Unfortunately, the running backs are really the only unit on offense that I trust will produce. In these final four previews -- wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, and quarterbacks -- there are many more questions than answers. I hate to be a downer -- because I really do love Virginia football -- but I'm going to be very candid -- and sometimes curt -- with these next few previews. While the defense has all sorts of talent, the offense simply does not. Add that in with people shuffling positions almost weekly, and you have yourself one sort of mess.
I won't divulge too many more of my feelings on offense until we get to those previews, so let's just begin this wide receiver post. On the post-spring depth chart, three wide receiver positions are listed -- the X-receiver, the Z-receiver, and the W-receiver. To truly understand these players and this group as a whole, it's important that we're all on the same page here regarding the roles of each position.
The X-receiver usually goes to the team's "No. 1 receiver" -- the guy that is the most skilled and usually has built a good rapport with the quarterback. He is the receiver furthest away from the tight end. As you will notice with the above image, the X-receiver is tethered to the line of scrimmage. As such, he cannot motion before the snap. This means that the cornerback can get right up on him and jam him at the line. Therefore, the X-receiver must be very quick and/or strong to either push through the jam or sidestep it and make way upfield before the pass-rush can get to the quarterback. Often times, even in zone formations, the corner on the X-receiver will shadow him through most of his route, so it's critical for the X-receiver to be able to beat man-coverage.
The Z-receiver lines up usually a yard or two off of the line of scrimmage so the tight end can be an eligible receiver. If the Z-receiver were to line up on the line of scrimmage, the tight end would not be eligible -- this is often the case when you here offenses flagged for illegal formation. Because the Z-receiver lines off the line of scrimmage, he can motion to the slot before the snap -- lots of offensive coordinators use this tactic to try to get a matchup against a linebacker rather than a more athletic corner. Therefore, the Z-receiver will have to have some of the skill-sets of the slot receiver, although the Z-receiver will still primarily play outside.
The slot receiver (W-receiver in the UVa offense), will primarily play against zone coverage unless the defense is blitzing. A linebacker will often play over him at the line of scrimmage, but once he gets past the linebacker, often times his route will go into the safety's zone. In nickel formations (with three corners), a corner will line up over him instead of a linebacker. This changes the W-receiver's role as he might have to beat man coverage. As a whole though, the best slot guys are the ones that can find the hole in the zone (see Wes Welker's career).
*NOTE: Ignore the Y-receiver in the above image. It is assigned to the tight end, which we will address next week.
Now that we have established the receiver positions, we can specifically discuss UVa football. First -- per usual -- I will discuss the wide receiver coach -- Marques Hagans. For those of you who didn't watch UVa football about 10 years ago, Hagans was one hell of a football player for us. His first two seasons (2002 and 2003), he alternated time between wide-receiver and back-up quarterback to Matt Schaub. Once Schaub graduated, Hagans took over as an explosive, dual-threat quarterback in 2004 and 2005 -- some of the better teams in the Groh era.
After graduation, Hagans was drafted as a wide receiver in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Rams. He never really caught-on in the pros, as he jumped around the league, playing for the Chiefs, Colts, and Redskins before he began coaching in 2010. In 2011 and 2012, he was a graduate assistant on our staff, mainly helping the receivers -- although he had some input at quarterback. Last season -- 2013 -- was his first year as the official wide receivers coach. The players love him as he is able to relate to them better than the other coaches due to his young age. However, in his tenure on the staff, we have never had a very solid wide-receiver core.
Last year was an especially bad season for the receivers. It seemed that we might have two solid starters in Darius Jennings and Tim Smith, but that was far from the case. After struggling with drops, routes, blocking, etc., the two were replaced in the starting lineup by true freshman Keeon Johnson and redshirt freshman Kyle Dockins. These two would start the games, although usually by the end it was the same two -- Jennings and Smith -- that were taking the bulk of the snaps. If there was ever a place of inconsistency and possible incompetency in regards to coaching last season, it was with the wide receivers.
