wide receiver skills

[33jacket]

for me hands, physical, instincts/knowledge (knowledge is not in there and it should be...not just of the reading the D but of your O and where players are going to be when a play breaks down; so I am putting that with instinct), unselfishness/attitude (needs to be in there) and timing. We were so successful last year due to nice timing with JT....especially in comebacks and backshoulder.

we did it more last year due to timing and even though we aren't a timing passing game we were way more ideal due to this good timing. Then the second set would be leaping/speed/separation

 

[Yoda]

To me, our perfect WR was Smelter. So whatever order he was created is the order it should be.

 

[ilovetheoption]

B. Good hands - If you can't catch, then why are you playing WR(???)
G. Reading defenders - Need to know "what" they are looking at so you can play off of it to your advantage
H. Football instincts - Kind of ties in with G above
C. Getting separation out of breaks - need to be able to get "open" (see G above)

E. Body control and agility - need to be able to pinball and not fall down
F. Dominant physicality
D. Leaping ability - probably can't do this w/o E and F above
A. Field stretching sprinter speed - While nice, if you can't catch, who cares!
I. Open field running ability - Ties in with G, E and H above. But if you can catch the ball 10, 20, 25, etc. yards down field then job is 90+% done on a pass play.

To my mind, E is crucial. It is involved in coming back to the ball, adjusting to the ball in the air, setting up to leap (you can't leap unless you're in position to).

With so many balls that receivers have to run under and adjust to in your offense, the ability to do so is second only to hands, IMO.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

B. Good hands - If you can't catch, then why are you playing WR(???)

Would it be totally uncharitable to suggest that some pro scouts are now wondering that about Hill?

So, for me, a tangential discussion about the various letters of a Tech receivers' alphabet would be to ask which ones can be taught or learned and which ones have to be part of a players physical makeup. CPJ has suggested in the past that they look for physical attributes that can't be taught and try to coach the rest. I am oversimplifying from his offhand comments but I would be curious as to how others take that.

 

[slugboy]

I'd put E, B, G, and H high.
G is underrated, but it cost us last year against FSU when Waller read a defender differently than JT. Waller might have made the correct read there, though. Maybe we need a "J" for QB-WR chemistry.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Maybe we need a "J" for QB-WR chemistry.

Perhaps you were tongue in cheek but I think most of us would agree that JT getting clairvoyant with his receivers through endless practice and repetition is probably the number one key to how well our "new" receivers do this year.

 

[awbuzz]

All of the points are valid from everyone are valid. Lots of theses are 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. (which of course is why Boomergump brought it up)

Regarding Hill... @Northeast Stinger has a valid point

 

[bke1984]

Here's my crack at it, with blocking being up there as well. The top three are by far the most important with what we do. Those three things make 3rd and long much less of a burden

B. Good hands
F. Dominant physicality
D. Leaping ability
C. Getting separation out of breaks
H. Football instincts
E. Body control and agility
G. Reading defenders
A. Field stretching sprinter speed
I. Open field running abilty

 

[BCJacket]

To me, our perfect WR was Smelter. So whatever order he was created is the order it should be.

Personally, I'd say Calvin Johnson is our ideal WR... but point taken.

I think "B. Good hands" is what separated Smelter from all the other WRs over the past 6 years. In his case "H" is "athletic instincts" since he brought a center fielder's catching mentality to the game. Outside of those two, I think he gave ground on the other factors (speed, leaping, route running) to other WRs Tech has had, e.g. Stephen Hill. In the Tevin era, iirc, plenty of WRs would get wide open only to drop a ball my grandma could catch. Smelter rarely had drops on wide open receptions and he'd often haul it in if he wasn't 100% open.

I say B and H are vital, less so the others. The scheme will help create situations for passes downfield, but the WRs have to catch the ball when it comes to them. Heck, that's what makes Calvin Johnson so great, he was rarely open (double covered) and rarely had easy catches (because, Reggie Ball), but he just caught the effing ball. I think it's that skill, as diplayed in "the catch" that has some people excited about Brad Stewart, even though on speed and size he gives ground to guys like Howell and Philpott.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Personally, I'm going with F'n BEACH DIG!

 

[Skeptic]

Because of a much-stated, and demonstrated, passing philosophy to "punish" teams who begin to support the edge by cheating up with their safeties by going over the top, I thought A was the ticket: fly past and stretch the field. For the same reason I had I has last, and while I may have second thoughts, broken field running as I recall has not been a big part of the skill set. Smelter had a good run against Virginia, I think it was, when he got one defender turned around but a safety took a good angle and got him before the end zone. I stand to be corrected. Knowing this board, I will be. Good drill, Boomer.

 

[AE 87]

B and H if H includes adjusting to poorly thrown pass or to a busted play.

Then either speed and route running or physicality and agility.

 

[GTech63]

Would it be totally uncharitable to suggest that some pro scouts are now wondering that about Hill?

So, for me, a tangential discussion about the various letters of a Tech receivers' alphabet would be to ask which ones can be taught or learned and which ones have to be part of a players physical makeup. CPJ has suggested in the past that they look for physical attributes that can't be taught and try to coach the rest. I am oversimplifying from his offhand comments but I would be curious as to how others take that.

Good hands number one even above blocking IMO. Physical attributes next because they can be taught to block if they are physical, Football instincts next, speed is a plus but you don't need to be the fastest to be a great receiver especially in our offense.

 

[ilovetheoption]

if H includes adjusting to poorly thrown pass or to a busted play.

Yeah, I called this E, but I could see it as H. Either way, that's what I consider important, along with B.