'15 CA WR Equanimeous St. Brown (Notre Dame Signed NLI)

[sharksamardzija8345]

Begs the question whether it was all on BW or did ESB have something to do with the poor completion %?

From my perspective, ESB was very poor in most contested balls. This is not an endorsement of BW, but more about ESB’s compete level

The wheels just fell off for everyone in the passing game.

 

[ND88]

Begs the question whether it was all on BW or did ESB have something to do with the poor completion %?

From my perspective, ESB was very poor in most contested balls. This is not an endorsement of BW, but more about ESB’s compete level

His failure to grab many of those passes was not a question of ability, in my opinion. He demonstrated several times that he could snag difficult throws. It seemed like his motivation to pull them down was the inconsistent part of his game. This could be seen as a result of his overall frustration with the QB situation.

 

[dad4aa]

His failure to grab many of those passes was not a question of ability, in my opinion. He demonstrated several times that he could snag difficult throws. It seemed like his motivation to pull them down was the inconsistent part of his game. This could be seen as a result of his overall frustration with the QB situation.

^This.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

His failure to grab many of those passes was not a question of ability, in my opinion. He demonstrated several times that he could snag difficult throws. It seemed like his motivation to pull them down was the inconsistent part of his game. This could be seen as a result of his overall frustration with the QB situation.

BW also nearly killed him in the Navy game.


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[zelezo vlk]

BW also nearly killed him in the Navy game.


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Saw that in person and was incredibly scared for EQ

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[IrishLion]

Begs the question whether it was all on BW or did ESB have something to do with the poor completion %?

From my perspective, ESB was very poor in most contested balls. This is not an endorsement of BW, but more about ESB’s compete level

I posted about this earlier in the thread, but a guy from Pro Football Focus looked at all of EQ’s targets and they were deemed “uncatchable” at an alarming rate (which isn’t a surprise to any of us who watched Wimbush throwing the ball early and then late in the season... he had a good middle portion of the year throwing the ball. We need that BW to stick around).

We talk about EQ not fighting for contested balls or laying out, but the adjusted-stat guys say EQ only had one true “drop” all year... it’s hard to compete for balls when they aren’t catchable at all.

When he did compete for poorly thrown balls, he was in harms way nearly every time.

BUT there were several deep throws over the course of the year that he probably should have laid out for, and his body language was visibly lacking at times. Can’t say I’d be able to stay upbeat at all times with the QB play that he dealt with, but you can’t be visibly loafing after poor passes, either.

 

[irishff1014]

I posted about this earlier in the thread, but a guy from Pro Football Focus looked at all of EQ’s targets and they were deemed “uncatchable” at an alarming rate (which isn’t a surprise to any of us who watched Wimbush throwing the ball early and then late in the season... he had a good middle portion of the year throwing the ball. We need that BW to stick around).

We talk about EQ not fighting for contested balls or laying out, but the adjusted-stat guys say EQ only had one true “drop” all year... it’s hard to compete for balls when they aren’t catchable at all.

When he did compete for poorly thrown balls, he was in harms way nearly every time.

BUT there were several deep throws over the course of the year that he probably should have laid out for, and his body language was visibly lacking at times. Can’t say I’d be able to stay upbeat at all times with the QB play that he dealt with, but you can’t be visibly loafing after poor passes, either.

This is bullshit he had plenty of drops. But it is becoming obvious he was just lazy here.

 

[dad4aa]

I posted about this earlier in the thread, but a guy from Pro Football Focus looked at all of EQ’s targets and they were deemed “uncatchable” at an alarming rate (which isn’t a surprise to any of us who watched Wimbush throwing the ball early and then late in the season... he had a good middle portion of the year throwing the ball. We need that BW to stick around).

We talk about EQ not fighting for contested balls or laying out, but the adjusted-stat guys say EQ only had one true “drop” all year... it’s hard to compete for balls when they aren’t catchable at all.

When he did compete for poorly thrown balls, he was in harms way nearly every time.

BUT there were several deep throws over the course of the year that he probably should have laid out for, and his body language was visibly lacking at times. Can’t say I’d be able to stay upbeat at all times with the QB play that he dealt with, but you can’t be visibly loafing after poor passes, either.

This is what I was referring to...and if you have trouble staying upbeat when you are in the hunt for the playoffs then you should stay on the bench. One layout that extends a drive can be the difference between a win and a loss.

 

[Rocket89]

This is bullshit he had plenty of drops. But it is becoming obvious he was just lazy here.

Is it becoming obvious?

 

[IrishLion]

This is bullshit he had plenty of drops. But it is becoming obvious he was just lazy here.

I’m fine if you don’t agree about the targets/drops, but at least make an effort at a decent #HotSportsTake when you do it

 

[ND88]

His performance at Notre Dame was not terrible.

At times, he exceeded expectations. Other times, he seemed to shrug his shoulders.

It is what it is.

Hopefully, he finds a better balance in the NFL.

Good luck moving forward.