For 2014, we only lost Tim Smith to graduation (and E.J. Scott and Adrian Gamble to transfer), so it's not as if we have a lot of turnover at the receiver position. However, it seems that the once promising upperclassman -- Jennings and Dominique Terrell -- have taken a backseat to the underclassmen. Although Jennings and Terrell have both flashed potential, it was not near consistent enough to make you think they can be solid starters -- that's why they're no longer starting. It's not as if Johnson and Dockins are locks to be better, but we need to at least see what we've got.
Unfortunately, that is the story of this season's wide receivers -- disappointing careers and unknown youth.
X-receiver likely starter: Keeon Johnson (So.)
Johnson was a weird story. The original plan was to redshirt Johnson because we supposedly had solid depth at wide receiver. However, Johnson flashed in practice. That combined with our overall receiver struggles enticed the coaches to burn his redshirt against Ball State. Johnson went on to start the final seven games. He caught a pass in every game in which he played.
Johnson was a unanimous three-star prospect that was ranked as the No. 25 wide receiver out of high school according to MaxPreps.com. He finished last season with 20 catches for 282 yards and one touchdown. His 282 receiving yards are the most by a UVa freshman since Billy McMullen in 1999.
For me, it was not his numbers that impressed because let's face it, about 35 yards per game for your starting receiver isn't good enough. However, he flashed the potential that he could be a No. 1 receiver for the next three years. First off, he has the size at 6'3" and 215 pounds. Just as impressive was his catch radius -- he came down with some very good looking catches. As you can see by the picture, he also has good athleticism.
Now, I always caution against potential because it is just that -- potential. Potential does not equal success. But for Johnson, he has all the tools to be a good receiver. I also like the fact that he had to work his way into the starting lineup -- he wasn't just given his spot like Jennings and Terrell. I also like that he has some chemistry with Lambert, whom he worked with through summer camp and at the beginning of last season.
Expect him to start every game this season. I think around 40 to 50 catches for 600 or so yards is very doable for Johnson. If he explodes, he could have more. Regardless, he will see plenty of playing time over his next three seasons in orange and blue.
Depth
Listed first behind Johnson is redshirt freshman Andre Levrone. Keep in mind I only attended two spring practices, but on both of those days, Levrone might have been the best receiver on the field. He caught a touchdown in the spring game and also consistently beat the corners in the other practice I attended. If you're looking for a breakout candidate, look no further than #14.
Levrone redshirted last season, which seems to have been a good move. He was a consensus three-star receiver, but he seemed to be a borderline four-star player. He was the No. 11 recruit from Maryland as well as the No. 1 wide receiver from Maryland.
In my opinion, Levrone is a better fit at the Z-receiver. Although he has size (6'2" and 210 pounds) and solid quickness, he's much more likely to bump career bench-warmer Miles Gooch out of the starting lineup than promising sophomore Keeon Johnson. Furthermore, he has enough quickness that he could play out of the slot on occasion. I fully expect Levrone to have a role on this offense by the time the season roles around. He should be a very solid contributor for all four years.
Lastly, behind Levrone on the post-spring depth chart is sophomore Jamall Brown. Brown redshirted in 2012 and only appeared in one game last season -- VMI. At 6'0'' and 205 pounds, Brown -- like the rest of the X-receivers -- has good size. However, there is a reason he only played in one game last season -- he's just not that good. If he had upside, he would have played in more games in an underachieving position unit. He was only a two-star prospect, so we're not going to shed tears. If he can be a good scout-team player, he won't be a total disappointment. While it's nice when a two-star player develops, they usually don't -- that's why they were only given two-stars.
Z-receiver likely starter: Miles Gooch (Sr.)
Like I said, my own personal opinion is that Levrone should be the starting Z-receiver, but I'm not the coach. Plus, I have a very limited sample size. Furthermore, starting two young receivers might not be the best idea.
