WRs

[9nationalchampionships]

This group worries me as we have bodies but no one is separating themselves. Who starts and at what position?

85 Jester Weah 6-3/205 WR RS JR Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial
82 Rafael Araujo-Lopes 5-9/185 WR RS SO Kissimmee, Fla./Reedley (Calif.)
80 Zach Challingsworth 6-2/200 WR RS JR McDonald, Pa./South Fayette
48 Kellen McAlone 6-2/200 WR RS SO Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Preparatory School
19 Dontez Ford 6-2/215 WR RS SR McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox
17 Chris Wuestner 6-2/210 WR RS SR Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle
10 Quadree Henderson 5-8/170 WR SO Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. du Pont
2 Tre Tipton 6-0/170 WR SO Apollo, Pa./Apollo-Ridge


NR
Aaron Mathews
WR 6'5" 213 4.95
Clairton HS
Clairton, PA
SIGNED NLI02/03/2016
NR
Ruben Flowers
WR 85 6'4" 180 4.62
Lima HS
Lima, OH
SIGNED NLI02/03/2016

NR
Maurice Ffrench
ATH 47 5'11" 185 4.69
New Brunswick HS
New Brunswick, NJ
SIGNED NLI02/03/2016

 

[Teh Teh]

Donrez ford certainly earned a spot to be first team first.

Long term I see Flowers taking it, tall and quick. Is Matthew's 40 time correct there?

Your 40 times where did you get them? I saw Ffrench ran a 4.40

 

[vegasgreed]

ford, henderson and chally will be the top 3 to start the year. flowers will play and contribute as a freshman.

narduzzi has already given canada the memo for the year.

1. run the ball
2. run the ball
3. when 1 & 2 doesn't work, keep trying.

its going to look great against the cream puffs, the better question is, how will it work against other acc d's. opposing dc's will be game planning to take away the run with stacking the box. eventually nate and the passing game will need to come up big in some close games.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Pulled this info from TOS since you can't sort by position on rivals any longer

Donrez ford certainly earned a spot to be first team first.

Long term I see Flowers taking it, tall and quick. Is Matthew's 40 time correct there?

Your 40 times where did you get them? I saw Ffrench ran a 4.40

 

[Chescat]

I've seen years where the perceived weaknesses on the team ended up being strengths. Last year
at this time posters were bemoaning DE as a major team weakness. What happens??....Price has a
breakout year, and the other DE was covered by a few guys who were adequate. So now, it's seen as a team strength with the addition of a top flight transfer, a JC transfer, and Blair among others. I don't believe our passing game is dead.

Now, the comparison to last year's DE perception and this year's WR situation obviously isn't the same, but I'm not as worried as some. Ford, who is no superstar in fact is a reliable receiver. His ypc last year was very good. He would IMO, be a solid #2 receiver on many teams. I do believe that Challingsworth and Henderson are legit D1 receivers....not elite but good enough. Weah is the big question mark, if he comes along like some are thinking he might, the whole WR scenario changes. Even if he doesn't, I believe someone else might step up...my guess would either be one of the incoming frosh or maybe Tipton.

The other factor is Peterman. I'm a believer in his ability. There's no QB controversy this year. The team sees him as the starter and IMO sees him as a leader. I also believe he can put the ball on the money, and will be able to spread the ball around without focusing only on a Tyler Boyd type whom we obviously don't have. All this talk about "run, run, and RUN some more is IMO overstated. Balance is just as important and I expect to see us passing more than many seem to think. I feel we will have enough of a passing game to keep defenses honest.

 

[Jpripper88]

WR is no doubt the weakest spot on the team. Not a lot of potential talent and 0 proven talent, but the good thing is, if we stay healthy, we only need 1 or 2 guys to step up around a solid Ford to keep defenses honest and five Ollison and Conner room to run and run often.

 

[PhPanther1]

I would start Ford and Tipton.
Challingsworth comes in on 3rd down.

Henderson plays the slot.

Flowers will be starting over Tipton by game 6 imo.

Weah has feet for hands, and Matthews needs a year of conditioning.

 

[joeydavid]

Right now it's Ford #1, Henderson #2, Tipton/Challingsworth #3.

The freshman will need to perform immediately if this group is to become a plus position.

