Bro, I always respect your savvy insight, but I urge you to watch that tape again.
When I look, here is what I see:
1. One of the best sideline receivers in the league. He runs near perfect outs and catches balls thrown to uninterceptable spots out of bounds in front of the CB while still keeping his feet 8n bounds and securing he catch. It is one of Tannehill's best throws combining his timing and accuracy with great velocity and a near zero chance of interception. Hartline is one of the best in the league at catching that route.
2. Excellent route running. In a rythem throwing offense route running and timing are essential.
3. Timing. Knowing when and where to break is at least as important as how quickly you can accelerate out of your breaks. Coincidentally, this is something that Jervis Landry also does well and helps him get goo separation.
4. Good hands. Not great hands, but very goo and light years ahead of Wallace's, Matthews' or any of our TE's hands ... yes that includes Clay who does not have good hands. On last year team only Gibson was in his category hands-wise.
5. Good downfield blocker. If we have healthy guys catching the medium routes this can be very helpful ... or if we ever find an OL that can open holes for RB's ...
People love to put Hartline down, but he does a lot of good things. I encourage everyone to look at his entire route, not just the part at the end where his good route running, separation and timing make it look like an easy uncontested ball placed in perfect position for an easy catch.
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I don't deny that Hartline does some things well. But the way I look at it is that he HAS to do these things because he's too limited in talent to make better use of the field. Look at how many patterns Hartline has to get open by dashing back to the LOS or double and triple moves NOT to go vertical or slant vertical, but to dash horizontal or going out of bounds or back to the LOS -- it's all he's got. And it's one reason why he leads CBs into INTS and pick 6s. He has quick slant if CB is sitting off. And after that, pretty much every pattern isn't vertical or threatening the D.
Not saying he's a horrible person or that he doesn't make tippy toe sideline catches well. But on those catches -- man. Look at how many times he has a zero separation window. Look at how many times he CANNOT threaten vertically, dashing back to LOS or horizontal or out of bounds. Look at how the TIMING of the route and having a QB that can throw to a half yard window or less --- how THAT makes the completion. How if he is knocked off his timing the route either doesn't get completed or he can't fight through to the ball. ZERO fight for the ball. Poor catch radius.
The routes, the timing, and having a QB that can hit him when he gets half yard or less open. Those things are also the things that make him a WR that limits the team big time.
Because the number 2 position needs to be filled with a WR that can do similar things decently yet also get open on his own talent, when push comes to shove.
Please know that I'm not hating on Hartline as a PERSON or a player. He's always playing w. his all, it seems like. And he's well spoken.
It's just that as clearly as I could see Bess limiting the 3, even when people were puffing his stats, the same thing is so evident w. Hartline at the 2. To me it's glaring. I don't expect everyone to see the same thing. But to me it's Ireland's mediocrity at filling skill positions all over again.
Does Hartline do a lot of good things? Yes. But is he a GREAT blocker? No way. Decent. Not great. Simply because he's not very physical. Does he run great outs? Yes. Slants. No. Decent not great -- again, not physical enough to battle for the ball when a DB jumps the route. Watched DBs bait Tanny using Hartline. Multiple times last year. Simply can't be done if he's a great WR.
We may have to disagree on this one, until someone comes along and plays the position like Gibson played the 3 so much better than Bess.
LD