Anyways, your starting Z-receiver -- according to the post-spring depth chart -- is senior Miles Gooch. Gooch was a high school quarterback that was a unanimous three-star athlete. At 6'3" and 230 pounds, he was given the chance to stick at quarterback at UVa, although that experiment lasted shortly. Early into his redshirt season, the coaches stuck him at wide receiver.
To this point, his career has been very disappointing. With a guy of his size, you hope he can at least develop into a red-zone target. While he did catch a 7-yard touchdown in the 2012 upset over Miami, that is just one of three career receptions for 32 yards. It's not like he hasn't seen playing time, because he has. However, usually when he is in the game, it's a give away that it will be running play as he is a great run-blocker but mediocre at best receiver. (Seriously, it's almost pathetic; look back at the film over the past two seasons and if Gooch is in the game, it's probably about a 90% chance we're running the ball.)
Why he is listed as a starter is a mystery to me. He did nothing of note in the practices I attended. As a career back-up, you have to be scratching your head here. Was it his blocking? I hope not, because with as anemic of a air-game as we had last season, your starting receiver better be able to catch. Furthermore, he seems like a horrible fit at the Z-position. He has the size and straight-line speed to be a good X-receiver, but he lacks the quickness to succeed in the Z-role.
I don't expect Gooch to be listed as the starter for long.
Depth
Behind Gooch are the two guy we thought were our receivers of the future just three years ago -- Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell. Let's start with Jennings, since he's technically listed above Terrell.
Jennings was a unanimous four-star athlete and also the overall No. 71 prospect in the nation according to MaxPreps.com. As part of UVa's giant 26 member class of 2011, it seemed initially that Jennings would live up to his potential. He had 238 receiving yards in a mostly slot role in 2011 (including a 53 yard touchdown reception on a bubble screen against Miami). In 2012, he again showed promise as our most consistent receiver -- he had 568 yards on 48 receptions, including five touchdowns.
It was hoped Jennings would take another step forward in 2013, and he got off to a good start with a critical touchdown reception in the rain against BYU. From there on, he struggled, mightily. He was a shell of his former self, unable to get open -- and even when he was open, he was almost just as likely to drop the ball as he was to catch it. With the exception of against Georgia Tech -- where he had 13 catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns -- 2013 was an underwhelming performance. He finished with 38 receptions for 340 yards.
I would say expect Jennings to further regress in 2014, but all reports out of spring camp were positive. He was getting more separation and had become a reliable target down the field. He seemed to show this in the spring game, where he had several catches for what I would think was at least 50 yards.
He scared those at Scott Stadium on the spring game's final drive when he turned back for a ball on a button-hook and his knee just gave out. I immediately thought he had torn his ACL -- it looked that bad. Thankfully, he hopped up after a few minutes and was on his feet -- albeit on the sidelines -- the rest of the game. A few weeks later, I saw Jennings walking around with just a small knee-brace. That along with the fact that there were no reports about a serious injury make me think Jennings will be okay for training camp.
The way I see it, Gooch does not start against UCLA. The two most likely candidates to replace Gooch in my opinion are Levrone and Jennings. But because Jennings is a senior and listed as a Z-receiver, I have to give him the edge. Jennings has the experience and past production to make you think that last season was the exception and not the rule. That seems to be the case judging by the glowing reports about Jennings from practice.
The last Z-receiver on the depth chart is Terrell. While Jennings has certainly not lived up to his potential, Terrell has been even worse. Over his three year career, he has just 60 catches for 641 yards. As a four-star, highly touted athlete (like Jennings), Terrell was supposed to be a four-year mainstay in the receiving corps. He struggled as a freshman, however, with his only real impact coming against Idaho where he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime on a bubble screen.
In 2012, he took a slight step forward. He caught 38 balls for 475 yards. His career day came against Miami when he had nine receptions for 127 yards. For the season, had he reached his potential? No. But he still seemed to have room to grow.
