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Darius Watts (1 Viewer)
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diesel7982
Footballguy
Dispute could be Watts' opening
If Lelie is missing, receiver is ready to seize opportunity
Broncos receiver Darius Watts is determined to have a better season after a disappointing 2005. "I've just got to keep working, keep doing what I've got to do . . . whatever it takes," said Watts, entering his third season.
ENGLEWOOD - Ashley Lelie is not at the Denver Broncos' Dove Valley complex.
Currently locked in a dispute with the team about his role in the offense, Lelie is not running routes, not catching the football.
So, however the stalemate with Lelie plays out during the next two months, the simple truth is, at this moment, there are catches to be had in the Broncos offense.
And Darius Watts has done the math.
"I don't honestly know what's going on or how it's going to turn out," Watts said Thursday, the second day of the team's six-day minicamp. "But if he's not going to be here, somebody's obviously going to have to step up into that role."
So, after a season of frustration in 2005, would Watts like to get himself into the mix in 2006?
"Yes, I'd like that, if I deserved it, yes," he said. "If I deserved it and worked hard for it. If I didn't deserve it and didn't work hard, it probably won't be me anyway. But I've been working and I'll keep working every day, to go out there and try to do what they ask me to do."
Watts' dizzying slide down the depth chart started during training camp in August when, in an effort to give Jerry Rice more plays in the offense, the Broncos moved the aging star into the No. 3 spot at receiver and moved Watts down in the rotation.
By the time October rolled around, Watts, who had finished his rookie 2004 season with a confidence-inducing 31 catches, found Rice in retirement and Charlie Adams and Todd Devoe in front of him.
Watts was a game-day inactive for the last 10 games of the season, finishing with two catches for 22 yards. That's a long fall for a second-round pick who wore his frustration on his sleeve at times as 2005 drew to a close.
"What happened last year is in the past; you can't get frustrated about it now," Watts said. "It's business, and you've got to understand that. And whatever they did they did because they thought it was the best for the team, to better the team.
"You come back the next year and start over. Like I've said before, it ain't my decision. I've just got to keep working, keep doing what I've got to do . . . whatever it takes. If they tell me they need 15 yards every time, I need to get 15 yards every time. I've got to make sure I'm doing what they tell me to do and working."
But with Lelie's situation still unresolved and former Pro Bowl selection Javon Walker - he came to the Broncos from the Green Bay Packers in a draft-day trade - recovering from the right knee surgery he underwent last season, Watts and the other Broncos receivers find themselves with a chance to carve out a little more space for themselves behind Rod Smith.
For his part, Lelie has promised to stay away until deep into the season. (He must be on the active roster for at least six games to accrue a season of experience and hit free agency in 2007.)
And, though most Broncos teammates have publicly given Lelie some tempered support, they, too, have done the math.
"I hate to see the situation that (Lelie) is going through; I don't want it to hurt his career," Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said. "I don't want this to have to come back on him later in his career, with (general managers) looking at him a certain way, like he's not a team player, which he is, and not feeling that he's a guy you can count on because Ashley is a hell of a person, a hell of a football player, and we all know that.
"But everybody handles situations differently, and I feel like when your time is there, it's going to come. And just take your time, and in whatever you have an opportunity to do, make the best of it every single moment, and when your time comes, take advantage of it."
For Watts to take advantage, he will have to find the kind of week-in, week-out consistency that has eluded him so far. He has not always caught the ball as well as the Broncos would like while flashing quality athleticism.
NFL pro personnel directors say one reason the Broncos kept throwing Watts the ball in 2004 was because he was consistently open.
Watts has top-level quickness so, while he is a wiry 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, he is difficult for defenders to jam at the line of scrimmage.
As a result, Watts often leaves the 5-yard zone in which defenders can put their hands on receivers already with separation.
The rub for him has been to then finish those plays with the ball cradled in his hands.
By the time Watts produced a two-touchdown performance, including a quality, over-the-shoulder 22-yarder, in the Broncos' preseason finale last year against the San Francisco 49ers, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan already had told Adams that he, not Watts, would be the team's No. 3 receiver to start the season.
