Not saying Blackmon is better but I feel like Bryant should be even better considering who his QB is... of course you have to account several other factors such as the NFC East probably has better secondaries than the AFC South.
Quote:While I agree with your premise D6 let's answer those questions from Blackmon's prospective.
1. 2
2. Not injured but certainly not conditioned to play in a lot of his games during his rookie year
3. Gabbert/Henne's protection was less than adequate
4. Shorts didn't start a game till made way through season
Plus when you compare Promo throwing the ball to Gabbert/Henne its just laughable.
ObjectiveJag, there's no question that Justin Blackmon has dealt with far from ideal conditions. It's a credit to Blackmon that he has made his presence felt as much as he has.
My two main points regarding the discussion with TMD is I'm being very cautious in putting Blackmon above a WR the caliber of Dez Bryant at this time because Blackmon hasn't seen that much game action relatively speaking.
Also, sometimes stats are very misleading. In Cleveland 9 days ago, Calvin Johnson only caught 3 passes for 25 yards during a game he played in slightly more than 50% of the plays because of a knee injury. Megatron dropped two passes in that game, including what would have been a TD if he was close to being relatively healthy. Despite the fact that this wasn't one of Megatron's better games, he still drew enough attention in his direction that it enabled Matthew Stafford to connect with rookie UDRFA TE Joseph Fauria for 3 TD's in a game that the Lions won 31-17, after being down 17-7 at halttime. The week before in Green Bay, Calvin Johnson wasn't able to play at all. The Lions Offense struggled mightily and was held to 9 points. Including a TD when the game was basically lost already. While Dez Bryant isn't on Calvin Johnson's level despite the opinion of Bryant himself and current Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan, he does command plenty of attention.
Quote:ObjectiveJag, there's no question that Justin Blackmon has dealt with far from ideal conditions. It's a credit to Blackmon that he has made his presence felt as much as he has.
My two main points regarding the discussion with TMD is I'm being very cautious in putting Blackmon above a WR the caliber of Dez Bryant at this time because Blackmon hasn't seen that much game action relatively speaking.
Also, sometimes stats are very misleading. In Cleveland 9 days ago, Calvin Johnson only caught 3 passes for 25 yards during a game he played in slightly more than 50% of the plays because of a knee injury. Megatron dropped two passes in that game, including what would have been a TD if he was close to being relatively healthy. Despite the fact that this wasn't one of Megatron's better games, he still drew enough attention in his direction that it enabled Matthew Stafford to connect with rookie UDRFA TE Joseph Fauria for 3 TD's in a game that the Lions won 31-17, after being down 17-7 at halttime. The week before in Green Bay, Calvin Johnson wasn't able to play at all. The Lions Offense struggled mightily and was held to 9 points. Including a TD when the game was basically lost already. While Dez Bryant isn't on Calvin Johnson's level despite the opinion of Bryant himself and current Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan, he does command plenty of attention.
I agree that Blackmon may not be above Bryant but I think he certainly has the talent to match or surpass him sooner than later. Also no one is on Calvin's level and no one will be for sometime.
Quote:Not saying Blackmon is better but I feel like Bryant should be even better considering who his QB is... of course you have to account several other factors such as the NFC East probably has better secondaries than the AFC South.
W/o question, Dez Bryant is in a much more favorable situation than Justin Blackmon is currently. Even with RB Demarco Murray dealing with a significant knee injury.
When answering your question several hours ago, I considered it high praise from a potential standpoint that Blackmon has the potential to be on Bryant's level. If Blackmon does everything his coaches and the Jaguars organization ask of him, if he stays relatively healthy, there's reasons for plenty of optimism that Blackmon wlll be at least as good of a WR as Bryant. I'm just being cautious about putting Blackmon on that level at this time because of his relatively limited amount of action.
Quote:I agree that Blackmon may not be above Bryant but I think he certainly has the talent to match or surpass him sooner than later. Also no one is on Calvin's level and no one will be for sometime.
I certainly agree with you regarding both your points.