But just like Jennings, his 2013 season was bad. And I mean really bad. He had 14 receptions for 107 yards. Sadly, it doesn't appear that he will make much of an impact in 2014 either. After all, he is the third Z-receiver on the depth chart. Honestly, it's a real shame for Terrell. London praised him and immediately gave him a role on offense even during his first year, but Terrell has slowly let that slip away. Now with more youth at the position, Terrell's time seems to have run out.
At the Z-receiver, I'll also throw incoming freshman Jamil Kamara -- a unanimous four-star prospect and No. 17 wide receiver in the class according to Rivals -- into the mix. At 6'2" and 210 pounds, he already has the build of a good receiver. It remains to be seen how big his role will be next season -- everything will ultimately come down to training camp. Like always, I would like to see him redshirt. But if he shows up and finishes camp as the the first or second best Z-receiver (which is possible, there's not much talent or youth here), he could get a solid role. Everything remains to be seen, but don't be surprised if Kamara comes in and produces a 15-20 catch freshman season.
W-receiver likely starter: Kyle Dockins (So.)
The W-receiver will be different this year for the Cavaliers. Generally speaking, the W-receiver (slot receiver) is a smaller, quicker guy. Last year, we experimented with Terrell in this role to start the season. Then after Tim Smith and Darius Jennings got benched, Jennings began to play this role on occasion. Dockins, meanwhile, took his snaps at Z-receiver, which is currently occupied by Gooch (though like I said, I doubt for long).
Let's be honest, if I told you Dockins was going to start four games before the 2013 season, you would have called me crazy. A guy I lived with went to the same high school as Dockins. We were talking about guys from our high school who played college ball, and he mentioned that some scrub receiver at UVa went to his high school. I asked who, and he said Kyle Dockins. When I told him that Dockins was now actually our starting receiver, we both had a good chuckle about how bad we actually were last season. Humorous? Yes. Proud? No.
If Dockins was the starting Z-receiver after the spring, I would have been furious -- from what I have seen, he doesn't have the speed to handle a role on the outside. But in an effort to rejuvenate a dreadful offense, offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is trying something new -- putting bigger guys in the slot. And at 6'3" and 210 pounds, Dockins came out of the spring on top of the depth chart.
While I am all about speed (I much prefer a spread offense at the college level), this move seems to be perfect for our current skill-set. Dockins was recruited by some as a wide-receiver and by some as a tight-end. In theory, this new role will take advantage of both of his strengths. He is faster than most linebackers and has the height advantage over safeties. Furthermore, he is a very good run-blocker, but in the slot, he will not be asked to block defensive ends and outside linebackers like a tight end would.
He performed well in this new role in the practices I attended. In one practice, I loved his ability to go up and get the jump ball in the back of the endzone. Against linebackers and safeties, Dockins could be very effective near the goal line. And then in the spring game, he got behind the linebacker and Lambert threw a beautiful back shoulder throw down the middle of the field to Dockins which resulted in a touchdown.
In this new role, Dockins could be very good. He basically would be a glorified tight end, but I'll take that if he can produce. Unfortunately, the creation of this new role contributed to the departure of Jake McGee. McGee was basically asked to fulfill this role while still spending time as a H-back. Ultimately, McGee has some NFL potential at tight end, and his chances of succeeding at the next level would have been hurt had be basically not played the tight end position for a season. That, along with a sour relationship with tight end coach Tom O'Brien, resulted in his departure.
However, I still think this is the perfect role for Dockins to succeed. Whether or not this works remains to be seen. If it doesn't, then it likely will contribute to London and Fairchild's departure. A new coach might prefer a smaller slot receiver and put Dockins back on the outside or at tight end. Dockins's role is an experiment, but I think it could pay off, especially with the lack of talent at tight end.
Depth
In my opinion, a weakness of London has always been his decision on redshirts. The more, the merrier. I'm fine if a player forgoes a redshirt season to take snaps at his position, but there should never be a circumstance in which a player doesn't redshirt just so he can play special teams. In Dockins's back-up -- Canaan Severin -- this is exactly the case.
