Bob Magaw
Footballguy
well aware of his downside... drops, inconsistency, etc...
i wonder if at times during career, he may not have been positioned as well for success as he is this year (sanchez higher pedigree QB, better OL, jets better overall than browns, first full season in new york)...
a couple points i found interesting in below recent article...
1 - they could move edwards around more, playing him at multiple positions (including slot), to exploit coverage mismatches.
2 - forgot henry ellard was WR coach, who was long time positional coach in STL, and i think was credited in part with development of isaac bruce and torry holt (drilling him on looking the ball in more).
3 - edwards is routinely trashed for his hands, but last year, his drop % was actually less than andre johnson, randy moss, new teammate santonio holmes, donald driver, TO, marques colston and dwane bowe...
4 - he isn't complaining about his contract situation, and appears focused on the task at hand (if he does well, he should get paid by SOMEBODY, if not jets)...
5 - HC ryan called him one of two most impressive players overall in OTAs...
barring injury, i think a 1,000+ yards, 8+ TD type of season and reemergence are within his reach (didn't say grasp
)...
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football..._york_jets.html
Braylon Edwards learning new wide receiver positions for New York Jets
BY Manish Mehta
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, June 3rd 2010, 7:23 AM
"The man bouncing all over the field looked nothing like the guy you expected to see in the green-and-white No. 17 jersey.
In some ways, Braylon Edwards barely recognized himself too, joking with teammates and pleading with coaches to get a little more practice time in before he called it a day.
Less than three months after Edwards didn't get a long-term contract extension, the Jets' wide receiver says he has found perspective.
"I'm having fun and I'm learning," Edwards told the Daily News. "It's more fun when you really understand what it's all about - and what this really is - which is a team game. Everybody has a role. Everybody has a part. Everybody contributes to a greater cause. Now, I'm 27. I'm more versed in football than when I was 22 as a rookie. I have a better appreciation now."
Edwards, who signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract as a restricted free agent in March, has been a standout during the team's offseason workouts, expanding his receiving portfolio. Rex Ryan went so far as to call the sixth-year pro one of the two most impressive players during Organized Team Activities.
Edwards, who has spent the better part of his career as the split end - or "X" receiver -- is learning the nuances of playing flanker ("Z" receiver) and in the slot ("Y" receiver).
It's not completely foreign territory. Edwards, after all, played flanker in his first three years at Michigan in addition to working a little bit in the slot.
"I did all the motioning, I did slot work, I did outside work," Edwards said of his college career. "So, it's not anything new for me in terms of the history of me playing wideout. In the NFL, slightly, but I played a little bit of it my first two years with the Browns."
The 6-3, 215-pound Edwards dismissed the notion that his skill set might not be suited for playing in the slot. He admitted that "it's not a secret" that the Jets' end game is to put him in favorable matchups against nickel corners from time to time.
"There's going to be times when we're going to use him inside to stretch the seams," wide receivers coach Henry Ellard told the Daily News. "A big bodied guy with great leaping ability will be able to make plays down the seam. He can manhandle a lot of guys. That's what we want to use to our advantage."
To that end, Edwards has logged plenty of extra hours trying to perfect the nuances of playing in the slot. From a technical standpoint, Ellard has worked with Edwards to shorten his stride lengths from the slot to excel in tight quarters.
Edwards' long strides serve him well outside the numbers by threatening cornerbacks on the deep route. But playing inside requires a subtle - yet critical - philosophical change.
The nature of routes from the slot calls for shorter stride lengths to help receivers better re-direct themselves if they get bumped off course.
"You're learning on the run, but it comes through repetition," Ellard said. "The more you see, the more comfortable you get, so you know exactly what you need to do in that situation the next time."
Edwards has a straightforward mindset.
"Just take your playbook home and study," Edwards said. "The good NFL players that move around, they study. That's all it is - watching film and studying."
"Whatever is needed, I can do," he added. "I have versatility. So playing in the slot is not a problem for me. If playing in the slot was a problem, they wouldn't put me in the slot…. When you put me in the slot, you create a mismatch."
