James ranked in bottom 5 of TE's.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...letter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nfl

I didn't realize he was that bad, but he very well might be.

I know they tried to upgrade the unit signing the damaged goods Green last year, and then did nothing to take another shot in the draft, even when they knew Green was toast. (scratches head)

McDonald....lower tier player, as was proven again this season.

Jesse James' name has been in the news lately, but not for the right reasons. His "non-catch" against the New England Patriots is a perfect example of how James' career has gone so far. He is a talented receiver who just can't seem to put all of his athleticism together to be a consistent asset in the passing game. James can create separation and win when the ball is above his head, but his lack of physicality in the middle of the field limits his effectiveness on certain routes. James struggles as a blocker and can be easily moved off of the line of scrimmage in the run game. James is an adequate second or third tight end, but he shouldn't be a starter in the NFL.

 

If he didn't have a 'cool' name and if he went to Kansas St instead of Penn St, there'd have been more vocal calls for his replacement in these parts.

The Outlaw is nothing special, and he ain't the second coming of Heath Miller.

 

What's your agenda here? My response to the bull****. Yeah ...so....what. 11and3 so suck on it

 

He's not Heath Miller, but he's picked his game up the past few weeks. At least he stays on the field which is more than I can say for the last couple of athletic TEs the Steelers have brought in to replace him!

 

Don't think I would put him in the bottom 5, but definitely in the bottom half of the league.

 

He got an inferiority complex when fans yelled Heath even though it was him catching ball.

 

Ben could've made a better throw too instead of making JJ stretch out lol

 

I've watched Jesse since his college days of Penn State. At Penn State he often dropped the ball. I'm talking like dead smack in your hands, drops.

I don't think he will ever be a Heath Miller, and I don't think the Steelers ever expected him to be.

Why else explain the Ladarius Green and Vance McDonald signings.

I don't think he is down right terrible, his pass catching and blocking have improved since his rookie year.

He will never be a pro-bowl player. But, he isn't bad. Not terrific, but decent.

That being said I think the Steelers will seriously be looking for a future TE1 in the upcoming draft.

Wouldn't surprise me to see one drafted in round 1 or 2.

One to keep an eye on, is from the same college James played at it. Penn State. Mike Gesiki. Built, like Jesse James but way more athletic, and he catches dang near everything. His blocking would need work to get it to an NFL level.

 

I can remember everyone wanting Tyler Eifert in the draft.

Seems like he's played like a while 8 games for the Bengals, that guy is always hurt.

 

Following a legend like Heath is always a challenge but I don’t think the Outlaw has been near as bad as people make out to be. I don’t get all the bashing with him.

 

He was throwing the ball away from the defender. Sure, it wasn't a perfect throw, but James deserves the blame for the incomplete pass there. He had it in both hands and controlled it. If he had been aware enough to complete the catch first, it's either a touchdown or the ball inside the one with 28 seconds remaining.

James is clearly in the bottom half, probably even the bottom third of the league among tight ends. He's had a few big games, but that is mostly because he's got so much talent around him. The tight end is going to find plenty of openings with Brown, Bryant, Smith-Schuster and Bell all catching passes, a quality running game and a quarterback who is still among the top 10 in the league. I know Bryant is disappointing, but he still figures in there because any defense is going to pay a hell of a lot more attention to him than it will to James.

The Steelers want James to be a backup. He is only starting because McDonald can't stay healthy, and McDonald isn't anything special, either.

 

He's not that good. He's a below average blocker and average as a receiver. We traded for VM because the other guys aren't good enough. What did tomlin say they were playing junior varsity football? Not playing varsity football? It was something along those lines. When the coach makes a comment like that it should speak volumes.

 

What team doesn't want a tight end it can send down the seam? That's part of the value of the position. James is limited in his route tree, inconsistent when it comes to tough catches, below average as a blocker and he made a killer mistake that played a major role in the Steelers' loss to the Patriots. It isn't about the type of tight end. It is about James being a No. 2 tight end forced into the No. 1 role by injuries to Green and then McDonald. His numbers are inflated by the talent around him and they still aren't particularly good.

 

Heath's recieving numbers suffered because of our abysmal offensive lines during the majority of his career. We had to use him as a blocker a lot back then. However, Heath was definitely more of a sit in a zone receiver than the athletic tight ends we see today.

While I agree Gronk has talent around him he definitely doesn't have the same talent at wr as the Steelers. Edelman was a big part of their arsenal and losing him d finitely hurt.

 

^This so much this.

 

Actually, Heath Miller was fantastic going down the seam when the Steelers drafted him. In fact, his ability to make big plays was a key reason the team drafted him so high. He was a complete package at tight end, but people forget that because he had slowed down a bit by the end of his career.

James has improved, but he is still below average as a blocker and limited in his route tree.

That James's numbers are inflated by the offense around him is a fact. Yes, Gronkowski an Ertz have talent around them, but neither has a receiver on the level with Antonio Brown or a running back like Bell. Gronkowski and Ertz both lead their respective teams in receptions. Gronkowski has 64 receptions for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns with a game lost to suspension. Ertz has 63 receptions for 719 yards and six scores despite missing two games with an injury.

James has only 41 receptions for 363 yards and three touchdowns, not even close to the production of Gronkowski and Ertz. His production isn't even close to Kelce's level even though the Chiefs receiving corps is much weaker than what the Steelers have. Witten's numbers are closer (56 catches for 506 yards), but still significantly better than those provided by James. My argument regarding the talent around Miller holds up just fine.

The last bit is just an opinion, but you have to secure the catch first. James failed to do that. The first job is always to secure the catch and he forgot that with the game on the line.

It's only slightly relevant to the overall discussion. James is a below-average tight end who should be a backup. He clearly gets slack around here because he's a local kid (South Allegheny High School) who went to Penn State.

 

James can’t block, he’s slow, gets tackled easy but his hands are pretty good. Vance was doing better but he shook golsons hand and stone colds music hit lol

 

If Miller was in his prime right now how would you rate him vs others ?

 

My opinion is at this point in the season we need known commodities.

I don't know what Vance can give us on a consistent basis? Haven't seen enough of him.

James can get open and does have good hands.

 

Jesse " bang bang" James can avg a td a game. He was last year before Ben got hurt. He is an underrated player just like Heath. Heath was way more important and a X factor to us then to the league. Tje outlaw is a very good t.e that gets opened and will/Is a factor snd offensive weapon