Tipton is the best of the bunch but can't stay healthy. The coaches are frustrated with him because of it.

I would start Ford and Tipton.
Challingsworth comes in on 3rd down.

Henderson plays the slot.

Flowers will be starting over Tipton by game 6 imo.

Weah has feet for hands, and Matthews needs a year of conditioning.

 

[rkohberger]

I think we'll see a more balanced offense this season that we did last. Boyd was the beast that ate the ball and Chaney had tunnel vision when it came to the passing game. He was deathly afraid of INTs so he kept the deep passing game on the bench,

Canada will change that this season - he'll go deep more and use the WRs in a way we haven't seen much when Boyd was on the field. Q. Henderson will be in the slot receiver position, Orndoff will line up farther from the center - almost split out. he's fast and can catch the ball - he's much more like Shanahan than Holtz.

Ibrahim and Hall will get passes out of the backfield and the ball will be spread out more.

I think fans overestimate what Boyd did on the field last season.

He really wasn't that productive when compared to his '14 and '13 season. His ypc was poor for a WR at 10.2 - the least of any Pitt WR. Guys - 10.2 ypc actually sucks and it was because he wasn't getting any yac last season as he was cutting off his routes a lot.

Boyd only had 6 TDs... not many at all. Orndoff himself had 5 and Holtz had 4. That's replaceable easily.

Boyd had 77 yards per game (39th nationally). Considering Boyd caught 7.6 passes per game that 77 ypg of his is also certainly replaceable.

His total yardage was good but really doesn't stack up ti his previous years as he was 48th nationally and was the main target.

Another note is that Chaney insisted that Peterman look at Boyd 1st and stick with him unless Boyd absolutely couldn't get free. That won't be the case this season - Peterman will have a true check down list on each passing play this season. In a real sense Peterman will have even more decision time in the pocket than he did last season waiting for Boyd to get open.

I really believe It will be pretty easy to match then exceed Boyd's production of '15 this season just by receiver by committee.

Pitt fans always think that if we lose a star we are sunk and that just isn't the case. i remember clearly talking about replacing McCoy on here after he declared for the draft and was asked who would replace him... and I said it didn't matter because DW's offense was built for the run.

I think it will be the same this season - things look bleak now because a star WR let but we do have talent - lots of it actually with Ford, Challingsworth, Orndoff and Weah. Plus maybe a true FR shines also.

The bottom line is that Chaney just didn't let anyone else (other than Ford with that great 19.2 ypc) be targets last season because he built the passing game around Boyd alone.

 

[Jpripper88]

I think we'll see a more balanced offense this season that we did last. Boyd was the beast that ate the ball and Chaney had tunnel vision when it came to the passing game. He was deathly afraid of INTs so he kept the deep passing game on the bench,

Canada will change that this season - he'll go deep more and use the WRs in a way we haven't seen much when Boyd was on the field. Q. Henderson will be in the slot receiver position, Orndoff will line up farther from the center - almost split out. he's fast and can catch the ball - he's much more like Shanahan than Holtz.

Ibrahim and Hall will get passes out of the backfield and the ball will be spread out more.

I think fans overestimate what Boyd did on the field last season.

He really wasn't that productive when compared to his '14 and '13 season. His ypc was poor for a WR at 10.2 - the least of any Pitt WR. Guys - 10.2 ypc actually sucks and it was because he wasn't getting any yac last season as he was cutting off his routes a lot.

Boyd only had 6 TDs... not many at all. Orndoff himself had 5 and Holtz had 4. That's replaceable easily.

Boyd had 77 yards per game (39th nationally). Considering Boyd caught 7.6 passes per game that 77 ypg of his is also certainly replaceable.

His total yardage was good but really doesn't stack up ti his previous years as he was 48th nationally and was the main target.

Another note is that Chaney insisted that Peterman look at Boyd 1st and stick with him unless Boyd absolutely couldn't get free. That won't be the case this season - Peterman will have a true check down list on each passing play this season. In a real sense Peterman will have even more decision time in the pocket than he did last season waiting for Boyd to get open.

I really believe It will be pretty easy to match then exceed Boyd's production of '15 this season just by receiver by committee.