Edwards maintained that he'll be able to co-exist with the Jets' plethora of pass-catching options. He's been able to do most of his damage during his career with limited catches, reaching the 80-catch plateau once (during his 2007 Pro Bowl season).
Edwards has averaged 54.6 catches per season during his five-year career. In his four full seasons (he played just 10 games as a rookie), he has averaged 60.3 catches. He averaged three receptions per game in 12 games with the Jets last season.
The goal is to maximize his opportunities, which means cutting down on dropped passes.
According to profootballfocus.com, Edwards had 70 balls thrown to him and four drops (one drop every 17.5 balls) last season. Edwards' four drops were tied for 46th among receivers.
His drop frequency was better than Dwayne Bowe (9.2), Mario Manningham (9.6), Marques Colston (10.2), Terrell Owens (10.5), Roy E. Williams (10.5) Santana Moss (12.6), Donald Driver (13.6), Davonne Bess (15.1), Santonio Holmes (15.9), Andre Johnson (16.9) and Randy Moss (17.0). (Ted Ginn had the biggest butterfingers of them all with one drop every 7.3 balls thrown his way).
But there's certainly room for improvement. So, Ellard said that he has given Edwards specific drills to improve "discipline with his eyes," to make sure the receiver is "tracking the ball all the way into his hands without taking anything for granted."
"We'll work on it until he's comfortable with it - and not thinking about it," Ellard said. "Once you have to start thinking about it, that's when you're going to get yourself in trouble."
For now, Edwards is simply having fun.
He's even pledged not to shave off his beard until he scores his first regular-season touchdown, which is at least three months away.
"I'm not going to get the ZZ Top," said Edwards, who promised to trim the beard from time to time. "I'm going to keep it a nice length. I'm not going to just let it get wild man Santa Claus."
Edwards could be in for a huge pay day as an unrestricted free agent in 2011 if he returns to his former Pro Bowl form. But he insisted that he's not concerned about a potential financial payoff down the road.
"I don't care about a contract," Edwards said. "I just want to win a championship. That's all I care about…. I just want to win a Super Bowl.""
i wonder if at times during career, he may not have been positioned as well for success as he is this year (sanchez higher pedigree QB, better OL, jets better overall than browns, first full season in new york)...
a couple points i found interesting in below recent article...
1 - they could move edwards around more, playing him at multiple positions (including slot), to exploit coverage mismatches.
2 - forgot henry ellard was WR coach, who was long time positional coach in STL, and i think was credited in part with development of isaac bruce and torry holt (drilling him on looking the ball in more).
3 - edwards is routinely trashed for his hands, but last year, his drop % was actually less than andre johnson, randy moss, new teammate santonio holmes, donald driver, TO, marques colston and dwane bowe...
4 - he isn't complaining about his contract situation, and appears focused on the task at hand (if he does well, he should get paid by SOMEBODY, if not jets)...
5 - HC ryan called him one of two most impressive players overall in OTAs...
barring injury, i think a 1,000+ yards, 8+ TD type of season and reemergence are within his reach (didn't say grasp
)...http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football..._york_jets.html
Braylon Edwards learning new wide receiver positions for New York Jets
BY Manish Mehta
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, June 3rd 2010, 7:23 AM
"The man bouncing all over the field looked nothing like the guy you expected to see in the green-and-white No. 17 jersey.
In some ways, Braylon Edwards barely recognized himself too, joking with teammates and pleading with coaches to get a little more practice time in before he called it a day.
Less than three months after Edwards didn't get a long-term contract extension, the Jets' wide receiver says he has found perspective.
"I'm having fun and I'm learning," Edwards told the Daily News. "It's more fun when you really understand what it's all about - and what this really is - which is a team game. Everybody has a role. Everybody has a part. Everybody contributes to a greater cause. Now, I'm 27. I'm more versed in football than when I was 22 as a rookie. I have a better appreciation now."
Edwards, who signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract as a restricted free agent in March, has been a standout during the team's offseason workouts, expanding his receiving portfolio. Rex Ryan went so far as to call the sixth-year pro one of the two most impressive players during Organized Team Activities.
Edwards, who has spent the better part of his career as the split end - or "X" receiver -- is learning the nuances of playing flanker ("Z" receiver) and in the slot ("Y" receiver).
