Broncos TE Wesley Duke (1 Viewer)

[Garts]

Denver was slowly working in another TE into their offence the last half of the year. His name is Wesley Duke. He was a b'ball player at Mercer but has since changed to pro football.He looked good in his limited chances, he's got freaky athletic ability....and it's not like it will be that hard to beat out Putz or Stephen Alexander.Dud or stud???

 

[thatguy]

Denver was slowly working in another TE into their offence the last half of the year. His name is Wesley Duke. He was a b'ball player at Mercer but has since changed to pro football.

He looked good in his limited chances, he's got freaky athletic ability....and it's not like it will be that hard to beat out Putz or Stephen Alexander.

Dud or stud???

Putz is a damn good receiving TE. His numbers would be far better if he were an every down TE, but unfortunately his blocking skills aren't up to par. The Broncos sure like him, though, because he's under a pretty hefty contract for the next three or four years.

 

[mac daddy]

Pretty sure I read this morning in the Denver paper that they sent him to NFL Europe.

 

[Portis 26]

Pretty sure I read this morning in the Denver paper that they sent him to NFL Europe.

Talk about the kiss of death.

 

[Tick]

Pretty sure I read this morning in the Denver paper that they sent him to NFL Europe.

Talk about the kiss of death.

Seems like the ideal thing for him. The team has both Putz and Alexander for now, and he needs reps. He seems more like a prospect for 2007 anyway.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

I watched him in camp twice this past summer. He runs with the fluid grace of a W.R. and is a great physical specimen. He worked beautifully on the blocking sled in drills where he was upright, using his hands beautifully and clearly paying very close attention to his position coach. He has very good hands, good body awareness, great leaping ability and good awareness of positioning of pass defendersOn the down side when asked to get lower in a run blocking posture he was horrid. He came up too high and too quick giving away any power he might generate. He did not yet grasp that in route running sometimes the best way to get seperation is to first close on the defender and then to make a sharp cut. His routes were very rounded allowing safties and even linebackesto keep easy track of him which should not be the case given his speed. He also seemed overly concerned with blocking traffic around his hips and knees, he is just not used to contact.All in all he is just raw, bothered by football contact, and who can balme him. He is having to adjust to NFL style contact with little prior exposure, that's an incredible thing. Still, through it all, he paid strict attention to his coaching and made improvements literally on every rep. He is defeinately a guy worth watching.

 

[Helm]

I thought it was kinda funny when he scored his only touchdown of the year. He tried to dunk it threw the goal post, ended up just hitting the post with the football and about losing his feet.

 

[Helm]

I watched him in camp twice this past summer. He runs with the fluid grace of a W.R. and is a great physical specimen. He worked beautifully on the blocking sled in drills where he was upright, using his hands beautifully and clearly paying very close attention to his position coach. He has very good hands, good body awareness, great leaping ability and good awareness of positioning of pass defenders

On the down side when asked to get lower in a run blocking posture he was horrid. He came up too high and too quick giving away any power he might generate. He did not yet grasp that in route running sometimes the best way to get seperation is to first close on the defender and then to make a sharp cut. His routes were very rounded allowing safties and even linebackesto keep easy track of him which should not be the case given his speed. He also seemed overly concerned with blocking traffic around his hips and knees, he is just not used to contact.

All in all he is just raw, bothered by football contact, and who can balme him. He is having to adjust to NFL style contact with little prior exposure, that's an incredible thing. Still, through it all, he paid strict attention to his coaching and made improvements literally on every rep. He is defeinately a guy worth watching.

 

[Bri]

he is in NFLE

 

[redman]

Given Gates' phenomenal success, every team has somebody on their roster who's got a big body and who is athletic. The 'Skins have a guy, for example, named Robert Johnson who's got all kinds of potential.

If there's even a single other "unknown" TE on anyone's roster, however, who even approaches Gates' talent level I'd be amazed.

 

[redman]

I watched him in camp twice this past summer. He runs with the fluid grace of a W.R. and is a great physical specimen. He worked beautifully on the blocking sled in drills where he was upright, using his hands beautifully and clearly paying very close attention to his position coach. He has very good hands, good body awareness, great leaping ability and good awareness of positioning of pass defenders

On the down side when asked to get lower in a run blocking posture he was horrid. He came up too high and too quick giving away any power he might generate. He did not yet grasp that in route running sometimes the best way to get seperation is to first close on the defender and then to make a sharp cut. His routes were very rounded allowing safties and even linebackesto keep easy track of him which should not be the case given his speed. He also seemed overly concerned with blocking traffic around his hips and knees, he is just not used to contact.

