For those calling Hardy a bust

[Ray]

For those calling Hardy a bust......he had the same amount of TD catches as Santonio Holmes did his rookie year. Steeler fans were calling him a bust as well. Give it time people...I hope Hardy ends up as much of a bust as Holmes.

Give James some time people. The guy can play and has a very good attitude.

[Lofton80]

I hope you are right. We all want Hardy to succeed. He had some flashes this year, Jax game winner was a super play, beginning of AZ game was nice too. I am more concerned with the QB to be honest. Warner and Rothlesberger appear to manage the game on a different level than we see in our check down passing offense.

 

 

For those calling Hardy a bust......he had the same amount of TD catches as Santonio Holmes did his rookie year. Steeler fans were calling him a bust as well. Give it time people...I hope Hardy ends up as much of a bust as Holmes.

Give James some time people. The guy can play and has a very good attitude.

[Poeticlaw]

For those calling Hardy a bust......he had the same amount of TD catches as Santonio Holmes did his rookie year. Steeler fans were calling him a bust as well. Give it time people...I hope Hardy ends up as much of a bust as Holmes.

Give James some time people. The guy can play and has a very good attitude.

 

"Early on in the Steelers' disappointing 2006 season, Holmes was criticized for his poor performance on special teams as a returner, a role in which he fumbled frequently. However, Holmes had better success as a receiver, displaying his athleticism and skill in several of the Steelers' games. He earned Week 6 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors for his performance October 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 58 yards receiving and 13 yards rushing.

 

Late in the season, Holmes replaced Cedrick Wilson in the starting lineup and finished the 2006 regular season with 49 receptions for 824 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best play of the season was also the last, when, in overtime of the Steelers' final game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Holmes caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger on a slant route and ran for a 67-yard touchdown to secure a win for the Steelers. He also returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown on December 17 against the Carolina Panthers."

 

Versus James Hardy 9 receptions for 87 yards and 2 TDS .

 

There is no comparison Holmes is obviously better in his rookie season than what Hardy will do in his first 3 years combined. Therefore I see him as a bust in comparison.

[PushthePile]

I'm rooting for the kid but I didn't see much from him this year. He looked like he didn't even have the tools let alone understanding. Again, I hope I'm wrong but we will see.

[Alphadawg7]

I'm rooting for the kid but I didn't see much from him this year. He looked like he didn't even have the tools let alone understanding. Again, I hope I'm wrong but we will see.

 

Yeah, picking one number like TD's to compare is silly. Holmes had a rookie season where he was 5x more productive...not really comparable...

 

What was concerning about Hardy was his lack of development in the fundamentals and lack of focus he seemed to have out there. He looked lost in both games and practice. I hope he does start to get it, but he didnt really show much to indicate it is going to be soon...

 

Personally, I think this injury puts him back to the point Steve Johnson comes in and does will which move him ahead of him for good and Hardy will be gone following the 2011 season if that is the case. Its going to open up the door for Steve who seems ready to take the next step. But who knows, we will see...

[DIE HARD 1967]

A 9 game ROOKIE BUST?

 

I never heard of such a thing.

 

Are there actually fans that impatient?

 

Please name names, I want to stay away from those fans.

[Chandler#81]

I'm rooting for the kid but I didn't see much from him this year. He looked like he didn't even have the tools let alone understanding. Again, I hope I'm wrong but we will see.

 

Agreed. I'll refrain from calling him a bust, but he showed me nothing. At 53, I can position my body better to make a catch vs. tight coverage than he showed. He seems to have no clue..

[BillsFan74]

It usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a WR at the pro level, so I am not worried. Remember Eric Moulds was struggling his first few years.

[PushthePile]

Yeah, picking one number like TD's to compare is silly. Holmes had a rookie season where he was 5x more productive...not really comparable...

 

What was concerning about Hardy was his lack of development in the fundamentals and lack of focus he seemed to have out there. He looked lost in both games and practice. I hope he does start to get it, but he didnt really show much to indicate it is going to be soon...

 

Personally, I think this injury puts him back to the point Steve Johnson comes in and does will which move him ahead of him for good and Hardy will be gone following the 2011 season if that is the case. Its going to open up the door for Steve who seems ready to take the next step. But who knows, we will see...

