Thank you Denard!

Submitted by hazardc on

How many people said Denard couldn't cut it in the NFL?  

 

Proud of you, your loyalty, and finally getting a chance at continued success at a higher level. GO BLUE!

 

 

CoverZero

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^

Denard has bulked up, and still kept most of his speed.  Love the way he is reading blocks from the RB position. 

freejs

November 2nd, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^

although obviously the athletes he is playing against are faster at this next level. But it was unreasonable to think he'd be quite as fast with the added bulk. It's just awesome to see him do well, and one thing that won't change is his great vision. That he could pick out the "holes" that the line he had opened up for him was extraordinary. Like everyone, wish nothing but the best for a great guy and a great representative of the University. 

M-Dog

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:28 PM ^

Soooo glad to see this.  People were reluctant to give him a chance.  He had to earn it all from scratch.  Just like being a D1 QB in college.

SDCran

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:33 PM ^

The best running QB in ncaa history is good at running the ball. I'm both not surprised and very happy about it. B Miller should be paying attention, that's his best shot, too.

Muttley

November 2nd, 2014 at 5:50 PM ^

I've always thought that defensive coaches should tell their trailing LBs or OLs to chase a point four or five yards to one-side of Braxton when in pursuit.  A trailing LB or OL isn't going to catch him in straight line pursuit, but might have a chance if they take a short cut to a point that Braxton may very well go through in a roundabout way.

SDCran

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^

I keep lamenting that he may break D's QB rushing record, albeit in 13-15 more starts. :(



Maybe OSU will do him a favor and let him play whatever his NFL position might be next year. But you are right, he isn't as sure a thing as a RB as D was. Do you really think Miller would block enough to be a TE?

flashOverride

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:38 PM ^

Great news. Saw a lot of upheaval during his time at Michigan and drove on through it. Guy deserves every good thing he makes happen now that he's on the greatest stage of all.

jmblue

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^

How many people said Denard couldn't cut it in the NFL?

Weren't they all talking about him at the quarterback position? I don't think many people doubted his ability to carry the ball.

hazardc

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^

Nah... "Too small for the NFL, injury prone, etc etc" 



 

He's got the heart, the character, and the dedication to overcome adversity.  Just glad he was able to recover from the physical punishment he took in college... Well, not as glad as I am that I now turn on Jaguars games just to watch a single player.... Kid always has had a presence that just makes you have to smile. 

 

 

 

 

Bando Calrissian

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^

Actually, no. I think you'd find a lot more people looking at his skill set and saying "Not a quarterback, could be a great specialist, running back, etc." And, yes, he was injury prone. 

The Jaguars stuck with him, made an effort to get him on the field from the start, and didn't give him a great supporting cast to work with. He's done well for himself, but let's cut the revisionism.

MHNet

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^

Living in Jacksonville now, when I read user comments on local media and blog websites during the preseason, there were definitely fans who felt the Jaguars should have cut Denard.   Same fans who gave up on him last season due to his fumbling issues (even though he was playing with an injury that caused some of those ball security issues).  Basically they thought he couldn't win the backup role, that he wasn't cut out to be a RB, and the Jags should cut their losses with him.  Glad to see the Jags coaching staff saw otherwise!

hazardc

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:59 PM ^

They saw that they didn't have any other options because of injuries.... Denard has been dealing with nerve damage since before he departed AA that had a very obvious effect on his abilities. No amount of drive or ambition could get around that. 

 

 

 

 

freejs

November 2nd, 2014 at 4:16 PM ^

I had nerve damage in the elbow that took a bunch of years to go away, but it did finally go away. Obviously, he's getting top of the line care regularly (although I always saw the pro sports docs because my pops was a doctor - but he sees them every day) and he's a professional athlete, so his chances of healing faster aren't terrible. 

hazardc

November 2nd, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^

They've talked about it a bit, supposedly he's doing pretty well.

 

I think it's obvious there still is SOMETHING going on, because he still let's go of the ball... he's just able to do it a microsecond after breaking the plane or after his knee brushes the ground... which is good enough!

I think he'll just get better as long as the confidence keeps building.... He looked decent in doing what he coudl do with blocking, and ran a couple routes well. 

 

hazardc

November 2nd, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^

Have they ever tried using him to return a kickoff? I haven't seen it. I'm not sure I'd trust his hands on punt returns, but kickoffs seem like a decent risk/reward.