All in all he is just raw, bothered by football contact, and who can balme him. He is having to adjust to NFL style contact with little prior exposure, that's an incredible thing. Still, through it all, he paid strict attention to his coaching and made improvements literally on every rep. He is defeinately a guy worth watching.

DW, you clearly don't know what you're talking about so please don't clutter this thread with your useless observations. TIA.

 

[MLBrandow]

You realize gates has all the athletic ability that you claim Wesley Duke to have, except for the subtle difference that he outweighs Duke by about 40 lbs.Just thought that might be worth mentioning.

 

[Bri]

You realize gates has all the athletic ability that you claim Wesley Duke to have, except for the subtle difference that he outweighs Duke by about 40 lbs.

Just thought that might be worth mentioning.

Vincent Jackson probably has better measurables than Gates(Jackson's a "freak) but what's he done?Like you, I think Duke's got a long way to go and til he does something/anything noteworthy in the NFL he'll just be a talented guy sitting.

 

[CA_7]

Ocean's 11: NFL Europe good for Broncos' Duke

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

May 27, 2006

His off-season excursion overseas was lengthy, both physically and emotionally, but in the process, Wesley Duke might have returned stateside with his game having improved by a few miles, too.

Duke, a Denver Broncos tight end, played for the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe before returning this week.

In Germany, he experienced losing as part of a team with the developmental league's second-worst record and needed to demonstrate patience because he wasn't starting.

But the key concept is that Duke got to be around the game for another extended period. Duke comes mainly from a basketball background, having played power forward at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

His signing as an undrafted free agent last year was his first real exposure to football since his junior year in high school. So, at this juncture, just getting on the field, whether here or across an ocean, figures to be beneficial.

"His deal going to Europe was tremendous for him," Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster said. "He's got a level of confidence now that he can do this."

Duke's statistics for Hamburg were modest. He caught only nine passes for 89 yards with one touchdown during his team's 3-6-1 season. Yet, when Duke wasn't going to Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, the Hamburg Zoo or watching pro soccer and handball games on his off days, he lived and breathed his profession.

Part of his development came while working with his road roommate, Hamburg starting quarterback Todd Mortensen, on the intricacies of pass coverage. The pair watched film together, and Duke would quiz Mortensen on what keys tipped him off to certain coverages.

And despite Duke's modest role in the passing game, he did get plenty of practice working on his techniques on inside and outside zone running plays and combination blocks that are similar to skills used in the Broncos' system.

Duke has noticed the results.

"I run routes with more precision," he said. "And I understand how to fire low and get angles when you're blocking."

That doesn't mean he was satisfied upon his return to the Broncos' passing camp Tuesday.

"I still want to focus on my run blocking and being a 'mean' player on the field, just driving through people and finishing blocks," Duke said.

Duke admitted there were times when he wondered if he would be better served being in Denver's off-season program and passing camp than halfway across the world.

But, he added, he knew the team wanted him there, and "I felt that if I kept pushing and working hard, when I got back, I'd be able to show them how I've improved."

The tight-end position is wide open given the March release of Jeb Putzier, the team's third- leading receiver last season.

Stephen Alexander figures to be the starter, since he possesses the best combination of blocking and pass-catching skills. But Duke is in a mix with rookie Tony Scheffler, Nate Jackson and Mike Leach to spell the veteran and play in the Broncos two-tight end set.

Duke has the requisite athleticism to succeed. In fact, he finished fourth in a slam-dunk contest at the 2005 Final Four. He has to continue to prove he has improved in the physical aspects of the game and show that his understanding of football has reached the point where he can play naturally, without thinking everything through.

"I can't even comprehend how tired this kid must be. He's played 33 games this season and has been practicing since last April, but he's a tremendous and willing worker," Brewster said. "He came back the first day and we had to knock the rust off as far as terminology. But athletically, he did some things instinctively, where last year, you could almost hear his mind working."

Duke appeared in just three regular-season and two postseason games in 2005 with the Broncos. He caught two passes for 22 yards, including a leaping 1-yard touchdown grab in a Dec. 17 game at Buffalo.

Duke knows the expectations now are much higher for him.

Jack Bicknell, the Hamburg coach, gushed about Duke's raw potential recently in a conversation with Brewster, and it's Duke's goal to live up to those kinds of comments. In keeping with that mind-set, Duke refuses to put any limits on what he can accomplish this season.

"They expect us to produce, and it's time," he said. "You can't keep waiting forever, being a backup or a practice-squad guy."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/...4732069,00.html

 

[Bri]

Glad you posted that.

