Tight Ends

El Guapo

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I implore you to ignore Jermichael Finley for the purpose of this thread. He's been discussed enough. Assume that he is not a Packer in 2014.

Who do you think will take the biggest step forward as a Packer tight end and why?

Andrew Quarless
Brandon Bostick
Jake Stoneburner
Ryan Taylor
Raymond Webber
??? Class of 2014 Draftee ???
 

rodell330

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I implore you to ignore Jermichael Finley for the purpose of this thread. He's been discussed enough. Assume that he is not a Packer in 2014.

Who do you think will take the biggest step forward as a Packer tight end and why?

Andrew Quarless
Brandon Bostick
Jake Stoneburner
Ryan Taylor
Raymond Webber
??? Class of 2014 Draftee ???

Class of 2014 draftee . Let's Eric Ebron is sitting there. There's no way the Packers should pass on him. This guy could have the same impact that Vernon Davis has on games With the ability to block. Finley was our best red zone option and that area has taken a major hit as of late. With a guy like Ebron you force either a safety to have to cover him or teams to have to use extra db's which boldes well for the running game . Not to mention the fact that teams already like to throw cover 2 at Rodgers, Ebron would be a huge help working the middle. Throw in a healthy Cobb in the slot Rodgers will look like manning did last yr.
 

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Brandon Bostick - jsonline had a story on him about a month ago.
As it stands, Brandon Bostick is the most talented tight end on the Green Bay Packers' roster.The 24-year-old Bostick has made substantial strides in two seasons making the conversion from wide receiver and basketball player at Newberry College. ...
"I thought he was really coming on last year," said coach Mike McCarthy. "He is more confident. Athletically, he's got it now. He's a gifted young man." ...
Bostick, who spent his rookie season of 2012 on the practice squad, hardly played at all until Finley went down. He caught seven passes for 120 yards and one touchdown behind Quarless before undergoing surgery in mid-December for a broken foot. ...
The 6-foot-3 Bostick has run 40 yards in 4.61 seconds and bears striking resemblance to Finley in mannerisms and route-running. In fact, he was even more fluid in and out of his cuts than Finley.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...es-for-larger-role-b99215433z1-247972581.html
He added weight last year and according to McCarthy showed toughness playing STs. I thought Quarless had his moments last season but I'll bet the coaching staff expects Bostick to take the biggest step forward.
 
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Class of 2014 draftee . Let's Eric Ebron is sitting there. There's no way the Packers should pass on him. This guy could have the same impact that Vernon Davis has on games With the ability to block. Finley was our best red zone option and that area has taken a major hit as of late. With a guy like Ebron you force either a safety to have to cover him or teams to have to use extra db's which boldes well for the running game . Not to mention the fact that teams already like to throw cover 2 at Rodgers, Ebron would be a huge help working the middle. Throw in a healthy Cobb in the slot Rodgers will look like manning did last yr.

I won't be disappointed if the Packers end up taking Ebron at #21 as he's a dangerous receiving weapon, but it's totally wrong to consider him a good blocker. The guy can't block either in-line or on the move.
 
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El Guapo

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I'm still high on Quarless, or maybe just high I guess?!? One could blame his injuries, in which case he should bust out this season. His inconsistencies have been frustrating, but we started to see more out of him as the season progressed. I like Bostick and hope that both are vastly improved but think that Quarless will likely be the one.
 
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I'm still high on Quarless, or maybe just high I guess?!? One could blame his injuries, in which case he should bust out this season. His inconsistencies have been frustrating, but we started to see more out of him as the season progressed. I like Bostick and hope that both are vastly improved but think that Quarless will likely be the one.

The thing that worries me with Quarless is that either Rodgers doesn´t trust him or there´s no chemistry between them. Last year Q had only 9 receptions in the five games Rodgers played while he had 26 in the eight games, including both of his TDs, when Rodgers was out.
 

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I think Bostick has farther to go and assumed that’s what you meant in the OP by "biggest step forward". From a very small sample size – 7 catches as compared to 32 for Quarless, it certainly looks like Bostick stretches the field better with a 17 ypc average compared to 9.8. Very small sample though.
 

rodell330

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I won't be disappointed if the Packers end up taking Ebron at #21 as he's a dangerous receiving weapon, but it's totally wrong to consider him a good blocker. The guy can't block either in-line or on the move.

