end of season grades and next yrs. outlook......... te's

At first glance, it appears that the te position consists of heath miller and everyone else, and that's not far from the truth.... but take a closer look. This unit is a secret weapon on this team.. we are one of the few teams that actually have pure te's on the roster. These guys aren't just bulked up wr's.. These guys block, move the chains and are generally throwbacks... we take guys like miller for granted, but even with all the other weapons on the team, remove miller from the equation and the offense just doesn't click.... Expect to see a comp pick used on a te to continue the tradition. This unit is very underappreciated, so let's take some time and appreciate them now.

Heath Miller: A true te in every sense of the word. Not the fastest by any stretch, but gets open and moves the chains. An excellent blocker who is responsible for more extra running yds. for the backs and wr's than most realize... His career is winding down a bit now, and may come to a close in the next 3 yrs.... he's dropping a few more passes than we're accustomed to seeing, but his stats this yr. were still extremely good.
expect more of the same from him next yr., and look for him to help develop any young talent that gets brought in to continue the tradition.
Final grade: B

Matt Spaeth: The best blocking te in the game today... Spaeth is such a good blocker that sometimes I wonder if he could bulk up and become a tackle.. It still kills me sometimes that at 6'7" he isn't more of a threat in the red zone, but for the most part i'm over it. Might be the slowest te in the game, but as the ravens found out in wk. 9, if you sleep on him, he can beat you. For all his blocking prowess, I would like to see him on the field more often... his injury history is well known, and this season was no different, but when he's available, his blocking skills make things go.
Final grade: C+

Michael Palmer: An above average athlete at the position, but is stuck behind the big 2.. When he does get in the game, it's more as a decoy. His 1 reception did go for a td, but I don't see him back if we draft a young te with more upside.
Final grade: C-

Next up: linebackers

 

I agree with your grades I just don't think we have the right fits around them . Other Teams that have throw back TE'S also have great OG pullers and usually Big Strong Tackles to go with it.

I am not knocking this group , but if we are going to continue to use these types of TE'S we need to upgrade the OL in the correct way and get a couple more good young RB'S .

 

Heath is not an excellent blocker anymore. He's still above average, but that's it, and there's no telling if that will last into next season since his decline is very noticeable.

 

Heath's play was alarming at times. I have never seen him drop so many passes. Hoping he returns to form next season.

 

I hope so, but I doubt it. Age, injuries, and the accumulation of hits take their toll. It's kind of like Welker, where you're used to seeing him catch everything that comes his way, and then suddenly there's a few drops ... and then a few more.

 

I agree with the grades. One thing about Heath, since his ACL surgery he yards after catch have gone done to zero. He leans in so much when running to protect he knees and practically falls when touched. When we watch as a group as soon as he catches it everybody just yells OKAY now fall down. I would give him a B- now. He has good stats this year but he was also thrown to a lot. Just think if he had some YAC he would be something. We do need to start looking for his replacement in the next couple of years.