All Things 2021 Gophers in the NFL Thread

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stocker08 said:
Not the NFL.....but Steven Richardson and Drew Wolitarsky (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) are taking on Simoni Lawrence (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) in the Grey Cup tonight.
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Simoni Lawrence playing for Hamilton. Apparently having a long successful career in CFL.
 

CycloneGopher said:
Simoni Lawrence playing for Hamilton. Apparently having a long successful career in CFL.
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Right. I knew the Blue Bombers had a couple Gophers. I was surprised to see Lawrence still playing.

Tied at 25 and going into OT. Wolitarsky has for catches for 48 yards and Richardson has two sacks.
 

I could be wrong, but my main guess as to why Bateman was not getting much action was chemistry issues. A few games ago LJ was fuming on the sideline and it seemed to be somewhat directed at RB. I could be wrong but I think RB was wanting the ball thrown his way more and LJ did not take the advice/criticism to kindly. Next game or two Batemans targets went completely away (as did the effectiveness of Ravens offense). Hope they are all good now if this is what transpired.
 

gophernut1 said:
I could be wrong, but my main guess as to why Bateman was not getting much action was chemistry issues. A few games ago LJ was fuming on the sideline and it seemed to be somewhat directed at RB. I could be wrong but I think RB was wanting the ball thrown his way more and LJ did not take the advice/criticism to kindly. Next game or two Batemans targets went completely away (as did the effectiveness of Ravens offense). Hope they are all good now if this is what transpired.
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I think it's mostly that he missed the first 5 game with injury.

Baltimore doesn't throw much but now this is his third game over 80 yards (out of 7).
 

Never a good idea to get on the bad side of a starting quarterback (Rashod, are you paying attention) in the NFL. Bateman is the finest receiver the Gophers have had in my life.
 


gophernut1 said:
I could be wrong, but my main guess as to why Bateman was not getting much action was chemistry issues. A few games ago LJ was fuming on the sideline and it seemed to be somewhat directed at RB. I could be wrong but I think RB was wanting the ball thrown his way more and LJ did not take the advice/criticism to kindly. Next game or two Batemans targets went completely away (as did the effectiveness of Ravens offense). Hope they are all good now if this is what transpired.
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Bateman didn't catch a pass until Hundley took over.
 






stocker08 said:
Bucs are missing Winfield. Hill just tossed a ball into the middle of the field for his receiver to go and get. AWjr would have snagged that.
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Johnson at least getting some targets. Hasn't done anything with it yet, though.
 

Yeah both Bateman and Johnson are struggling to get targets. Johnson wasn’t sharp on that early target and likely won’t get a lot of action this game.
Some folks on Twitter were saying Bateman was complaining about targets again today and missed some plays as a result. That doesn’t sound like Bateman.
 

Tyler is not very good in the screen game. Got completely blown up.

If there's anything he needs to work on, it's that and getting off the snap faster. He seems to be a few steps slower than the other WRs.
 

Nax5 said:
Tyler is not very good in the screen game. Got completely blown up.

If there's anything he needs to work on, it's that and getting off the snap faster. He seems to be a few steps slower than the other WRs.
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TJ has always been a good blocker. But he's also only a second year player. NFL players are on a different level than Big Ten players.

Also....why is that what he should be working on? TJ is a receiver. They don't throw him the ball. Should he be trying to make himself a TE?
 



stocker08 said:
TJ has always been a good blocker. But he's also only a second year player. NFL players are on a different level than Big Ten players.

Also....why is that what he should be working on? TJ is a receiver. They don't throw him the ball. Should he be trying to make himself a TE?
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He just gets no push - completely knocked over on these screen plays. Could be he just needs more strength.

I have no doubt he still has the catch and handling skills. We saw it occasionally last year. But I think if he could get off the snap faster, it might improve his chances of getting looks. But maybe Brady doesn't trust him right now? I don't know.
 

Evans and Godwin both out. If there was a time for TJ to get some catches, it would be now lol.

Watching that Godwin injury again. Saints are dirty as hell. Big surprise.
 

mkAz said:
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So conflicting. Love watching Campbell make plays but that jersey he is wearing…..dang. He is having the best year of his career and really cementing his position as one of the top LBs in the league.
 

Nax5 said:
Tyler is not very good in the screen game. Got completely blown up.

If there's anything he needs to work on, it's that and getting off the snap faster. He seems to be a few steps slower than the other WRs.
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I have been able to watch the Bucs a lot this year, and have been really surprised by Tyler’s below average blocking. Several plays in tonight’s game where the guy he was blocking made the tackle
 

Not a great X-Os guy but for 80% of the plays where Tyler is in the actual action is away from him. For a lot of plays he's only going five yards off the line of scrimmage after the snap, and then stops whatever he is doing.

Maybe in the Pros this is fine...don't think this would cut it back at Huntington...

Understand the demands are different once you make the big time, but still, it's a pattern by this point.
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
I have been able to watch the Bucs a lot this year, and have been really surprised by Tyler’s below average blocking. Several plays in tonight’s game where the guy he was blocking made the tackle
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I can't say that I've followed the Bucs super closely, but it seems like every time I watch TJ is only in for blocking purposes. They must have some faith in his blocking if they are asking him to block so often.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Godwin is now out for the season. I think this is make or break time for TJ.

The Bucs desperately need a WR to step up and TJ is inline to play a lot. But if he continues to struggle, his long term prospects as a WR in the NFL look bleak.
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I can almost guarantee he'll be fantastic the next 3 weeks. He'll get all the 1st team reps in practice, continue building rapport with Brady, and finally have the chance to do what he does best: catch the ball.
 


