Spring Football starts March 30

[721Comstock]

99 days from now.

Slacker.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Slacker.

If I put out the charcuterie board this weekend, it'll be stale by September.

 

[TheCusian]

I think that is part of the problem it seems he wants every pass throws to him or he has attitude. A true captain wants to play well but also all his teammates to excel. The ball needs to be spread around for the team to be successful.
That’s one of the reasons I worry about TD is that he tends to focus on one receiver. That needs to change.

I think this is your projection on him. He gets frustrated when he’s open and the ball doesn’t come his way, yes. But that’s true for all WR.

His fire and competitiveness is not that far removed from Dungey’s, IMO. The team feeds off him. I’m hoping a little maturity helps him channel it better.

 

[Trueblue25]

May cause a little frustration on Taj’s end that Tommy seems a bit unwilling to throw anything near a 50/50 ball. Harris is slender but he has shown the ability to pull off some remarkable circus catches

 

[721Comstock]

May cause a little frustration on Taj’s end that Tommy seems a bit unwilling to throw anything near a 50/50 ball. Harris is slender but he has shown the ability to pull off some remarkable circus catches

Taj has also given up on numerous routes, and not fought for 50/50 balls, both of which led to interceptions.

He’s a talent, but also a diva.

 

[JRHEETER]

Taj has also given up on numerous routes, and not fought for 50/50 balls, both of which led to interceptions.

He’s a talent, but also a diva.

i agree, I’ve seen taj give up on far too many routes.

he can be special, but his attitude does need to be in check.

I think it’s more a maturity thing and hoping he found it in this offseason and he can go off and be next level for us.

 

[Domedog84]

Ahhh the Taj posts. A tradition unlike any other. At least this means the season is within sight

 

[721Comstock]

Ahhh the Taj posts. A tradition unlike any other. At least this means the season is within sight

Returning to the board like the salmon of Capistrano.

 

[CbusCuse]

Returning to the board like the salmon of Capistrano.

 

[Orijinal]

Taj has also given up on numerous routes, and not fought for 50/50 balls, both of which led to interceptions.

He’s a talent, but also a diva.

This is really interesting if true. I find it difficult to follow receiver routes on the television screen since it's always centered on the line of scrimmage. I suppose if I went back and rewatched some game tape and focused only on the receivers, I would find something.

If it's true that he gives up every now and then, then that clearly demonstrates an attitude that needs to be refined.

He seems to want the ball, plays with passion, and also gets upset with himself when he can't make a defender miss. All of these I would say are positive traits. Yelling at the QB is not one of those positives, and neither is giving up on a route

I wonder if some of the giving up, though, is because he just ran 40 yards downfield and then is asked to turn it all on again on the next play. Just spit balling. I don't know

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[money3189]

This is really interesting if true. I find it difficult to follow receiver routes on the television screen since it's always centered on the line of scrimmage. I suppose if I went back and rewatched some game tape and focused only on the receivers, I would find something.

If it's true that he gives up every now and then, then that clearly demonstrates an attitude that needs to be refined.

He seems to want the ball, plays with passion, and also gets upset with himself when he can't make a defender miss. All of these I would say are positive traits. Yelling at the QB is not one of those positives, and neither is giving up on a route

I wonder if some of the giving up, though, is because he just ran 40 yards downfield and then is asked to turn it all on again on the next play. Just spit balling. I don't know

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

 

[Domedog84]

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

This right here is where it's at.

 

[AngryOtto]

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

My other issue is his lack of blocking to help spring a rb or another wr. When he gets the ball he shows great intensity and fire but he needs to show that on every play. If he wants to make the nfl that is what teams will be look for in a player.

 

[721Comstock]

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

all of which is why many think he should be in the slot, not out wide.

Taj is a RAC machine; he's elite WITH the ball in his hands.

He is NOT elite at getting the ball into his hands.

So - let's make the "getting the ball into his hands" part easier and happen more often, so he can then do the things he is really, really great at.

 

[money3189]

My other issue is his lack of blocking to help spring a rb or another wr. When he gets the ball he shows great intensity and fire but he needs to show that on every play. If he wants to make the nfl that is what teams will be look for in a player.