"I just think I have to go out and do my job. I can't worry about anybody else and what anybody else is doing," Watts said. "I have to go out there and make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.
"But I've got my own set of goals. Catch better, block better, get stronger, get faster - a whole list of things. I don't want to be great at one thing; I want to be good at everything, and I want to play. Now it's just showing them I'm working to do that."
If Lelie is missing, receiver is ready to seize opportunity
Broncos receiver Darius Watts is determined to have a better season after a disappointing 2005. "I've just got to keep working, keep doing what I've got to do . . . whatever it takes," said Watts, entering his third season.
ENGLEWOOD - Ashley Lelie is not at the Denver Broncos' Dove Valley complex.
Currently locked in a dispute with the team about his role in the offense, Lelie is not running routes, not catching the football.
So, however the stalemate with Lelie plays out during the next two months, the simple truth is, at this moment, there are catches to be had in the Broncos offense.
And Darius Watts has done the math.
"I don't honestly know what's going on or how it's going to turn out," Watts said Thursday, the second day of the team's six-day minicamp. "But if he's not going to be here, somebody's obviously going to have to step up into that role."
So, after a season of frustration in 2005, would Watts like to get himself into the mix in 2006?
"Yes, I'd like that, if I deserved it, yes," he said. "If I deserved it and worked hard for it. If I didn't deserve it and didn't work hard, it probably won't be me anyway. But I've been working and I'll keep working every day, to go out there and try to do what they ask me to do."
Watts' dizzying slide down the depth chart started during training camp in August when, in an effort to give Jerry Rice more plays in the offense, the Broncos moved the aging star into the No. 3 spot at receiver and moved Watts down in the rotation.
By the time October rolled around, Watts, who had finished his rookie 2004 season with a confidence-inducing 31 catches, found Rice in retirement and Charlie Adams and Todd Devoe in front of him.
Watts was a game-day inactive for the last 10 games of the season, finishing with two catches for 22 yards. That's a long fall for a second-round pick who wore his frustration on his sleeve at times as 2005 drew to a close.
"What happened last year is in the past; you can't get frustrated about it now," Watts said. "It's business, and you've got to understand that. And whatever they did they did because they thought it was the best for the team, to better the team.
"You come back the next year and start over. Like I've said before, it ain't my decision. I've just got to keep working, keep doing what I've got to do . . . whatever it takes. If they tell me they need 15 yards every time, I need to get 15 yards every time. I've got to make sure I'm doing what they tell me to do and working."
But with Lelie's situation still unresolved and former Pro Bowl selection Javon Walker - he came to the Broncos from the Green Bay Packers in a draft-day trade - recovering from the right knee surgery he underwent last season, Watts and the other Broncos receivers find themselves with a chance to carve out a little more space for themselves behind Rod Smith.
For his part, Lelie has promised to stay away until deep into the season. (He must be on the active roster for at least six games to accrue a season of experience and hit free agency in 2007.)
And, though most Broncos teammates have publicly given Lelie some tempered support, they, too, have done the math.
"I hate to see the situation that (Lelie) is going through; I don't want it to hurt his career," Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said. "I don't want this to have to come back on him later in his career, with (general managers) looking at him a certain way, like he's not a team player, which he is, and not feeling that he's a guy you can count on because Ashley is a hell of a person, a hell of a football player, and we all know that.
"But everybody handles situations differently, and I feel like when your time is there, it's going to come. And just take your time, and in whatever you have an opportunity to do, make the best of it every single moment, and when your time comes, take advantage of it."
For Watts to take advantage, he will have to find the kind of week-in, week-out consistency that has eluded him so far. He has not always caught the ball as well as the Broncos would like while flashing quality athleticism.
NFL pro personnel directors say one reason the Broncos kept throwing Watts the ball in 2004 was because he was consistently open.
Watts has top-level quickness so, while he is a wiry 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, he is difficult for defenders to jam at the line of scrimmage.
As a result, Watts often leaves the 5-yard zone in which defenders can put their hands on receivers already with separation.
