"brick hands"

[Monster]

So sick of this lable for Heyward-Bey. Ive seen him make some very good catches he has at worst average hands, beyond that I think you have to start looking at how familiar he was with any of his 7 different QBs, offensive systems and then add how many of those passes actually were catchable.  I think with the pressure of not having to play as the #1 receiver OR  draft pick,  in addition with having a true supporting cast and coaches most important an elite QB throwing him passes,  this guy will be special.  Im sure most of us have seen his r.a.c. the guy can makes plays. I cant wait this version of DHB.

[Moncrief]

Yac

[The Peytonator]

I'm stoked as well.

 

The rumors of his brick hands have been greatly exaggerated.

[John Waylon]

I'm stoked as well.

 

The rumors of his brick hands have been greatly exaggerated.

 

Yeah, well playing in OAKLAND will do that to you...

[FearTheNeckBeard]

we'll see... Avery had 16 drops.

 

I think DHB will be in 7-14 range..

[NewEra]

we'll see... Avery had 16 drops.

I think DHB will be in 7-14 range..

How many did garçon have?

[FearTheNeckBeard]

How many did garçon have?

 

some bad ones.. he make it up with explosive plays tho.. if DHB can be Garcon i'm fine with it.. this year..

[The Peytonator]

Yeah, well playing in OAKLAND will do that to you...

 

 

I remember watching the draft that year. When he was picked he didn't even look happy, despite the fact that he was making millions more than he was projected to make.

 

None can escape the hellhole that is Oakland.....until they get cut or hit free agency.

[Dustin]

His drop rate last season (12.77%) was in the same ballpark as receivers such as Wes Welker (11.28%), Victor Cruz (12.24%), Eric Decker (12.37%), and Randall Cobb (12.09%), and those guys all had much better quarterbacks working with them.

[FearTheNeckBeard]

His drop rate last season (12.77%) was in the same ballpark as receivers such as Wes Welker (11.28%), Victor Cruz (12.24%), Eric Decker (12.37%), and Randall Cobb (12.09%), and those guys all had much better quarterbacks working with them.

 

I mean.. he had Palmer.. he's not a scrub tho.. not great, but capable. Considering that Welker had an awful year with drops, cruz didn't start catching balls until week 4, and Cobb was always targeted and it's an small guy, i don't know if i should be happy with this.

 

We have to wait and see, he will drop some.. that doesn't mean he's not going to be usefull.

[Dustin]

I mean.. he had Palmer.. he's not a scrub tho.. not great, but capable. Considering that Welker had an awful year with drops, cruz didn't start catching balls until week 4, and Cobb was always targeted and it's an small guy, i don't know if i should be happy with this.

 

We have to wait and see, he will drop some.. that doesn't mean his not going to be usefull.

 

Is it ideal? No. But it's a big upgrade over Avery. 

[TKnight24]

No Comment..........

[TKnight24]

Ahh, double post.

Ummm..... still no comment lol

[Slick_Rick]

Let's not judge a book by it's cover (or stats). I don't believe Grigs is a stats guy. The guy showed up on highlight reels in Oakland. I'm not saying Carson is bad, but he has had better days. I think DHB will be a pleasant surprise. With good coaching, and teammates he will be fine. Do you think Reggie will allow a slacker in his corps? I see major things on the horizon for DHB. I just hope the 1 year deal doesn't bite us.

[Slick_Rick]

I mean.. he had Palmer.. he's not a scrub tho.. not great, but capable. Considering that Welker had an awful year with drops, cruz didn't start catching balls until week 4, and Cobb was always targeted and it's an small guy, i don't know if i should be happy with this.

 

We have to wait and see, he will drop some.. that doesn't mean he's not going to be usefull.

I believe that Dustin used these players because at some point in the offseason, many here have clamored for them.

[Tark The Shark]

DHB is like a bigger, stronger, faster version of Pierre Garcon.

 

And look what happened to Randy Moss after he left Oakland.

