TX v Nation Practice Notes: Marqueis Gray looked like he didn’t belong on the field

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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at least according to one review:

Tight End

After an up and down first day that showed positive signs, Marqueis Gray looked like he didn’t belong on the field today, slipping at the top of the route, losing his footing consistently and lacking any separation skills. Moreover, Gray was wildly inconsistent at the catch point, snaring a pass away from his frame on one play and allowing a pass to bounce off his chest for an incompletion the next. Gray is much more raw from a route running perspective than I previously evaluated and needs to improve his hands from a consistency standpoint.

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...-vs-nation-game-wednesday-practice-notes.html

Go Gophers!!
 

Not surprised.

Side question - who was the last Gopher to get an invite to the Senior Bowl?
 



BleedGopher said:
at least according to one review:

Tight End

After an up and down first day that showed positive signs, Marqueis Gray looked like he didn’t belong on the field today, slipping at the top of the route, losing his footing consistently and lacking any separation skills. Moreover, Gray was wildly inconsistent at the catch point, snaring a pass away from his frame on one play and allowing a pass to bounce off his chest for an incompletion the next. Gray is much more raw from a route running perspective than I previously evaluated and needs to improve his hands from a consistency standpoint.

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draf...-vs-nation-game-wednesday-practice-notes.html

Go Gophers!!
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Gray is going to have his work cut out for him. He has to learn a new position and work on a whole new set of skills. But he will definitely get a shot at the next level and as long as he does well during his pro day he will almost certainly get drafted on his raw physical tools alone. He just has to show enough ability to tantalize coaches and they will go after him because ther are not a lot of guys his size that can run as fast as he can. It is going to take him some time to acclimate himself to the position but he is a perfect fit for the new hybrid TE position that is so common in the NFL these days.
 


That was from last Wednesday's practice. Anyone know how the game went?
 

GophersInIowa said:
That was from last Wednesday's practice. Anyone know how the game went?
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Du'ane Bennett ‏@Mr_UnduhDawg
@MarQueisG How was the game smoke?

MarQueis Gray ‏@MarQueisG
@Mr_UnduhDawg weak no stats no balls throw to me
 

Marqueis is really going to have to run well and earn a spot by being a good athlete.

I think he still might end up playing in the league, but he's going have to grind out a career.
 

Unregistered User said:
I am.
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He isn't slow by any means, but I don't think he doesn't have that quick first step to gain separation. Also, someone who hasn't been coached much as a WR/TE on pass catching/route running not looking like they belong isn't surprising to me.
 




SJUgopher said:
He isn't slow by any means, but I don't think he doesn't have that quick first step to gain separation. Also, someone who hasn't been coached much as a WR/TE on pass catching/route running not looking like they belong isn't surprising to me.
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Yeah, I am surprised at just how much he has struggled. But I expected him to not look comfortable out there. Most of these guys have either been doing this for the past 4-5 seasons or their entire lives. I'm a bit surprised because he looked comfortable catching the ball in his time here, but the TE position is brand new to him.
 

SJUgopher said:
He isn't slow by any means, but I don't think he doesn't have that quick first step to gain separation. Also, someone who hasn't been coached much as a WR/TE on pass catching/route running not looking like they belong isn't surprising to me.
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He could use a TE coach to groom him, cause MarQueis Gray, boy I tell ya, he's a beautiful piece of clay, just mold him into what you want him to be.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Gray is going to have his work cut out for him. He has to learn a new position and work on a whole new set of skills. But he will definitely get a shot at the next level and as long as he does well during his pro day he will almost certainly get drafted on his raw physical tools alone. He just has to show enough ability to tantalize coaches and they will go after him because ther are not a lot of guys his size that can run as fast as he can. It is going to take him some time to acclimate himself to the position but he is a perfect fit for the new hybrid TE position that is so common in the NFL these days.
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I agree that he's physically suited for the hybrid TE/H-Back receiving role, but the question is going to be whether or not he can elevate his technique. I'm pulling for him. He's the kind of guy who has the athletic skills that could make him a match-up nightmare.

