Sterling Sharpe was he the best??

Sterling Sharpe arguably the lesser known Sharpe brother after his younger brother's antics during his Hall of Fame career. However if you followed Shannon's speech during his induction into the Hall of fame, Shannon himself, stated "I'm the second best player in my family." So just how good was Sterling?

Sterling Sharpe played 7 seasons in the NFL, and when he was forced to cut his career short, he retired as the most prolific receiver in his first 7 seasons even Jerry Rice wasn't able to match that feat. In 7 seasons this man never missed a game playing in and starting 112 straight games. The Packers had selected him 7th overall marvelling at his versatility, and toughness as wel as his athleticism, and tenacity. They were instantly rewarded for this selection when as a rookie, Sterling caught 55 passes for 791 yards and 1 td foreshadowing that isn't your average college receiver, and how could he be? He didn't approach the game like a wide receiver, because he had never strictly played wide receiver until he was drafted. In college Sterling played, running back, as well as wide receiver but didnt break out as a receiver until his junior year when he spent more time out wide. He would ultimately enter the draft with 169 receptions, 2,497 yards, 27 tds adding 41 carries for 205 yards and 5 tds. He also brought value on return teams having returned punts and kicks during college which helped him add 2 more tds to his resume. Ultimately the Packers believed they had a star on their hands and they were right. 

In 89 Sterling showed just how good he could be catching 90 passes for 1,423 yards and 12 tds. Earning him a pro bowl trip in year 2. The next 2 seasons saw his stats regress slightly by catching just 67 and 69 passes respectively. Both times hovering around 1,000 yards and 5 tds. But then Brett Favre took over in 1992. This was a match made in heaven as the gunslinger was fearless, and believed in Sharpe to go get the ball. This resulted in career highs in receptions, 108, yards, 1,461 yards, and tds with 13. The Packers finally had a deadly combination on offense. However this combination was short lived. The pair would thrive for the next 2 seasons, totalling 206 receptions, for 2,393 yards and 29 touchdowns. Showcasing what could have been. 

However in something that would make anyone cringe, Sterling Sharpe went to make a block, showing once again how dedicated he was to his team, only to collapse to the turf after a helmet to helmet blow. He would go on to lie there motionless for several minutes as the crowd watched in horror. He would ultimately walk off the field with some help from the trainers. The worst part is Sharpe was having symptoms that limited him prior to the discovery of the root cause of his injury, and all of this came during the final season of his career in which he still played in 16 games, catching 94 passes for 1,119 yards and 18 tds, before the Packers ultimately were eliminated from the playoffs. He was later named to his 5th pro bowl in just 7 seasons. In what could only be described as a cruel twist of fate, the Packers following Sharpe's retirement, went on to win the Super Bowl in 1995. Call me crazy but I feel the Packers should have sent Sharpe a ring anyway. Regardless this man had a 3 year stretch that was unheard of in the early 90s, averaging 105 receptions, for 1,285 yards, and 14 tds. The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame is nothing short of a mistake by the NFL and their voters. 

 

Tim Tebow the Tight End...a positive outlook

It seems everyone and their brother are weighing in on 33 year old Tim Tebow returning to the NFL to play tight end, and it the vast majority aren't thrilled with the idea of it. However I think there are many reasons why I believe he can and will carve out a role in Jacksonville at least this season. 

First let's take a look at his physical attributes. During his NFL playing days Tebow played quarterback at 6'3 236 lbs, and actively tried to avoid bulking up too much to be an effective passer. He has since gained 9 pounds and is reportedly in the best shape of his life, which would make sense being that he has stayed in professional sports by transitioning to baseball. He has 31 3/4 inch arms, and 10 1/8 inch hands. To put that into perspective they drafted tight end Luke Farrell who is 6'5 251 lbs has 33 inch arms but only 9 1/4 inch arms. At the combine:

4.71 40 yard dash

38.5 inch vertical

6.66 three cone drill

Approximately 22 reps on bench press

And for comparison...

2021 proday of Kyle Pitts:

4.44 40 yard dash

33.5 inch vertical

7.10 3 cone drill

22 reps on the bench press. 

33.5 inch arms 

10 5/8 inch hands 

So Tebow is essentially slower, but more agile, slightly shorter, but same weight, and actually has a better vertical jump that eats up any height/length discrepancies. Now do his physical attributes automatically mean he will be a solid tight end because they are comparable to the top tight end in this year's draft, not necessarily but he does have the proper build, and strength required to succeed.

