Gates no lock to make team?

[fishfanmiami]

I tend to think that with the lockout last year Gates was one of if not the most affected players on our team in terms of talent development. He only played 2 years of college football in Division 2 and dominated on talent alone. He probably has never received propper coaching on the finer aspects of route running and timing from a football standpoint. One thing that will help though in his development is his basketball backround, ie quickness, agility, footwork and explosion. Hopefully with a full offseason and more/better coaching he will become a better route runner because that is what the WCO demands and what he needs to improve upon to make/be a contributor for the team.

Excellant points but remember we drafted Miller who probably will be the kick returner so Gates need to really shine as a wideout. I hope he does because you can not coach speed.

 

[Stanlap]

Not sure, but all that speed would be a waste for us not to have.

 

[Rick Cartman]

I'd argue that outside of bess and hartline, (and I don't know that either of them is a lock to keep thier starters position), none of the rest are locks to make the team.

Pretty much have to agree with you 100% on Bess and Hartline are the only two pretty much guaranteed to make the team.

 

[foozool13]

Not buying it. Too much speed to give up in one year. **** we gave Ted Ginn 2 years, we will def give Gates at least one more.

 

[jason_taylor]

Pretty much have to agree with you 100% on Bess and Hartline are the only two pretty much guaranteed to make the team.

imo there not locks either, if they cant run the WCO then i see them as being in the same shape as the rest of the WRs ,because it was said that the FO wasnt looking for the best wrs but the ones that fit the WCO system the best.

 

[J Tes]

Not buying it. Too much speed to give up in one year. **** we gave Ted Ginn 2 years, we will def give Gates at least one more.

Ginn was also a top 10 pick and a much better returner. Gates is a 4th round pick with speed. A lot easier to give up on him

 

[hoops]

foolish to give up on this kind of talent so soon...plum foolish

 

[MRojas4]

Gates is a lock, dont think otherwise.

Bess, Hartline and Gates are locks IMO. Gates played with a torn groin all last season and his speed is just too much to give up on in 1 year.

 

[J Tes]

foolish to give up on this kind of talent so soon...plum foolish

If they are in a position to consider releasing Gates at the final cuts it's because he didn't show much during the preseason and training camp. What would be foolish is to waste a roster spot on a guy that showed nothing as a receiver for 2 training camps and 1 season because he has so called "talent". The only talent he's shown so far is that he can run fast.

I hope he breaks out and becomes the deep threat this team needs but if he's outplayed by the likes of Cunningham, Mathews, Wallace, Fuller etc i'm hoping they would do the right thing and give the roster spot to the guy thats produced...not the guy with "potential"

 

[Free]

This article is written by the same guy who wrote that Koa Misi would play middle linebacker. I'm going to wait until training camp starts before I consider some of the media speculation.

 

[McGaniel]

Gates will be make the team and will thrive in this system..

 

[J Tes]

Gates will be make the team and will thrive in this system..

And you're certain of this because? Gates has a lot to learn. The WCO is big on quick, precise routes and being intelligent. Gates can run fast. He has a way to go. I hope it comes together for him but i'm a lot less confident than you are

 

[hoops]

If they are in a position to consider releasing Gates at the final cuts it's because he didn't show much during the preseason and training camp. What would be foolish is to waste a roster spot on a guy that showed nothing as a receiver for 2 training camps and 1 season because he has so called "talent". The only talent he's shown so far is that he can run fast.

I hope he breaks out and becomes the deep threat this team needs but if he's outplayed by the likes of Cunningham, Mathews, Wallace, Fuller etc i'm hoping they would do the right thing and give the roster spot to the guy thats produced...not the guy with "potential"

i disagree with the assessment that the only thing gates has shown is that he has speed...i think the kid should have been on the field more as a receiver than he was last year and while he only had 2 catches last year i think i can count 5 instances where he won against coverage and we just weren't able to get the ball to him...where the qb failed to make the connection

anyways i see short area quickness and quick acceleration the ability to get off press at the pro level at the los (which is something given the level he came from that i had some concerns with) i see quickness in and out of cuts i see dbs respecting his long speed i don't see crisp route running but you could say the same about mike wallace even to this day...his route runnings not marvin harrison like...gates has the tools to get a db to come out of his pedal and bail he needs to work on threatening the dbs cushion and then putting his foot in the ground and not using wasted motions with his feet and coming back to the qb he should be able to in time catch those routes all day long once the dbs bail a lot of things as a receiver open up to you...i've seen him run by bailing dbs from the snap...the tools are there...he doesn't have ted ginn like build up speed he's not a long strider he's got legit acceleration and smoothness to his game...more hand use in his routes to separate would be nice

too much talent to give up on in one year for a possession upside wr...

 

[beanh8er]

i disagree with the assessment that the only thing gates has shown is that he has speed...i think the kid should have been on the field more as a receiver than he was last year and while he only had 2 catches last year i think i can count 5 instances where he won against coverage and we just weren't able to get the ball to him...where the qb failed to make the connection

anyways i see short area quickness and quick acceleration the ability to get off press at the pro level at the los (which is something given the level he came from that i had some concerns with) i see quickness in and out of cuts i see dbs respecting his long speed i don't see crisp route running but you could say the same about mike wallace even to this day...his route runnings not marvin harrison like...gates has the tools to get a db to come out of his pedal and bail he needs to work on threatening the dbs cushion and then putting his foot in the ground and not using wasted motions with his feet and coming back to the qb he should be able to in time catch those routes all day long once the dbs bail a lot of things as a receiver open up to you...i've seen him run by bailing dbs from the snap...the tools are there...he doesn't have ted ginn like build up speed he's not a long strider he's got legit acceleration and smoothness to his game...more hand use in his routes to separate would be nice

too much talent to give up on in one year for a possession upside wr...

To add to this. He was thrown to 15 times and 13 of them were uncatchable.

 

[J Tes]

i disagree with the assessment that the only thing gates has shown is that he has speed...i think the kid should have been on the field more as a receiver than he was last year and while he only had 2 catches last year i think i can count 5 instances where he won against coverage and we just weren't able to get the ball to him...where the qb failed to make the connection

anyways i see short area quickness and quick acceleration the ability to get off press at the pro level at the los (which is something given the level he came from that i had some concerns with) i see quickness in and out of cuts i see dbs respecting his long speed i don't see crisp route running but you could say the same about mike wallace even to this day...his route runnings not marvin harrison like...gates has the tools to get a db to come out of his pedal and bail he needs to work on threatening the dbs cushion and then putting his foot in the ground and not using wasted motions with his feet and coming back to the qb he should be able to in time catch those routes all day long once the dbs bail a lot of things as a receiver open up to you...i've seen him run by bailing dbs from the snap...the tools are there...he doesn't have ted ginn like build up speed he's not a long strider he's got legit acceleration and smoothness to his game...more hand use in his routes to separate would be nice

too much talent to give up on in one year for a possession upside wr...

So again, all you see is supposed potential but hypothetically, if they're in a postition to consider releasing him at the end of training camp, it's because he hasn't put his speed and "short area quickness" to use. So you've already decided that he's too valuable to lose and already has a roster spot locked up even though in this hypothetical situation, he was out produced but younger players? That nonsense. Make the guy earn it. To say he has a spot locked up based on potential is ridiculous.