Pitt fans always think that if we lose a star we are sunk and that just isn't the case. i remember clearly talking about replacing McCoy on here after he declared for the draft and was asked who would replace him... and I said it didn't matter because DW's offense was built for the run.

I think it will be the same this season - things look bleak now because a star WR let but we do have talent - lots of it actually with Ford, Challingsworth, Orndoff and Weah. Plus maybe a true FR shines also.

The bottom line is that Chaney just didn't let anyone else (other than Ford with that great 19.2 ypc) be targets last season because he built the passing game around Boyd alone.

That is not even remotely close to "lots of talent". That is one solid WR, who should be a #3 or 4 on a good team, a solid TE, and two completely unproven WRs, despite the fact we have desperately needed WR help for the past 3 seasons. Jester Weah has been here for 3 years and doesn't have a catch, even though we have needed WRs his entire career. He gets included for "lots of talent"? Seriously?

 

[yourhired]

I believe your going to see a lot of WR screens and short passes early in the season. Right now we really don't have a separation type of receiver that could be Tipton or one of the freshman. With the running backs Pitt has I would load it up and run.

 

[pittdan77]

Talent is there. Just unproven. The offense will benefit from spreading the wealth around.

 

[VincePITT]

Ford will be No. 1, the ball will be spread around between the No. 2 WR, TE and RB's! I think Ford could catch 40-50 passes and the next players could catch 20-30 passes!

 

[jtbuba]

Ford will be No. 1, the ball will be spread around between the No. 2 WR, TE and RB's! I think Ford could catch 40-50 passes and the next players could catch 20-30 passes!

I agree. Ford has great hands and is a very good route runner. He and Orndorf will be Pettermans go to receivers.

 

[thebadby2]

I've seen years where the perceived weaknesses on the team ended up being strengths. Last year
at this time posters were bemoaning DE as a major team weakness. What happens??....Price has a
breakout year, and the other DE was covered by a few guys who were adequate. So now, it's seen as a team strength with the addition of a top flight transfer, a JC transfer, and Blair among others. I don't believe our passing game is dead.

Now, the comparison to last year's DE perception and this year's WR situation obviously isn't the same, but I'm not as worried as some. Ford, who is no superstar in fact is a reliable receiver. His ypc last year was very good. He would IMO, be a solid #2 receiver on many teams. I do believe that Challingsworth and Henderson are legit D1 receivers....not elite but good enough. Weah is the big question mark, if he comes along like some are thinking he might, the whole WR scenario changes. Even if he doesn't, I believe someone else might step up...my guess would either be one of the incoming frosh or maybe Tipton.

The other factor is Peterman. I'm a believer in his ability. There's no QB controversy this year. The team sees him as the starter and IMO sees him as a leader. I also believe he can put the ball on the money, and will be able to spread the ball around without focusing only on a Tyler Boyd type whom we obviously don't have. All this talk about "run, run, and RUN some more is IMO overstated. Balance is just as important and I expect to see us passing more than many seem to think. I feel we will have enough of a passing game to keep defenses honest.

By all accounts Weah's major problem is with his hands. You can't teach hands, so the odds of Weah being a factor are slim.

 

[panther94]

A lot of you worry too much! This is college football. Every year, it's essentially a new team. Some players graduate, some players are added, and the rest develop. College age kids can make huge progress from one year to the next. I see Henderson and Tipton take big steps this year. I think there is a pretty good chance Weah will make a big improvement as well. He has got to feel like it's do or die time, and with his size and speed, all he needs is better focus. I think Flowers will contribute some this year, but not as much as the older guys. His time will come big time though. The other freshmen receivers are talented, but I'm pretty sure they will redshirt. Both Matthews and Ffrench need a year to prepare(Matthews,speed and conditioning Ffrench,weight and strength). I think Orndoff will have a big year. He has the size and athleticism to play on Sundays.

 

[Malachi Constant]

By all accounts Weah's major problem is with his hands. You can't teach hands, so the odds of Weah being a factor are slim.

You can't teach hands? That is a new one to me and coaches across the land.

 

[joeydavid]

Darrius Heyward-Bey leading the NFL in drop rate proves your point. The Badby has turned all negative on everything Pitt and just likes to come here to complain at this point.