He has the ability to block he just has to be coached up. Vernon Davis on the other hand?
 
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He has the ability to block he just has to be coached up. Vernon Davis on the other hand?

I don´t understand why you have the impression that Vernon Davis is one of the worst blocking TEs in the league??? Actually he´s decent at it.
 
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HardRightEdge

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We do have an issue with our pass receiving corp since we can expect difficulties in signing both Nelson and Cobb for 2015, with Nelson likely the odd man out because of the age difference. I don't think we can count on Nelson giving us another home town discount.

Boykin's a nice player, but I don't see him as the kind of #2 behind Cobb that teams will need to game plan for.

Given that it takes at least a year for a receiver to get acclimated, it would stand to reason we'll need to go high for one...first or second round.

I suppose that could be a pass catching TE in the Finley mold, a guy who spends most of his time running routes out of the slot or wide out. Ebron fits that mold, but I agree with the captain that he's not expected to be much of a blocker. Now that we have a runner worth blocking for, I see us going in a different direction than a Finley-replication approach.

It would make more sense to me that we go high for a WR, get on Quarless' a*s to improve his blocking, and work Bostick into the slot TE role. I think Flynn-to-Quarless showed that Quarless can be a respectable pass catcher as well. The Quarless/Bostick tandem looks like a credible combo for the next couple of years.

There's also the possibility Finley comes back on a cheap deal to prove up his health, which at this point I see only as a surprising bonus if it happens, but it's still a factor in the equation.

On the other hand, Cobb, Boykin and one of the current practice squad guys come 2015 would not be acceptable.

Draft-wise, after Watkins, opinions vary on the next 4 WRs.

Most mocks have Evans as a top 15 guy; some have him lower. Some have Benjamin as a low first, high second rounder; a few rate him with or above Evans. Those are 2 big body guys who would be complements to Cobb.

Marquis Lee is also a guy who should be of some interest. He fits the 6'0", 4.5 Packer prototype (Driver, Jennings, Jones, Cobb), and we know Thompson loves him some California college players. If not for durability issues we'd not get near him at #21, but given the injury history he might still be on the board for us. He's a dynamic and explosive player and he has the rep of being a good route runner. He's got that "overcoming adversity" story line going for him as well.

Beckham, also in the Packer prototype mold, rounds out the top 5 WRs. He's somewhat reminiscent of Jennings.

I'm not espousing a WR pick in the first round, though the considerable attention and expense applied to the defense in free agency (Shields, Peppers, Neal, Raji, Guion, and Lattimore under tender) would suggest a turn to the offense in the first round should shock no one. In such a case, WR would make more sense than a pass catching TE.
 
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rodell330

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We do have an issue with our pass receiving corp since we can expect difficulties in signing both Nelson and Cobb for 2015, with Nelson likely the odd man out because of the age difference. I don't think we can count on Nelson giving us another home town discount.

Boykin's a nice player, but I don't see him as the kind of #2 behind Cobb that teams will need to game plan for.

Given that it takes at least a year for a receiver to get acclimated, it would stand to reason we'll need to go high for one...first or second round.

I suppose that could be a pass catching TE in the Finley mold, a guy who spends most of his time running routes out of the slot or wide out. Ebron fits that mold, but I agree with the captain that he's not expected to be much of a blocker. Now that we have a runner worth blocking for, I see us going in a different direction than a Finley-replication approach.

It would make more sense to me that we go high for a WR, get on Quarless' a*s to improve his blocking, and work Bostick into the slot TE role. I think Flynn-to-Quarless showed that Quarless can be a respectable pass catcher as well. The Quarless/Bostick tandem looks like a credible combo for the next couple of years.

There's also the possibility Finley comes back on a cheap deal to prove up his health, which at this point I see only as a surprising bonus if it happens, but it's still a factor in the equation.

On the other hand, Cobb, Boykin and one of the current practice squad guys come 2015 would not be acceptable.

Draft-wise, after Watkins, opinions vary on the next 4 WRs.

Most mocks have Evans as a top 15 guy; some have him lower. Some have Benjamin as a low first, high second rounder; a few rate him with or above Evans. Those are 2 big body guys who would be complements to Cobb.