 

[RDU Irish]

Saw that in person and was incredibly scared for EQ

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Ditto

If I am a team with a questionable passing game/QB in the NFL I am a hard pass on EQ. If I have a good unit and he can upgrade my WR corp - much more interested.

 

[IrishLax]

I posted about this earlier in the thread, but a guy from Pro Football Focus looked at all of EQ’s targets and they were deemed “uncatchable” at an alarming rate (which isn’t a surprise to any of us who watched Wimbush throwing the ball early and then late in the season... he had a good middle portion of the year throwing the ball. We need that BW to stick around).

We talk about EQ not fighting for contested balls or laying out, but the adjusted-stat guys say EQ only had one true “drop” all year... it’s hard to compete for balls when they aren’t catchable at all.

When he did compete for poorly thrown balls, he was in harms way nearly every time.

BUT there were several deep throws over the course of the year that he probably should have laid out for, and his body language was visibly lacking at times. Can’t say I’d be able to stay upbeat at all times with the QB play that he dealt with, but you can’t be visibly loafing after poor passes, either.

This is what I disagree with wholeheartedly. Great receivers catch contested passes all the time. EQ made zero plays like what Boykin did against LSU. NFL WRs who are productive players routinely make tough catches, or catches in traffic. That's what makes Brown, Beckham, Jones, etc. great is that they not only get separation but can snag the ball under duress.

I can think of over a half dozen passes EQ "should have" caught but didn't. And that's not even counting the 50/50 balls where he basically never, ever won.

I understand that he looks good running around in shorts. And he got good separation. But the entire point of being a big and tall WR is that you use that size to your advantage against DBs to make catches over smaller guys. He played an entire season and never had catches like Claypool, Boykin, and Stepherson had. Someone is apparently going to draft him very high, and then they're going to be disappointed/perplexed when he's a non-factor in the league.*

*Unless he starts catching contested passes, then he's going to have a long and prosperous career. But he doesn't do that right now.

 

[PANDFAN]

biggest problem that i saw from EQ in addition to the not catching the contested balls was the fact i have NEVER seen a #1 wr ask to come out of the game as much as him...doesn't have the killer instinct

 

[dublinirish]

This is what I disagree with wholeheartedly. Great receivers catch contested passes all the time. EQ made zero plays like what Boykin did against LSU. NFL WRs who are productive players routinely make tough catches, or catches in traffic. That's what makes Brown, Beckham, Jones, etc. great is that they not only get separation but can snag the ball under duress.

I can think of over a half dozen passes EQ "should have" caught but didn't. And that's not even counting the 50/50 balls where he basically never, ever won.

I understand that he looks good running around in shorts. And he got good separation. But the entire point of being a big and tall WR is that you use that size to your advantage against DBs to make catches over smaller guys. He played an entire season and never had catches like Claypool, Boykin, and Stepherson had. Someone is apparently going to draft him very high, and then they're going to be disappointed/perplexed when he's a non-factor in the league.*

*Unless he starts catching contested passes, then he's going to have a long and prosperous career. But he doesn't do that right now.

if you read EQ's combine quotes, specifically about his playing weight, perhaps being limited to a weight he felt was too light limited his confidence to fight in the air for catches against DB's. At the same time, i reckon the only S+C coach he would ever trust would be his Daddy

 

[RDU Irish]

This is what I disagree with wholeheartedly. Great receivers catch contested passes all the time. EQ made zero plays like what Boykin did against LSU. NFL WRs who are productive players routinely make tough catches, or catches in traffic. That's what makes Brown, Beckham, Jones, etc. great is that they not only get separation but can snag the ball under duress.

I can think of over a half dozen passes EQ "should have" caught but didn't. And that's not even counting the 50/50 balls where he basically never, ever won.

I understand that he looks good running around in shorts. And he got good separation. But the entire point of being a big and tall WR is that you use that size to your advantage against DBs to make catches over smaller guys. He played an entire season and never had catches like Claypool, Boykin, and Stepherson had. Someone is apparently going to draft him very high, and then they're going to be disappointed/perplexed when he's a non-factor in the league.*

*Unless he starts catching contested passes, then he's going to have a long and prosperous career. But he doesn't do that right now.

I don't see EQ being and NFL great for all the reasons you point out. And if you don't see greatness in a WR, wtf are you doing drafting them in the first two rounds? Golden Tate is an example I always go back to. Anything near him was his - he adjusted and attacked the ball in the air. He ran 4.42 at the combine and benched 12 reps, drafted 60th overall - he was almost a 3rd rounder and folks think EQ is going higher?

One of the reasons I think Smythe will have a long, productive career - he catches sh!t. Kid does his job reliably and when you throw him the ball he catches it. I bet he is picked up by a smart team at good value.

 

[stlnd01]

if you read EQ's combine quotes, specifically about his playing weight, perhaps being limited to a weight he felt was too light limited his confidence to fight in the air for catches against DB's. At the same time, i reckon the only S+C coach he would ever trust would be his Daddy

Even playing “light” he was way bigger than most college corners. Also bigger than Kevin Stephenson, for that matter, who seemed willing/able to make tough catches in a way ESB never really did. Like Pandfan said, it’s about killer instinct (or lack of) for ESB, and if you don’t have that I don’t know how you suddenly turn it on when you get to the NFL.
But, yeah, looks great at the Combine.