You can't teach hands? That is a new one to me and coaches across the land.

 

[rkohberger]

Words out of spring ball was that Weah was pretty much over his yips - self admitted yips BTW - and is doing very well. He publicly admitted it was mental vice physical. He also had 3 catches for 102 yards in the spring scrimmage so i think he's on his way.

Here is an article written after the spring game.

Weah is even less proven than Henderson, having yet to catch a pass in an actual game. At times, he got ample snaps, though struggled to catch the ball when it was thrown to him. Weah was frank about the root of his troubles.

“I’ve struggled in the past with catching the ball and just having high confidence,” Weah said.

Now, Weah said, his confidence is higher than ever. Plus, performing well in front of a crowd - albeit in a scrimmage - was important for his spirits, quarterback Nathan Peterman said.

“I thought it was good to come to Heinz Field and do that again, especially for him mentally,” Peterman said. “Now in the season he can come back with this mentally and be like, “I made plays here, I’ve done it before.’”

Weah said him and Peterman are continuing to grow a rapport, which has developed significantly over the spring.

“In offseason workouts we would always work on catching and throwing and running routes,” Weah said.

Narduzzi would like that connection to continue to sprout, as he’ll need someone to step up as a deep threat in the passing game.​

Regardless of what some fans think there is solid talent at the receivers position. - and I'll go so far as to say I think Ford will be our star offensive player this season. You just cannot discount a 19.2 yards per catch average. If it was on only a few catches I'd say it was a fluke - but he had 26 receptions last season. He's going to get the amount of catches that VincePitt above says - maybe even more. This is an experienced and very good receiver.

Put it this way - Ford had over half Boyd's total yardage on about 1/4 of the catches...

To say there isn't talent there is a bit shortsighted, but I can see how one could say that. But again, Tyler Boyd was the elephant in the WR unit last season so we really didn't get a chance to see others have enough opportunity to really show what they can do.

Last note and take it FWIW - a good friend of mine spent an evening in a beach town with Canada in the early summer and Canada said this in conversation: "We're going to score a ton of points if Peterman stays healthy". Now - we have all heard stuff like that before but those who know me know I try to shoot straight and so I take that at face value - we are going to score big points in the passing game and it will be on longer intermediate and deep throws. "If Peterman..." is the key phrase there - we are opening up the offense this season.

 

[rkohberger]

A lot of you worry too much! This is college football. Every year, it's essentially a new team. Some players graduate, some players are added, and the rest develop. College age kids can make huge progress from one year to the next. I see Henderson and Tipton take big steps this year. I think there is a pretty good chance Weah will make a big improvement as well. He has got to feel like it's do or die time, and with his size and speed, all he needs is better focus. I think Flowers will contribute some this year, but not as much as the older guys. His time will come big time though. The other freshmen receivers are talented, but I'm pretty sure they will redshirt. Both Matthews and Ffrench need a year to prepare(Matthews,speed and conditioning Ffrench,weight and strength). I think Orndoff will have a big year. He has the size and athleticism to play on Sundays.

^^^ Which is why we love college ball so much - different cast every year. I prefer it over the NFL by a large margin.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Yep, and they are young enough that they are still developing so you can see big changes from 1 year to the next with some players......not so much in the Sunday league.

^^^ Which is why we love college ball so much - different cast every year. I prefer it over the NFL by a large margin.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

I swear that some of you must think that Jester Weah came from some country where he never saw (or touched) a football before.

He played a fair amount of football in high school, and while he's not gonna make anyone forget Tyler Boyd, he had more than a few catches:



It's up to him to get over the yips, or whatever's been affecting his play since he got to Pitt.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Maybe he needs to hypnotized ala Marc Andre Fluery

I swear that some of you must think that Jester Weah came from some country where he never saw (or touched) a football before.

He played a fair amount of football in high school, and while he's not gonna make anyone forget Tyler Boyd, he had more than a few catches:

View embedded media

It's up to him to get over the yips, or whatever's been affecting his play since he got to Pitt.

 

[rkohberger]

Maybe he needs to hypnotized ala Marc Andre Fluery

Couldn't hurt. Or maybe if he loses his virginity finally it would help. Swear to God I had a terrible stuttering problem and that exact thing cured it - the next day. I was 49 years old at the time.