Marquis Lee is also a guy who should be of some interest. He fits the 6'0", 4.5 Packer prototype (Driver, Jennings, Jones, Cobb), and we know Thomson loves him some California college players. If not for durability issues we'd not get near him at #21, but given the injury history he might still be on the board for us. He's a dynamic and explosive player and he has the rep of being a good route runner. He's got that "overcoming adversity" story line going for him as well.

Beckham, also in the Packer prototype mold, rounds out the top 5 WRs. He's somewhat reminiscent of Jennings.

I'm not espousing a WR pick in the first round, though the considerable attention and expense applied to the defense in free agency (Shields, Peppers, Neal, Raji) would suggest a turn to the offense in the first round should shock no one. In such a case, WR would make more sense than a pass catching TE.


No way TT takes a wr In the first unless his name is Sammy Watkins and Sammy will be long gone. There was some pieces added on defense but they still need more work. More than offense.
 
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HardRightEdge

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No way TT takes a wr In the first unless his name is Sammy Watkins and Sammy will be long gone. There was some pieces added on defense but they still need more work. More than offense.
They why the heck were you just stumping for Ebron?
 

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Bostick should be the guy that takes the biggest step, considering he's the most raw among the tight ends on the team. If he doesn't take the biggest step then it will be a tremendous disappointment.

As for the draft, I would rather draft Niklas in the second than Ebron in the first. Ebron doesn't really play like a tight end, lots of people want to compare him to Vernon Davis but Ebron isn't nearly as physical as Davis. Ebron is really just a big slot receiver.
 

adambr2

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We do have an issue with our pass receiving corp since we can expect difficulties in signing both Nelson and Cobb for 2015, with Nelson likely the odd man out because of the age difference. I don't think we can count on Nelson giving us another home town discount.

I would agree, and he shouldn't have to. In my opinion though, that's not really what happened the first time. Nelson was still an unproven commodity who was averaging 33 catches a season for his career and never had more than 2 TD's in a season when he signed his deal. He was paid on potential, and ended up outperforming his contract -- similar to Rodger's 6 year contract in 2008.

To his credit though, he never even hinted at a holdout, which wouldn't be all that uncommon for a player in his position these last few years. I think both Rodgers and Nelson appreciated the fact that the organization took a chance on them with multi-year deals despite being relatively unproven at the times of their deals.
 
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We do have an issue with our pass receiving corp since we can expect difficulties in signing both Nelson and Cobb for 2015, with Nelson likely the odd man out because of the age difference. I don't think we can count on Nelson giving us another home town discount.

I really don´t think the Packers will let Nelson walk away after next season, actually I expect them to extend his contract this offseason, spreading the cap hit over one more season.

No way TT takes a wr In the first unless his name is Sammy Watkins and Sammy will be long gone. There was some pieces added on defense but they still need more work. More than offense.

They why the heck were you just stumping for Ebron?

In addition, then why do you think they will draft three OLs???
 
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El Guapo

El Guapo

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I think Bostick has farther to go and assumed that’s what you meant in the OP by "biggest step forward".
They both have a lot of room to move forward, the same as Ryan Taylor. Quarless could theoretically take a big step forward with a 50 or 60 catch season. Bostick could do the same. Numbers aside, I'm really more interested in seeing who will seize that #1 TE role by season's end. I believe Quarless will get the nod Week 1 unless someone wows the heck out of the coaching staff in camp and preseason. A lot can happen during the season and all it takes is a few eye-popping catches to work your way into the lineup.
 

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Both obviously can improve but just based on the number of snaps combined with receiving stats, IMO it's clear Bostick has the bigger upside at least in the passing game. Football Outsiders has a snap count search feature. I can’t vouch for it’s accuracy but it has Quarless playing 693 snaps on offense while Bostick played 142.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/snapcounts
(I included the link more for future reference than to point out what everyone would agree on - that Quarless played the majority of snaps at TE.)

As to who will be starting at TE by season's end, except for injuries and the acquisition of Ebron, my guess is Bostick.
 

rodell330

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I really don´t think the Packers will let Nelson walk away after next season, actually I expect them to extend his contract this offseason, spreading the cap hit over one more season.





In addition, then why do you think they will draft three OLs???

