Before him, I was pretty nervous about our slot receiver play. You saw after River went down how we didn't have anybody that could open up the middle of the field and our offense just wasn't the same. Calvin has those abilities and speed where he could really exploit the middle of the field and we have a lot of talent sitting on the outside, it's just young. Getting Priester and Dimry back was huge. Our offense should be pretty good again next year. Strong offensive line, good running backs, awesome QB. Now it's the other side of the ball again that will always be a question mark. Who is going to replace Shalom?
Calvin changes a lot for us next year
- Thread starter Brent H.
- Start date
My expectations of freshman is low. We've seen hype turn into disappointed many times. We'll see.
Might be a plug and play with a few guys to match what one guy could do. Really hoping Singleton can make the leap.
Travell Harris also is pretty damn quick and fast. Beating out Arizona et al late in the game is significant.
I actually like Perry at the slot back. He has more explosiveness and speed that the others who also have considerable talent.The practices will show who is more ready to play and contribute
Elite Freshmen skill players see the field early. Not saying he'll start, but if Calvin is as advertised, he'll be out there next year.
Yeah, wasn't there a freshman a couple years ago that got a lot of action with the ones in the spring game and then dissapeared. A slot receiver if I recall correctly?? Anyone remember who that was I forget.
I like him at RB. With Calvin and Harris, you already have speed burners in the slot. Having all three on the field at the same time is unfair to other teams.
I have read a recruiting guru compare him to Miles Gaskin. If he could be anything like him, then the Cougars offense is going to take another step forward.
If Perry does what Morrow did with his body early in his career, just look out. He could redshirt next year with Williams, Morrow, Wicks, and Harrington in front of him, and then battle for carries after Morrow and Wicks graduate. He and Williams together two years from now would give the backfield another gear.
I actually expect Robert Lewis to take a step up. He's not slow, generally reliable, and frequently praised as the best blocker among the receivers. He'll be on the field. And come spring, Falk will need a new security blanket in the slot. Priester offers more athleticism and big play potential, but I bet you Lewis becomes that guy. Kyle Sweet isn't bad, but I don't see him being quite as reliable as Lewis, and certainly not where Cracraft was. He and Marks were as clutch as it gets coming up with important catches when they often weren't even really open. That's where Robert will need to show growth, is making the contested grab. He's limited to an extent by his size, but if he can demonstrate that he'll have a big year. If he doesn't, Sweet and Priester will see a lot coming their way. Harris and Calvin will likely rotate in, but I don't see either of them starting in September.
Outside I like the size of the youngsters coming up and I'm glad Dimry is returning. Martin is a bit undersized for the outside, and Marks was too. I prefer to see rangier guys out there, partly for the red zone fade potential and partly for taking deep balls away from DBs. Falk may lack zip but he doesn't lack for touch. Taller targets like Patmon and Johnson-Mack and Dimry should be able to help him utilize that, now that his go-to guys have gone. Remember a lot of people thought Leaf would struggle early in '97 because Chad Carpenter graduated. Turns out there were other people on the roster to throw to.
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Please let that be the case. Bumpus is one of my all time favorite Cougs.
Perhaps, but he catches the ball for the most part, and his punting was better than our actual punter....
Guys like Sweet and lewis disappeared in big games during the regular season and the Bowl game. You need bigger and faster receivers to stretch the filed and make difficult catches in traffic.The new guys need to step up.
I sort of agree, but Lewis did not really disappear as much as he was not targeted. Sweets biggest problem is YAC. I like the new guys, but I want to see them actually play in the system before thinking they have a spot. Perhaps they get alligator arms, or struggle with the route concepts. Plus I don't think it would be crazy for Lewis and Sweet to both recognize where they went wrong last year and focus on that. Either way, battling for your spot should be a good motivator for all.
If you can't teach a kid to run as fast as he can and turn left or turn right you should be selling insurance, not coaching football.
I don't coach football, but Lewis was running free half the bowl game, and in several other games. He can't catch what is not there. As far as the new guys, I can't think of any highly touted guy since Leach got here that just jumped in and produced outside of Marks, and even he had growing pains. I know WR is not like OL as far as time it takes to get up to speed, but there is still a learning curve, and I won't be shocked if the more seasoned guys (especially Lewis for blocking alone) don't stay ahead of the new guys for a while.
You have to be able to move without the ball and create opportunities for the offense as a whole, not just yourself. There is a learning curve, let's hope that the addition of these players pushes the competition forward so everyone gets better and the offense has more success.
What bothered me about Lewis last season was that he looked scared when he was thrust into the spotlight. He's done a good job in spot duty over the years, but his demeanor was different after River's injury.
We'll see how he responds this Spring and Fall now that the job is up for grabs.
We'll see how he responds this Spring and Fall now that the job is up for grabs.
Well, Sweet was responsible for the only TD the Cougars got in the bowl game and Lewis was our leading receiver (receptions & yardage) in that game. Both also had good games vs. Colorado. (Everybody not named Gabe Marks disappeared in the Apple Cup.) So I wouldn't go so far as to say these two guys disappeared in the big games. Sweet's only a sophomore....maybe he doesn't get any better....but Leach & the other coaches must think he's good enough to see quite a bit of time. Probably not going to be a starter but part of the strong depth being built at the WR position.