Nax5 said:
Evans and Godwin both out. If there was a time for TJ to get some catches, it would be now lol.

Watching that Godwin injury again. Saints are dirty as hell. Big surprise.
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Yes, the Saints are dirty. Definitely a top-down issue with that organization. However, that particular play, I'm going to side with the defender. The NFL has basically made it a penalty to touch an offensive player anywhere above waist level. They are basically making it so the only place you know you're not going to get a flag is by going low. Unfortunate, yes. But in the quest to "protect" players, this is the consequence.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Godwin is now out for the season. I think this is make or break time for TJ.

The Bucs desperately need a WR to step up and TJ is inline to play a lot. But if he continues to struggle, his long term prospects as a WR in the NFL look bleak.
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In his rookie year, he logged 12 catches for 169 yards and 2 TD's. That's with Godwin, Evans, Brown, and Gronkowski in front of him catching balls (all pro bowlers). And he missed most of training camp. And he was all of a 5th round pick. This year through 13 games, he has 27 catches for 288 yards and 0 TD's. The guy is doing just fine, especially as at best the 4th option for Brady (without Brown in the lineup). Due to the injuries, he ended up with 4 catches and 41 yards last night. His stats should go up these last few weeks, but is a bit dependent on Brown's reinstatement and usage. He needs to get stronger, but his ball skills are fantastic. His speed will limit his ceiling, but it's not like he's been a failure. He's a 5th rounder on a stacked team- what kind of stats were you expecting up to this point?
 

forever a gopher said:
In his rookie year, he logged 12 catches for 169 yards and 2 TD's. That's with Godwin, Evans, Brown, and Gronkowski in front of him catching balls (all pro bowlers). And he missed most of training camp. And he was all of a 5th round pick. This year through 13 games, he has 27 catches for 288 yards and 0 TD's. The guy is doing just fine, especially as at best the 4th option for Brady (without Brown in the lineup). Due to the injuries, he ended up with 4 catches and 41 yards last night. His stats should go up these last few weeks, but is a bit dependent on Brown's reinstatement and usage. He needs to get stronger, but his ball skills are fantastic. His speed will limit his ceiling, but it's not like he's been a failure. He's a 5th rounder on a stacked team- what kind of stats were you expecting up to this point?
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Right. TJ has been stuck behind a logjam on a team with the best WR corps in the NFL. He'll 100% have opportunities beyond this year.
 

forever a gopher said:
In his rookie year, he logged 12 catches for 169 yards and 2 TD's. That's with Godwin, Evans, Brown, and Gronkowski in front of him catching balls (all pro bowlers). And he missed most of training camp. And he was all of a 5th round pick. This year through 13 games, he has 27 catches for 288 yards and 0 TD's. The guy is doing just fine, especially as at best the 4th option for Brady (without Brown in the lineup). Due to the injuries, he ended up with 4 catches and 41 yards last night. His stats should go up these last few weeks, but is a bit dependent on Brown's reinstatement and usage. He needs to get stronger, but his ball skills are fantastic. His speed will limit his ceiling, but it's not like he's been a failure. He's a 5th rounder on a stacked team- what kind of stats were you expecting up to this point?
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TJ essentially became the #1 WR last night and the Bucs couldn't score at all with the best QB in the history of the NFL. He's been the #3 WR most of the season as Brown has only played in 5 games. Gronk has also missed 5 games, the opportunities have been there.

As others mentioned, when he does play it appears he lacks the physicality, and explosion necessary to separate so far in the NFL. That along with speed is why one of the most productive WRs in college football in 2019 fell to the 5th round.

Compare him to KJ Osborne on the Vikings who was drafted 15 picks after Johnson and has been their #3 WR this season. Osborne has been much better than Johnson. I really hope he can rise up and have a great end of the season.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
TJ essentially became the #1 WR last night and the Bucs couldn't score at all with the best QB in the history of the NFL. He's been the #3 WR most of the season as Brown has only played in 5 games. Gronk has also missed 5 games, the opportunities have been there.

As others mentioned, when he does play it appears he lacks the physicality, and explosion necessary to separate so far in the NFL. That along with speed is why one of the most productive WRs in college football in 2019 fell to the 5th round.

Compare him to KJ Osborne on the Vikings who was drafted 15 picks after Johnson and has been their #3 WR this season. Osborne has been much better than Johnson. I really hope he can rise up and have a great end of the season.
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Even as the #3 receiver....he's got Evans (who's never had less than 1k yards in his eight year career) and Godwin (who would be going for his third straight 1k year if he had played more than 12 games in 2020) ahead of him. These are high volume guys that also happen to be two of the best in the league. Not to mention that when Gronk plays....he's one of Brady's favorite targets....and one of the best tight ends in the history of the league. Fact is that TJ was on the field for less than 25% of offensive snaps last year......and is still under 50% so far this year. He's starting to see some more time because of injuries ahead of him, so he'll have an opportunity to prove himself. But it's silly to point to his lack of production midway through his second year in the NFL as proof of anything.

And the comparison to Osborn just doesn't track. Behind Jefferson and Thielen....there is basically nothing. Not to mention that with Irv Smith out and Rudolph gone....TE isn't really a position that is demanding many targets. And that isn't to take anything away from what Osborn has contributed this year. He's played REALLY well. But it's an entirely different situation. If Osborn was on the Bucs....he'd also be around the fifth or sixth option when the entire roster is healthy.
 

At least twice I've heard Brady yell "Tyler, move in" as they were lined up. Don't know if this is good or bad...only two data points...but loud and clear when it happened, including last night's game.
 


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