See here

http://www.detroitlions.com/document_displ...ument_id=445107

Marcus Pollard is learning to coach in NFLE and I thought Duke was on the Rhein Fire and being coached by him. That would have been odd for another team's TE to "make" Duke a good player

 

[Bizkiteer]

LMAO! The guy couldn't even win the starter position for his crappy team in NFLE. Yep, he's the next Gates!

 

[Crimedogg32]

yea you dont like to see those kind of numbers from a NFLE TE and expect him to make it big in the NFL it just doesnt happen

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Onye Ibekwe and Jai Lewis are this year's next Antonio Gates.

Wesley Duke was last year's next Antonio Gates.

Before that it was Teyo Johnson.

In fact, however, there is no next Antonio Gates.

 

[P Boy]

That Wesley was in NFLE at all says a lot about how close he is to being any kind of significant contributor in the NFL. NFL teams keep their top prospects close to home, working with them during "voluntary" conditioning programs and mini-camps. The reaches and players that are a long ways away are sent to NFLE for more field experience.

That he caught only 9 passes while playing in NFLE says even more.

That Shanahan drafted Scheffler @ TE with such a high pick pretty much closes the book on Duke, IMO.

 

[Finatic]

Onye Ibekwe and Jai Lewis are this year's next Antonio Gates.

Wesley Duke was last year's next Antonio Gates.

Before that it was Teyo Johnson.

In fact, however, there is no next Antonio Gates.

 

[Bri]

Onye Ibekwe and Jai Lewis are this year's next Antonio Gates.

I had hoped so but Lewis is playing Tackle for the G-men

 

[Ramblin' Irish]

That Wesley was in NFLE at all says a lot about how close he is to being any kind of significant contributor in the NFL. NFL teams keep their top prospects close to home, working with them during "voluntary" conditioning programs and mini-camps. The reaches and players that are a long ways away are sent to NFLE for more field experience.

That he caught only 9 passes while playing in NFLE says even more.

That Shanahan drafted Scheffler @ TE with such a high pick pretty much closes the book on Duke, IMO.

I watched every game that Duke played this year in NFL Europe. First, their QB situation was horrible as they had Brock Berlin starting most of their games and he was downright horrible until the end of the year when they started bringing him in later in the game, where he did a little bit better.It appeared to me that Duke was mostly working on blocking technique and route running. There were a lot of times that he would get open, but the QBs were so awful that they couldn't get him the ball.

Given all that, I still think that he is a work in progress, but will see some opportunites in the red zone.

Just my

 

[wannabee]

Broncos | Duke waived (KFFL) The Denver Broncos have announced the team has waived TE Wesley Duke. Fri Jun 2 5:16:00 p.m. ET 2006

 

[LHUCKS]

Broncos | Duke waived (KFFL) The Denver Broncos have announced the team has waived TE Wesley Duke. Fri Jun 2 5:16:00 p.m. ET 2006

...gotta love the shark pool sometimes.

 

[CalBear]

Onye Ibekwe and Jai Lewis are this year's next Antonio Gates.

Wesley Duke was last year's next Antonio Gates.

Before that it was Teyo Johnson.

In fact, however, there is no next Antonio Gates.

Teyo Johnson was actually supposed to be the next Gonzo; he came into the league the same year as Gates.Of course, Gates was also supposed to be the next Gonzo, and while they are different, certainly Gates can lay a legitimate claim to being the #1 TE in the league now. (Though we'll see how he survives a QB change).

 

[Frank Black]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver. Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

 

[joffer]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver. Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

my money's on Scheffler. The Stephen Alexander Kool-aid is and always has been laced with Jim Jones Juice.

 

[LHUCKS]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver.  Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

my money's on Scheffler. The Stephen Alexander Kool-aid is and always has been laced with Jim Jones Juice.

Pardon my ignorance...Jim Jones??

 

[Football Jones]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver.  Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

my money's on Scheffler. The Stephen Alexander Kool-aid is and always has been laced with Jim Jones Juice.

Pardon my ignorance...Jim Jones??

I believe he's referring to the cult leader (I forget his affiliation).

 

[joffer]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver.  Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

my money's on Scheffler. The Stephen Alexander Kool-aid is and always has been laced with Jim Jones Juice.

Pardon my ignorance...Jim Jones??

do you know where the phrase "drinking the kool-aid" comes from"?

 

[P Boy]

Per 950 The Fan in DEN:

The Broncos waived TE Wesley Duke today.

