Rankings the AFC East WR corps

[datruth55]

I agree. But, I think you have to factor in the tight ends which figure to be used prominently in this offense. Michael Egnew could be one of the most productive rookies in this entire draft class. I do like the fact that young players will be given a chance. This could be good or bad. Maybe someone emerges as a player teams have to take into account. I think Gates and perhaps Wallace have the best chance to be that type of player. Moving forward this does appear to be an area that the Dolphins can improve in.

I don't count on rookies to be a significant part of the passing offense, especially a TE coming from a spread offense where he ran mostly bubble screens. Egnew has talent but he's going to be playing a position he really has no clue how to play. He was a TE at Missouri in name only, he's going to have to learn how to line up next to the tackle with his hand in the dirt, block DEs and LBs and run real routes not bubble screens. This won't be an easy transition for him.

Even if Gates or Wallace rise and become the receiver we hope once they show anything defenses will adjust and they'll have to figure out how to continue to have success when coverage slides to their side of the field. It's a lot to ask of a guy who has little experience. Same happened to Mike Williams of Tampa Bay, he disappeared when defenses started to bracket him.

My hope is that someone steps up, it's a long season and a lot could happen but right now this team is not set up for someone like Tannehill to come in and succeed. That's why I would prefer Moore start until we've broken in at least one WR that can make plays for the QB.

 

[Travis34]

Until proven otherwise I don't disagree with the ranking. On paper this WR corp looks like crap and not one of our WRs have proven anything. Bess is an excellent slot receiver with good hands but he has a 10 ypc career average and doesn't score much at all. Hartline scores even less than Bess, he's been the #2 reciever for two years now and has been way less than adequate. Naanee is a journeyman, he's had Phillip Rivers and Cam Newton throwing him the ball and still has nothing to show for it...I highly doubt he'll do anything here with Matt Moore or Tannehill throwing to him...I actually don't think he even makes the team. Gates I have high hopes for but he got very little run last year and his route running needs major improvement, he needs to be able to run more than just the 9 route.

As for the rookies, I like Rishard Matthews better than B.J. Cunningham but their both fighting uphill battles to make the team even as poor as this unit is as a whole.

Agreed. The only way this ranking will rise is if/when someone emerges as a high level talent. Victor Cruz-esque. I've got no problem with Bess still being the elite slot guy, but he'll be shut down by Revis or doubled all the time without some other threat. Gates/Wallace probably have the best chance of breaking out. This is all just hopeful though

 

[jason_taylor]

Yup, people can come out of nowhere and become all pro's. You know, like Wes Welker, the Patriots pro-bowl receiver. An established player who is widely considered to be one of the best in the game. Oh, and Holmes, who spends his offseason washing the car he won as Superbowl MVP.
Player who have performed at high levels for years on end. But wait! Those dont count because....ugh...they just dont. The only thing that counts is, well, i guess, the fact that one of our young players who up until now have a proven track record of "adequate" can turn into the next Jerry Rice. I mean, it happens all the time though i cant remember it ever happening before it just does!

When you have a division with established high level talent, you CAN make predictions. Why? Because they have a history of consistent performance over the length of years. Again, this isnt some gross insult to the Dolphins. We didnt just "luck" into a 6-10 record. We know exactly the type of players Brian Hartline, Devone Bess, and Legedu Naanee are. They have shown it for years. And we know exactly the type of players Holmes, Welker, Stevie Johnson, and others are.
This isnt some out of the blue slap down of Miami. We have some young talent on this team. Sadly for this ranking, the other teams in the division have some established talent on their teams.

sorry guys but this just falls right back to what B Marshall was saying at the probowel give me an ELITE QB throwing me the ball and all is cured because imo an ELITE QB can make an avrage joe look like the next Jerry R.

 

[Chuck-182]

I don't see how anyone can disagree with this, our WR corps is a joke.

 

[Spesh]

sorry guys but this just falls right back to what B Marshall was saying at the probowel give me an ELITE QB throwing me the ball and all is cured because imo an ELITE QB can make an avrage joe look like the next Jerry R.

Mark Sanchez and Ryan Fitzpatrick are elite quarterbacks?

News to me.