 

[joeydavid]

He was taken as late flyer by Chryst. Jester only started playing football as a soph and (coming from someone who has watched his fair share of WI high school football) high school football in WI is mostly laughable.

Put the two together and you have a steep learning curve for the kid and the odds are long that he (or anyone in that situation) ever is productive.

I swear that some of you must think that Jester Weah came from some country where he never saw (or touched) a football before.

He played a fair amount of football in high school, and while he's not gonna make anyone forget Tyler Boyd, he had more than a few catches:

View embedded media

It's up to him to get over the yips, or whatever's been affecting his play since he got to Pitt.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

Every player on the team has talent. The problem is, what is the ceiling on their talent. The two highest ceiling players at the WR position are probably Flowers and Matthews and Matthews needs a year to bulk up.

Weah stinks. You guys can sugar coat it all you want, but he's a track guy trying to play football that can't catch. He doesn't have the ability to go up and make a catch. He hasn't run anything other than a fly pattern. What's he bring to the table besides speed? All you need is for him to drop 1 ball and there goes any confidence from the qb ir staff from getting him the ball again. It won'y be hard for the others to pass him by.

I'd have no problem with JW being a one-trick pony -- or in his case, a one-route receiver. If he can get open (and catch the ball!) on deep routes, that's one more thing that the opposing defense has to contend with.

 

[VincePITT]

I'd have no problem with JW being a one-trick pony -- or in his case, a one-route receiver. If he can get open (and catch the ball!) on deep routes, that's one more thing that the opposing defense has to contend with.

I agree, if each WR plays their roll (deep threats or possession WR's) if will make it harder on the opponents DC as to who Pitt will go to that game!

 

[Jpripper88]

I'd have no problem with JW being a one-trick pony -- or in his case, a one-route receiver. If he can get open (and catch the ball!) on deep routes, that's one more thing that the opposing defense has to contend with.

That could be OK (certainly not ideal) but it has been 3 years of Pitt needing anything out of these WRs and Weah has been the most disappointing.

Going to need to be a lot of FR step up.

 

[Piranha]

I am also worried about Weah getting off the line against good CB's. The kid has some talent, so hopefully it all comes together.

 

[big marty]

Words out of spring ball was that Weah was pretty much over his yips - self admitted yips BTW - and is doing very well. He publicly admitted it was mental vice physical. He also had 3 catches for 102 yards in the spring scrimmage so i think he's on his way.

Here is an article written after the spring game.

Weah is even less proven than Henderson, having yet to catch a pass in an actual game. At times, he got ample snaps, though struggled to catch the ball when it was thrown to him. Weah was frank about the root of his troubles.

“I’ve struggled in the past with catching the ball and just having high confidence,” Weah said.

Now, Weah said, his confidence is higher than ever. Plus, performing well in front of a crowd - albeit in a scrimmage - was important for his spirits, quarterback Nathan Peterman said.

“I thought it was good to come to Heinz Field and do that again, especially for him mentally,” Peterman said. “Now in the season he can come back with this mentally and be like, “I made plays here, I’ve done it before.’”

Weah said him and Peterman are continuing to grow a rapport, which has developed significantly over the spring.

“In offseason workouts we would always work on catching and throwing and running routes,” Weah said.

Narduzzi would like that connection to continue to sprout, as he’ll need someone to step up as a deep threat in the passing game.​

Regardless of what some fans think there is solid talent at the receivers position. - and I'll go so far as to say I think Ford will be our star offensive player this season. You just cannot discount a 19.2 yards per catch average. If it was on only a few catches I'd say it was a fluke - but he had 26 receptions last season. He's going to get the amount of catches that VincePitt above says - maybe even more. This is an experienced and very good receiver.

Put it this way - Ford had over half Boyd's total yardage on about 1/4 of the catches...

To say there isn't talent there is a bit shortsighted, but I can see how one could say that. But again, Tyler Boyd was the elephant in the WR unit last season so we really didn't get a chance to see others have enough opportunity to really show what they can do.