No link yet, obviously.

FYI

 

[P Boy]

Per 950 The Fan in DEN:

Broncos waived TE Wesley Duke today.

No link yet.

 

[John Mamula]

I guess he is not another Gates.

 

[LHUCKS]

I am anxious to see who the starting TE will be in Denver.  Even Carswell and Clark were able to post good numbers in Denver once upon a time.

my money's on Scheffler. The Stephen Alexander Kool-aid is and always has been laced with Jim Jones Juice.

Pardon my ignorance...Jim Jones??

do you know where the phrase "drinking the kool-aid" comes from"?

gotcha

 

[P Boy]

Given the way Shanahan loves to use his TE, this ought to push Scheffler up the list quite a bit, especially given Alexander's injury history.

 

[wannabee]

Per 950 The Fan in DEN:

The Broncos waived TE Wesley Duke today.

No link yet, obviously.

FYI

look a few posts up

 

[P Boy]

Per 950 The Fan in DEN:

The Broncos waived TE Wesley Duke today.

No link yet, obviously.

FYI

look a few posts up

Missed it with all the Jim Jones kool-aid talk

 

[wannabee]

Per 950 The Fan in DEN:

Broncos waived TE Wesley Duke today.

No link yet.

Broncos | Duke waived (KFFL) The Denver Broncos have announced the team has waived TE Wesley Duke. Fri Jun 2 5:16:00 p.m. ET 2006

 

[Two Deep]

Good now maybe he can hook up with a decent team

 

[Bri]

Good now maybe he can hook up with a decent team

I'm not sure about that. I somewhat figure that if a coach that loves the TE doesn't like ya, you've got a sorta black mark. Well, scratch that, I guess it's likely he's picked up but he'd better do well or his days could be numberred

 

[SSOG]

I guess he is not another Gates.

Don't know yet. I'm pretty sure he still has practice squad eligability, so we'll have to see if Denver adds him there.I find the move a little bit curious, just because of the NFL Europe roster exemptions. I thought that players who played in NFL Europe (like Duke did) didn't count towards the roster caps until the season actually started... so it's not like waiving Duke accomplished anything (such as freeing up a roster space to sign a new player).

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about this.

 

[Donnybrook]

Broncos | Team needs help at tight end; Lelie the bait?

Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:30:41 -0700

Mike Klis, of the Denver Post, reports the Denver Broncos may need to find more depth at tight end due to two recent injuries at the position, TEs Wesley Duke and Landon Trusty. That could lend hope to disgruntled WR Ashley Lelie that he could be used as trade bait.

Interesting speculation..

 

[Ramblin' Irish]

Broncos | Duke waived (KFFL) The Denver Broncos have announced the team has waived TE Wesley Duke. Fri Jun 2 5:16:00 p.m. ET 2006

In my defense, he did hurt his knee and will need surgery. The same one he hurt as a basketball player in '99.

 

[Donnybrook]

More info on Duke

Broncos | Duke injured knee before departure

Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:26:25 -0700

Mike Klis, of the Denver Post, reports former Denver Broncos TE Wesley Duke (knee) suffered a knee injury Tuesday, May 30, on the first day of team's passing camp. He was waived Friday, June 2. Duke will have surgery Tuesday, June 6, to repair cartilage and bone damage in the knee. "I can't tell you what happened. All I can tell you is it gave out on me," Duke said Saturday, June 3. "It's real frustrating, but you've got to be healthy to play." Because Duke suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in the same knee in 1999, there is concern about whether he can recover from his latest injury.

 

[SSOG]

More info on Duke

Broncos | Duke injured knee before departure

Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:26:25 -0700

Mike Klis, of the Denver Post, reports former Denver Broncos TE Wesley Duke (knee) suffered a knee injury Tuesday, May 30, on the first day of team's passing camp. He was waived Friday, June 2. Duke will have surgery Tuesday, June 6, to repair cartilage and bone damage in the knee. "I can't tell you what happened. All I can tell you is it gave out on me," Duke said Saturday, June 3. "It's real frustrating, but you've got to be healthy to play." Because Duke suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in the same knee in 1999, there is concern about whether he can recover from his latest injury.

He didn't just suffer an ACL tear in the same knee back in 1999. He's actually the only person in history to suffer *THREE* ACL tears, all in the same knee. If he really tore his ACL again, then that completely explains why he was released immediately without hesitation, roster excemption or no. That would make ACL Tear #4.Edit: Here's the story.