 

Not saying that DHB will be like Randy Moss or Pierre Garcon. I just personally think he will have a better year than Avery did last year, and Avery caught 60 passes for 781 yards (career highs for him).

[ponyboy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1582192-is-darrius-heyward-bey-a-diamond-in-the-rough-or-just-another-raiders-bust

This paragraph from the article surprised me:

According to PFF, Heyward-Bey has been targeted past 20 yards 75 times over that same span. With just 11 receptions, his catch rate in the deep passing game is just 14.6 percent, another horrendous number that ranks him in the bottom five of the NFL since 2009.

And while deep passing does require adept quarterback play, other Oakland receivers have fared much better than Heyward-Bey during that same time period.

[Dustin]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1582192-is-darrius-heyward-bey-a-diamond-in-the-rough-or-just-another-raiders-bust

This paragraph from the article surprised me:

According to PFF, Heyward-Bey has been targeted past 20 yards 75 times over that same span. With just 11 receptions, his catch rate in the deep passing game is just 14.6 percent, another horrendous number that ranks him in the bottom five of the NFL since 2009.

And while deep passing does require adept quarterback play, other Oakland receivers have fared much better than Heyward-Bey during that same time period.

 

That's targets, not drops. Not his fault his QBs cant throw accurate deep balls.

[NewColtsFan]

I remember watching the draft that year. When he was picked he didn't even look happy, despite the fact that he was making millions more than he was projected to make.

 

None can escape the hellhole that is Oakland.....until they get cut or hit free agency.

 

Well....

 

Hopefully the Hellhole in Oakland is about to change.     Al Davis is dead.

 

His son has taken over and hired Reggie McKenzie from Green Bay to turn it around.    He's pulling an Indy and getting rid of all the over-priced, under-performing players.  

 

It won't be a fast turn around.   They don't have an Andrew Luck.   And I don't think they're nearly as prepared as Grigson was...    I don't know about their HC, or their OC or their DC....    so I don't think Oakland will find the Indy magic of 2012.

 

Either way....   Oakland is attempting to dig itself out of it's Hellhole...   looks like it will be a slow ugly dirty job...

[The Peytonator]

Well....

 

Hopefully the Hellhole in Oakland is about to change.     Al Davis is dead.

 

His son has taken over and hired Reggie McKenzie from Green Bay to turn it around.    He's pulling an Indy and getting rid of all the over-priced, under-performing players.  

 

It won't be a fast turn around.   They don't have an Andrew Luck.   And I don't think they're nearly as prepared as Grigson was...    I don't know about their HC, or their OC or their DC....    so I don't think Oakland will find the Indy magic of 2012.

 

Either way....   Oakland is attempting to dig itself out of it's Hellhole...   looks like it will be a slow ugly dirty job...

 

 

Yeah I do like a lot of what McKenzie has done, but that organization was just set back so far. They've still got a tough road ahead. Once Peyton retires the AFC West will balance out a little.

[MrNLM]

I stopped liking Palmer after making a scene and refusing to play in Cincinnati. Regardless to say... that one year away from football has changed him but, I digress. DHB cannot be blamed for the black hole that is The Raiders... and DHB has the right kind of character to make his time in Indianapolis count for something. I think now more than ever... he CAN be a 1,000 yard receiver... Wayne IS a 1,000 yard receiver... and Hilton SHOULD be a 1,000 yard receiver. Will all three be 1,000 yard guys... highly unlikely with the TEs in the mix but, if anything... that just goes to show any doubters what we REALLY have here on our roster... and that is a lot of potential.

 

I hope that Wayne is showing this kid the ropes with the mindset that he can be the future once Wayne is gone. Whether he is the future or not is not important right now. If someone else comes in to be the future then, so be it... DHB will hopefully be here in Indy for years to come and be an outstanding teammate and role player.

 

It is gonna be a fun season. 

[Warhorse]

I'd rather have brick hands, then WD-40 hands.

