SI's Ben Baskin wrote a really excellent article on Jarvis Landry, and all the ways he will help the 2018 Cleveland Browns.
Baskin understands X's, 0's, and people. He also does diligent research.
I hadn't known that Jarvis the kid used to break into his school facility at 3 am to use the jugs machine, or that Miami Head Coach Adam Gayce cussed him out when he asked for more routes.
I had known (and told you) what Matt Hasselbeck said: Quarterbacks love guys like Juice Landry when it's do-or-die (and in general). The college coach who had Landry and Beckham at the same time said that Landry (who caught more passes for more yards in their last season) was the guy they trusted most.
Buzzkill Bill Polian (in a moment of clarity) said "why wouldn't you pay that guy?"
Now, what about Josh?
Okay we have a bunch of Olympic calibre conclusion-leapers here. Why the hell are you talking like he might actually miss regular season games and stuff? Take a freaking pill!
Most likely, he's going to "work" this to avoid the drudgery (and injury risk) of training camp.
Being lazy my own self, I get the first part. It's like calling in sick. But in this case, he's still working out really hard on his own, and Dorsey (a former player) is winking at it.
And no, he doesn't really need to work with Tyrod a whole lot to refine their chemistry.
The route tree is the same, and as a second year player, Josh set a bunch of NFL records with three comparatively inferior quarterbacks. He's a huge target who can't get pushed around and wins the 50/50's.
The guys who need that work are Corey Coleman and Antonio Callaway. They're much smaller, and also more "sudden". There's less margin for error between Tyrod and these guys.
As I said, most of what Josh Gordon will do when he does return is take reps away from players who need them more than he does.
Meanwhile, Landry becomes the main guy---but he's not going to do what Gordon does! He's still not an "X" receiver!
Coleman or Callaway will take over Gordon's role and run Gordon's routes.
I read stuff about huge, massive, gaping "holes" at wide receiver without Gordon maannn...change your meds or something, ok? It's getting way too spastic around here.
No no no: Landry probably hogs up more targets (and does go downfield more), but the defenses will also focus on him more, leaving the X single-covered.
With Josh, this is a top five corps. Without him, it's still well above average.
And again, you have Duke Johnson and two tight ends who can play from the slot or wide, in a run-oriented offense.
And this Dez Bryant stuff. Ask Dorsey about any player, and he'll say "sure, we talked about him. He's really good blahblah".
There are mixed opinions about Dez. For one thing, you don't start running more disciplined or precise routes when you're 29, okay?
There are a lot of West Coast elements in Todd Haley's offense, and even if Dez is fresh as a daisy (turns 30 in November), he's not a good system fit.
And believe it or not, Dez is holding out for a one year contract and upper-echelon starter money.
Ask me if I ever thought about bugging out to Mexico, or considered Club Fed as a retirement option. But when I say yes, don't write an article about how Wile E Coyote plans to rob a bank!
It doesn't mean a damn thing. Bryant might make sense if the Browns were on the verge of a Superbowl, but not here or now.
Fortunately, Dez concurs.
Still, Dorsey bugs me sometimes:
He's working out Gramps Jones now?
He's THIRTY FOUR YEARS OLD!!! He missed most of last season with a groin injury (see "Haden, Joe").
Jones can play free safety, and will be dirt cheap, so as a depth player who can teach the whippersnappers a dirty trick or two for one season there might be something here, I guess.
There is less depth at free safety here, so signing this old geezer wouldn't force a younger player with a brighter future out.
Still, is this worth it?
Well, Dorsey doesn't make moves without input from his coaches, and it's likely that this is Gregg Williams' idea. I don't second-guess Gregg Williams.
Adam Jones has been a punk off the field, but seems to have outgrown much of that. He is a dirty player, but he used to be excellent, with a lot of turnovers. Good against the run, too.
I suppose if you pointed a gun at me, I'd admit that if he'd take the league minimum with incentives and no guarantees for one year only, he might conceivably be a good backup free safety. (But then I might ask you to pull the trigger).
It really is possible to overdo this stuff, ya know?
Call me an "ageist" if you want, but I don't trust players over 30.
It's just as well that Ricardo Louis will miss this season. He gets a mulligan and another chance next season, and some younger guy gets a chance he otherwise might not have.
I'll tell you: If I were John Dorsey, I might have suggested to Josh Gordon that he does what he is doing.
With those two guys out of the way, CJ Board and Damieon Ratley will get to practice with Mayfield, and Callaway (now healthy by the way) will be head-to-head with Corey Coleman with the ones.
Gordon is a known quantity, and training camp is about developing players and chemistry.
Louis has been up and down (while Higgins has turned into a solid player), and I suspect his needle was pointing out of here anyway.
If I'm Dorsey I call Josh back around (and maybe after) the first preseason game. Haley would then work him back in gradually---just so he's ready for the "dress rehearsal" in preseason game 3.
Then Haley can make smarter decisions on Janis, Board, Ratley...
There are still too many wide receivers with Gordon, Landry, Coleman, Callaway, Higgins, Ratley, Board, Janis, and probably some other unknown sleeper I'm dissing.
And some of you don't get this part of the practice squad: To get a player there, a team must first waive him. All 31 other teams can scoop him up before he is re-signed.
A guy like Board has a good chance at not getting swiped, but Ratley is a bigger risk.
He needs work with Hans and Franz, but he is an X. In Josh's absence, he should get to work with Mayfield there with the twos (probably opposite Board a lot).
He has a lot of what Gordon has, except for the bulk (Josh has a good 25 lbs on him). He runs like greased lightening.
And check that out: Look at all this speed at wide receiver now! Gordon, Coleman, Callaway and Ratley can all score from anywhere on the field!
Tack on Njoku (if not DeValve) and Duke Johnson and go ahead and say it again:
"But who's he going to throw it to?"
"There's no playmakers."
Somebody will say it! You know they will!
No comments:
Post a Comment