Wondering about Eric Lair

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Doc1001

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I expected him to really explode this year. He has very few catches this year if my memory serves me correctly. Wonder if its his fault or the fault of an anemic offense. You would think many more plays would be designed for him as in the past unless he is just not getting open. Anyone been following him closely?
 

Doc1001 said:
I expected him to really explode this year. He has very few catches this year if my memory serves me correctly. Wonder if its his fault or the fault of an anemic offense. You would think many more plays would be designed for him as in the past unless he is just not getting open. Anyone been following him closely?
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He should be more of a factor, and I think it is a offensive scheme problem more than anything-just my opinion. I thought he would lead the team in receiving (total catches) but he might not get to 20 catches the way things are going.
 

I honestly think he is just not as good as many thought he would be. Simple as that. Look simply at the amount of snaps he is on the field. It seems like less than half of them. Part of that is probably scheme, but if he was indispensible, the coaches would find a way to keep him on the field.
 

Wonder how much is scheme and how much is attitude/academics/effort? Kill won't reward talent without effort and off the field execution.
 

tikited said:
He should be more of a factor, and I think it is a offensive scheme problem more than anything-just my opinion. I thought he would lead the team in receiving (total catches) but he might not get to 20 catches the way things are going.
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This. The TE appears to be staying in more often to protect the QB then in the past. Lair is a better "catcher" but probably not a better blocker. Throw in a QB who isn't the most accurate guy in the world and Lair isn't getting many catches or opportunities for that matter.
 


I thought he would've been a monster this year. It's a shame he hasn't been more effective.
 

I'm very surprised and disappointed he's not a bigger factor. I'm sure Will Johnson is salivating at being able to contribute as much as Lair is as a senior.
 

I felt like during the Michigan game, Lair was jogging his routes as early as the first quarter, and Coach Kill is definitely not someone to reward a player who gives up when the team falls behind by two scores with a whole lot of playing time.
 

Having two inexperienced QBs doesn't help, as well as the need to keep extra protection to aid pass blocking. Put those two factors together and it hurts his cause no doubt. Last year, neither of those things were as much of an issue as we had a stronger line, and a senior, 4 year starting QB.
 



Stan said:
I'm very surprised and disappointed he's not a bigger factor. I'm sure Will Johnson is salivating at being able to contribute as much as Lair is as a senior.
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It's not as though the TE has been invisible in the offense, its just that Lair has not been a big factor. A walk on from Stillwater is out performing him at the moment....
 

That is exactly right

stcgopher said:
It's not as though the TE has been invisible in the offense, its just that Lair has not been a big factor. A walk on from Stillwater is out performing him at the moment....
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Kill pretty well explained this in his last press conference. He stated that Collin McGarry never says anything but just goes out there and gets the job done, i.e. all aspects of it at all times. It appears that Collin may be the prototype of the type of player Kill is looking for.

I do find it interesting that some people didn't pick up on this when talking about Lair. One thing I really admire about Kill is that you may have all the credentials but if he feels that he and the team can't count on you you are not going to get much playing time.
 

stcgopher said:
It's not as though the TE has been invisible in the offense, its just that Lair has not been a big factor. A walk on from Stillwater is out performing him at the moment....
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I don't believe McGarry was a walk-on. He was a recruited scholarship player from day one, right? Pretty sure he verballed to Mason and was part of Brewster's first recruiting class.
 




Killjoy said:
I do find it interesting that some people didn't pick up on this when talking about Lair. One thing I really admire about Kill is that you may have all the credentials but if he feels that he and the team can't count on you you are not going to get much playing time.
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I am very aware of the knock on Lair (not hustling). I would love to see the coaching staff get the most out of the best players-which Lair is one of. Maybe all of the blame should be on Lair, but I bet there are many reasons why one of our two best pass recievers isn't seeing the field often enough.
 

That is a good question

tikited said:
I am very aware of the knock on Lair (not hustling). I would love to see the coaching staff get the most out of the best players-which Lair is one of. Maybe all of the blame should be on Lair, but I bet there are many reasons why one of our two best pass recievers isn't seeing the field often enough.
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This is purely speculation on my part but I believe Coach Kill is letting the players know in no uncertain terms that if you want to play for Minnesota you are going to do it his way. Jerry is going to do his best to get them to buy into this and he is going to work with them to understand this. Ultimately though if you want to play for Jerry Kill you are going to have do it Jerry Kill’s way. Jerry will be flexible in how he approaches this with different players but not with what he expects.
 