[ponyboy]

That's targets, not drops. Not his fault his QBs cant throw accurate deep balls.

I'm not sure why you thought I was implying drops. I was just surprised by this information. I had assumed that a speed guy with a high YPC would have a fair number of deep target completions.. but apparently he's a high YAC guy from shorter routes.

From the article:

"And while deep passing does require adept quarterback play, other Oakland receivers have fared much better than Heyward-Bey during that same time period... Rod Streater caught five of 14 opportunities (35.7%) in 2012. In 2010, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy caught nine of 28 deep targets (32.1%), while Heyward-Bey hauled in just three of 20 (15.0%)."

Not sure you can use the QB argument to explain this unless they were always underthrowing him

[Dustin]

I'm not sure why you thought I was implying drops. I was just surprised by this information. I had assumed that a speed guy with a high YPC would have a fair number of deep target completions.. but apparently he's a high YAC guy from shorter routes.

From the article:

"And while deep passing does require adept quarterback play, other Oakland receivers have fared much better than Heyward-Bey during that same time period... Rod Streater caught five of 14 opportunities (35.7%) in 2012. In 2010, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy caught nine of 28 deep targets (32.1%), while Heyward-Bey hauled in just three of 20 (15.0%)."

Not sure you can use the QB argument to explain this unless they were always underthrowing him

I wasn't implying that's what you meant, just clarifying for anyone who didn't know what that stat meant.

[ruksak]

I'd rather have brick hands, then WD-40 hands.

Jerry Rice hand brick hands. ......true story......

[Colts_Fan12]

Well....

Hopefully the Hellhole in Oakland is about to change. Al Davis is dead.

His son has taken over and hired Reggie McKenzie from Green Bay to turn it around. He's pulling an Indy and getting rid of all the over-priced, under-performing players.

It won't be a fast turn around. They don't have an Andrew Luck. And I don't think they're nearly as prepared as Grigson was... I don't know about their HC, or their OC or their DC.... so I don't think Oakland will find the Indy magic of 2012.

Either way.... Oakland is attempting to dig itself out of it's Hellhole... looks like it will be a slow ugly dirty job...

I agree I hope they turn it around I hate seeing a franchise suffer that long but Dustin did tell me the other day the raiders will have like 70 mil in cap space

[SteelCityColt]

I agree I hope they turn it around I hate seeing a franchise suffer that long but Dustin did tell me the other day the raiders will have like 70 mil in cap space

 

Going to be a good year for the FAs next season then, though you'd hope they've learned about overpaying for mediocre talent.

 

To be fair it seems like what's killed the Raiders is massively reaching for guys in the draft when they've had decent drafting positions. Surely they must one of the highest "bust" percentages in recent history.

[Tony Sullivan]

I'm not sure why you thought I was implying drops. I was just surprised by this information. I had assumed that a speed guy with a high YPC would have a fair number of deep target completions.. but apparently he's a high YAC guy from shorter routes.

From the article:

"And while deep passing does require adept quarterback play, other Oakland receivers have fared much better than Heyward-Bey during that same time period... Rod Streater caught five of 14 opportunities (35.7%) in 2012. In 2010, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy caught nine of 28 deep targets (32.1%), while Heyward-Bey hauled in just three of 20 (15.0%)."

Not sure you can use the QB argument to explain this unless they were always underthrowing him

The beginning of the article said he dropped 24 of 164 catchable balls in his career. The rest of those stats are superfluous and ignore the situation. We're going to blame him for 64 missed deep balls, when he's only dropped 24 catchable balls?

[jvan1973]

No Comment..........

so you commented to say "no comment"

[lollygagger8]

If he's a bigger, faster version of Avery, I'm happy.

 

If he's a bigger, faster version of Garcon, I'm happy.

 

I just hope we don't have to throw it 5 feet away from him for him to be able to catch it like Garcon lol.