Severin was a four-star receiver by Rivals and a three-star receiver by ESPN and Scout. At 6'2" and 220 pounds, he has exactly the size you look for in a No. 1 receiver. Whether or not he ever would have developed into that player can be debated, but now he certainly will not.
Listen, I'm not complaining here about Severin's 'wasted talent'. If he was a solid receiver, then he probably would have seen time last season. However, the fact that Severin's freshman season consisted of 85 special teams plays but just one catch for three yards is ridiculous. You have depth at wide receiver and corner to fill those special teams roles. If your depth cannot fill those roles, then you probably haven't recruited dedicated football players. Whichever is the case, London made a bad choice somewhere.
Now concerning Severin's ability as a receiver, the outlook isn't positive. I thought he and Adrian Gamble could develop into a solid duo, but Gamble transfered and Severin did not shine in spring ball. Personally, I prefer him on the outside -- his talents (good straight-line speed, wide catch radius) better fit the X-receiver position.
However, it does not seem as if the junior will ever play a ton of snaps. With a solid 2014 season, he might have a chance for some targets in 2015. But my gut tells me it will be Johnson, Levrone, and Kamara (and maybe a little Dockins) as the primary guys in 2015. If that is the case, Severin will certainly have been a bit of a disappointment in his Virginia career.
Lastly in the slot is redshirt freshman Ryan Santoro -- the offensive scout player of the week against Ball State. When I searched for info about Santoro, I honestly couldn't find any, so I'm just going by his bio on the UVa roster. It sounds like Santoro didn't receive any scholarship offers since no recruiting service gave him a ranking. He's a good athlete (a former swimmer), but I would be shocked if he saw much of a role this season. At practice, I remember thinking that Santoro hustled just as much if not more than some of the other guys, but at the end of the day he just doesn't have the talent for DI football. Hopefully he proves me wrong!
Conclusion
Like I said at the beginning, I'm going to honest about these position previews. So far, the look has been mostly optimistic -- I did that by design. I wanted to address the team's strengths early because nothing new will really emerge as we approach training camp. With the weaknesses though, we might start hearing reports that will contribute to these previews. It just so happens that the big weaknesses are on offense.
Now with the wide-receivers, I don't really like this group for 2014 -- there's just not enough proven talent for me to be optimistic. Johnson has potential, but so did Jennings and Terrell. Johnson has the skill-set to be very good, but can he become that No. 1 guy? That's asking a lot of a sophomore.
At the Z-position, I ultimately think it will be Levrone or Jennings that takes that starting role. Gooch just doesn't make sense there. Honestly, he would be better in the W-receiver role occupied by Dockins. Speaking of Dockins, he is much better suited for a role as a TE/WR role than he is for anything on the outside. However, he still only had eight catches last season. There's no way to tell how Dockins will progress.
For 2015, I think this group can be good. Assuming Levrone gets time this season (as he should), all of the starters will have at least a season of consistent playing experience. But to get experience, you have to weather a rocky start -- I'm afraid that this season is that rocky start. With the exception of Jennings, I don't see any upperclassman having much of a role at receiver in the offense (except for Gooch in running situations, despite the dead giveaway).
The only reason for a somewhat optimistic outlook is hoping that David Watford was even worse last season than we thought. I mean, Jennings and Terrell did alright with mostly Michael Rocco under center in 2012. Was Watford holding these receivers back? Maybe, but it's not like they were consistently open either. Lambert should at least statistically increase the production at wide receiver, but these receivers will have to improve as well.
As we move on from Jennings and Terrell and their lost potential, we can start to focus on the underclassmen and developing their game. Ultimately, developing is never good news for the present, which doesn't bode well for this season. I'm sure the unit will improve as the season progresses, but this group definitely seems to be in the bottom half of the ACC. If Lambert can play the way many scouts thought (think?) he can, then I might be wrong. Until that happens though (as you might know, I never count on potential), there are too many unknowns to predict much improvement from last season.
Next week: Tight ends
No comments:
Post a Comment