Quick thoughts on last night

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by JAFF

If I could choose between the two, it's Clark. Tell me I'm wrong

I'll need a few more years to answer that question.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by JAFF

If I could choose between the two, it's Clark. Tell me I'm wrong

When did we get to choose between Clark and Ebron? And Clark wasn’t the most durable TE either.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

I think you guys are nitpicking. Watch the game again. He was making ridiculous grabs and dove for some of them. He was keeping drives going and was really the only guy balling out there. As for problems on this team he is way down on my list. I can think of the only one drop, he was overthrown for the rest of the passes. Chester Rodgers dropped a TD pass and a potential huge gain on another drive (Ebron saved that drive after Rodgers dropped it too).

Ebron is the only one catching TDs on this team consistently. Him and the rookie Hines.

Look – I really like the guy and think he’s going to be a big asset for the team. But it’s just like GBB said – there are times when it doesn’t seem like he goes all out for the hard catch. And by "hard catch" I don't mean a catch in traffic where he's going to get hit. I mean a physically hard catch where it's questionable whether he will even be able to reach the ball. Maybe it’s because its an impossible catch, or maybe he’s misjudged the situation – I don’t know. But there are times when it’s noticeable.

I don’t have any video clips to direct you to, but off of the top of my head I recall a play last night in the end zone where Luck made a poor throw to him, and it bounced off the end zone turf about five feet away from his feet. I’ll say right now that I don’t think it was catchable. However, what was noticeable to me was that he made no real effort to move towards the ball or to lean in the direction of the ball. This wasn’t an issue of getting hit, it was just weird.

There was another instance a week or two ago where Luck overthrew him on a long pass leading into the end zone. Again, it may have been too far to catch, but what was noticeable to me is that he didn’t reach his arms out or dive for it. He just made the decision that it was uncatchable and watched as the ball bounced off the turf ahead of him, and he turned around to jog back to the huddle for the next play. It’s noticeable, and leaves you wondering if he could have caught the ball with a bit more effort.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by JAFF

This isn't fair, but I'm going to say it anyway. Dallas Clark would look a pass in, get LIT UP, and hang on. He got drilled often running down the seam, but he didn't drop passes. It's an attitude. Ebron has a lot of physical talent. He doesn't like getting hit.

I don't agree with this - I really can't say that I've seen him shy away from a catch because he's going to get hit. I think he's made several of those tough catches. To me, it seems like he makes up his mind early as to whether he can catch it or not, and if he decides he can't he'll give up on the pass and not try for it.

[JAFF]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

When did we get to choose between Clark and Ebron? And Clark wasn’t the most durable TE either.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClarDa00.htm


https://www.pro-football-reference.c...E/EbroEr00.htm

I'll take Clark. Numbers don't lie

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by JAFF

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClarDa00.htm


https://www.pro-football-reference.c...E/EbroEr00.htm

I'll take Clark. Numbers don't lie

What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Ebron's game? I would take Tony Gonzalez over Ebron also. What does Clark have to do with anything besides being a Colt?

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Look – I really like the guy and think he’s going to be a big asset for the team. But it’s just like GBB said – there are times when it doesn’t seem like he goes all out for the hard catch. And by "hard catch" I don't mean a catch in traffic where he's going to get hit. I mean a physically hard catch where it's questionable whether he will even be able to reach the ball. Maybe it’s because its an impossible catch, or maybe he’s misjudged the situation – I don’t know. But there are times when it’s noticeable.

I don’t have any video clips to direct you to, but off of the top of my head I recall a play last night in the end zone where Luck made a poor throw to him, and it bounced off the end zone turf about five feet away from his feet. I’ll say right now that I don’t think it was catchable. However, what was noticeable to me was that he made no real effort to move towards the ball or to lean in the direction of the ball. This wasn’t an issue of getting hit, it was just weird.

There was another instance a week or two ago where Luck overthrew him on a long pass leading into the end zone. Again, it may have been too far to catch, but what was noticeable to me is that he didn’t reach his arms out or dive for it. He just made the decision that it was uncatchable and watched as the ball bounced off the turf ahead of him, and he turned around to jog back to the huddle for the next play. It’s noticeable, and leaves you wondering if he could have caught the ball with a bit more effort.

I honestly don't see it, I think he plays pretty hard. He's a TE, I don't expect him to be as flexible as a AJ Green or make those crazy grabs outside of his wingspan. He is athletic for his size, but he is still carrying a lot of weight. He did catch that low ball and kept it from hitting the ground, and made a nice one hander last night too.

Luck overthrows a lot, especially his TE's. He did it to Fleener a ton. TV angles can be deceiving, if I see him in person this year I'll judge for myself. I don't know, like I said with all the other issues Ebron is near the bottom of my concerns. He's healthy, he's catching touchdowns and 1st downs. That is a lot more than I can say for the rest of the team.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

I honestly don't see it, I think he plays pretty hard. He's a TE, I don't expect him to be as flexible as a AJ Green or make those crazy grabs outside of his wingspan. He is athletic for his size, but he is still carrying a lot of weight. He did catch that low ball and kept it from hitting the ground, and made a nice one hander last night too.

Luck overthrows a lot, especially his TE's. He did it to Fleener a ton. TV angles can be deceiving, if I see him in person this year I'll judge for myself. I don't know, like I said with all the other issues Ebron is near the bottom of my concerns. He's healthy, he's catching touchdowns and 1st downs. That is a lot more than I can say for the rest of the team.

Well, I hope you're right. Regardless, I think he's a great addition to the team and he's one of the players I look forward to seeing play on Sunday - just seems like a playmaker to me. And I'll admit that Andrew Luck's accuracy is not always the best. It's just when GBB mentioned it in his post, it rang a bell for me because I'd noticed what he'd said on more than one occasion.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by rm1369

He lost 2 last year. Both within the first 6 games when he also seemed to have the drops. I believe at least one of those played a big part in a loss. The fumble lost numbers for TEs are so small that more than one in a season is notable. He’s had 4 in his last 18 games played - going back to the end of 2016. That’s definitely near the top for tight ends.

Thank you. Looks like it bears watching at least. Tried to do a bit of research to see if I could find an average tight end fumble rate, but no luck. I did find the average RB fumble rate (1 for every 124.5 touches) and he's way above that.

[albany ed]

I found myself watching Braden Smith at RT to see if he might work there. I'm no expert on assessing OL play, but from my novice POV, I'm thinking he may have gotten himself a starting job for the season. Any of you experts care to weigh in?