One of the things to look for when evaluating translatable NFl talent is how a player fares against NFL caliber competition in college.
It looks like Eli in probably his two toughest test where he played Amari Cooper in 2014 and Will Fuller in 2015 played two very strong games.
The grabbing still concerns me but it was coached at Ohio state as the contact is called differently in college. The sooner he can break the habit and refine better NFl technique the better. However if you watch same of the tapes he stayed right with both of these guys much of the game wit a bit but certainly not a ton of 'NFL-flaggable' contact. He flips his hips effortlessly for a man of his size and his make up speed is excellent. Amari was one of my favorites in last years draft and he was a stud college player the moment he stepped onto the field and he played very well as a first year player against him which says alot.
Eli's two showings against that level of competition is certainly encouraging. If he plays outside in the 3 WR sets with Janoris sliding inside I think he may have a positive impact starting year 1.
Any concerns about Apple are far too early to lose sleep over. As long as he doesn't get hit with the injury bug, he'll become a fan favorite. Can't wait for him to be on the field.
If he is already known has a holder refs are going to really be looking for it and as a rookie calls when go the vets way regardless more times than not.
Revis made a living jamming receivers at the LOS, and re-routing them. Big difference between that and grabbing and tugging on a jersey.
Its as if people think a 20 year old will be a finished project. I'm not "worried" about Apple at all. He's a hard worker and smart kid who's been raised by what seems like a great family. He has some warts that are all fixable with NFL coaching. People need to relax and enjoy rooting for him.
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Revis has made a living clutching and grabbing WR's.. he just mastered the art of doing it in a way that rarely gets flagged.
Revis made a living jamming receivers at the LOS, and re-routing them. Big difference between that and grabbing and tugging on a jersey.
Revis absolutely is and always has been a grabber. He's smart about it, but its definitely part of his game.
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Revis has made a living clutching and grabbing WR's.. he just mastered the art of doing it in a way that rarely gets flagged.
Revis made a living jamming receivers at the LOS, and re-routing them. Big difference between that and grabbing and tugging on a jersey.
Revis has always been a grabber. It's pretty well documented. He's very good at doing it without getting flagged. It's not egregious but he does it just enough to help his momentum carry along with the WR.
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agita is way overblown on this site. It's just an adjustment he has to make along with all the other adjustments every rookie has to make when jumping to the next level. I remember Prince coming out with the same concern and it didn't develop into a problem with him in the NFL.
Its as if people think a 20 year old will be a finished project. I'm not "worried" about Apple at all. He's a hard worker and smart kid who's been raised by what seems like a great family. He has some warts that are all fixable with NFL coaching. People need to relax and enjoy rooting for him.
Oh they will, until the first flag is thrown..
If he is already known has a holder refs are going to really be looking for it and as a rookie calls when go the vets way regardless more times than not.
Definitely. He's an awesome CB with a tremendous skillset, but grabbing was/is definitely a big part of his game. Its not like Apple is only good due to grabbing, his size speed combo is fantastic and he needs to work on the little things.
IIRC, Fuller didn't do much when Apple was covering him in that game. The majority of his damage was done when Apple was on the other side.
I do worry about his physical presence as a tackler though. That's been documented a bit, and with the talent at WR and the running back position in our own division, I just hope it's not going to be a problem.
Yes his age is a bonus and his FOO (Family of Origin) seems good as well. The upside and calculations on this "gamble" are in our favor ....
in all Sports get away with Fouling See
Michael Jordan he hacked plenty of times to
steal the ball and rarely called and if he went
up for a Jump shot didn't matter if you never
laid a finger on him he was going to the line .
Third Strike calls not made on Elite Hitters in Baseball
Revis held Plenty and knew when he could get away
with is although his Physical ability and smarts
allowed him to take away your best WR .
Apple has to learn all the tricks of the trade
as well , the biggest problem I see with him
is generating turnovers and very limited in
run support . Hopefully that gets better with
strength and conditioning .
Having Guys Like Jenkins and DRC should help
him Develop
in all Sports get away with Fouling See
Michael Jordan he hacked plenty of times to
steal the ball and rarely called and if he went
up for a Jump shot didn't matter if you never
laid a finger on him he was going to the line .
Third Strike calls not made on Elite Hitters in Baseball
Revis held Plenty and knew when he could get away
with is although his Physical ability and smarts
allowed him to take away your best WR .
Apple has to learn all the tricks of the trade
as well , the biggest problem I see with him
is generating turnovers and very limited in
run support . Hopefully that gets better with
strength and conditioning .
Having Guys Like Jenkins and DRC should help
him Develop
Good stuff, bossman!
Non story.
Good times.
Upside is big for sure. Hopefully he realizes it sooner rather than later. Speed size and flipping the hips are all there
All anyone needed to hear about his game, if they didn't approve of the pick, was that he grabs too much, and they were ready to believe he's some kind of long term project or a bum DB penalty machine like Frank Walker. Taking a snip of information and running with it is what we do around here.
such is the state of BBI
Apple was matched up with Cooper a good amount of the game... and he played him hard and gave him a tough time. I watched Apple's game reps for that game. People should also remember that Apple had just turned 19 years old when he played that game. Pretty remarkable to do what he did at 19 against college football's best wideout in 2014. Moreover, Apple played Cooper better than Hargreaves did in that game. It's not about Cooper's stats, because neither Hargreaves nor Apple was matched up against Cooper 100% of the time, but just going off the eye-test, Cooper had more trouble with Apple than Hargreaves.
Cooper vs Florida - 10 catches, 201 yards, 3 TDs
Cooper vs Ohio State - 9 catches, 71 yards, 2 TDs
such is the state of BBI
Well lets be honest here...
If eli put up combine numbers like McGrabface He would have gone ahead of Ramsey!
Hahahaha! This is BBI, djstat! Everything must be analyzed, re-analyzed, and over-analyzed through a negative-nancy lens! Are you new here? ;)
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When Fuller got ND back into the Fiesta Bowl with a long TD, Apple was on the other side of the field, at RCB. When Cooper scored from 15 yards out in the Sugar Bowl, same deal: he was wide right, and beat Doran Grant; Cooper was at RCB, far from the play. Cooper's second TD came in isolation against Apple, on a quick inside move where Apple gave too much ground.
Apple was matched up with Cooper a good amount of the game... and he played him hard and gave him a tough time. I watched Apple's game reps for that game. People should also remember that Apple had just turned 19 years old when he played that game. Pretty remarkable to do what he did at 19 against college football's best wideout in 2014. Moreover, Apple played Cooper better than Hargreaves did in that game. It's not about Cooper's stats, because neither Hargreaves nor Apple was matched up against Cooper 100% of the time, but just going off the eye-test, Cooper had more trouble with Apple than Hargreaves.
Cooper vs Florida - 10 catches, 201 yards, 3 TDs
Cooper vs Ohio State - 9 catches, 71 yards, 2 TDs
Apple as a first year player did an excellent job covering a WR who went #4 in last year's draft. The talent is there.
Mike in Long Beach : 11:15 am : link : reply