PFW - Top 10 Rookie Disappointments

[TheLynchTrain]

It's not a matter of having a WR 6' or over (Moulds was 6'0" tall). It's a matter of having a bigger, more physical WR.

 

And again, Royal and Jackson benefit from the guys across from them. And they're the same type of player as Evans.

 

Ok. Evans is 6'10, but he's still 197 lbs. Josh Reed is 5'10 but he's 210 lbs. Reggie is 6 foot but he's 198...by that logic Evans is more bigger than him, and I would argue a lot more physical than him...and Harrison on the other side is 6 foot 185 while Gonzalez is 6 foot 193...theyve got average height but that doesnt make them bulky or physical.

 

And Royal and DeSean are not the same type of player as Evans...Evans has 20 pounds on Royal and and inch or two and 35 pounds on Jackson. I think Evans is a lot more physical than these guys and a better blocker, although not as great as Reed in this capacity (but again, who is outside of Hines Ward).

 

I don't think its necessarily about having bigger or physical receivers, although it would definitely help. I think it depends more on the QB thats throwing the ball, the system and plays that coordinator's calling to get the players involved, and how well the running game is going (to set up play action).

 

Obviously anybody can have a good receiving game with those three things, but that is the point. Until we improve in these areas, Evans isn't going to put up elite numbers, regardless of who we have on the other side.

[Wagon Circler]

Good list. Thanks for posting. Golstyn is the bust of the draft. While drafting DE's is a gamble, our need is so great, I think its time to roll the dice. Maybe take 2-3 and hope one proves out. I want a pass rush. Pass rush changes the whole defense. Why did Denver overthrow Stokely wide open in the end zone. PASS RUSH!

I don't think McKelvin deserved to be on the list. You don't take a kick returner in the first round. As a corner, he was picked on much of the season and only recently came on to play adequately.

By the way anybody else impressed by Reggie the Corner on Sunday? Could help next year.

[DazedandConfused]

The bottomline for me is that I was not disappointed in Hardy's performance because I agree that he did not perform but I was not disappointed in his play because I suspected he would perform at about this level. I simply do not buy into the conventional wisdom that even a player chosen in the first round should be expected to be an immediate starter or even a starter after a full year because its about 50/50 whether this is going to actually happen in the real world.

 

Of course like all Bills fans I was bummed that we did not catch lightening in a bottle and Hardy would make us forget about Boldin's rookie performance at WR. Yet, the simple fact is that if someone were foolish enough to expect a 2nd round pick to become the answer for us at WR then they deserve to be disappointed for investing in this nice but wishful thinking.

 

The thing I was actually disappointed in is that Turk Schoernert did not prove to have the skills to use the height of rookie Hardy that he is going to have regardless whether he performs like a rookie or not to force opposing teams to give us other options in the red zone because they were worried about covering a tall guy like Hardy on the fade pattern (something opposing DCs would need to do virtually regardless of how he performed because they would need to cover a big guy in the endzone and to do this might force them to give less attention to Evans or free us up to run patterns for the RBs or the TE.

 

Ddid Hardy have less production in his rookie season than a Bills fan would want? Sure. However, did this disappint me. Naw, it was what I expected and I think most thinking football fans would see it this way.