Purpose driven life

February 22, 2006

By Jehrime Chadwick

NFL Europe

Hamburg tight end Wesley Duke has overcome injury to make it to the NFL. (waynepaulo.com)

The first time it happened to Hamburg Sea Devils tight end Wesley Duke, he was in his senior year of 1999 at Meadowcreek High School, in Norcross, Georgia. It took place on the first play of the game and first game of the young football season. The second one occurred during his freshman year in college at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia however, this time it was on the basketball court. Once again, it came to pass on the first game of the season.

After countless hours of rehab, and just when you thought it couldn’t happen again, it came about. This time it wasn’t a surprise when he felt the pain. He had felt it twice before and the pain became mundane to him. It happened during practice drills the week before the conference tournament during his sophomore year at Mercer.

All three injuries are related to each other. The relationship – three ACL injuries, all on his left knee. He has gone through adversity and persevered through it all to this point in his young NFL career, but for Hamburg tight end Duke, allocated by the Denver Broncos, he doesn’t take anything for granted.

“It is a very humbling effect,” said the native of Norcross, Georgia. “You go from having the key to the city to living on the streets.”

Vary rarely do you see athletes recovering from ACL injuries, but Duke has had to overcome three ACL injuries, all on his left knee.

Duke did not play football at Mercer University because the school didn’t even have a football program. He finished his basketball career at as its all-time leader in blocked shots (173) and ranked eighth with 687 rebounds. He also became the 30th member of the school’s 1,000-point club (1,141 pts.) as a senior, producing a career point total that ranked 18th all-time in Mercer history. In 116 career games (102 starts), Duke averaged 9.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game while adding 104 career steals. You might think that his collegiate career sound a lot like another tight end who didn’t participate in football in college – San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates.

Antonio Gates emerged as one of the NFL’s most amazing stories. Gates has become a Pro Bowl tight end and was the only player in the NFL to be unanimously named to the Associated Press All Pro team last year. He led all NFL tight ends with 89 receptions, 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005. Not bad for a guy that, who like Duke, played college basketball and made the transition to tight end as an undrafted free agent.

“Antonio Gates really opened the door for me,” Duke said. “I could of gone overseas to play basketball after my career at Mercer was over, but I wasn’t really feeling the overseas thing, but now I will be in Hamburg, Germany for 10 weeks.”

Go figure.

The Denver Broncos, acknowledging the talent that Duke possessed in college, took a chance on Duke and signed him as an undrafted free agent coming into training camp in 2005. Duke was among the long list of longshots coming into training camp. Not only had he not played a down of football in six years, but after three left ACL injuries, the signing of tight end Stephen Alexander in free agency and addition of tight end Patrick Hape, Duke beat out Hape for a spot on the 53-man roster.

"We did not want to lose a guy like Wesley Duke," Denver Broncos tight end coach Tim Brewster said.

Duke spent the first five games on the Broncos active roster, but got demoted to the practice squad for the next five. He then was on the active roster for the duration of the season and even started at tight end for Broncos in the AFC championship game against the Pittsburg Steelers, who eventually won Super Bowl XL. He ended the season with two receptions for 22 yards, but one of his receptions was for a touchdown during a national televised game against the Buffalo Bills on ESPN’s Saturday Night Football – the first of his career.

“When I scored the touchdown, all I could think about was all of the hours I put into rehab,” Duke said.

There was another reason why Duke will never forget his first touchdown in the NFL.

“I made ESPN’s Sportscenter “Not Top Ten Plays” for my touchdown celebration,” the tight end said. “But I am not going to tell you what I did.”

Regardless of how his NFL career comes to pass, Wesley Duke understands that he is unlike any other person in the NFL. “I never heard of anybody tearing their ACL three times on the same knee and playing in the NFL,” said Duke. “For that reason, I know there is a purpose for me.”

 

[SSOG]

Broncos | Duke waived (KFFL) The Denver Broncos have announced the team has waived TE Wesley Duke. Fri Jun 2 5:16:00 p.m. ET 2006

In my defense, he did hurt his knee and will need surgery. The same one he hurt as a basketball player in '99...

... and again in 2000, and again in 2002 or 2003. He's had 3 ACL tears in his left knee. Denver took a chance on him because there's really no data on ACL injuries, so they didn't know if previous ACL tears made him more susceptible to future ACL tears, or if that was just sheer dumb luck that they were all in the same knee. If he injured his left knee again, that explains why Denver kicked him out of town, since he's clearly an walking injury waiting to happen. No other team in the league would even bother taking a chance on this guy.

 

[Bri]

interesting how this worked out. sorry for Wesley but he made his share of $ for playing a game so....