As someone who appreciates high quality talent and very good character, major props to Bengals WR A.J. Green for his performance in the Bengals 27-24 win over the Lions and the excellent start to his career. Right now, Green has moved up to # 2 on my WR ranking list. Both Green and Calvin Johnson put on a show the other day.
Quote:Here are the stats:
2008 Detroit Lions:
Point Percentage: Scored 51% of the amount of the opponents points
offense: 268.3 yards per game (185 passing, 83 rushing), 16.8 pts/g
defense: 404.4 yards per game (232.3 passing, 172.1 rushing), 32.3 pts/g
2013 Jaguars:
Point Percentage: Scores 34% of the amount of the opponents points
offense: 282.0 yards per game (219 passing, 63 rushing), 10.9 pts/g
defense: 391.4 yards per game (238.1 passing, 153.3 rushing), 31.7 pts/g
So for those asking if they are the worse team in NFL history, at this point, it does appear they are at least worse than the 2008 0-16 Detroit Lions.
The bigger question is who would win the game if the two played.
I would see the Lions putting a whooping on us. They were bad but we are just awful.
Quote:I certainly agree with you regarding both your points.
As someone who appreciates high quality talent and very good character, major props to Bengals WR A.J. Green for his performance in the Bengals 27-24 win over the Lions and the excellent start to his career. Right now, Green has moved up to # 2 on my WR ranking list. Both Green and Calvin Johnson put on a show the other day.
Most certainly Green is up there too. I'm trying to think of who else? Maybe Julio when healthy.
Quote:Most certainly Green is up there too. I'm trying to think of who else? Maybe Julio when healthy.
Going into the season, I thought Larry Fitzgerald would be the 2nd best WR in the NFL this season. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald has dealt with two separate hamstring injuries. Coupling that with Fitzgerald now in his 10th season, he might not get back to the ultra elite level.
Julio Jones would have been right behind A.J. Green if not for his season ending injury. Hopefully, Jones will make a full recovery.
Otherwise, the next WR that comes to mind on this end would be Dez Bryant, with Brandon Marshall close to Bryant.
While he's probably not quite a top 5 WR, Jordy Nelson is someone who I think is somewhere in the top 10. An underrated WR who is playing with who I consider the best QB in the NFL.
Quote:Going into the season, I thought Larry Fitzgerald would be the 2nd best WR in the NFL this season. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald has dealt with two separate hamstring injuries. Coupling that with Fitzgerald now in his 10th season, he might not get back to the ultra elite level.
Julio Jones would have been right behind A.J. Green if not for his season ending injury. Hopefully, Jones will make a full recovery.
Otherwise, the next WR that comes to mind on this end would be Dez Bryant, with Brandon Marshall close to Bryant.
While he's probably not quite a top 5 WR, Jordy Nelson is someone who I think is somewhere in the top 10. An underrated WR who is playing with who I consider the best QB in the NFL.
I forgot about Fitz but your right I thought with Palmer at QB Fitz would have a big year. Also Blackmon reminds me a lot of Marshall from a physical stand point. Both know how to break tackles. I think Calvin can too but doesn't have to due to his size. I wish Matt Jones had that kinda physicality and smarts. Had such high hopes for that guy.
Quote:I forgot about Fitz but your right I thought with Palmer at QB Fitz would have a big year. Also Blackmon reminds me a lot of Marshall from a physical stand point. Both know how to break tackles. I think Calvin can too but doesn't have to due to his size. I wish Matt Jones had that kinda physicality and smarts. Had such high hopes for that guy.
The exciting aspect of Justin Blackmon for the Jaguars is he has very good physical skills, is producing, and is still in the developmental stage. A year or two from now, if Blackmon stays focused and the Jaguars QB situation improves noticeably, Blackmon could easily prove to be a difference maker in many close games.
As disappointing Matt Jones was for the Jaguars, looking at the situation in hindsight, he probably didn't have enough natural ability to overcome his lack of experience as a WR. This was a classic example of a player who was overdrafted largely because of certain Combine numbers. On the other hand, Mike Williams, the WR that the Lions drafted with pick # 10 that year, didn't have the desire to play remotely close to his potential. From the standpoint of pure underachievement, Mike Williams became one of the worst draft picks of all-time.