The rub for him has been to then finish those plays with the ball cradled in his hands.
By the time Watts produced a two-touchdown performance, including a quality, over-the-shoulder 22-yarder, in the Broncos' preseason finale last year against the San Francisco 49ers, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan already had told Adams that he, not Watts, would be the team's No. 3 receiver to start the season.
"I just think I have to go out and do my job. I can't worry about anybody else and what anybody else is doing," Watts said. "I have to go out there and make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.
"But I've got my own set of goals. Catch better, block better, get stronger, get faster - a whole list of things. I don't want to be great at one thing; I want to be good at everything, and I want to play. Now it's just showing them I'm working to do that."
BigJim®
Footballguy
I thought I'd pulled a huge theft when I got Watts in the 4th round of a rookie draft. Very disappointing so far, and I may need to cut him in favor of a 2006 rookie this season. As promising as I'd like to read this story, it's somewhat telling that the story didn't have a single staff/teammate quote about his standing on the Broncos.
The story pretty much hit the nail on the head. He can get open like no one's business, but he can't finish the play by making the catch. Unfortunately, if he was going to develop natural hands, I think it would have happened by now. He's still worth a no risk pickup in deep dynasty leagues, but thats it, which is sad considering his value going into last year as the possible heir to Rod smith. I even took him in the 150s of an initial dynasty draft last June 
I've posted this a few times, and I'll post it yet again for those holding out hope for Watts.
He is a really nice kid, great work ethic, and superb physical ability. He could truly be a special WR - one of the top 5-10 in the NFL, seriously...
...except that he was involved in an auto accident as a youth that left him with a crippled hand. He & his family refer to it as his "claw". He does not have the ability to grasp footballs with that hand.
In college, his physical skills knitted to his work ethic & route running got him open enough where the ball wouldn't have to be thrown perfectly for him to cach it because he had such separation. Now that he is in the pros, he doesn't have that kind of edge and he isn't capable of plucking a ball with 2 hands - he has to either cradle to his body, pin it against his crippled hand with his good hand, or catch the ball with only his good hand. That's the reason why you'll see him make a spectacular catch followed by dropping 2 really easy passes.
It's just too much of a handicap to overcome and become a reliable WR at the NFL level. He's inconsistent & unreliable, which unfortunately has moved him down the food chain in DEN. Now with Walker in the fold, the development of Adams & Devoe, and the introduction of Marshall & Hixon through the draft, it would seem that Watts' days are numbered.
It's really a damn shame, because he's really a very likeable person who works so damn hard. But that's just not enough at this level.
If you're holding out hope that Watts will eventually get over his dropsies, it's a false hope. It's a physical problem that he just can't do anything about.
He is a really nice kid, great work ethic, and superb physical ability. He could truly be a special WR - one of the top 5-10 in the NFL, seriously...
...except that he was involved in an auto accident as a youth that left him with a crippled hand. He & his family refer to it as his "claw". He does not have the ability to grasp footballs with that hand.
In college, his physical skills knitted to his work ethic & route running got him open enough where the ball wouldn't have to be thrown perfectly for him to cach it because he had such separation. Now that he is in the pros, he doesn't have that kind of edge and he isn't capable of plucking a ball with 2 hands - he has to either cradle to his body, pin it against his crippled hand with his good hand, or catch the ball with only his good hand. That's the reason why you'll see him make a spectacular catch followed by dropping 2 really easy passes.
It's just too much of a handicap to overcome and become a reliable WR at the NFL level. He's inconsistent & unreliable, which unfortunately has moved him down the food chain in DEN. Now with Walker in the fold, the development of Adams & Devoe, and the introduction of Marshall & Hixon through the draft, it would seem that Watts' days are numbered.
It's really a damn shame, because he's really a very likeable person who works so damn hard. But that's just not enough at this level.
If you're holding out hope that Watts will eventually get over his dropsies, it's a false hope. It's a physical problem that he just can't do anything about.
aussiehockeyfan
Footballguy
Quality info here Donkey Boy. Thanks!