Glad Cougar
The cougs will need better receivers than Sweet and Lewis to be able to beat the better teams on the schedule. If that means that they really step up their games then they need to do it. if not,the new recruits need to be coached up and step into the starting roles.That is only my opinion and we will see how the coug coaches handle the offense and the available players.
I understand not liking how the season finished, but Sweet and Lewis both have made a contribution to the WR group even when Cracraft was healthy. Lets not pretend we have zero talent at the position. If the final games tell me any position needs to be more scrutinized it would be the DB group. We didn't score a ton, no. Our D gave up an assload of points as well though.
Agreed but it cuts both ways. if the offense cannot get going then the defense will spend more time on the field. An offense can only go three and out so many times before the defense breaks and gives up a bundle of points.
Lewis has been a solid contributor since his redshirt freshman year. He's not going anywhere & is one of the toughest kids on the team. His blocking alone will get him tons of snaps & keeps him in good favor with Leach & Co.
He's not a gamebreaker, but he's a solid part of the Air Raid. I thought it was a bit odd that Falk targeted him so much in the bowl game however.
He's not a gamebreaker, but he's a solid part of the Air Raid. I thought it was a bit odd that Falk targeted him so much in the bowl game however.
I agree that lewis is a tough kid and will get his share of Snaps However the cougs need some gamebreakers
From My armchair, Harris looks better than Calvin. His highlights show incredible speed blowing past Florida competition. Looks stoutly built too with great balance.
i agree but time will tell. Calvin has all the publicity and many fans here are enthralled with him. Some posters here see him as a viable replacement for Marks. The practices will determine who will get playing time. Leach has said that the best players will play.
Calvin is not a replacement for Marks. Nobody on the roster will replace Marks and Cracraft, but that might be a good thing. Those two guys are a couple of the toughest, clutchest wideouts in WSU football history, but teams could take them away, especially while Marks had a bad wheel. He played through that leg injury pretty much the whole season and he got less separation than he has in the past, but he was still the first read.
FWIW, Cracraft was well regarded coming out of high school. He wasn't a four star guy but I think everyone knew that he ran good routes and had good hands, and he only got better through the years.
Cracraft turned out out be a very good receiver. One wonders how he will do as he attempts to play at the next level. But i disagree they will be replaced,hopefully by even better receivers.
Yes he was, but as a Freshman, while you could see great potential...he was not near what he turned out to be. I loved his work ethic, and reading about how he spent his breaks working to improve his routes and timing, etc. Working through how to get the YAC the position needs. I hope we have some of those guys now, but we will have to wait and see. Calvin looks good, so does Harris and the early enrolled kid. I also think Johnson-Mack and Martin have a shot at breaking out this year (Although Martin was pretty darn good last year) and Priester is hopefully hungrier than ever now. could be a great year to see some newer guys make some noise I just am leery of putting too much on a true freshman adapting to college life, game speed, etc.
Tom Brady and the "3 white men" prove that you don't need game breaking speed or size to have an effective passing game.
Those 3 receivers run their routes harder than anyone in the league - its about execution. They run the 10 yards, stop and break HARD back to the ball; there is ZERO laziness in their effort.
Don't get me wrong - those guys are no slouches, but I don't think anyone would compare Edleman to TO, Jerry Rice, et al.
My point is - the Air Raid is dependent on finding the open spaces on the field, but if you have a WR who jogs their route and/ or doesn't make good, hard cuts, the open spaces that SHOULD have been there won't be. I am hopeful that we don't let these kids get by on their talent alone and our WR coaches keep on them about their effort and route running.
Those 3 receivers run their routes harder than anyone in the league - its about execution. They run the 10 yards, stop and break HARD back to the ball; there is ZERO laziness in their effort.
Don't get me wrong - those guys are no slouches, but I don't think anyone would compare Edleman to TO, Jerry Rice, et al.
My point is - the Air Raid is dependent on finding the open spaces on the field, but if you have a WR who jogs their route and/ or doesn't make good, hard cuts, the open spaces that SHOULD have been there won't be. I am hopeful that we don't let these kids get by on their talent alone and our WR coaches keep on them about their effort and route running.
That is what I am hoping the new WR coach is going to bring to the table. Seems to be a lot of turnover there, and I am interested if there could be any improvement just due to instruction methods.
I agree to a point, but Tom Brady is a generational player. Probably the best player in the history of the NFL coupled with the best coach in the NFL.
The "white guy" receivers you're speaking of, Julian Edleman has the fastest shuttle time in NFL history. Wes Welker was the greatest slot receiver in the NFL during his time.
The "white guy" receivers you're speaking of, Julian Edleman has the fastest shuttle time in NFL history. Wes Welker was the greatest slot receiver in the NFL during his time.
Yeah I think Edelman is faster than people give him credit for.
Marks and Cracraft were both special but other guys can do similar things. There's been a lot of great reviewers for WSU over the years, and there will be many more.
If Priester figures it out, he could be incredible. Athletically, the guy is freakish.
