Rookie impact from Pat Freiermuth

Then when he has recovered from the beating, target him with some passes.

 

This dude is going to kill it, rookie transition be damned. I'm already looking for his jersey online

 

Sweed was drops and nothing else. Ebron is drops + a lot of plays. Drops can be fixed, sucking can't.

 

Right, I meant besides him. It was Hines and a bunch of jabrones. Heath had little competition.

AR-E wasn't close to DJ. That's crazy talk.

This year, Muth has to get whatever scraps are leftover from JuJu, DJ, Claypool, DWash, Ebron, and Harris.

I'd put his over/under at 20 catches, and that might even be high.

 

Ebron's biggest negative coming out in the draft was his drops, and he is still having trouble with it in the NFL.

 

20 the whole year????

 

Meh. He dropped 4 passes last year. Lots of really good players dropped more.

https://scores.nbcsports.com/fb/leaders.asp?range=NFL&type=Receiving&rank=232&year=

 

Yes. Whose targets is he taking away? He'll be used more as a blocker. Harris is going to eat a ton of targets that went to the WRs and Ebron last year, and they're not throwing 600 times.

 

I'm actually surprised it was that low. I still don't trust him and probably never will. I'll leave it at that.

 

I believe Ebron had 91 targets last year. I would think we may run more 2 te sets, and if Pat stays healthy he gets 40 targets...but I will not argue because I haven't seen him play in the NFL.
Also not sure how much of what sets We will actually run.

 

I'm more of worried about Ebrons blocking. He personally cost us some rushing TDs

 

I'm more worried about the coach who asked him to block Chase Young one on one.

 

That's not the only one.

 

The point about Miller is that it can be done. Sure, he had a great opportunity, but he still had to go out and make the plays. He made the transition from UVA to the Steelers just fine, so it can be done.

Of course, Freiermuth isn't Miller, but if he can even be 80 percent of what Miller was as a rookie, he would absolutely steal snaps away from Ebron, allowing him to produce more.

 

I know players are human, but when you play at this level and are being
compensated highly like these players are. You are held to different standard and rightfully so.

 

I just hope that Tomlin gets out of the way and lets the guys who can make plays make plays. If our TE's are used as threats in the passing game, then defenses are going to have to roll coverage in 2 TE sets, opening up rushing lanes AND expanding passing zones for our WR's AND RB. If they are stupidly used as not much more than extra linemen, then they are neutralized. I don't care how good of a blocker you are as a TE, you aren't going to block as well as a lineman and you're not a threat in the passing game. And if Tomlin thinks that our TE's contribution to the passing game is either blocking, releasing out into a screen, or 5 attempts down the middle for the season, then we might as well convert an undersized lineman for the position.

Pat can catch, well. He's a threat in a vertical offense. Tomlin is so one-dimensional it's sickening.

 

Man, those stats seem really questionable.

 

I get what you are saying, but it is required of a TE to block sometimes.
Watch Travis Kelce, one of the best receiving TE out there, but he will lay you on your butt too blocking.

 

That is why it is important to get Freiermuth involved as quickly as possible. Ebron just can't block.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they never get their hands dirty. I just meant to utilize them in the passing game and not get enamored with your shiny new RB. I just feel like Tomlin is going to stubbornly run the offense through Najee and not deviate even when defenses begin to gain the upper hand. Last year was a great indicator of how Tomlin is the only person in the stadium who doesn't think we're predictable.

 

Can't or won't? LOL

 

I think it is a combination of both.

 

What's the difference?