TE's and willJ

whats everyones thoughts on the TE situation and if we keep 4 te's does that mean and end to will J as a FB or do we tie up 5 spots on offense? remember we have:

egnew (futures signing with some expierience)
blanchflower (recent draft pick)
heath (aging)
spaeth (aging)
james (recent draft pick)
cameron clear (recent UDFA that they visited and brought in for a visit) (also some have considered as a tackle)

then where does that leave the under used will J.?

 

At this point, I have included Will J. on my 53 projections, but I still feel like it might not make sense in all honesty. He doesn't play enough snaps to justify a given roster spot. We don't take advantage of his skills in any way shape or form.

 

I think any experiment that involves turning a TE into a FB/lead blocker or has a true fullback splitting time as a TE is doomed for failure. I think the David Johnson years that saw a jack of all trades master of none approach may have tainted my opinion on the matter but I still feel that a solid lead blocking FB is something this team needs. I'm sorry but the laundry list of TE's that Mac listed do not inspire me as either solid blocking at the point of attack TE's nor do they scream lead blocker either.

We are less than a month removed from when most members were stating that TE was not a position of need and that Miller and Spaeth had things locked up with Blanchflower looking to make an impact in camp. Now after the draft there is hand wringing over missing a guy they were never taking in the first place and the drafting of James who from what I have seen has potential but is very raw. So to me using anyone not named Will Johnson as a lead blocker is a mistake and a misuse of personnel.

This isn't the best video of the play but it does show why you need Will J on the field
[video=youtube;r9cBILyBOLQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9cBILyBOLQ[/video]

This next one I believe the guy is a Bengals fan but he does illustrate why they need Miller and Johnson as well as the whole OLine blocking like they have been.
[video=youtube;xN2XXMeQ5LA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN2XXMeQ5LA[/video]

 

You're right, Will Johnson doesn't get enough snaps. I say that not because he belongs off the team, but because he's good enough to deserve more. I can't get on board with cutting someone because they are better than our coaches realize. He's not even misused, he's just not used enough. He contributes moderately to our offense and plays special teams, and could do more at any time, if we feel like giving him the opportunity.

And who is our lead blocker, if not him? Some tight end playing where he doesn't belong? We've got our fullback, and he's a guy that also plays tight end, running back, and special teams. "Jack of all trades and pretty good at all of them" is a good thing. With no one else capable of fulfilling his role, and no one on the horizon, I'll flip if he's cut.

 

i'm of the belief that will j. is as good of pass catcher as any of the TE's and is a needed lead blocker. with spaeth healthy as a helper for the tackles will j's role should be used more in the passing game as a receiver and true FB. i'm not certain we need another TE on the roster right now. blanchflower may get the nod though as a 3rd. clear and james could see PS time for a year or two. clear may become the next spaeth down the road. james or blanchflower seem destined to take heaths spot in the future. egnew i'd like to see more from come preseason. he's more of a receiving threat.

 

Will J. is so underused!

If you are going to steal touches away from LevBell, Id rather it be him than Dri.

 

Truth we've all been saying it

 

I haven't. I love Will, but I'm not going to go out of my way to get him the ball. He's a guy that will get it done, not blow open the offense like Archer could. Will should be on the field being versatile, but manufacturing touches for him is a little silly, I think.

 

He needs a bigger role. Is he an offensive savior? Nah, but would he have been a better option than Ben Tate in the playoff game? I believe so. He is underused and there are only so many touches to go around, but I think he could be a difference maker. As far as archer goes, I hope he blows the lid off of all the banter. I'm a fan but it's up to the coaches getting him involved CORRECTLY, CONSISTENTLY ETC... and then him to make it look like a wise decision. Every offseason we're promised more Will J and never see it transpire. He could be a good couple or few options a game guy that could make a significant difference. Archer too if he pans out

 

Honestly another tool to gimmick game plan with and keep folks guessing, but is a versatile threat disguised in multi alignments

 

Very crowded at the TE spot,I agree with you Mac, Will J can catch just as good as any other TE currently on the roster. How many will they keep?

 

Tomlin often talks of how underrated Will J is. Obviously doesn't say it to Haley, though...

We know why David Johnson didn't work out - they put him in as FB but didn't actually give him training time at the position. Like snack says, Will J. is a different player altogether, and plays an important role.

 

Will Johnson should get a hat. He is the only true fullback on the roster right now although Haley's use of a fullback is minimal at best. If James, Blanchflower ect. can do double duty maybe he goes. But he has had time in this Offense. Spaeth or Will Johnson? I would take Johnson. Heath, Johnson, Blanchflower and Jesse James. They will keep 4.

 

I don't think anyone debates Will J's role on this team. My only point above was...if you are only going to use him on 5% of the plays, maybe a 6 CB or a 5th corner would be a better use of a roster spot. That being said, I probably wouldn't keep a 3rd QB right now either, so there is that.

 

I don't know how many plays WJ was in for last year, but I know this....

We rushed the ball 423 times last year. WJ got 2 carries. For the record that is the same number as our backup QB and 1 more than our punter. Good for 9th on the team.

We passed the ball 612 times as a team. WJ was targeted 10 times, the same number as Dri Archer. Only 5 more than Heyward Bey.

Now, like I said, it would take someone over at SteelerDepot probably to pull his total number of plays on the year, but we had 1035 plays he shows up this way in 12 plays. That is .0116 of the plays. Sad.....

 

that's just it, he is that target we could and should use in those red zone situations. we already need help in that phase of the game and will j. is not being highly scouted as a weapon anywhere on the field so his being open and undefended in those situations not only could help with TD's but then also free up less defenders on someone else if they do start to use him there. he has good hands. he's not small. not only red zone but first downs in certain situations. the more things defenses have to prepare for the more we can do on offense. it should be part of a basic offensive game plan.

 

The important stat you're all missing is how many times he was wrongly identified by Phil Simms.

 

I thought we recently gave WillJ an extension...I could be wrong, but I think he makes the team and hopefully plays a bigger role.

 

Since when is it sad when a fullback/TE barely gets any touches? We have awesome weapons all over: receivers (including the best in the game), Bell (the best in the game), Archer, and Heath. Why are you measuring his value to the team in yards and touches? It's not his role.

It's "sad" for him that he doesn't get more touches because we all know he's capable of handling more. Which is why we all say, "Play Will more." But the number in itself isn't sad. He's a fullback. The number of times he carries the ball has little to do with his value to the team. You might as well claim Antonio Brown's rushing stats are sad, or Cam Heyward's interception stats are sad. Can we "justify a roster spot" for them?

 

Im coming from the platform of why did we have to have another back in the playoffs? We had a more than capable back and more than capable te's to lead block... Another out of nowhere alignment. I agree, he's a fullback with tons of usable upside to the extent the coaches promise every year for more of a showing... Lip service. Get the ball to the playmakers etc... He is a playmaker and can be a difference you know when we decide to bog down a vomitus amount of times throughout the year. Just another viable option bro and a missing ingredient due to use... A la my feeling on archer as well. But we'll see