I can't remember who Brewster's WR coach was, but I haven't been impressed with Pat Poore's teaching ability at all. One of the things that bugged me all last season was the inability of our WRs to adjust to the ball while in the air and complete plays. All of our QBs suffered from our WRs inability to make simple adjustments coming out of their patterns, which caused both incompletions and interceptions. Not saying that has caused problems for Gray per se, but it's not like he was around top-notch receiving coaches.
 



Monty519 said:
He could use a TE coach to groom him, cause MarQueis Gray, boy I tell ya, he's a beautiful piece of clay, just mold him into what you want him to be.
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Believe it or not, Brewster could have been the perfect guy for him. He's credited with helping Antonio Gates at San Diego and has many years as a TE coach both in college and NFL.
 

Anyone who watched him play receiver the second half of last season shouldn't be surprised in the least that he's struggling. He was a well below average receiver.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Believe it or not, Brewster could have been the perfect guy for him. He's credited with helping Antonio Gates at San Diego and has many years as a TE coach both in college and NFL.
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Haha I actually agree, I said it jokingly, but I do honestly think Brew could have been a big benefit for him learning the intricacies of the position.
 

beatles said:
Anyone who watched him play receiver the second half of last season shouldn't be surprised in the least that he's struggling. He was a well below average receiver.
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And anyone that knew about him would know that he was not even close to 100% after his injury. You did know that was why he wasn't playing QB when he got back on the field, right?
 

Yes I did know that but I was still very surprised to see how bad he was playing considering he looked so good at receiver the previous couple years. He looked lost.
 

50PoundHead said:
I agree that he's physically suited for the hybrid TE/H-Back receiving role, but the question is going to be whether or not he can elevate his technique. I'm pulling for him. He's the kind of guy who has the athletic skills that could make him a match-up nightmare.

I can't remember who Brewster's WR coach was, but I haven't been impressed with Pat Poore's teaching ability at all. One of the things that bugged me all last season was the inability of our WRs to adjust to the ball while in the air and complete plays. All of our QBs suffered from our WRs inability to make simple adjustments coming out of their patterns, which caused both incompletions and interceptions. Not saying that has caused problems for Gray per se, but it's not like he was around top-notch receiving coaches.
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Tough to blame it all on Poore as he isn't exactly working with the cream of the crop talent wise. Getting back to Gray he will be very interesting to watch over the next year or so to see how things shake out for him. He will get a shot what he does with that shot will be up to him.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Tough to blame it all on Poore as he isn't exactly working with the cream of the crop talent wise. Getting back to Gray he will be very interesting to watch over the next year or so to see how things shake out for him. He will get a shot what he does with that shot will be up to him.
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Yeah, he's not working with a supremely-talented bunch, but guys like Barker and Engel, who have pretty good wheels, don't appear to have caught on to the nuances of the WR position.
 

50PoundHead said:
Yeah, he's not working with a supremely-talented bunch, but guys like Barker and Engel, who have pretty good wheels, don't appear to have caught on to the nuances of the WR position.
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Barker especially hasn't caught on to the nuances of being a member of a football team.
 

50PoundHead said:
I can't remember who Brewster's WR coach was, but I haven't been impressed with Pat Poore's teaching ability at all. One of the things that bugged me all last season was the inability of our WRs to adjust to the ball while in the air and complete plays. All of our QBs suffered from our WRs inability to make simple adjustments coming out of their patterns, which caused both incompletions and interceptions. Not saying that has caused problems for Gray per se, but it's not like he was around top-notch receiving coaches.
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I can't say that I blame Poore, but I recall several times where I thought Fruechte did not adjust to the ball in the air. Oh well, let;s improve next year.
 

Gray has loads of potential as a TE, he just may take some time to develop, I don't see how he doesn't at the very least make someone's practice squad next year.
 

Gray is a freak athlete and I think we can all agree on that. But he is really going to have to improve his pass catching and route running before the combine/pro day. He will never be expected to be a blocking tight end so his below average skills there are fine. But he had better make drastic improvements on the recieving aspect, and make them quickly.
 

Does anyone know if he ever played defense in high school or earlier? I wonder if he can hit. With speed but not great hands in the NFL, maybe he could evolve into a Weakside linebacker.
 

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