Second I think we need to look at the overall body of work for Tebow while in the NFL. During his time with the Jets, Tebow was asked to serve as more than just a QB, and in fact spent time blocking and playing special teams as a personal protector on the punt team, he split out in the slot and was thrown a pass, threw 8 passes, and ran the ball 32 times. Long story short he basically played h-back for them while also being tasked with playing backup QB as well. Tebow has always had an ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact when running with the ball, in theory finding ways to get him the ball in open space is a smart move for a man who once was responsible for 12 rushing tds, and an average of over 5 yards per carry. I could see Tebow actually playing a role closer to that of fullback with him lining up in the backfield to create mismatches and give them the ability to hand the ball off to him at times. Coming out of the backfield will completely remove any inexperience at getting off the line of scrimmage while being jammed at the line. I would expect him to be used in motion a lot to keep db's or lb's from getting their hands on him easily. So Tebow provides ability to play on special teams, provides gadget play ability, and at worst can soak up a target or two a game as a backup tight end for the league minimum as a 1 year experiment. What's there to lose? As if he didn't have enough encouraging aspects, his peers seem to be taking him seriously by inviting him to "Tight End U" a camp where he will work out with the best in the business quite literally, with Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Zach Ertz, Darren Waller, Kyle Pitts, Mark Andrews, Eric Ebron, David Njoku, Evan Engram, Oj Howard, Noah Fant, Jonnu Smith, Tj Hockenson, Robert Tonyan, Mike Geiseki, Cole Kmet, and recently retired Greg Olsen. Which is both an opportunity for Tebow, and for the Jaguars to allow a low risk experiment at tight end get training with the exact guys you would want a developmental tight end training with. 

Another reason I am optimistic about his ability to transition to tight end is the recent transition of Logan Thomas. Thomas made the move to tight end after spending most of 3 seasons as a quarterback following a somewhat similar path to Tebow albeit a much more expedient path to the transition. On November 28th 2016 Thomas decided to take the Detroit Lions up on a practice squad contract offer to play tight end. Whoever was giving him advice at the time knew what they were talking about, it took 2 days after news broke of his position switch before the Bills signed him to finish out the season as their 3rd string tight end. In 2017 he started to see playing time and would progress as a receiver over the next 3 years before exploding with 77 receptions last season. Why is this significant? 

Simple, Tebow in terms of football years has just 3 seasons of wear and tear on him. He played minor league baseball for the meantime and has miraculously...avoided any major injuries during his entire professional career in either sport. Yes he is taking up this new position at 32 years old, but this is a guy who arguably started this transition 9 years ago when he was traded to the Jets and they began to use him on special teams, and in other ways on offense. He is also on a roster made up of James O'Shaughnessy (29 years old) who caught 28 passes for 262 yards and 0 tds, Chris Manhertz (29 years old) caught career high 6 passes last season, Tyler Davis who didnt catch any passes last season as a rookie, Ben Elefson who caught 1 pass, and rookie 5th round pick Luke Farrell, not exactly stiff competition. Just a brief look at the roster and one could see how keeping O'Shaughnessy, and Manhertz is highly likely, while I expect Tebow, or Farrell to man the 3rd roster spot. However with the modified practice squad rules Tebow can't be ruled out as a short term practice squad addition as he takes a couple extra weeks to adapt to the position. His abilities as a runner means he adds depth in the backfield in emergency situations as well, think of him as a poor man's Taysom Hill with far less responsibility as a passer, these things can't be discounted when considering who to keep on your active roster. 

Honestly the person he maybe in direct competition with for touches is Laviska Shenalt. Shenalt is one of these new age hybrid wide receivers that are used as runners due to their size and durability. He caught 58 passes for 600 yards 5 tds, while adding 18 carries for 91 yards, 2 tackles, and 1 forced fumble. Now I'm not suggesting the Jaguars would take touches from Shenalt a guy who by all appearances had a really solid rookie year after the team spent a second round pick on him, however Tebow would essentially be a bigger version of the same player although more polished as a runner and less so as a receiver. Then when you also consider they drafted Travis Etienne and have so far exclusively played him as a receiver, the snaps that would in theory go to a guy like Shenalt are being threatened or, in turn the snaps Tebow would get are being threatened by guys the team has much higher investments in. 