 

[Nublar7]

The WR corps is definitely a work in progress and won't truly be addressed probably until next year. Fourth best on paper in the AFC East? Probably. Worst in the NFL? Not real sure about that but definitely in the bottom half of the league. That doesn't mean the Dolphins can't have success in the passing game, because the WR corps in 2008 and 2009 wasn't a whole lot different and the team went 18-14 during that span.

The Dolphins don't have a WR that demands double coverage and I expect that issue is first on Ireland's 2013 to do list if no one steps up this season. On paper they are not a dominate group but there is a lot of potential.

 

[Statler Waldorf]

Hard to argue. Every other other team has a legit WR in their arsenal. We have a bunch of question marks. It doesn't mean we cant have success but we def have the "worst" WR's right now as a whole.

What??? Who do the Jets have? Holmes having 103 receptions over the last two years makes him a "legit receiver" but Bess having 130 receptions over the same duration doesn't make him one? Give me a break.

 

[luduporcu]

I don't agree w/the "conventional wisdom" at all.

1) IF WELKER is the best possession WR in football, then i/m/o, BESS is 2nd. I've seen enough to be convinced, and any "expert" who disagrees is a fool, as well as blind. BESS suffered from MARSHALL's being here: an overblown, loud prima donna who demanded to be targeted way too often, and gave MIAMI way too many dropped catches, and way too many dropped TDs. I'm glad he's gone.

2) HARTLINE is a possession WR who just happens to have enough speed to be a deep threat. He has "shake-and-baked" a LOT of good CBs, and even made PENNINGTON (noodle arm and all) effective throwing deep. He also suffered from MARSHALL's presence, perhaps even more than BESS did. With more time to develop "timing" and "chemistry" w/MOORE, I REALLY believe that he can become VERY effective.

3) MOORE/WALLACE/PRUITT-MARSHALL absolutely stunted the growth/development of each of them. MOORE and WALLACE, especially, had showed a lot of potential: but the hog (a/k/a The Beast) left them little time to progress. Ditto, PRUITT, who, all of a sudden, has turned some heads in camp recently. I, myself, am NOT surprised. They all have decent size, and better-than-average speed. It wouldn't surprise me at all if one-or-more of them "arrives" this season.

You all have probably noticed that the "common denominator", in "(1)", "(2)" and "(3)" above, is the late B MARSHALL. Thank GOD he's gone! MIAMI truly paid too high a price, in MANY ways, for His Lordship. I/m/o, now MIAMI can proceed to develop its WRs, who i/m/o have talent. That includes GATES, who apparently was "dinged" all of last season, but tried to play thru it anyway (I like him more than MARSHALL just for THAT!), and also the new kids. I'm certain that MIAMI will have 5 or so very solid WRs, who deliver w/o palaver, pomp and circumstance...none of whom is a greedy, diva/head case.

And I think that a lot of so-called "experts" are going to be amazed, if not dumbfounded and speechless.

 

[damanref10]

What??? Who do the Jets have? Holmes having 103 receptions over the last two years makes him a "legit receiver" but Bess having 130 receptions over the same duration doesn't make him one? Give me a break.

No this makes him a legit receiver. Superbowl MVP.

[video=youtube;24k3PCL4prU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24k3PCL4prU[/video]

He also played in 4 less games than Davone because of his suspension to start his career off with the jets and He also has 6 more touchdowns than Davone does over that 2 year span despite playing less games.

I don't understand why people are getting so defensive over our WR corps. Nublar has the total right idea of this.... on paper, which is all we can base anything off of right now, WR is a glaring whole that most likely needs to be addressed come next offseason, and as it stands right now, we CLEARLY have the worst WR corps in our division. There can be arguments made for us being the worst in the league, but thats for a different thread.

Now is it possible that one of our average receivers comes out and has a great year? absolutely.. no matter how abysmal our passing game could potentially be in a worst case scenario season, there is a large enough void that chances are someone will bounce up to around 800 yards... who will it be? throw a dart and you have a good shot at guessing. The bottom line is that from a pure objective standing, Bess and Hartline just dont stack up to anyone in our division.