[LockeDown]

As long as he doesn't drop the ball on clutch plays in big games, Iike the Haitian waiter.

[Monster]

Yac

I meant runs after catch, but your terminology works too. 

[Monster]

we'll see... Avery had 16 drops.

 

I think DHB will be in 7-14 range..

And Im not claiming DHB will definately be way better than his time in Oakland, or even Avery for that matter.  But if he puts in the "hard work,- dedication" I believe he can and will be better than both.

[In Luck We Trust]

If he's a bigger, faster version of Avery, I'm happy.

 

If he's a bigger, faster version of Garcon, I'm happy.

 

I just hope we don't have to throw it 5 feet away from him for him to be able to catch it like Garcon lol.

unfortunately that is prob what is going to happen. he was better at catching passes when he was closer to the line of scrimmage then he was going deep one on one with a defender. part of the reason why Oakland was fed up with him. if he has to go up for a pass one on one with a defender then your chances are prob better in winning 100 bucks from a scratch off ticket lol. 

[Colts_Fan12]

Going to be a good year for the FAs next season then, though you'd hope they've learned about overpaying for mediocre talent.

To be fair it seems like what's killed the Raiders is massively reaching for guys in the draft when they've had decent drafting positions. Surely they must one of the highest "bust" percentages in recent history.

Yeah the draft is wat destroyed the raiders al davs always went speed instead if who was BPA or a need of there's

[Moncrief]

I meant runs after catch, but your terminology works too. 

Oh it's okay i wasn't sure what RAC was so i figured you meant YAC

[colts_100nascar17fan]

Avery sucked. U had to hold ur breath everytime he was thrown to. Dhb has alot more to offer than anything avery had/has.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

As noted by several, DHB the only consistency DHB had in OAK was inconsistency (7 QB's, 3 or 4 offenses).  He was their top threat, too.  In Indy, he has a (knock-on-wood injury doesn't effect Luck) franchise QB, will have an offense that won't change mid-year, and will be considered at best the #2, or at worst a #4 or 5 (i.e., Wayne is 1, TY, Allen, and Fleener all have to be respected as well).  This guy has a freakish size-speed combination, and even if his drop rate stays around 12%, teams will have to respect him.  He also doesn't seem like a cancer (e.g., TO, Chad Johnson), he has been noted for a great work ethic and humble demeanor.  No way will he hurt our team.  Our style of West Coast offense will be great for him.  We now have 2 legitimate deep threats, maybe 3 (TY and DHB for sure, and Wayne says Brazzill is faster than TY).  If we put DHB on the outside opposite Wayne, with TY, Allen/Fleener/Brazzill on the field at same time -- the worst thing that can happen is teams have to be sure to keep a safety in check for a DHB deep-route and one to be careful of Wayne.  Imagine what that will do to improve TY, our TE's and Brazzill's capabilities in the middle of the field.  IMO, there is no LB in the league that can run with our TE's or Brazzill, and there is no way a team will even think of putting an LB on TY.  No matter how you look at it, DHB is going to create mis-matches for opposing defenses. 

[Buck Showalter]

I hope DHB tears it up & forces me to buy a Jersey....

Living in socal, I gotta deal with raider fans daily, would love to rock a Blue DHB jersey around a bunch of silver & black...

[dgambill]

A lot of DHB's plays are deep targets....the hardest passes to catch and often in traffic as well. Perhaps that isn't his strength despite his speed and size. Perhaps he is best used like Darius Thomas or Pierre Garcon where he uses his big frame and speed to take shorter passes and make plays. Whatever the reason I see no reason to say he is a downgrade from Avery and everyone was so pleased we picked him up last year. No one is saying this is our future #1 receiver. He should be that third option. Not the focus of the offense but a great guy with a great personality and a ton of athleticism. I think he is a fine project to bring in....low risk high reward type of guy. See no reason he can't grab 50-60 balls and push 800 yds and 7/8 tds for us. If we get that....why would anyone be upset?