Ultimately I think Tebow has roughly a 60/40 chance at making the roster. His position versatility as a runner and a guy developing as a receiver allows the Jaguars to view him differently from the average tight end. Honestly if you view him as a fullback more than a tight end, similar to a guy like Kyle Jusczyk who could be seen running the ball 5-15 times a year, as well as 19-40 receptions, while also playing on kick coverage and return teams, and serving as a lead blocker at times. If that's the case suddenly he is in competition with bottom end of the roster guys at multiple positions depending on how well he performs in each aspect of the game. If he shows that he can actually be a viable receiver, maybe you keep him instead of guys like rookie wide receivers Tim Jones, Jalen Camp, Josh Imatorbhebhe, or veteran guys like Jon'Vea Johnson, Josh Hammond, Terry Godwin, and Colin Johnson. With Shenalt, Chark, Jones, Dorsey, and Agnew atop the depth chart the Jaguars could be much more inclined to keep extra depth at tight end, a perceived weakness versus wide receiver or running back which are perceived as strengths at the top of the roster. At running back they could opt to keep just 3 guys with Tebow serving as an emergency option. When you have James Robinson who topped 1,000 yards last year, Carlos Hyde who topped 1,000 yards last year, and first round pick Travis Ettiene you can quickly see why guys like Dare Ogunbowale, Nathan Cotrell, or Devine Ozigbo become overkill at running back especially with an accomplished runner like Tebow on the active roster should you need someone to plug in to finish out a game. When you begin to look at the roster as a whole you realize he has a real shot here in Jacksonville, especially when he has a head coach that believes in him more than any other coach ever has. If I were a betting man, my money would be on Tebow making this roster as a sort of defacto 4th tight end, 4th or 5th running back, and to play on special teams. He may only see around 10 touches all season long but he and everyone else involved should consider it a win if he even makes the roster out of training camp. 

Eagles draft 4 different players aimed at rushing the passer?

The Philadelphia Eagles value the big bodies in the trenches unlike any other team in the league they have had an unprecedented run drafting offensive and defensive lineman in the first and second round in the last two decades under Howie Roseman and Company. And this season was no different, although I was slightly shocked to see our team draft or separate defensive lineman or Edge rushers.

Even after an offseason that saw us jettison a versatile guy like Malik Jackson, and re-sign a depth player like Hassan Ridgeway at defensive tackle, the Eagles spent a third-round pick, a 5th round pick, a sixth- round pick, and a seventh-round pick solidifying a position that still holds names like Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and Derek Barnett. At first glance this is an extremely unnecessary investment, however that may not be the case exactly. 

If you take a look at some of these guys or seems the Eagles have definitive roles in mind for these guys, and needs that may not be apparent now, but will become apparent by the 2022 offseason, when guys like Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Hassaan Ridgeway, Ty McGill, and Genard Avery hit free agency among other lesser known players. Guys like Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Terron Jackson, and Patrick Johnson all of a sudden it rolls that make a lot of sense heading into 2023.

First let's take a closer look at Milton Williams, the guy who is listed as a defensive tackle but has the quick-twitch ability and lacks the size the play full time at defensive tackle in the NFL. Although many teams believe that he can continue to add weight, considering the fact that he bulked up nearly 50 lb in 3 years of college, but I see him as a developmental version of Cameron Jordan from The Saints. Cameron Jordan is a 6-foot for 286 pound 4-3 defensive end. However his bigger body, and strength allow him to at times shift inside and play defensive tackle as well. This is a roll I could see Williams stepping into. This is the same role that Malik Jackson just vacated. Having a guy that fits this need, is something the Eagles have gone out of their way to ensure they have a player to sub in when Hargrave a more natural nose tackle, comes off the field on 3rd down, and I believe that will be Williams role in 2021.

Marlon Tuipulotu, is a 6'4 305 lb natural 4-3 defensive tackle who is almost a perfect clone of former 4th round pick Ridgeway, who will likely be leaving in 2022 offseason. He is a guy who needs a year or two to develop and learn the NFL game but should become solid depth as a 4th tackle. 

Terron Jackson is a good fit and had solid production at a small school at Coastal Carolina. He produced 24.5 sacks as a 4 year contributor, but has some weaknesses that could keep him as simply a depth player. At 6'2 254 lbs some have speculated he could be moved to 3 technique if he adds weight but I think he is likely to stay at end long term. He had solid junior and senior seasons with 18.5 sacks. 

Finally we have Patrick Johnson regarded as an outside edge rusher he played as a 3-4 linebacker prospect however the Eagles have a similar player in Genard Avery who plays a strongside linebacker role despite rushing the passer nearly every snap he is on the field. Josh Sweat is also an undersized lineman that is known for his speed off the edge. Johnson is their developmental prospect to replace that production next offseason.