It's really too bad. Truth be told, he's probably our most talented offensive player who can cause mismatch problems for a defense.
 

50PoundHead said:
It's really too bad. Truth be told, he's probably our most talented offensive player who can cause mismatch problems for a defense.
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Head- I am going to have to disagree. Your statement is boardering on preposterous. What skill does Eric Lair possess that would cause a mismatch problem for an opposing defense? He does not appear faster than safeties or linebackers for that matter. The one thing you can say is that he has not had the drops like many of the current receivers do, but to say he is the most talented offensive play who can cause mismatch problems is hyperbole.

If he had the skill set to cause such mismatches, the coaches would get him on the field more. Like I said earlier in this thread, I think many have overrated Lair as a player, he is an average TE at best. If it is true that the coaches do not like his practice habits, etc...that is on Lair, which is too bad.
 

Stan The Caddy said:
Head- I am going to have to disagree. Your statement is boardering on preposterous. What skill does Eric Lair possess that would cause a mismatch problem for an opposing defense? He does not appear faster than safeties or linebackers for that matter. The one thing you can say is that he has not had the drops like many of the current receivers do, but to say he is the most talented offensive play who can cause mismatch problems is hyperbole.

If he had the skill set to cause such mismatches, the coaches would get him on the field more. Like I said earlier in this thread, I think many have overrated Lair as a player, he is an average TE at best. If it is true that the coaches do not like his practice habits, etc...that is on Lair, which is too bad.
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I'm not claiming Liar is the second coming of Dave Casper, but he clearly is one of the top two (only two imo) receivers on the squad. He is faster than most te's. He has good hands (something rare on this team). We actually used him pretty successfully on screens last year. We aren't this year. Why? Maybe the line isn't good enough, maybe he hasn't been hustling enough, maybe Kill and co. doesn't have that in the playbook? Again, lots of possible reasons, but you can't say that he wasn't a big positive on a pretty poor offense last year.
 

He is an OK player, nothing more, nothing less. I just do not think he creates mismatches all over the field as Head suggested. It certainly is disappointing that he has not played a bigger role in the offense this year because he can actually catch.
 

It is hard to execute screens when your down the field threats are non-existent.

Lair's strengths as a player do not match the current scheme or abilities of the QB, that and he doesn't seem too enthusiastic about getting off the ball and actullay getting open. Look how Nebraska abused our WR's at the line of scrimmage, they bumped us and chucked the Gophers at the line and nobody could get off the line or get open.
It's hard to execute screens off play action when your QB is not good at selling fakes or play action. Gray is a one read QB right now.
 

When you have a TE is who an athlete to can get open and a scheme that calls for lots of max protect, you need to make adjustments. It reminds me of when Childress wouldn't play Peterson in passing situations cause he is a poor blocker. Then put him in a route.

It's okay. We'll be good in 5 years.
 

Rosemountian said:
When you have a TE is who an athlete to can get open and a scheme that calls for lots of max protect, you need to make adjustments. It reminds me of when Childress wouldn't play Peterson in passing situations cause he is a poor blocker. Then put him in a route.

It's okay. We'll be good in 5 years.
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We need more former High School offensive line coaches on staff.
 

We get it Rose, you do not like Kill. Fine. Is Eric Lair like Bernard Berrian? He as been open all the time the last 4 years? He is so good, so athletic and created so many mismatches that he was behind Nick Tow-Arnett on the depth chart.
 

Pretty simple. Line stinks. Need blocking TE vs pass catcher. Enter McGarry.

Projecting anything beyond that (i.e. poor attitude) is just speculation.
 

Eric Lair

Not sure what some of you guys are watching. If you pay attention to formations, lair has been utilized as an H-back and Slot Reciever far more than any other tight end on the team. he has also lost at least 10 pounds . go back and watch the film for heavens sake before becoming a negative entity to the team yourselves. Some of you have never played a down of football in your lives however, understanding formations and changes to the players role may assist you in providing appropriate feedback regarding the players. I went to the game, all the way from TEXAS and saw wide open receivers . The line simply is not doing the job, and the quarterback is simply not checking down nor going through his progressions as a quarterback should.
 