Last note and take it FWIW - a good friend of mine spent an evening in a beach town with Canada in the early summer and Canada said this in conversation: "We're going to score a ton of points if Peterman stays healthy". Now - we have all heard stuff like that before but those who know me know I try to shoot straight and so I take that at face value - we are going to score big points in the passing game and it will be on longer intermediate and deep throws. "If Peterman..." is the key phrase there - we are opening up the offense this season.[/QUOTELlike l We are not weak at WR
To say there isn't talent at WR is shortsighted. Canada is pleased with the group and most of all Nate.Peterman. With that said pounding the ball is going to be Pitt Football this year. 60 days folks. I presume all of you are coming . Narduzzi vs. The Carnival Barker. This is going to be fun. Be there.

 

[thebadby2]

A lot of you worry too much! This is college football. Every year, it's essentially a new team. Some players graduate, some players are added, and the rest develop. College age kids can make huge progress from one year to the next. I see Henderson and Tipton take big steps this year. I think there is a pretty good chance Weah will make a big improvement as well. He has got to feel like it's do or die time, and with his size and speed, all he needs is better focus. I think Flowers will contribute some this year, but not as much as the older guys. His time will come big time though. The other freshmen receivers are talented, but I'm pretty sure they will redshirt. Both Matthews and Ffrench need a year to prepare(Matthews,speed and conditioning Ffrench,weight and strength). I think Orndoff will have a big year. He has the size and athleticism to play on Sundays.

Like I said about Weah, you can't teach hands. You either have them or you don't. Little to do with focus. If his problem is truly his hands as has been reported by some, he'll never amount to much of a player for us. The best overall athlete on my college team was a WR from down south who couldn't catch. 6'4, 210, ripped, high jumper, huge vertical, strong and fast as hell, smart, hard worker, just couldn't catch. Also struggled with his routes. That's how he ended up going to a MAC program from Louisiana. Coaches and the QBs worked with him all offseason and every day after practice, they desperately wanted him to be a player. He got the routes down but always struggled to catch the ball in live action. He got some game reps just because he was an athletici mismatch but never made a splash and had some horrible drops on deep balls and in the red zone. . slow-ish 6' white kid from a small rural high school that was half the athlete this guy was got the bulk of the reps at the #2 WR and was highly productive. Not the only example I can think of from my football past, just the most glaring one.

You can't teach hands? That is a new one to me and coaches across the land.

New to you no doubt, but a given to football coaches at any level, you could ask one if you knew one.. By the time you're playing WR, TE or RB at the college football level you either have hands or you don't. Catching a contested pass from a college QB while running a route against college coverage is not something every HS WR can adjust to.

Maybe Weah will be a different player this year, he is a hell of an athlete and football is still relatively new to him, but if his ability to catch the ball consistently is truly what he has been struggling with, we probably won't see much of him.

As for spring game performances, I wouldn't read too much into that.

 

[Malachi Constant]

New to you no doubt, but a given to football coaches at any level, you could ask one if you knew one.. By the time you're playing WR, TE or RB at the college football level you either have hands or you don't. Catching a contested pass from a college QB while running a route against college coverage is not something every HS WR can adjust to.

Every WR coach in college football level or in the NFL run drills, has strength workouts, work on technique to improve their players hands. The idea that these coaches are knowingly wasting practice time is a pretty ridiculous concept, even for you.

Quantum mechanics is something that is teachable, but not something that everyone can do. Teachable doesn't equate to everyone will do it, whether it is due to a lack of effort or a lack of acumen is a different discussion.

 

[rkohberger]

I think we should ask Matt Galambos if position coaching at the college level can make a difference in the way a player executes out on the field. Better yet narrow it down and ask him if a different position coach can have a new, positive effect on the player.

Galambos jumped a ton in production last season and that wasn't by coincidence. Here is what he did in '14 then in '15 (on top).

GP Solo Ast Tot TFL Sacks - Yds Int-Yds
47 Matt Galambos 13 51 37 88 10.0- 53 5.0 - 42 2 – 53
47 Matt Galambos 13 43 29 72 4.5 – 10 1.0 – 19 0 – 0

So you can see he had 16 more tackles but way more impressive is that his TFLs more than doubled from 4.5 to 10 for (-)53 yds. That is damned good, and his sacks went from zero to 5.0 for(-)43 yds.

Add on 2 INTs for 53 return yards and he did a fine job last year and that is because LBs coach Rob Harley worked extensively with him.