 

[ulukinatme]

Going back and watching some of the USC game last year, it's hard to watch EQ at times. There were some catch-able balls that he just refused to go for, and one home run catch that he probably could have laid out for but didn't even attempt. Stepherson was definitely the play maker between the two of them, even though it wasn't a big throwing day because we were running all over that defense. He has all the tools, but I don't see him being ready to compete at the Pro level. I wish him the best though, and I do hope he finds success.

 

[BGIF]

Going back and watching some of the USC game last year, it's hard to watch EQ at times. There were some catch-able balls that he just refused to go for, and one home run catch that he probably could have laid out for but didn't even attempt. Stepherson was definitely the play maker between the two of them, even though it wasn't a big throwing day because we were running all over that defense. He has all the tools, but I don't see him being ready to compete at the Pro level. I wish him the best though, and I do hope he finds success.

Common luk!

IF EQ deemed them outside HIS catch-able zone ... they weren't catch-able! And non-catch-able balls do not merit on the fly adjustments by the receiver just to make them catch-able.


Just because Floyd and a dozen other receivers caught balls thrown by a variety of QBs, (Crist, Rees, Hendrix, and Golson) with different throwing motions, speed, arc, and accuracy, regardless of whether they were thrown high, low, left, or right, ahead, behind, or even on the numbers, or dare I say it, "in stride" ... doesn't mean the balls were catch-able.

Despite the virulent criticism of Rees arm strength, Rees holds the second highest completion percentage in ND history. He owes that in part to receivers like Floyd, turning their bodies, like a corkscrew if necessary, "to adjust to the ball" and make the ball catch-able, to fight off a defender and turn an interception into a reception instead of the other way around. That's what receivers do. Well that's what they're supposed to do.

 

[IrishLax]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today's Notre Dame practice highlights include a <a href="https://twitter.com/MBoykin814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MBoykin814</a> catch that should really be slowed down to be properly appreciated: <a href="https://t.co/5SKWIDfbcd">https://t.co/5SKWIDfbcd</a> <a href="https://t.co/FpcP5fuB2v">pic.twitter.com/FpcP5fuB2v</a></p>— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/971085850695127041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Posting this practice clip here as an example of a pass that EQ barely would've even reached a hand for, much less caught. And people would be on here saying "what a horrible throw by Book! He missed him by 5 feet!" ... instead, look at that effort by Boykin to not only go for it but actually complete a spectacular catch. In practice.

Also, BGIF's post above is pure excellence and someone rep him for me please because I have to "spread it around more."

 

[zelezo vlk]

I gotcha

 

[ACamp1900]

Despite the virulent criticism of Rees arm strength, Rees holds the second highest completion percentage in ND history.

Just when I thought I was climbing nicely out of my ND Football depression I read something like this and.... full crash...

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Boykins I would think has bigger hands and probably longer wingspan which could have made that catch easier for him compared to EQ.

 

[Irish#1]

EQ is gone. Time to quit piling on day after day.

 

[ulukinatme]

Just when I thought I was climbing nicely out of my ND Football depression I read something like this and.... full crash...

Too many people could only see Tommy for his recruiting rating and not what he brought to the table. He made some mistakes from time to time, but which quarterback hasn't in BK's ND offenses? It puts a lot on the QBs shoulders, especially in seasons where we were asking the QB to throw it 30, 40, and at least once threw over 50 times in games. He averaged about 34 passes per game, and when those numbers go up a lot of our QBs have folded under the pressure. Tommy handled it better than most of them.

 

[ACamp1900]

Too many people could only see Tommy for his recruiting rating and not what he brought to the table. He made some mistakes from time to time, but which quarterback hasn't in BK's ND offenses? It puts a lot on the QBs shoulders, especially in seasons where we were asking the QB to throw it 30, 40, and at least once threw over 50 times in games. He averaged about 34 passes per game, and when those numbers go up a lot of our QBs have folded under the pressure. Tommy handled it better than most of them.

I appreciated TR... never hated on him but never was full blown Reesus either... but hearing he is the second most efficient passer in school history?? It shook me Ringo, it shook me real hard...

 

[NewBrunswickIrish]

EQ is gone. Time to quit piling on day after day.

Agree.

The more players that get drafted high the better it looks for ND.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Agree.



The more players that get drafted high the better it looks for ND.

^This


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[Irish YJ]

EQ is gone. Time to quit piling on day after day.

Yup, gone. Not saying EQ is a ND Man, but I think our WRs deserve a little grace given the quality of passing last year. Historically I was concerned about EQ (ego, family, etc.) and couldn't wait to see BW. Sometimes shit doesn't work out as planned. Hopefully BW gets it together, EQ goes high in the draft, and all is good in the world. As ND fans, that's what we all should hope for.

 

[NDVirginia19]

Man.... I wonder if he's starting to sweat/regret not playing out his last year