the NFL because he's always going to be too turnover prone. Hope he proves me wrong.
I was not surprised to see Denard do very little as a rookie, being that he was on a terrible team with no direction and his packages were mostly gimmicks.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
If Denard didn't do things like this
..he wouldve got more playing time. As it was, they used him whenever they could. he's a speedster with little pass blocking ability.
keep in mind that this is his first year practicing exclusively as a running back. For the amount of work it takes just to be a starting pass-only QB, I can see how he would be forced to rely on talent while running the ball in college. He switched to WR before getting drafted, practicing out of position for all but a few months.
It's clearly something he needs to work on, but he's had over a year at a single position for the first time ever. He still deserves the benefit of the doubt.
call some interesting plays with Denard Robinson on his roster up in Philly.
No matter where that kid play, I just hope Denard has a lot of success and more than that - a lot of fun playing in the NFL. He deserves it.
There was a really good post earlier on the board about how Denard has bulked up since moving to RB full time. He's added 15lbs and has been working on ball security (although how much his nerve damage in his arm will limit him for the rest of his life has to be seen)
http://members.jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2014-04-24/stor…
Was that permanent? I thought he had recovered from that. IMO he has been running with the football his whole life--his ball security should be a lot better than it is.
Denard is a fast guy who did well as a dual-threat QB but I'm not sure he has the all-around skills needed to be a RB. Can he block well? Can he not fumble the ball? I have a hard time seeing Denard ever be a feature back
I don't think Denard's frame (as eluded to by some posters) is an issue. He's about the same size as Chris Johnson. He lit up both Ohio State and South Carolina playing RB. I think ten touches a game this season platooning with Toby G. is not out of the question - if he can hold onto the ball.
But let's not be upset if he's seldomly used. If Denard can stay on a roster 2-4 years, he's already beaten the odds I'm sure. It'd be interesting to see a study on the average NFL career on an individual switching from QB to another position in the NFL.
Randle El and Brad Smith were successful. Eric Crouch and Woodrow Dantzler an example of those not as fortunate.
It is a shame they didn't use him more last year, considering how bad they were. Give shoelace a chance!
Denard has "a certain set of skills" because when he finds the ball...he will torch you.
Storm Johnson will be the opening day starter. Denard was a great college player but that doesn't necessarily translate to being a player at the next level.
Great college player, great ambassador for the school and sport, and by all accounts a wonderful person. those qualities alone are more than many achieve in a lifetime.
I wish he played for Philly, NE, or Seattle where they have more innovation and don't try to fit a position on him.
He's not a Wildcat QB, he's not a RB and he's not a WR.
I'd use him a lot like how Michigan should use Norfleet. Have a package these in that isn't just gimmick and gadget plays.
Is his arm finally better?