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Donnell: Tied for 3rd in NFL for catches by a TE.

Mike in Long Beach : 9/22/2014 9:42 am
Only Jimmy Graham (two time Pro Bowler and a player who lines up at WR half the time anyway) and Greg Olson are ahead of him through 3 games, and one would naturally think Donnell will only get better.

He fumbled and he struggles blocking sometimes, but he has to be the most pleasant surprise on this team thus far.

Donnell is also tied for 13th in the NFL in receptions among all players.
I honestly didn't think I'd ever find myself saying  
jcn56 : 9/22/2014 9:45 am : link
'THROW IT TO DONNELL', but hey, the guy has done everything you could ask him for in the receiving game, and his blocking looked a bit better.
Pretty crazy.  
Curtis in VA : 9/22/2014 9:45 am : link
The guy really has good hands.
hes a huge target  
MarshallOnMontana : 9/22/2014 9:54 am : link
Long, athletic, soft hands. There is nothing he has done that looks unsustainable. He probably wont catch 96 balls (his pace), but 75 or more seems reasonable.
While he won't sustain this pace (96 catches, 971 yards)...  
Big Blue Blogger : 9/22/2014 9:56 am : link
...he has certainly been a pleasant surprise. Lots of tough grabs too. He has big-league hands. Reminds me of Kevin Boss, except so far (blessedly), Donnell is doing a better job of protecting himself.

He even added a good block on the Jennings touchdown. It wasn't pretty, but he took care of the linebacker. That's
notable progress, since he had been a liability in the running game.

As for the fumble, sh!t happens. He seemed to shake it off, and he appears to learn from his mistakes.
I never joined the crowd that was echoing  
JoefromPa : 9/22/2014 9:57 am : link
the idea that the Giants had no tight end. It was obvious, even in preseason, how athletic this guy is. Plus he made a few plays that made you say wow!

Can't always buy into the hype, negative or positive.
just keep catching it and dont fumble..  
GMAN4LIFE : 9/22/2014 9:57 am : link
that fumble was literally right infront of me and we all did a collective insync "NOOOOO" when he fumbled..

but keep it up and Adrian Robinson should be inactive for the next games
Just teach him to carry the ball  
NNJ Tom : 9/22/2014 9:57 am : link
in his outside arm.

His fumble was a peewee mistake.
The fumble didn't seem to effect him mentally which is huge  
Vin R : 9/22/2014 9:58 am : link
If he continues to produce hopefully we don't let him walk via free agency ;)
Can  
AcidTest : 9/22/2014 10:01 am : link
catch. Not much of a blocker. But that makes him our best TE. I want to hope that Robinson will contribute something before the end of the season. But him being buried behind Donnell and Fells doesn't say much for his chances after this season, Reese's infatuation with him notwithstanding. But the same is probably also true for JJ and Brewer.
Donnell  
TMS : 9/22/2014 10:05 am : link
is starting to look like a potential stud TE. Very good hands and size for mismatches (what ELI likes). He is running good routes and is becoming a safety valve for ELi.
I'd started a different thread, similar ...  
Beezer : 9/22/2014 10:07 am : link
.. with a few more NYG TE numbers/comparisons.

+++


Our TEs - a pleasant surprise (some numbers)

Beezer : 10:02 am

In the receiving category, we'd likely agree that a position we thought would be a huge hole, has been a pleasant surprise.

Here are some numbers, three games in:

* Donnell is 3rd in the NFL for TE receptions with 18 (Jimmy Graham has 24, Greg Olsen has 19 ... Niles Paul is tied with Donnell at 18).

* Donnell is 6th in TE yardage with 182.

* Only two NFL TEs have more TD receptions than Fells (he has 2) at this point (Julius Thomas has 5, Antonio Gates has 3).

* Denver has 7 touchdowns to their TEs. Indy has 4. The Giants are tied for third with TE TDs (3) with New Orleans and San Diego.