He can't contribute anywhere else either. I'm not advocating giving up on him by any means but I've got some real hesitation about his NFL career. The injury is just another bad break for his development. His TDs were big timing wise but they didn't exactly standout as extraordinary. I guess I'm concerned because he had a great opportunity to show something and failed badly.

[Poeticlaw]

It usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a WR at the pro level, so I am not worried. Remember Eric Moulds was struggling his first few years.

 

 

Also QBS make the recievers. Moulds had no connection with Jim Kelly, But once FLutie got in there it seemed like there was nothing Erik Moulds couldnt catch. Now we all know JP made Lee Evans When Holcomb went in there he had no connection with Lee Evans but ERic Mould looked like he could catch again. Reinsert JP and Lee evans looked great again insert Trent and he looks mediocre at best.

 

Thats just my observation at least here in Buffalo.

[Alphadawg7]

It usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a WR at the pro level, so I am not worried. Remember Eric Moulds was struggling his first few years.

 

Actually, this is very over stated...they have shown several times that the Mythical 3rd year for a WR to suddenly come into his own is nothing more than a myth statistically...

 

If Hardy doesnt show noticeable improvement in year 2, the odds of him ever becoming a good WR significantly drops big time.

[BillsVet]

For those calling Hardy a bust......he had the same amount of TD catches as Santonio Holmes did his rookie year. Steeler fans were calling him a bust as well. Give it time people...I hope Hardy ends up as much of a bust as Holmes.

Give James some time people. The guy can play and has a very good attitude.

 

This rationale to generalize success as demonstrated by amount of TD catches is absurd. But let's take it a step further: Jerry Rice had 3 TD catches his rookie season, so clearly Hardy is close to Rice's caliber as well. Their ascent to greatness has started from essentially the same point.

 

Upon closer inspection, Rice caught 49 balls in 16 games while starting 4 in 1985.

 

Hardy had flaws coming out of college. And some of those have not been worked out in one season. His route running is poor, no doubt the result of taking on undersized and slower DB's in college. At Indiana they did not change routes to adapt to different defenses. Additionally, Hardy had an issue beating the press and separating from defenders. Those issues haven't been ironed out yet.

[Alphadawg7]

He can't contribute anywhere else either. I'm not advocating giving up on him by any means but I've got some real hesitation about his NFL career. The injury is just another bad break for his development. His TDs were big timing wise but they didn't exactly standout as extraordinary. I guess I'm concerned because he had a great opportunity to show something and failed badly.

 

I totally agreed with your first post and this one...I have the exact same concerns, I was just elaborating...

[BeastMode54]

It's not Hardy's fault that he was not thrown to. I remember numerous games where Chris Brown reported that Hardy was open downfield and not thrown to. He was also NOT used a Red Zone target at all. This is what infuriates me more than ever. We needed a big red zone threat, so we drafted one. Our OC and head coach, NEVER used him. The one play they did, he pulled down a huge catch against the Jags. I understand that it takes time for a WR to develop. There is no excuse AT ALL for not throwing a jump ball or fade route in the end zone. It takes barely any practice at all, and doesn't require crisp route running. He was under utilized all year, and I think if they did use him more he would have had at least 2-3 more TD's

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

It usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a WR at the pro level, so I am not worried. Remember Eric Moulds was struggling his first few years.

 

I agree, but unfortunately Hardy is rehabbing from his torn ACL and might not even be back for the start of the season. Don't expect any improvements. My only hope is that he doesn't come back too out of shape.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Most fans realize that you can't judge whether a player is a bust or not after one season. Especially at a position like wide receiver where the learning curve is much steeper. While some rookie wideouts excel, they are typically the exception not the rule. More on this later.

 

The second issue which arises when people start throwing the bust word around is whether it is the player's fault or not. Sometimes a player (you've all had this happen during your work careers) is simply put into a position of failure due to a bad situation (poor coaching, poor talent around him, bad team chemistry, etc).

 

The most common cause of busts in my opinion is that the team which selected that player misevaluated him and had him overrated. This also is not the player's fault.

 

The only thing most people ask of a player is whether that player is trying their best. Occasionally a player signs the contract and coasts and then of course that is mostly the player's fault but what about all the psychological testing that teams do? Shouldn't the teams know which players (i.e.--Mike Williams, Texas O-Tackle) may become complacent or unmotivated?