So do you think its a lack of effort? Poor technique? The man in front of him won the battle on that play? Or he just doesn’t care? I’ve seen him make good blocks also. Listen, he makes plays and misses plays just like every player on the field. We can watch tape on anyone and find things to criticize. There’s inconsistencies everywhere. That’s why the unit doesn’t function as well as it should. But notice how I mentioned the pluses and minuses and you chose to find another thing you don’t like about him.

 

[Trueblue25]

Lmao that’d put me in a hospital

 

[sutomcat]

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

Agree with all of this. Also, his toughness and competitive fire seem to improve with every passing game.

He was a much different player at the end of last season that he was during 2019 for instance.

Our team seems to sometime lack that spark that separates bad teams from good ones. Taj was clearly playing as hard as he could last year, especially in the second half of the year.

He averaged 6.7 catches and 76 yards a game over the last 7 games of the season. Remember that Tommy only played in one of those games...the rest were with Rex or Jacobian. There was a lot of games where the passing game struggled. Against UL, for instance, the QBs threw for a total of 45 passing yards.

If Taj stays healthy, I think he is a lock to get over 1000 yards receiving. And double figure TDs.

 

[money3189]

all of which is why many think he should be in the slot, not out wide.

Taj is a RAC machine; he's elite WITH the ball in his hands.

He is NOT elite at getting the ball into his hands.

So - let's make the "getting the ball into his hands" part easier and happen more often, so he can then do the things he is really, really great at.

I honestly don’t like him exclusively at slot for different reasons. One is he is very slender. Playing between the ashes every down and blocking LB’s and safeties each play can wear his body out and make him less effective. Down field catching needs to improve but he is tall and twitchy on the edge. No other wr has shown they can even get separation on vertical routes. I’m hoping other outside wr’s emerge. That will allow them to move Taj around inside and outside so the defense can’t sit on his routes. Hopefully that will open things up for other wr’s

 

[orangeinohio]

this is so much work to make all this food.

 

[money3189]

Agree with all of this. Also, his toughness and competitive fire seem to improve with every passing game.

He was a much different player at the end of last season that he was during 2019 for instance.

Our team seems to sometime lack that spark that separates bad teams from good ones. Taj was clearly playing as hard as he could last year, especially in the second half of the year.

He averaged 6.7 catches and 76 yards a game over the last 7 games of the season. Remember that Tommy only played in one of those games...the rest were with Rex or Jacobian. There was a lot of games where the passing game struggled. Against UL, for instance, the QBs threw for a total of 45 passing yards.

If Taj stays healthy, I think he is a lock to get over 1000 yards receiving. And double figure TDs.

Yup and because we are a team that lacks explosion and offensive production we tend to lean on and be more critical of the guy who can. Hoping he can bail us out and cover up the ineptness. He’s a talented kid but he’s not that good. We all know he’s emotional. I’ve yelled at the screen at him plenty of times lol. I think some people don’t understand why he gets upset. They assume it’s for selfish reasons.

 

[Dick_in_MI]

Some will keep the image in their minds of when he went alligator arms or didn’t fight for a 50/50 ball. Which he’s done at few times. Some will remember the times when he fights and claws for extra yards, breaks tackles, run across the teeth of the defense when the LB’s are trying take his head off. He does more of that than anything else.

I agree with this.

One other comment I’ll make is that a receiver feels that if he has gotten separation, even a little bit, it is the QB’s job to thread the needle into a tight place. Tommy doesn’t always seem comfortable doing that. You can question whether the WR should react to it but that‘s another issue.

One thing that is rarely mentioned in the discussion of Taj’s emotions is that he is also hard on himself. He is just as likely to react with visible emotion when he drops a ball or gets tripped up on a catch and run that could have been a big gainer. He may expect a lot from his QB but I think he also expects it from himself.

 

[kcsu]

Speaking of emotion i miss Rav Dog

 

[money3189]

I agree with this.

One other comment I’ll make is that a receiver feels that if he has gotten separation, even a little bit, it is the QB’s job to thread the needle into a tight place. Tommy doesn’t always seem comfortable doing that. You can question whether the WR should react to it but that‘s another issue.

One thing that is rarely mentioned in the discussion of Taj’s emotions is that he is also hard on himself. He is just as likely to react with visible emotion when he drops a ball or gets tripped up on a catch and run that could have been a big gainer. He may expect a lot from his QB but I think he also expects it from himself.

Good points

 

[SU in Hershey]

Speaking of emotion i miss Rav Dog

Speaking of stupid penalties, I don't miss him.