* Noteworthy, too, is that the total touchdowns thrown to TEs combined for the rest of the NFC East is 2 (Philly has 1, Washington has 1, and Dallas has none).
fumbles like that happen  
UConn4523 : 9/22/2014 10:08 am : link
tip your cap to the defender, mitigate the damage, and move on. Easy to say he could have done this and that, but it was bang bang and he came out on the losing end.

But he took it like a man, blocked well, and didn't let it get him or the team down.

Lots of positives from that fumble, IMO, especially after the "This team is mentally weak" thread from last week.
I also liked that after Donnell fumbled,  
Beezer : 9/22/2014 10:09 am : link
we went right back to him with that pass to the left flank.
thought it was interesting  
area junc : 9/22/2014 10:11 am : link
tom said postgame unsolicited they think adrien robinson will be that kind of player, too. clearly at least tom still likes him
RE: Just teach him to carry the ball  
NYG007 : 9/22/2014 10:20 am : link
In comment 11875635 NNJ Tom said:
Quote:
in his outside arm.

His fumble was a peewee mistake.


100% correct - and inexuseable
Donnell  
stretch234 : 9/22/2014 10:26 am : link
He can catch. When you watch NFL defenses, the TE are open all the time, whether it is Graham, Witten, Gates, etc. Defenses have a hard time covering TE.

As for the blocking, you can count on 1 hand the TE's who can catch and are good blockers. They really do not exist
He clearly blocks better than Myers  
Ten Ton Hammer : 9/22/2014 10:29 am : link
so I'm content for now.
it'll be interesting to see  
bc4life : 9/22/2014 10:48 am : link
how he fares now that teams realize he is a weapon
RE: He clearly blocks better than Myers  
Mike in Long Beach : 9/22/2014 10:49 am : link
In comment 11875737 Ten Ton Hammer said:
Quote:
so I'm content for now.


Ugh, even reading Myers name just gave me the willies.
So does Gilbride Jr  
bradshaw44 : 9/22/2014 10:55 am : link
Get any credit for this? Or do we still hate him?
Gilbride slides  
viggie : 9/22/2014 10:58 am : link
all eyes are on quinn now
seems like what he lacks in speed  
Enzo : 9/22/2014 11:17 am : link
he makes up with his hands and body control.
RE: thought it was interesting  
Jimmy Googs : 9/22/2014 11:23 am : link
In comment 11875677 area junc said:
Quote:
tom said postgame unsolicited they think adrien robinson will be that kind of player, too. clearly at least tom still likes him


Who the hell is Adrien Robinson?
RE: RE: thought it was interesting  
Ten Ton Hammer : 9/22/2014 11:26 am : link
In comment 11875905 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:
In comment 11875677 area junc said:


Quote:


tom said postgame unsolicited they think adrien robinson will be that kind of player, too. clearly at least tom still likes him



Who the hell is Adrien Robinson?


Donnell's coffee and doughnuts guy
This would have been a nice thing to include in this thread.  
Randy in CT : 9/22/2014 11:28 am : link
Rec - 18
Yards - 182
Avg. - 10.1
long - 23
TDs - 1
RE: RE: thought it was interesting  
mrvax : 9/22/2014 11:33 am : link
In comment 11875905 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:


Who the hell is Adrien Robinson?


He's the Marvin Austin of tight ends.
Donnell is deceptively athletic  
g-baby : 9/22/2014 11:37 am : link
Very smooth, seems to understand angles.

When he made that catch in the left flat yesterday where he turned to get north-south and beat the defender's angle, i was really impressed.