 

Because of all this, I rarely blame the player who doesn't live up to his billing. I think most of the time it is poor talent evaluation or bad circumstances.

 

All this makes it odd to me how many fans want to blame the player and do so in very personal terms. It's kinda sad.

 

Alright, here's some numbers from the NFL Rookie class of 2008 wide receivers.

 

Pick Name Rec Yds TDs Comments

33 Donnie Avery 53 674 3 First wideout taken, small jitterbug type

34 Devin Thomas 15 120 0 Big receiver, was consensus top-rated receiver of this draft

36 Jordy Nelson 30 330 2 Reportedly coveted by Bills, played in passing offense

41 James Hardy 9 87 2 Big receiver, reportedly worked hard, had little impact

42 Eddie Royal 91 980 5 Best year of rookies, small jitterbug type, Jay Cutler

49 DeSean Jackson 62 912 2 2nd best year, small jitterbug type, Donovan McNabb

51 Malcolm Kelly 3 18 0 Linked to the Bills for size

53 Limas Sweed 6 64 0 Linked to Bills along with Hardy, Nelson, and Kelly

 

So there you have it. The top 8 drafted wide receivers from last year all taken within 20 picks of each other. Depending on how you define significant, 3-4 of them made significant contributions.

 

Of the 5 who we (and the Bills) were debating about at this time last year because as you all remember there was a consensus that the Bills needed a big receiver, Jordy Nelson had the best year but he was gone by the time we selected Hardy.

 

The other four big receivers, Sweed, Kelly, Thomas, and Hardy did virtually nothing. The three smallest receivers, Avery, Royal, and Jackson, all made big impacts.

 

So what does all this tell us? If Hardy does bust (and again I think it's too early to say that) is it his fault? Is it the Bills?

 

My biggest concern with Hardy is medical. Due to his knee injury he'll miss much of the offseason work, which I would imagine to be critical to a young receiver catching up to the pro game.

[keepthefaith]

It's not Hardy's fault that he was not thrown to. I remember numerous games where Chris Brown reported that Hardy was open downfield and not thrown to. He was also NOT used a Red Zone target at all. This is what infuriates me more than ever. We needed a big red zone threat, so we drafted one. Our OC and head coach, NEVER used him. The one play they did, he pulled down a huge catch against the Jags. I understand that it takes time for a WR to develop. There is no excuse AT ALL for not throwing a jump ball or fade route in the end zone. It takes barely any practice at all, and doesn't require crisp route running. He was under utilized all year, and I think if they did use him more he would have had at least 2-3 more TD's

 

No Bills player that is underperforming can be called a bust as long as Jauron is the coach.

[Bmwolf21]

A 9 game ROOKIE BUST?

 

I never heard of such a thing.

 

Are there actually fans that impatient?

 

Please name names, I want to stay away from those fans.

Yes, some fans are that impatient. The hot pockets crowd demands that a project WR who played in a rudimentary offense and, as a result, never learned the nuances of playing WR - like how to adjust his route, get separation, read defenses - to jump right in his first year and dominate. Most people realized that he was going to take time to develop, but I don't think most thought the Bills would stop calling his number in the red zone.

 

The only thing that makes me nervous about Hardy is the knee injury, because that sets him back and could really impact his development.

[PushthePile]

A 9 game ROOKIE BUST?

 

I never heard of such a thing.

 

Are there actually fans that impatient?

 

Please name names, I want to stay away from those fans.

Is it possible that someone could say they have concerns about a rookie without saying they are a bust? I don't think anyone is calling him a complete bust and if they are that is pretty stupid. In 9 games, I feel comfortable saying he is along way from making an impact. I also feel comfortable saying that until he is an effective WR, he serves no value to the team. Of course you don't give up on him after year one but he needs to flash something next year. He drops balls, is out of position, gets pushed around, and hangs his head. Some of these flaws are not coachable and should be skills developed in college. I do have hope he can get it together but he is far behind Johnson right now. Also, by saying don't you know it takes WR 2-3 years to develop in the NFL doesn't mean we should blindly ignore a players development until that point.

[drnykterstein]

for those calling hardy a bust... please punch yourself in the balls and save us the headache.