Actually at 6’2″ 245 and having played under Narduzzi for two years I could see him being in the NFL draft in 2017.. and that is due to finally getting a good one-on-one position coach and a DC who put him in the right position to succeed.

To say a player can't be coached to raise a part of his game in the college ranks is kind of strange. I think it is more like 'you can't teach hands to a player who won't listen'. That isn't the case with Weah - he listened but had the yips... however as I said above I watched him a lot when Chryst was here and Weah can certainly catch the ball and make the hard catches also.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I think there is a difference between teaching a player position details thru film study from teaching a player to catch the ball.

JW has concentration issues with catching the ball and coaching may not help with this. JMO

 

[Jpripper88]

I think we should ask Matt Galambos if position coaching at the college level can make a difference in the way a player executes out on the field. Better yet narrow it down and ask him if a different position coach can have a new, positive effect on the player.

Galambos jumped a ton in production last season and that wasn't by coincidence. Here is what he did in '14 then in '15 (on top).

GP Solo Ast Tot TFL Sacks - Yds Int-Yds
47 Matt Galambos 13 51 37 88 10.0- 53 5.0 - 42 2 – 53
47 Matt Galambos 13 43 29 72 4.5 – 10 1.0 – 19 0 – 0

So you can see he had 16 more tackles but way more impressive is that his TFLs more than doubled from 4.5 to 10 for (-)53 yds. That is damned good, and his sacks went from zero to 5.0 for(-)43 yds.

Add on 2 INTs for 53 return yards and he did a fine job last year and that is because LBs coach Rob Harley worked extensively with him.

Actually at 6’2″ 245 and having played under Narduzzi for two years I could see him being in the NFL draft in 2017.. and that is due to finally getting a good one-on-one position coach and a DC who put him in the right position to succeed.

To say a player can't be coached to raise a part of his game in the college ranks is kind of strange. I think it is more like 'you can't teach hands to a player who won't listen'. That isn't the case with Weah - he listened but had the yips... however as I said above I watched him a lot when Chryst was here and Weah can certainly catch the ball and make the hard catches also.

But no one said that. They said he has been here 3 years and done absolutely nothing when we desperately needed WRs. The primary reason he has been unable to contribute? He can't catch the football. He also can't run routes, but at least if he could catch his athleticism and speed could make him a weapon.

 

[vegasgreed]

talk to me about Weah's offer sheet coming out of HS.

 

[Jpripper88]

talk to me about Weah's offer sheet coming out of HS.

Us and...I'm done.

 

[thebadby2]

Every WR coach in college football level or in the NFL run drills, has strength workouts, work on technique to improve their players hands. The idea that these coaches are knowingly wasting practice time is a pretty ridiculous concept, even for you.

Quantum mechanics is something that is teachable, but not something that everyone can do. Teachable doesn't equate to everyone will do it, whether it is due to a lack of effort or a lack of acumen is a different discussion.

Of course every WR at every level works on hands drills. Hands can be improved, but the ability to catch a ball consistently--having good hands-- is mostly a matter of natural hand eye coordination and athletic instinct. Some players just don't have the basic God-given hand-eye to catch the football consistently in live action at the college level. For example, players like Larry Fitzgerald or Antonio Brown were catching footballs from the time they came out of the womb. Nobody had to teach them how. They have done thousands of hours of drills along the way but the natural ability was already there. A player like Jester Weah is apparently still trying to get it down in his 4th year of college football, like my former college teammate i mentioned above. if that doesn't tell you something, I'm not sure what would. But the ultimate test will be how many game reps he gets. He has had very few to date in a thin position group. If they are limited this season, then you know he is still struggling. If he starts or gets major reps, that means he has managed to improve to the point that the coaches trust him enough to put him out there.

This should all make sense to anyone with any kind of competitive athletic background. That may be where you're struggling with it.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Did Forest Gump learn hand ~ eye coordination or was he born with it?

 

[Malachi Constant]

Hands can't be taught, but hands can be improved with coaching and practice?

Larry Fitzgerald came out of the womb catching footballs like that, but he needed to spend thousands of hours of drills with coaching along the way?

Then you mention how you scored four TD's back at Polk High School.

Great content.