I thought he would be tackled immediately, but he ended up picking up 8-10 yards (can't remember down and distance) and picking up the first. Even the TV announcers were saying he moves faster than he looks.
RE: thought it was interesting  
nyynyg : 9/22/2014 12:56 pm : link
In comment 11875677 area junc said:
Quote:
tom said postgame unsolicited they think adrien robinson will be that kind of player, too. clearly at least tom still likes him


i'm sorry, but that kind of statement at this point is just funny. what in his third year of his second contract? if the guy is not getting reps now and Donnell and Fells are ahead of him, I don't think there is anything to say, and certainly not that type of comment.
I've said a few times already this season  
Matt M. : 9/22/2014 1:35 pm : link
Maybe now people will give Reese a pass on the TE position at least. He has consistently brought in guys off the street or unwanted by other teams and outside of Myers, each has produced above expectations. Maybe, just maybe, Reese and the scouts know how to judge TEs better than the majority of fans.
TEs catching everything thrown to them  
oipolloi : 9/22/2014 2:30 pm : link
Donnell 18 catches/23 targets

Fell. 4/4

It's not that surprising. Quite a few of us wanted to see Donnell  
Shockeyisthebest80 : 9/22/2014 2:36 pm : link
more last season as Brandon Myers was tripping over invisible wires in the secondary.

Donnell has excellent hands. He had a nice block on JJ Watt yesterday, but overall is still a poor blocker.
Don't read too much into it  
The Tempest : 9/22/2014 6:21 pm : link
Not sure defenses are aware he is on the field.
RE: RE: thought it was interesting  
SGMen : 9/22/2014 6:42 pm : link
In comment 11875905 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:
In comment 11875677 area junc said:


Quote:


tom said postgame unsolicited they think adrien robinson will be that kind of player, too. clearly at least tom still likes him



Who the hell is Adrien Robinson?
I still believe that both Donnell AND Robinson will carry us into the playoffs this year. We can win this division if we stay healthy, don't turn it over, and beat our NFC East rivals. Health is really the key but dominance at positions also helps cause you can't handle two TE sets where both can catch.
RE: Don't read too much into it  
Ten Ton Hammer : 9/22/2014 6:43 pm : link
In comment 11877049 The Tempest said:
Quote:
Not sure defenses are aware he is on the field.


Which is irrelevant. This worked for Ballard too. Any coverage out on Donnell means Cruz, Randle or someone else is less covered.
he's clearly  
Osi Osi Osi OyOyOy : 9/22/2014 6:56 pm : link
an upgrade over Myers. Good ball skills in a very large frame. I think he is going to be a nice RZ target for us and a guy who helps keep the chains moving with timely receptions.

But his lack of speed is apparent and I don't see him as the long term answer a the TE position. Hopefully he can still provide us big catches down the field like Ballard did. Ballard was about the same speed but knew how to get open down the field (atleast for the 1st half of '11).
It's kind of funny though...  
Dan in the Springs : 9/22/2014 7:08 pm : link
players can be streaky. I remember what a strong start Randle got off to last year, only to end up being ripped by everyone for not contributing.

Or am I misremembering?
Pretty  
Arcanum : 9/22/2014 7:29 pm : link
Soon, teams will have to respect him. And that's going to open up, a lot more targets on the offense. This is the first time, in a long time, that the offense has potential, to be scary good.
RE: Pretty  
SGMen : 9/22/2014 7:37 pm : link
In comment 11877131 Arcanum said:
Quote:
Soon, teams will have to respect him. And that's going to open up, a lot more targets on the offense. This is the first time, in a long time, that the offense has potential, to be scary good.
Only the lack of team speed will keep us off the top charts. Backham?
I am happy for Donnell...  
EricJ (formerly Tyleraimee) : 9/22/2014 7:50 pm : link
and he has been a welcomed surprise. HOWEVER, I think his stats (# of catches) simply tells you how bad our WRs have been. Those guys are not getting open enough and Eli is basically finding this guy.
RE: RE: Pretty  
Arcanum : 9/22/2014 7:51 pm : link
In comment 11877135 SGMen said:
[quote] In comment 11877131 Arcanum said:


Quote:


Soon, teams will have to respect him. And that's going to open up, a lot more targets on the offense. This is the first time, in a long time, that the offense has potential, to be scary good.

Only the lack of team speed will keep us off the top charts. Backham? [/quote

You're absolutely right. And if he can get his ass on the field, and stay there. This offense, should be able to, really put up numbers.
Donnell,  
oldog : 9/23/2014 11:29 am : link
was also the `hands` guy who clinched by picking up the onside kick.
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