The patriots clearly have the best receiving corps with welker, lloyd, and deion branch (not even counting their Tight Ends which are basically giant slot receivers) and between Santonio Holmes and Stevie Johnson.. no matter how big of an idiot or an as* either of them are, from a pure talent standpoint which is what the blog article is looking at.... are both better than any combo of what we have. That's not to say that as the season plays out maybe we surprise everyone (dont hold your breath WCO magic believers), but how can anyone argue that we aren't 4th as of now? I can't find a compelling reason.

 

[Statler Waldorf]

No this makes him a legit receiver. Superbowl MVP.

Not with the Jets.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BggMrISdRIo

He also played in 4 less games than Davone because of his suspension to start his career off with the jets and He also has 6 more touchdowns than Davone does over that 2 year span despite playing less games.

Whose fault is it that he missed those games? His own. He still wouldn't have as many receptions as Bess if he had played in those games and Bess never quits and sits on the bench in a must win game. Bess is the better pro and receiver.

 

[SpaceMountain16]

I don't know about worst in the NFL, but probably right there. You have a receiving corps that even WITH a pro-bowl WR like Brandon Marshall wasn't all that formidable. Not as a scoring threat anyway, I realize the Dolphins at times were able to gain big yards through the air. But now Marshall is gone, so you have basically a bunch of number 2 and number 3 receivers in an offense that already had question marks at Quarterback trying to duplicate what you did last year, which wasn't much. Again, not as a scoring threat anyway. I can't see Bess or Hartline getting more than 5 TD's each, and even that's high.

 

[tay0365]

I don't see how anyone can disagree with this, our WR corps is a joke.

Actually our WRs are not a joke, what they are right now is a mystery, but a joke they are not. Miami won a division title with these type of receivers.

On the other hand, there is no way you can put Miami's receivers anywhere else but 4th until they prove others wrong.

 

[damanref10]

Not with the Jets.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BggMrISdRIo




Whose fault is it that he missed those games? His own. He still wouldn't have as many receptions as Bess if he had played in those games and Bess never quits and sits on the bench in a must win game. Bess is the better pro and receiver.

no he isn't. is he a better person? more likeable of a guy? sure he is. it really is unbelievable how hard it is for some to look at people objectively. take off the ugly Jets jersey and compare santonio holmes to Davone Bess from a football standpoint. On what basis could you argue for Bess?

There is no arguing how bad of a drop that was. but what about all the other amazing plays he made on that exact same route?

How about against the Pats in the playoffs?
[video=youtube;n31HFT2GZBM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n31HFT2GZBM[/video]

Or this game winner against the Texans?
[video=youtube;T0jBz9fAgfA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0jBz9fAgfA[/video]

Then there are just some plays davone could never dream of making like this simple slant to the house this game winner in OT vs the Browns?
[video=youtube;W6rni8XIFwQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rni8XIFwQ[/video]

So the guy has one bad drop against the fins and thats enough to make Davone a better pro? lol not even close

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I don't count on rookies to be a significant part of the passing offense, especially a TE coming from a spread offense where he ran mostly bubble screens. Egnew has talent but he's going to be playing a position he really has no clue how to play. He was a TE at Missouri in name only, he's going to have to learn how to line up next to the tackle with his hand in the dirt, block DEs and LBs and run real routes not bubble screens. This won't be an easy transition for him.

Even if Gates or Wallace rise and become the receiver we hope once they show anything defenses will adjust and they'll have to figure out how to continue to have success when coverage slides to their side of the field. It's a lot to ask of a guy who has little experience. Same happened to Mike Williams of Tampa Bay, he disappeared when defenses started to bracket him.

My hope is that someone steps up, it's a long season and a lot could happen but right now this team is not set up for someone like Tannehill to come in and succeed. That's why I would prefer Moore start until we've broken in at least one WR that can make plays for the QB.

I definitely agree with your last statement. Let's see who (if anyone) emerges at wide receiver before we put a rookie quarterback under center. I think that's the plan for this year with David Garrard most likely starting IMO. This is a year where we will find out about our young players both at wide receiver and in the secondary. We should have a better feel heading into next offseason about what the team needs to get to the next level.

 

[JayAngel]

This should give that group something to prove, a chip on their shoulder. All eyes on them in training camp.