Stan The Caddy said:
Head- I am going to have to disagree. Your statement is boardering on preposterous. What skill does Eric Lair possess that would cause a mismatch problem for an opposing defense? He does not appear faster than safeties or linebackers for that matter. The one thing you can say is that he has not had the drops like many of the current receivers do, but to say he is the most talented offensive play who can cause mismatch problems is hyperbole.

If he had the skill set to cause such mismatches, the coaches would get him on the field more. Like I said earlier in this thread, I think many have overrated Lair as a player, he is an average TE at best. If it is true that the coaches do not like his practice habits, etc...that is on Lair, which is too bad.
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I am fine with your disagreement, but I hardly think my suggestion is preposterous. If you watched Lair last season, you could see that he almost has wide receiver speed and is difficult for a linebacker to cover.

If he doesn't fit Kill's offense, that's fine. If he's not working hard enough, I can understand why he's not seeing the field. I'm just bemoaning the fact that he has some skills that aren't being optimally utilized.
 

I have watched Lair his entire career, just like you. We will have to agree to disagree.

TX Gopher, bravo on driving up to see the game. I have was not only at the Nebraska game, but also watched in back on DVR last night. I deleted it, otherwise I would go back an count the Minnesota offensive plays and how many times Mr. Lair was on the field. For some reason he is not an everydown player this year. I think many fans had the expectation that he would be on the field for a much higher percentage of snaps than he has been, regardless of position. I clearly understand that he has lined up in both the backfield and the slot along with his normal TE duties. His absense as being a regular on the field this year is just curious. It is to the point where earlier in the season, those sitting around me were wondering out loud why Lair was not on the field.

I am of the opinion that if he was a difference maker and match up nightmare that some on this board think he is, the coaching staff would have him on the field more. Is it a new offense this year, yes. Does that have something to do with it, I am sure.
 

And that's fine Stan. I'm not asking you to agree with me.

And I didn't say he was a match-up nightmare, just that he could cause some mismatches, particularly out of certain formations. I just don't think my statement was preposterous and, if it was, it looks like I have company.

Further, I'm not blaming Kill for anything here. He makes the decisions and if he doesn't think Lair should be a bigger part of the offense, who am I to doubt him.
 

Head-

Preposterous was probably too strong. My bad. I just think we all need to re-adjust our expectations for certain players because we are so programmed to listen to Coach Brew talk up every player that comes along to the point where the fanbase has unrealistic expectations of that players individual talent level. Lair is a nice TE, nothing more, nothing less. I think we are all surprised he has not developed into a security blanket for Gray.
 

Stan The Caddy said:
I have watched Lair his entire career, just like you. We will have to agree to disagree.

TX Gopher, bravo on driving up to see the game. I have was not only at the Nebraska game, but also watched in back on DVR last night. I deleted it, otherwise I would go back an count the Minnesota offensive plays and how many times Mr. Lair was on the field. For some reason he is not an everydown player this year. I think many fans had the expectation that he would be on the field for a much higher percentage of snaps than he has been, regardless of position. I clearly understand that he has lined up in both the backfield and the slot along with his normal TE duties. His absense as being a regular on the field this year is just curious. It is to the point where earlier in the season, those sitting around me were wondering out loud why Lair was not on the field.

I am of the opinion that if he was a difference maker and match up nightmare that some on this board think he is, the coaching staff would have him on the field more. Is it a new offense this year, yes. Does that have something to do with it, I am sure.
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Thanks Stan. It was very hard to watch. It is time that Coach opens the playbook and allows the few playmakers that we "may" have to make plays. Concealing the playbook until next year is not going to help the cause of the Eric Lair's, Dajon McKnight's, and Duane Bennett's on the team. They are sincerely taking little to no chances on the field, and that is not fun for the players nor the fans to see. Some of these guys from this recruiting class were part of the most recently ranked team at Minnesota.. #17 if my memory serves correctly. Coach Kill can not afford to phase these guys out of the offense. When a scheme does not work, there should be adjustments to the personnel that he has .. It just seems as if these guys are being scrapped, right along with the season, and knowing some of the kids personally, I would be surprised if bad attitudes were the problem although I am certain that there is some frustration. The future of some of these guys is in jeapordy and it seems like a lost cause to them. We had a couple of guys that were on National Preseason, award lists . This has to be a bitter pill to swallow.
 

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