It's not completely foreign territory. Edwards, after all, played flanker in his first three years at Michigan in addition to working a little bit in the slot.
"I did all the motioning, I did slot work, I did outside work," Edwards said of his college career. "So, it's not anything new for me in terms of the history of me playing wideout. In the NFL, slightly, but I played a little bit of it my first two years with the Browns."
The 6-3, 215-pound Edwards dismissed the notion that his skill set might not be suited for playing in the slot. He admitted that "it's not a secret" that the Jets' end game is to put him in favorable matchups against nickel corners from time to time.
"There's going to be times when we're going to use him inside to stretch the seams," wide receivers coach Henry Ellard told the Daily News. "A big bodied guy with great leaping ability will be able to make plays down the seam. He can manhandle a lot of guys. That's what we want to use to our advantage."
To that end, Edwards has logged plenty of extra hours trying to perfect the nuances of playing in the slot. From a technical standpoint, Ellard has worked with Edwards to shorten his stride lengths from the slot to excel in tight quarters.
Edwards' long strides serve him well outside the numbers by threatening cornerbacks on the deep route. But playing inside requires a subtle - yet critical - philosophical change.
The nature of routes from the slot calls for shorter stride lengths to help receivers better re-direct themselves if they get bumped off course.
"You're learning on the run, but it comes through repetition," Ellard said. "The more you see, the more comfortable you get, so you know exactly what you need to do in that situation the next time."
Edwards has a straightforward mindset.
"Just take your playbook home and study," Edwards said. "The good NFL players that move around, they study. That's all it is - watching film and studying."
"Whatever is needed, I can do," he added. "I have versatility. So playing in the slot is not a problem for me. If playing in the slot was a problem, they wouldn't put me in the slot…. When you put me in the slot, you create a mismatch."
Edwards maintained that he'll be able to co-exist with the Jets' plethora of pass-catching options. He's been able to do most of his damage during his career with limited catches, reaching the 80-catch plateau once (during his 2007 Pro Bowl season).
Edwards has averaged 54.6 catches per season during his five-year career. In his four full seasons (he played just 10 games as a rookie), he has averaged 60.3 catches. He averaged three receptions per game in 12 games with the Jets last season.
The goal is to maximize his opportunities, which means cutting down on dropped passes.
According to profootballfocus.com, Edwards had 70 balls thrown to him and four drops (one drop every 17.5 balls) last season. Edwards' four drops were tied for 46th among receivers.
His drop frequency was better than Dwayne Bowe (9.2), Mario Manningham (9.6), Marques Colston (10.2), Terrell Owens (10.5), Roy E. Williams (10.5) Santana Moss (12.6), Donald Driver (13.6), Davonne Bess (15.1), Santonio Holmes (15.9), Andre Johnson (16.9) and Randy Moss (17.0). (Ted Ginn had the biggest butterfingers of them all with one drop every 7.3 balls thrown his way).
But there's certainly room for improvement. So, Ellard said that he has given Edwards specific drills to improve "discipline with his eyes," to make sure the receiver is "tracking the ball all the way into his hands without taking anything for granted."
"We'll work on it until he's comfortable with it - and not thinking about it," Ellard said. "Once you have to start thinking about it, that's when you're going to get yourself in trouble."
For now, Edwards is simply having fun.
He's even pledged not to shave off his beard until he scores his first regular-season touchdown, which is at least three months away.
"I'm not going to get the ZZ Top," said Edwards, who promised to trim the beard from time to time. "I'm going to keep it a nice length. I'm not going to just let it get wild man Santa Claus."
Edwards could be in for a huge pay day as an unrestricted free agent in 2011 if he returns to his former Pro Bowl form. But he insisted that he's not concerned about a potential financial payoff down the road.
"I don't care about a contract," Edwards said. "I just want to win a championship. That's all I care about…. I just want to win a Super Bowl.""
Last edited by a moderator:
i'm aware that many are similarly down on him, and for many of the same reasons...
i'm aware that many are similarly down on him, and for many of the same reasons...
I was actually just going to post how Edwards reminds me (statistically - in terms of his radical variance game to game and season to season) of Santana Moss.