Here's one of the stories:
PDF file - Story on page 10
No excuses
Watts won’t blame hand injury for dropped balls
By Pat Graham
The Daily Times-Call
ENGLEWOOD — Darius Watts massaged his right hand as he talked about
the injury.
It was his way of reassuring the hand that everything was fine.
“I won’t use it as an excuse,” the Denver Broncos receiver said.
He easily could. It would explain some of his dropped passes last season.
However, he won’t take that route.
“It’s not an excuse for me,” Watts said again.
In 1999, when Watts was in high school, he was involved in a car accident
that basically turned his right hand into what he’s termed a claw. He was
driving with a friend when they collided with a city bus in Atlanta. Pieces of
metal pierced through Watts’ ulnar nerve, which controls sensation to the
ring finger, pinkie and palm.
Watts had tendons from his wrist transplanted into his hand to allow his ring finger and pinkie to return to normal.
To this day, he has trouble spreading and closing his hand.
And that makes catching a football extremely difficult.
Watts had critical dropped passes against Oakland and Atlanta last season — both in the back of the end zone — yet he never held his hand responsible. He doesn’t like to talk about the injury.
Ask him what happened on the drops, and he’ll simply answer, “I’ve got to make those catches.”
PDF file - Story on page 10
No excuses
Watts won’t blame hand injury for dropped balls
By Pat Graham
The Daily Times-Call
ENGLEWOOD — Darius Watts massaged his right hand as he talked about
the injury.
It was his way of reassuring the hand that everything was fine.
“I won’t use it as an excuse,” the Denver Broncos receiver said.
He easily could. It would explain some of his dropped passes last season.
However, he won’t take that route.
“It’s not an excuse for me,” Watts said again.
In 1999, when Watts was in high school, he was involved in a car accident
that basically turned his right hand into what he’s termed a claw. He was
driving with a friend when they collided with a city bus in Atlanta. Pieces of
metal pierced through Watts’ ulnar nerve, which controls sensation to the
ring finger, pinkie and palm.
Watts had tendons from his wrist transplanted into his hand to allow his ring finger and pinkie to return to normal.
To this day, he has trouble spreading and closing his hand.
And that makes catching a football extremely difficult.
Watts had critical dropped passes against Oakland and Atlanta last season — both in the back of the end zone — yet he never held his hand responsible. He doesn’t like to talk about the injury.
Ask him what happened on the drops, and he’ll simply answer, “I’ve got to make those catches.”
Don't laugh, but David Terrell could enter the picture here as the number three. He was a high draft pick as well but really never had a chance to develop in Chicago. He came to Denver late last year and needed to learn the offense. Now that he's been there a year and he's learning how to be a WR with a decent QB, it would not surprise me at all if Terrell emerged as #3.
so do you think the broncos just underestimated the effect this would have on watts, or did they think it was correctable? Because its hard to believe that they would spend such a high pick on a guy who has basically a fatal flaw for a WR without a good reason.
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Funny that you should mention that, because I used a very late FCFS FA waiver on Terrell last season in a dynasty league. Perosnally, I couldn't stand Terrell & his antics w/ CHI - but Shanahan has stated that Terrell is focused - he has worked out every day with Rod Smith during voluntaries in the off season and Shanahan praised Terrell highly.If you can match his physical ability with some humility & work ethic, you just might have Terrell emerge as a very good WR. By all accounts I have heard - some directly from Shanahan himself, Terrell has changed his demeanor dramatically. Maybe Smith has convinced him that his act would lead to a short lived career in the NFL these days.
I'll believe it when I actually see it, but I'm using one roster spot for him in the hope that it could be true. If so, I've got a solid WR for a few years. If not, he becomes a roster casualty before the regular season starts.
I think they were so dazzled by his incredible physical ability & attitude that at the draft slot where they took him that they thought he was worth risking the pick there. They just underestimated what a detriment the hand really was.
Bears_Man2
Footballguy
I think Terrell could be a fine #3 and 3rd down WR. The issue is the guy has to let go of the perspective he's a #1 and stop making an ### of himself after each and every catch (as few and far between as they've been).
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