Easy We need depth. Sherrod may not make the cut due to his leg and inability to stay on the field from his injury, EDS is gone and we need a true center . Lang can play center but he's not a true center and looks better at guard, I think Bulaga is healed but who knows? Hip could cause him problems or even his knee? and Barclay is garbage only starting because he's a healthy body as he's right behind Newhouse in the pass blocking dept. This is why I made that statement. Not mention the fact that Tretter is an unknown at this point. Maybe he drafts 2 and signs an undrafted guy? Either way I see at least 3 new faces next year.
 
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HardRightEdge

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McCarthy likes TEs who don't block about as much as he likes smallish centers...he tolerates them when he has no other option
Omg do I have to break everything down for you? Ebron is a tightend man not a wr goodness . I don't consider him a wr because he's a tightend get it? Good grief .
Dude! You said, "There was some pieces added on defense but they still need more work. More than offense." I quoted it right there for you to see in case you forgot. Good brief, yourself.
 

rodell330

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McCarthy likes TEs who don't block about as much as he likes smallish centers...he tolerates them when he has no other option

Dude! You said, "There was some pieces added on defense but they still need more work. More than offense." I quoted it right there for you to see in case you forgot. Good brief, yourself.

HRE, good buddy oh pal. I've said this several times already, If Ebron is still there when we pick I see TT taking him vs defense as he will probably be atop of his best player available board. Can we move on with our lives now?
 
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Easy We need depth. Sherrod may not make the cut due to his leg and inability to stay on the field from his injury, EDS is gone and we need a true center . Lang can play center but he's not a true center and looks better at guard, I think Bulaga is healed but who knows? Hip could cause him problems or even his knee? and Barclay is garbage only starting because he's a healthy body as he's right behind Newhouse in the pass blocking dept. This is why I made that statement. Not mention the fact that Tretter is an unknown at this point. Maybe he drafts 2 and signs an undrafted guy? Either way I see at least 3 new faces next year.

Do you realize that we only have nine draft picks at the moment??? We can´t take Ebron in the first round, draft three OLs and still concentrate more on the defensive side of the ball than on offense as you suggested in a previous post.

I think you should think about some of the stuff you post here for a little bit longer, as sometimes it doesn´t make sense with what you posted earlier.
 

rodell330

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Do you realize that we only have nine draft picks at the moment??? We can´t take Ebron in the first round, draft three OLs and still concentrate more on the defensive side of the ball than on offense as you suggested in a previous post.

I think you should think about some of the stuff you post here for a little bit longer, as sometimes it doesn´t make sense with what you posted earlier.

Amazing smh. So out of the 9 picks that we have so far you mean to tell me TT couldn't take 5 guys on defense? Is that not enough to be considered focusing on defense to you? because it is to me. It's possible he finds our safety and mlb of the future out of the 5 Not to mention the fact that he could always trade for extra picks. So no, I don't need to think about it ...you do.
 
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Amazing smh. So out of the 9 picks that we have so far you mean to tell me TT couldn't take 5 guys on defense? Is that not enough to be considered focusing on defense to you? because it is to me. It's possible he finds our safety and mlb of the future out of the 5 Not to mention the fact that he could always trade for extra picks. So no, I don't need to think about it ...you do.

After reading over the last few weeks and months about what you want TT to do in the draft I don´t take your opinion too serious anymore and I´m not surprised that you change it on a weekly basis. Nevertheless it´s still funny that you want him to trade for extra picks now after you wanted him to trade up for Clowney, Barr and some others not too long ago.

If all five picks you want him to make now (completely ignoring the WR position in the process) on defense work out perfectly it´s possible to get our future safety, ILB and maybe help down the road on the DL. But normally not all of the picks work out and I would prefer to spend a pick on a WR and TE and the rest on defense as I don´t see a glaring need for an OL.
 

rodell330

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After reading over the last few weeks and months about what you want TT to do in the draft I don´t take your opinion too serious anymore and I´m not surprised that you change it on a weekly basis. Nevertheless it´s still funny that you want him to trade for extra picks now after you wanted him to trade up for Clowney, Barr and some others not too long ago.

If all five picks you want him to make now (completely ignoring the WR position in the process) on defense work out perfectly it´s possible to get our future safety, ILB and maybe help down the road on the DL. But normally not all of the picks work out and I would prefer to spend a pick on a WR and TE and the rest on defense as I don´t see a glaring need for an OL.

Change my opinion weekly eh? We'll blame. Mel kiper, Tod mcshay, mike mayock, Espn, and nfl network.
 
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